Food for Thought

The Newsletter of Education and Health Resources

PAIRS: IMPROVING RELATIONSHIPS WITH BETTER COMMUNICATION

Wow! What a difference it makes to learn better communication skills! Dr. Rick and Rosalie Malter recently completed a 4-day training course in the PAIRS programs. The Malters became certified instructors for teaching one and two day PAIRS courses for married couples or people in other relationships with a signi-ficant other. The state of Arizona is funding and subsidizing these courses until the end of June, 2002 for couples taking the courses in Yavapai county. The 1-day course costs only $15 and the 2-day course costs $30 per couple. For couples below the poverty line, there is no cost for taking the PAIRS training.

During the 4-day training program taught by Kelly Simpson, Executive Director of PAIRS, the Malters were able to directly experience the highly effective communication skills that have dramatically improved so many relationships nationally and internationally. Even after 40 years of marriage, the Malters found that the skills they learned from the PAIRS training are invaluable for improving a relationship. These skills are taught in small classes that provide many opportunities for practice so that, by the end of the course, a couple can make major changes in their relationship. The PAIRS training courses can lead to better ways to communicate , fewer arguments, and a greater feeling of love and closeness than many couples can even imagine. Many couples are amazed at the changes that can happen in their relationship when they are taught the basic communication skills in the PAIRS program. And these profound changes can occur after a one-day or two-day training program. One of the great benefits of taking a PAIRS training course is that it helps to greatly reduce stress and tension in a relationship. We will teach classes on April 13th, May 4th, June 14th, and June 20th & 21st. The classes will be offered in Cottonwood, Sedona, and Prescott, Arizona. For more information about PAIRS, www.pairsfoundation.com.

Releasing Your Empowered Self:

Understanding the Inner Psychological Drama

On the weekend of February 8th to the 10th, 2002, Rosalie and Rick Malter taught their new seminar/ workshop at the Sedona Creative Life Center (www.sedonacreativelife.com) in Sedona, AZ. On Friday evening, February 8th, they presented an overview of the topic “Releasing Your Empowered Self: Understanding the Inner Psychological Drama” in a lecture/seminar format.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Malters led an experiential workshop that taught the participants how to work with the three key parts of their “Inner Psychological Drama.” The “Judge” is the part that criticizes, dominates, and demands perfection. It is anti-spirit, anti-life, and anti-creativity. It is the “dark” side of human nature and it is inherently destructive.

The “Inner Child” carries the remnants of our childhood experience. It carries our childhood hurts, fears, anger, and pain. It is also highly vulnerable to the threats and criticism of the Judge.

The “Warrior” part is associated with maternal or paternal protective feelings and strength in females and males respectively. The Warrior provides us with emotional strength, courage, commitment, and a spiritual connection. It has the capacity to confront the Judge, shrink its power and control, and free the Inner Child from threat and domination by the Judge.

As the workshop participants increased their awareness of these three major parts of the Inner Psychological Drama, they also learned more about the characteristics of each part. Experientially, they learned to recognize the different feeling response to each part. They also learned that, as they diminished the threats and control that their Judge had over their Inner Child, they felt more empowered emotionally. They also learned that each person has a strong inner Warrior part that is both protective and empowering.

By increasing their awareness of these three key parts, the workshop participants also learned that they could profoundly alter the Inner Psychological Drama. This leads to major opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.

These three parts of the Inner Psychological Drama are universal characteristics of all human beings. They are a part of our human nature and link the mind and body by means of our basic survival mechanism -- the stress response or the “fight or flight” response.

Postpartum Depression (PPD):

Can It be Prevented?  

At the end of 2001, in the Journal of Ortho-molecular Medicine, Dr. Rick Malter published an article describing the case of a 33 year-old woman who contacted him because she was pregnant with a third child. She was terrified of facing a third PPD and possible psychiatric hospitalization because she had had a severe PPD reaction with each of her first two pregnancies. The full text of the article can be found on our web site http://www.malterinstitute.org or in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Fourth Quarter, 2001,bol. 16, no. 4, pp. 213-217.

The Calcium “Shell”:

Where the Mind and Body Come Together When people first read about the “calcium shell” in our book Shrinking the Judge: Freeing the Inner Child or on our web page http://www.malterinstitute.org, they usually become curious to learn more about it. Frequently, I am asked to explain the “calcium shell” in more detail. Because it is such an interesting and important mind/body phenomenon, it does warrant greater explanation.

The “calcium shell” is a fascinating concept that grew out of the work of the late Dr. Paul Eck and his colleague, Dr. David Watts at Analytical Research Laboratories in Phoenix, Arizona. As they collaborated to decipher the psychological and physiological meaning of nutrient mineral patterns that were revealed in the laboratory analysis of hair tissue samples (TMA), they identified what they called the “calcium shell.” This is an excess of calcium usually found in the mineral pattern that they called the “Slow Oxidizer.”

Eck & Watts found that the more that the TMA calcium level exceeded the ideal level, the more likely that the person experienced the effects of the calcium shell. Some of these effects are a numbing of feelings, diminished cellular energy production, impaired thyroid function (hypothyroid), hypoglycemia, low blood pressure, dysfunctional relationships, impaired absorption of nutrients, greater tension in muscles, and calcification of soft tissues, joints, and arteries. These tendencies are much greater if the ratio of TMA calcium to magnesium is significantly higher than the ideal ratio of 7/1. For example, if the TMA Ca/Mg ratio is 14/1, these symptoms and tendencies would be much more likely to manifest. If the Ca/Mg ratio is greater than 20, then it is almost a certainty that these symptoms will manifest. One very bright woman who had a Ca/Mg ratio of 26/1 was totally unable to tell what she was feeling. She had an incredible lack of awareness. She had a long history of abuse and alcoholism in her family background. She was also fatigued and felt awful.

Can the calcium shell be broken up? Yes, this is one of the most fascinating aspects of this phenomenon. A TMA can initially indicate the extent to which a calcium shell has built up in a person’s cells and tissues. Then, a corrective nutritional supplement program can be designed. In many cases, counseling and psycho-therapy can further expedite the breakup of the calcium shell. When the calcium shell breaks up, some people feel as if a wall around them has been broken down. Another person may feel that they have had a cloud removed from their visual field. They comment that they are much more aware and they can literally see much more clearly than they could before. It is as if they have had a psychological “cataract” condition with the calcium shell. The breakup of the calcium shell is like having psychological and nutritional “cataract” surgery. --- Dr. Rick Malter

 

Calendar of Coming Events

Yoga & Juice Fasting in Sedona, Arizona

Saturday, April 27th to Monday, April 29th.

Led by Rosalie Malter

 

1-day PAIRS classes in April, May, and June.

Cost: $14.40 per couple. Taught by Rosalie and Rick Malter, Certified PAIRS instructors. Call to register.

Free Health Education Seminars

These seminars will be presented in Cottonwood, Arizona. Call for Schedule.

 

Energy, Stress, & Nutrition for Aerobic Exercise: magnesium, vitamin E, and anti-oxidants

 

ADD without Ritalin: Nutrition Alternatives

 

Mercury Poisoning: Dental Amalgams & Vaccines

 

Are Vitamins & Minerals “Drugs“? Or Food?

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