Gabrielle Bernstein Launching New Spirit Junkie Alarm Clock App

Posted on by Tammy

Coming in January to an iPhone near you (and to Android in February), bestselling author, Gabrielle Bernstein is launching Spirit Junkie Alarm Clock, allowing users to start their day with an alarm and a positive intention.

“I believe it is imperative that we start our day with a positive attitude. This app makes it easy for people to choose a loving perspective the moment they open their eyes in the morning,” said Bernstein. “I wanted to create something that gives people an empowering message the moment they wake up. This app is unique, fun, and will help people begin their day with a smile!”

At $1.99, the app also allows users to share the positive intentions with others, posting it to Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest – which unlocks bonus content! By sharing, users collect points, and once they reach 500, they receive free audio meditations and lectures from Bernstein.

She also recommends setting the alarm to ring throughout the day to receive gentle reminders about turning inward and shifting perception.

Rediscovering Joy Beyond Fear

Posted on by Tammy

By Jennifer Garza

Do you remember what it felt like to be a child on Christmas morning? How the excitement was so encompassing you could barely sleep in wonder of the joy to come? Do you remember the anticipation before opening shiny, wrapped gifts under a brightly lit Christmas tree? Do you still feel it?

We tell ourselves this type of joy fades as we grow older. But this is a lie that allows us to hide behind our disappointments, bad decisions, and un-faced fears. As we go through our journey, we allow life’s letdowns to defeat us. We over-analyze the motives of others; punish ourselves for not being good enough; allow the stress of daily life to overshadow our life’s purpose; and allow fear to paralyze us, take over our choices, and keep us from moving forward.

The only way to find our joy is to acknowledge our pain and work through it. There is so much love and light within the Universe and inside of us. We are meant to experience a level of joy beyond our comprehension. The struggles are indeed a part of the path to learning and understanding, but if we acknowledge the hard lessons, embrace the pain just as we do the happiness – and truly learn from it – there is nothing but joy on the other side.

So how do you embrace the lessons?

* Realize you are connected to everyone and everything. When you feel disconnected from a higher power, you assume you are alone. This is an illusion, and you are choosing it. When you choose to feel alone, this becomes your reality.

* Be honest with yourself. Face your fears and insecurities. No matter how hard it is, there is so much more suffering through denying. Denying your pain is choosing to deny your life’s purpose. When you hide behind life’s vices – whether it be through alcohol, food or unhealthy relationships with yourself or others – you are hiding from your life’s purpose. Don’t be afraid of your purpose – embrace it.

*Make hard decisions. You know, at a soul level, whether or not you are happy. It is no one else’s burden to create your happiness – it is yours alone. If you are not happy, it’s because you are holding on to people, situations, and patterns that create your unhappiness. Remember that letting go of the unhealthy things that bind you can only set you free.

Jennifer Garza, M.S., has a master of science in counseling and psychology. She is a former therapist and has taught life enhancement classes at venues including college campuses, state conferences and prisons. She is the author of the inspiration journal “365 Days to Happiness: Use Your Strengths, Thoughts, and Dreams to Manifest a New Life.” Garza has been featured in Natural Health magazine, AOL, BusinessInsider.com, Young Entrepreneur.com, and on FTNS radio. Visit her website at www.authorjennifergarza.com or connect with her.

“A Time for Healing,” CD by Mike Wall

Posted on by Tammy

Combining Native American flutes, Tibetan singing bowls, guitars, strings, violins, piano, drones and world instruments with nature sounds, “A Time for Healing,” is a on-hour long CD, featuring 10 compilations by musician, new age composer and massage therapist, Mike Wall.

Wall plays, engineers, and produces his music, and records the nature sounds, primarily around his home in the Pacific Northwest, and while the CD is ideal for massage therapists and other healing practitioners, it can also be used at home as background music, during meditation and more.

“I composed this music for massage with the intention of creating peace, calm, and a place of deep healing for the listener,” Wall said. “I used sound healing principals along with cadence, space, instrumentation, tones, intervals, and timbres that are completely supportive of that intention. The nature sounds were carefully selected to make sense in the context of the music. While composing, I often improvised along with the natural recordings. Throughout the developmental process I consulted with many therapists and their clients and received valuable feedback on the music and how it enhanced their sessions.”

Wall first solo release “Passage” was nominated for Best Ambient album in the 2007 New Age Reporter Lifestyle Music Awards, and charted #11 on the NAR charts. The new CD is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Samples of the music on “A Time for Healing,” are also available on Wall’s Web site, www.mikewallmusic.com.

Medicare & Magellan Behavioral Health to Cover TMS Treatment for Depression

Posted on by Tammy

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a treatment for depression is finally gaining acceptance as an alternative to medication and other therapies, according to a report in the Tennessean. Medicare began covering TMS in cases where other therapies have failed as of Dec. 1, and Magellan Behavior Health Inc., a specialty insurance administrator, will provide coverage as of Jan. 1.

Dr. Oz has talked about the treatment on his show in the past, saying he believed it could be an effective treatment, and asking: “Why is every psychiatrist in the country not thinking about this for patients?”

So what is NeuroStar TMS? It is an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy, or shock treatments, for those who don’t respond to drugs or traditional psychotherapy. A patient sits in the chair while a magnetic pulse emitter transmits energy from a levered arm, according to the report, which compared the process to undergoing dental X-rays.

“When this large magnet pulses repetitively, it causes an electromagnetic field, which then passes through the skull and stimulates the brain tissue itself,” Dr. Scott West, a psychiatrist who pioneered the treatment in Nashville 2 1/2 years ago said in the report. He explained this results in a cascading effect that results in the interior nerve fibers connecting better.

Additionally, a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health revealed a “significant effect of treatment” when patients received TMS, and compared outcomes of those receiving the treatment to a placebo group. The results showed depressed patients who received the TMS treatment had remission rates four times higher than those in the sham group, according to The Tennessean report.

Although the treatment is costly – as much as $400 for a 37-minute session, and usually requires multiple sessions – it is far less then an extended hospital stay, the report stated.

Self-Nurturing: The Key to Holiday Harmony

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By Amy Leigh Mercree

For many of us, snow is falling and holiday cheer abounds, but what do you do if the season of celebration leaves you feeling flat and empty? Does the thought of more small talk at parties, and finding a New Year’s Eve date make you cringe and want to hibernate? You’re not alone! If you asked your friends their real feelings about this season some people would express emotions of obligation and wariness at the busy schedule, often imposed by well-meaning family and friends.

So how can we find a balance this season and give ourselves the message that we are worth having an enjoyable, joyful, relaxing time – and also take action to make that happen? A few simple changes in thinking and a couple self-nurturing actions will make a massive difference in your experience of the holidays.

First, ask yourself, “What does the holiday season mean to me?” Really delve into that. It might mean time off from work where you want to relax and have fun. It might signify spiritual renewal or have poignant religious significance for you.

Next ask yourself, “What holiday rituals are fun and meaningful for me?” This could be when just your immediate family lights the menorah together or decorates the tree. It could also be the couple hours you set aside to go surfing before family celebrations begin. Look at what part of those experiences really fuels you and prioritize that in your plans.

Lastly, ask yourself, “What do I wish I could do?” Go to Tahiti? Hibernate in a bubble bath with a romance series? Play touch football with my most relaxed friends? Go out for sushi? While you might not have the time or money for a Tahiti trip this year, you could set that as a five- or 10-year goal, and you could certainly carve out the time for bubble baths, a football game or sushi if you made your enjoyment a priority.

Why should your enjoyment a priority? Because you are an amazing, sacred, beautiful treasure just as you are! And you matter.

You must be the one to assert your importance in your life. It is important that you have fun. It is important that you are rejuvenated. It is important you get to relax this season if that is what you need.

Dating and Love
Everyone wants to throw dating in the mix at holiday time. You will see messages all over the media this season of mistletoe, romantic snow covered moments, and the mythical kiss at the stroke of midnight from fairy tales being enacted on New Year’s Eve. The reality of holiday time is many people are harried and rushed and trying to find meaning amid a storm of consumerism. So what if you just choose to be open to the heart energy that does get stoked at this time of year? What if you just let that flame warm you and allowed life to bring you whatever is for your highest good? How would that feel? Would that ease a pressure within?

If family members ask you about your love life, what if you said, “I am blissfully in love with myself, thank you for asking,” with a huge smile on your face?

Here is my “Survival Kit For the Holidays.” Do these things and you will be relaxed, centered, and happy this season!

1) Be kind. Firstly, to yourself. No negative self-talk, no admonishments for forgetting to send out cards. Just kindness in everything you say to yourself. And be kind to others 100-percent of the time Even when you are in the slowest line on the planet at the grocery store, practice serenity and be kind to the cashier instead of impatient and grouchy.

2) Open your heart to love. And that is it. Have no expectation about dates and such this time of year. Just give yourself a pass. Simply open your heart to the love from your nieces, nephews, pets, friends and grandma, and focus relentlessly on that love. Share your love. Say, “I love you,” to every family member and friend this season and deliver the words with a big hug and watch people soften and tension ease before your eyes.

3) Create and uphold at least two self-nurturing rituals on crucial days in your season. For example, for many years I have had a delicious Christmas morning breakfast in bed. When I was single, I would get up and make my waffles with berries and cream, and then bring them back to bed on a pretty tray that morning before turning the ringer on the phone back on. Now that I’m married I do the same thing, but my husband gets to enjoy the breakfast in bed too! You could have a favorite Christmas movie you wrap presents to on Christmas Eve while enjoying hot chocolate after giving yourself a peppermint oil foot massage. Or a home spa day on December 26th that is non-negotiable. You get the idea!

You have the power to nurture yourself, care for yourself, and through that focus, open your heart to real love. Then you will find yourself spiritually dating!

Happy season of self nurturing!

Amy Leigh Mercree is the author of “The Spiritual Girl’s Guide to Dating: Your Enlightened Path to Love, Sex, & Soul Mates,” a Spiritual Dating & Relationship Coach, and a Medical Intuitive. For more fun articles and her dating advice column visit her blog and website:www.spiritualgirlsguide.com.

VIDEO Exclusive: Gregg Braden on Thriving Beyond 2012

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On November 9, 2012, Elevated Existence presented best-selling author Gregg Braden with our 2012 Elevated Existence Spiritual Service Award in Pompton Plains, N.J.

The award is given every year to someone who had dedicated their life and work to uplifting the world’s consciousness, helping others learn to help themselves, and spreading spiritual awareness throughout the planet. Previous winners include Hay House founder, Louise Hay; award-winning actress and author, Shirley MacLaine; and best-selling author Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Braden was at the Regency House Hotel speaking at a two-day workshop sponsored by the Metaphysical Center of New Jersey and the Association of Awareness when Elevated Existence founder, publisher and editorial director, Tammy Mastroberte, presented him with the award. (Watch the video of the presentation on Elevated Existence’s new YouTube channel).

The author was in N.J. just after Hurricane Sandy hit the state, and told the audience Friday night to “give thanks for how blessed we all are to be in a heated and lighted room tonight.” He also explained how we are living in a very unique time in history.

“The best minds of our time are telling us we are facing the greatest number of crises and at the greatest magnitude in more than 5,000 years, and we are being asked to solve so many problems in such a small amount of time,” he said to the crowd. “It is a fact that we live in a time of crisis. But if the crisis is still happening, it means there is still time to fix it.”

In his latest book, “Deep Truth,” Braden shares the new revelations of science, overturning what we believed to be true for years, and proving what our ancient and indigenous ancestors have known for years. These “deep truths” must be embraced in order to not only survive beyond 2012, but to thrive, according to Braden.

“The world of the past no longer exists, but no one has told us,” Braden tells Elevated Existence in the December 2012 Issue cover story interview. “The world now has changed, and the way we think and live must change. If someone would explain that at a very high level, then we, the people of the Earth, could mourn the past that is disappearing, let go, and embrace what is new.”

Instead, many people are viewing the changes in the world as a small blip – or a rough spot on the road of life, he says. They are waiting for things to go back to the way they were, and it is these people who will suffer the most.

“They are clinging to the idea of a world that no longer exists, and as long as they cling to that and think in a way that supported that world of the past, they are suffering in terms of their jobs, careers, finances, relationships and families,” Braden explains.

However, he, and many other great evolutionary minds of our time, remain optimistic about the new world emerging, despite what we face. Crisis is a catalyst for evolution, and Braden believes the problems of today are actually providing an opportunity to evolve and transform the world into a better place.

“I’ve never been more optimistic about our nation, the United States of America, or any nation of the Earth, because our systems are broken, and that is what creates the willingness to look for and embrace new ideas, and look for new ways to solve our problems. That is what’s happening right now,” Braden notes. “If we can shift into a new way of thinking where these crises are giving us an opportunity, that is where we can begin a whole new world.”

When presenting Braden with the 2012 Spiritual Service Award, Mastroberte asked him about Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters happening in the world, and what it means for the future (see Part 1 of the video interview here), and also how we can best navigate the future beyond 2012 – along with what about our thinking has to change (see Part 2 of the video interview here).

For more on Braden and what he believes to be true about the new world emerging before us, visit our new YouTube Channel (be sure to subscribe to it while your there!) and see the December 2012 Issue of the magazine, available now.