Decoding Dementia ~~ Newest Discussion Idea for Community Groups ~~ January 29, 2010
New technologies for spotting Alzheimer's disease are reportedly poised to unravel its cause and speed progress toward effective treatments. Science writer Joel N. Shurkin discusses how early diagnosis may enable treatment before symptoms appear -- intervention that could halt the advance of the disease. In our IONS New Options Group last meeting we discussed the possibility of viable mind-body therapies for Alzheimer's as it pops up in the brain and hypotheses about what may happen to consciousness as the disease.progresses.
Discussion questions we used in our New Options Community Group meeting may be accessed at http://www.shiftinaction.com/node/3444
Our meetings are guided by these intentions, principles, and processes:
IONS’ and NOG's Common Mission: “Exploring the frontiers of consciousness to advance individual, social, and ecosystem transformation to an integrally healthful and full functioning state of being.”
“What is needed is skeptical scrutiny and, at the same time, a great openness to new ideas.” – Carl Sagan
“If you view situations from your inner ‘place’ of centered, balanced, transparent timeless awareness, every perception can be viewed as an option, every interpretation as an option, and every response as an option with consequences for more or less health or ill. Each consequence may be controllable, only influenceable, or utterly uncontrollable relative to realizing mutual integral health, empathy, wisdom, and full functioning as one consciously evolves.” -- RWJ
The following affirmational meditation process can be useful for clearing one's soul of unwanted attachments and for transcending dualities relative to involuntarily learned beliefs, values, biases, and behaviors blocking one's expansion of consciouness, health, free thinking, creativity, effectiveness, and respect for the inherent worth and dignity of others:
1) I am a conscious center of our infinite ageless Source of all individuals, societies, our ecosystem, cosmos, values, beliefs, and behaviors;
2) I am not any temporal feeling, thought, behavior, identity or possession;
3) I transcend, own and include in my repertoire all my temporal feelings, thoughts, identities, values, behaviors and possessions as conscious options;
4) I intend to co-creatively manage the use of my options in a way mutually respectful and healthful to myself, other entities, and our ecosystem;
5) I am open to feedback from my body, dreams, psychospiritual consultant, other entities and our ecosystem on how well I am doing in realizing my healthful intentions.
6. I make adjustments to my intentions and actions as I desire for integral health, strength, and full functioning in all aspects of my life . . . personal, social, ecosystemic, and cosmologic.
-- RWJ
