The Tragedy of Inner Vows

     When I was a child, certain events caused me to make a decision that plagued me much of my adult life. I decided I would never allow anyone else to control me. This was impossible, of course, if I was going to be a lawful citizen and moral person. Everyone is subject to some kind of authority, whether in school, on the job, or as a member of the community. But as time went on, my subconscious found subtle ways to control aspects of my life and the lives of those around me. I was acting out the "inner vow" I had made when I was young.

     An inner vow is a decision, usually subconscious, that we make due to some uncomfortable or traumatic experience. For example, I watched my own father allow an inner vow to affect him in a negative way throughout his entire life. As a younger man, he received a life-changing blow to his career. Because of that disappointment, he lived the rest of his life dominated by sadness and depression. Only death gave him complete release from the burden he carried.

     My father made an inner vow that changed the course of his life. Unfortunately, it also affected the rest of our family as well. Living with the emotional fallout of his loss planted a deep fear of loss in my own life. As a result, when I became a young woman, I struggled with the need to exert control over the circumstances of my life and the lives of those around me.

     Fortunately, we can be released from these subtle, but powerful, controls on our emotions and behavior. Victory over the effects of my early decision began after I read about the concept of inner vows, understood it, and recognized symptoms of it in my own behavior. I saw that a lot of my life revolved around my fear of losing control over my life.

     The next step in my recovery was to turn the situation over to God and allow Him to have ultimate control of my life. Scripture says that perfect love casts out fear. God's Word also says that fear has torment and I had experienced that torment. As I submitted to God's love and his will for my life, I was gradually able to hand the reins of control to God. As a result, my fear of  loss lessened and so did the need to control those around me.

     When we examine the roots of our negative behaviors, we likely will find an inner vow somewhere in the mix. Releasing past trauma to God initiates a healing process that frees us from the negative effects of an inner vow.

                                                                                                © Laura Allen Nonemaker

Are You a Victim of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Part 3

I apologize to my readers that due to circumstances, the final post of the SAD series is going up later than planned. For those who missed the first two segments, please refer to September 21 and September 28 in the index of posts.

      What treatment is available for SAD sufferers? Antidepressants have been used with some success, along with exercise. However, medication has the potential for side effects. Researchers are pointing to light therapy as another possible solution. It appears that replacing natural, full-spectrum light, which is in short supply in the winter, can provide relief for some SAD sufferers. According to an article in Maclean's titled, Surviving the Winter, dozens of clinical studies have shown that light therapy, simply exposing a patient to bright light for a period of time each day, can be highly effective in treating two-thirds of SAD patients. The belief is that this is probably due to the restoration of proper melatonin synthesis and secretion by the pineal gland. This leads to reestablishment of the proper circadian rhythm, which is the natural 24-hour rhythmic release of hormones.
     Is there a way to tell who will benefit from light therapy? According to a report on early response to light therapy carried in The Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, a small clinical study using light therapy showed that patients suffering from hypersomnia and carbohydrate cravings tend to have a favorable response. According to the article, a number of studies have demonstrated that artificial bright-light therapy effectively treats the symptoms of depression in most, but not all, patients with SAD.
     Those suffering with certain types of depression other than SAD also may be helped with light therapy. There is evidence that exposing PMS sufferers to full-spectrum light for a period of time each day during the dark winter months could serve as a non-drug therapy to reduce their symptoms.  In a preliminary study of PMS sufferers dealing with depression, two hours of natural light was administered the week before menstruation each month for three months. All patients experienced vastly decreased feelings of depression. An article in Prevention offered the theory that, similar to patients affected by SAD, the release of the hormone, melatonin, during light therapy restores the rhythms that have been interrupted by the reproductive hormones.
     The available data seems to draw a clear relationship between the availability of full-spectrum light and our physical, emotional, and mental health. Light therapy appears to be a relatively simple, non-invasive way for some people to experience relief. Formerly, the equipment used to administer full-spectrum light was bulky and heavy. A light-producing device called Litebook is the size of a portable CD player and uses light-emitting diodes (LED's) to create an intense beam, while consuming just one-tenth the power of an incandescent bulb. This device could make a significant difference to those suffering from conditions that respond to light therapy. This includes people with jet lag. Larry Pederson, the inventor of Litebook, points out that travelers and business people generally don't have the luxury of several days to recover after a long flight. The use of light therapy could be a welcome benefit to those with heavy travel schedules between time zones.
      There is a  less expensive solution. Visit a pet store and purchase a full-spectrum florescent light designed for an aquarium. It may be necessary to sit near the aquarium light for up to two hours at a time rather than the 20 minute estimate for the costlier version, but the time can be well-spent reading or doing office work.

         After learning about the benefits of light therapy, I bought a standard full-spectrum light bulb at a health and nutrition store and installed it in a lamp. I sat near the lamp for 30 minutes to one hour each morning. After two to three months on this regimen, there was a marked reduction in my depression and my energy and motivation increased significantly. After implementing light therapy, I was able to anticpate the beauty of fall without the accompanying dread of winter. Of course, even better is the blessing of a winter vacation in Florida!

          Note:  As with any treatment of physical, mental or emotional symptoms, a medical professional should be consulted before using light therapy.  
                                                                                             © Laura Allen Nonemaker

Are You a Victim of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Part 2

With the approach of winter, it is typical for SAD sufferers to struggle in their emotional, mental, and physical health. They may have difficulty dealing with the most ordinary tasks of daily life and experience a vague melancholy. Not only are they depressed, but they feel sluggish and irritable. They oversleep, crave carbohydrates, and overeat, according to the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. In contrast, these same people may feel elated, active, and energetic during the summer months.

What causes SAD, sometimes called "the winter blues?"  The consensus seems to be that inadequate sunlight is the culprit.  Natural light is just as important to the body as proper nutrition, sleep, and exercise, and plays a vital part in synchronizing the body's daily biological clock. When mornings are dark and gloomy, some individuals don't receive a strong enough light signal to get them going. This results in chemical changes in the brain. SAD is more prevalent in Canada and the northern United States, where fall and winter are longer. However, although most of the literature refers to more northern districts, such as Alaska and Michigan, SAD also seems to affect people farther south, but to a lesser degree.

There may be another reason more people do not recognize SAD as the cause of their symptoms.  During November and December the holidays bolster their spirits and carry them through until New Year's. They may be well into January before they realize they are depressed or anxious and that they don't have the energy or attitude they had during the warmer months. Before the SAD victim gets around to seeing a professional, spring has arrived and he feels better. To complicate things even more, some may attribute their lack of energy and blue mood to other causes, such as finances, a death in the family, or another stress factor that may be coinciding with the seasonal component. Once spring arrives, it is easier to cope with the stresses of life and the problem with depression seems to be resolved.

My next installment of Are You a Victim of Seasonal Affective Disorder? will examine some solutions for SAD sufferers.

                                                                                                               © Laura Allen Nonemaker

Lesson from a Fearful Feline

When worry and free-floating anxiety assault us, it is crucial to reject them immediately. In most cases, what we worry about will never happen and worry won’t help anyway. Instead, it can keep us from dealing with the situation in a balanced, decisive way. Anxiety is definitely not from God. It saps away our productivity and joy and is a frequent tool of Satan. It can enlarge into a phobia that traps us in a fear-filled world and limits our contact with others.

A story is told of the cat that disappeared from home. One day it returned, only there was something different about it. One side of the wayward feline was completely devoid of fur. There was nothing but bare skin. Something else was strange, too. While the cat previously spent most of its time outdoors, now nothing its owner did could coax it outside. If he tried to pick it up and put it outside, it bit him.

A short time later, the cat’s owner was sharing the situation with his neighbor. “I’ll bet I know what is wrong with your cat,” he said. Then he told him about a snake called a pine snake that emits a scent similar to catnip. When a cat smells it, the snake opens its mouth wide and swallows the animal. “It sounds like your cat ran into a pine snake,” said the neighbor.

The encounter with the snake so traumatized the cat that it decided that going outdoors was not safe. The same thing happens to  some people. Because of a traumatic event, they decide that a certain person or place is unsafe and they wall themselves in.

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6 that we are not to be anxious about anything, but in everything turn to God with thanksgiving and prayer and he will provide the peace we seek. We are to pray and turn the situation over to God, and then trust him to work it out.

                                                                                                   ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

From Glory to Glory

Looking in the mirror this morning, I saw a face that is changing daily, and with increasing speed. It is not that I am neglecting my appearance. Anyone who would dare to peek into our bathroom could tell that from the full basket of “jams and jellies” sitting on the vanity. However, in spite of my best efforts, time is leaving its indelible imprint on this pot of clay.

I am reminded of when my dear mother came to visit some years ago. I was in my thirties, she in her sixties. We were preparing to go out to dinner and she looked with dismay into the dresser mirror and said, “Oh, Laura, where has the time gone. I look so old.” She fussed with her makeup.

“Here Mummy, let me help.” I picked up the eye shadow and applied the light blue pigment to the lids of her azure eyes, still her most striking feature. “I think you look beautiful,” I said, and gently dabbed at her fragile eyelids. You will always be beautiful to me, I thought.

Now, many years later, I understand how she felt. It gets more and more difficult to hold back the hands of time.  Of course, that is an exercise in futility, anyway. Because of sin, these earthly bodies are programmed to gradually self-destruct. We don’t live in the Garden of Eden, and our flesh is relentlessly bombarded with free radicals and countless other substances that age us.

Increasingly, I find myself looking for encouragement to the passages in the Bible that speak of the blessings promised to us as we grow older. Psalm 92:12 (NKJV) tells us, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.” While I don’t think this passage tells me the lines around my eyes and mouth will disappear, I believe it does say that as I root myself in the Word of God and honor the Lord with my life, I can be an influence for good as long as I live.

I have had the privilege of meeting older Christians who, although their bodies are aging, have a peace and joy that radiates through their eyes and speech. We read in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 

My ultimate desire is to lift up the Lord Jesus in all I do and reflect Him to the world around me. As we move closer to that promised time when our physical bodies will be changed into heavenly bodies that will never age or die, may we allow the precious Holy Spirit to transform our spirits from glory to glory.

                                                                                                     ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

Breaking the Downward Spiral of Depression

Why do we sometimes find ourselves in a downward spiral of depression? Can it be prevented or at least interrupted and reversed? Tonight, while watching  Happiness by Design on Hope TV, I received some insight on what seems to be an epidemic of our times.

The moderator described the limbic system of the brain and its role in dictating our emotions. He explained how the thoughts we think originate in the frontal part of the brain, which is concerned with the emotions. When we think a thought, the frontal part of the brain sends it to the back of the limbic system, which "considers" that thought and sends back a response. This, in turn, increases the intensity of the original thought. That is relayed to the emotional center, where it intensifies even more, and so on. What we focus on creates a spiral of thinking and emotion. For example, if we watch a commercial of someone breaking into a house, a concern is raised in our mind, which is sent to our emotional center.  Before we know it, we might be convinced that someone is about to break into our house at any time.

The cycle of thoughts and emotions occurs with positive thoughts as well as negative thoughts. One suggestion the host gave for counteracting depression was to make a list of what we are thankful for. This exercise will stimulate that frontal part of the brain to send positive messages back to our emotional center and begin a spiral of good thoughts and emotions.

Hope is another factor in living life positively. The example was given of prisoners during World War II who thought they were going to be liberated by Christmas. When New Year's Day had come and gone,    some of them had died from hopelessness and despair. One prisoner who survived was asked what kept him hopeful. He answered that he had decided he needed to share his experience with the world and that motivated him to hold on.

As someone who once struggled with negative thinking, I have learned the importance of prayer and thankfulness to counteract depression. The information shared on Happiness by Design helped me understand the physiological connection between our thoughts and emotions and reminded me of the importance of focusing on the positive. I appreciate more than ever the words of Philippians 4: 6 - 8, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus...whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (NKJV)

                                                                                                              Laura Allen Nonemaker