By Page H. Gifford
Correspondent
Medical experts, counselors, and psychologists are looking at ways that can help people heal themselves in stressful moments. One of the main problems of turning off the stressors in the mind is living in a modern world with modern problems but primitive responses.
Cynthia Moore, registered dietitian/nutritionist, diabetes educator, health and wellness coach, and yoga therapist, held a session explaining Nourishing Resiliency Training to a few Lake Monticello residents on Saturday, Sept. 16.
In the 1990s, Moore founded Hygeia Park Wellness along with Mary Sherman and Anna Delong. The idea for Hygeia came to Moore, who was a nutritionist at the Greenbrier Clinic, Spa, and Resort in West Virginia. She pictured ways that people could learn healthy self-care and live up to their full potential. The name Hygeia comes from the Greek goddess of mental and physical health and Moore’s choice of a title personifies her vision for healthy resources focused on prevention and self-care.
Mental health has become a hot-button topic in recent years for various reasons and finding ways to cope in everyday living can be a challenge. Moore is not immune to it herself and this gives her a deeper understanding of what others are feeling.
“The purpose of this training is to learn a few skills to improve mental and physical health and weight,” she said. She gave the group some guidelines. These were not set rules to follow but something that was naturally internalized as the group learned. “We need to learn to use a more nurturing voice and less inner critical voice,” she said.
“The origins of the method came from the University of California and looks at attachment theory, stress science, neurobiology and positive plasticity, and self-regulation,” she said. She listed the rewards of weight and stress management, including balance, intimacy, sanctuary, authenticity, vibrancy, integrity, spirituality, and freedom.
She explained that intimacy was our connection to others and the choices and boundaries we set for ourselves with others. Sanctuary was strengthening our connection to ourselves, and authenticity is the integration into a whole being. Vibrancy, which was one area of concern for a couple of people in the group, focused on energy, vitality, and good health. Integrity speaks for itself, being aware of right and wrong and our accountability, and spirituality was an awareness and appreciation of our connections. Freedom was the ability to do and enjoy things in life. She went around the table asking people what rewards they wanted the most. Most said intimacy or vibrancy.
She explained how rewiring the brain from stress circuits to joy circuits operates. Nourishing Resiliency Training works on our awareness of our emotions at any given moment. This is done with check-ins which interrupt stress responses and reactions.
“The five-point-system interrupts automatic thoughts and cognitions with a pertinent skill,”
she explained. Five tools match five brain states and recognizing them along with a meditative state strengthens our awareness of what we are feeling.
She added that at times of extreme stress when emotions are escalating it is best to walk away and go somewhere for quiet time. Nowadays it’s not easy to find a pathway to peace and balance in our lives but there are ways to do it.
‘I’ve learned to eat a few chips and not the Costco bag size,” she smiled.
For more information about Hygeia Wellness Park, visit www.hygeiawellnesspark.com or contact Cynthia Moore at cynhygeia145@gmail.com.
