Dear Dick
articles about wide ranging psychological issues
from "The Local Bulletin" (Brisbane Australia)
by Dick Rigby
©all articles are copyright 2006

August 1998
Valerie Davis, a yoga teacher, wrote to the “Dear Dick” column recently commenting on my reply to Mrs A.  Valerie talked about the benefits of yoga to help with relaxation with people like Mrs A.  I agree with Valerie wholeheartedly that yoga can very helpful in many situations, particularly when people are suffering from excessive tension of need to find a new direction to their life.  Meditation is one aspect of the yoga teaching which I know can help bring peace of mind. 
Meditation has been shown to help with both physical and psychological healing and well being.  The benefits include muscle relaxation, improved blood circulation, reducing blood pressure, improved immune system, balancing of energy throughout the body, and improvements to the digestive system.  Meditation has also been shown to assist with the curing diseases such as asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome and cancer.
I terms of coping with the busy and stressful lifestyle that most of us lead, it is very important to attend to heath issues.  I strongly recommend that people put some time aside each day to meditate.  Even 10 minutes is better than none.  It probably doesn’t matter which form of meditation that you use, be it transcendental meditation, yoga, or tai chi.  What matters is that the basic rules of meditation are observed.  These rules are:-
1. Relax your body and mind.  You may find a relaxation tape useful to begin the relaxation. 
2. Choose one thing to focus on and explore.  This could be focussing on your breath. 
3. If the mind wanders, bring it back. 
4. Let go everything that comes into your mind.
5. While you meditate, the mind should be focused and alert, not drifting or fuzzy. 
Listening to your own breath is said to be the oldest meditation.  It is also one of the most simple.  If you find it difficult to hear the sound of your own breath, you can tighten the muscles at the top of your nose making the sound of your breath more audible.  Focusing on the breath can make it easier to let the thoughts pass by.
When I teach meditation I usually teach people to use a tone with the meditation.  Toning is using the voice to produce a sustained note.  The note may be a simple “oo” or you may like to use a repeated mantra such as “OM” or “OM NAMAH SHIVAYA” sung on the one note. 
Whether the tone be a mantra or a simple note, you should maintain it for betwen 3 and 20 minutes, interrupted only by the need to take a breath. 
Exercises like yoga, meditation and toning help us to stay grounded.  Grounding is the sense of feeling solid, centred and connected.  Both connected within your body and connected to the earth.  It is the opposite of floating.  Using your breath or a tone as the focus in meditation is an excellent way to help you to be grounded. 
 

Complimentary therapies

December 2000
I suffer from migraines.  I have a severe attack every 5 or 6 days on average.  Often I have to go to bed with the condition.  I am on medication, but it doesn't seem to give me relief.  I have heard that  migraines can be caused by stress or other lifestyle factors.  Would you please comment.
Mrs. A
Dear Mrs. A
Recurrent migraines is a very distressing condition to suffer from.  There seems to be general agreement that migraines can have many causes.  Some of the triggers can be certain foods, circulation problems in the brain, and stress, to name but a few.
Once you have had the medical side checked out, and your medication doesn't seem to be doing any good, there are a wide range of alternative treatments to chose from.  Sometimes the choice between the various complimentary therapies is bewildering. 
There are those therapies dealing with issues of diet.   Dieticians or food allergy experts can help here.  You could also look into dietary restrictions, dietary supplements and herbal medication.
There are the many "hands on" therapies.  These include reflexology, massage, acupuncture, acapressure, Feldenkreis, Alexander technique, and reiki.  All of these may help.  Sometimes a chiropractic therapist or an osteopath is the right person to visit.
There are many other complimentary therapies that I know people have found helpful, such as, aromatherapy and sound therapy.
Many of these complimentary therapies are gaining acceptance in medical practices and hospitals.  I have just returned from running a workshop at the Calvary Hospital in Sydney to train health professionals in the use of sound and music therapies to help with people who are in the last stages of a terminal illness.
Last but not least are the therapies dealing with the management of stress and pain.  Psychologists can help with stress management techniques as well as how to cope with a migraine when it hits.  Many psychologists, like myself, recognise the need to work in with other complimentary therapists when treating conditions such as migraines.
Stress and life management techniques are also taught as part of yoga, tai Chi, meditation etc.
The list of complimentary therapies that I have described is by no means complete.  I firmly believe that if conventional medical treatment is not working, then it is well worth looking into the complimentary therapies.