Addendum:  The techniques in Dr. Michael Moskowitz’s and Dr. Marla Golden’s workbook helps me “outgrow” persistent unpleasant sensations  including  pain. 

2021 December 9,  15:18 – 16:18;  December 10, 18:00 – 19:58 California

Dear Reader,

I have been watching episodes of The Jack Benny Program (TV series 1950-1965) and laughing out loud; thank you to the folks who post them on YouTube.

Laughing out loud is good medicine – a mighty elixir – for me.

The world continues to be impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. How can I think about laughing?

I am still dealing with a neurological disorder. How can I think about laughing?

Smiling for one’s self; laughing for one’s self; walking; imagining walking; moving to soothing thoughts – are some of the activities which help our beautiful brains produce beneficial chemicals. What I have learned as an advocate for my papa since 2015 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease … and what I’ve learned and continue to learn – as a patient of persistent unpleasant sensations including pain -  is that there are things I can do for myself to feel better.  Even if the sensation of wellness seems ephemeral… I’ll take wellness moments. Thank you very much!

I remember sitting with Vicki Weiland https://vickiweiland.wordpress.com …knowing that it took our dear friend many days (oftentimes many weeks, even months) to prepare herself for visitors. Awful persistent pain was the symptoms.

On two occasions, I witnessed how laughter was a mighty elixir for Vicki.  Someone in the room said something funny; or Vicki herself said something funny and we all laughed … at that moment Vicki’s entire body expressed wellness.

How we all wished that our pal would have millions of wellness moments.

Angel Vicki,

I’ve been watching my favorite episodes of The Jack Benny Program again and again.  Interestingly, several of them feature James Stewart and his wife Gloria. More about that … at the end of my blog post.

This afternoon – Thursday, December 9, 2021 – while organizing my inventory of greeting cards, I found a note I had written to myself. You had called me on October 8, 2012 at 19:00 from your new home. You said “The trees and mountain are glorious. But my pain is not going away….”

Even though you were ill, you gave your time to call and to ask about Sasa Southard  https://sasasouthard.com and other friends at Women’s National Book Association and San Francisco Writers Conference. How I wish a physician with Dr. Michael Moskowitz’s insight about persistent pain was your physician. The workbook that Dr. Michael Moskowitz co-wrote with Dr. Marla Golden was published only three months after your phone call (in January 2013), however, I didn’t know about it until last year (2020) when I was battling persistent pain myself.

I wish you Bliss, mon amie, and humbly ask you to help more people find Dr. Moskowitz’s and Dr. Golden’s workbook TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION

With deep gratitude,

Teresa Jade

TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION 

written by Michael H. Moskowitz, MD  and  Marla D. Golden, DO 

http://neuroplastix.com

Your Brain On Pain

Why doesn’t the pain stop?

Listen to your body talk.

Use your brain to stop your pain.

Below are chapter / section titles of the workbook:

Dr. Moskowitz’s and Dr. Golden’s Instructions for Using this Workbook

“This worbook has been designed to be helpful for practitioners and people experiencing persistent pain. It is a practical, visual guide to neuroplastic treatment approaches for treating persistent pain.”

“Neuroplastic Transformation provides a model that approaches persistent pain where it transforms from a symptom to disease. It also gives the person experiencing  pain’s relentless persistence, a chance to treat it with the same neuroplastic phenomena that created it, restoring balance to pain processing.”

At the end of each section is “Reining in the Runaway Brain” (patients share techniques they use)

http://neuroplastix.com

Sections in the workbook:

pages 4 – 16  Section 1 – Introduction

Brain Facts (page 4);  Brain Change (page 5);

Neuroplasticity Definition

• New Learning Changes the Brain

• The Brain Changes the Body

• The Body Changes the Brain

Neuroplasticity Rules
Workbook page 5

• What Gets Fired Gets Wired

• Use It or Lose It

• When You Break ‘Em You Make ‘Em; When You Make ‘Em You Break ‘Em

• Fight Fire With Fire

• Reverse the Forces That Have Caused Pain to Persist

• Restore Normal Pain Responses

R.A.F.T. (page 9)

–  Rescue

–  Adjustment

–  Functional

–  Transformation

Persistent vs Acute Pain
Workbook pages 10, 11

Counter-Stimulating Pain
Worbook page 11, 12, 13

• Pain Reassigns Brain Cells

• Take Back Brain Cells

• Use Graphics to Counter-Stimulate Pain

• Become Active in Your Own Care

• Counter-Stimulate Your Brain

Shrink the Pain Map by Flooding the Brain (page 13)

• Push Back Against Pain Spikes and Intrusions

• Get Inside Your Own Head

• Always Counter-Stimulate Your Pain

Active vs. Passive Treatment

Practice Makes Perfect

M.I.R.R.O.R. (page 14) MIRROR is:

– Motivation

– Intention

– Relentlessness

– Reliability

– Opportunity

– Restoration

N.O.R.M.A.L  (page 14) NORMAL is:

Neuroplastic Optimization and Reduction of Medication for Adaptive Living

• Rebalance Pain Processing Circuits

• Body and Brain Act Together

• Persistent Pain is a Learned Activity

 People Taking Back Control of Their Pain (page 16)

pages 18 – 24  Section 2 – Touch

Mom the Neuroscientist – It Takes a Mother’s Touch (page 18)

Hands That See (page 21)

Healing Touch (page 22)

pages 26 – 33  Section 3 -  Neuroplastic Brain and Body

NO BRAIN, NO PAIN.   Nociception.  (page 26)

The Brain Learns Pain; Too Smart for It’s Own Good (page 27)

Brain and Body (page 28)

Fire and Wire … Or Not

Cause and Cure for Pain Persistence (page 29)

pages 35 – 41   Section 4 – Pain Gone Wild

Limbic Activation (page 35)

Pain Makes Pain; Making a Bad Thing Worse (page 36)

Unpleasantness – As if the Pain Wasn’t Enough (page 37)

BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE – Over the Edge – Amygdala and Hippocampus (page 38)

IN THE AMYGDALA – Where the Wild Things Are (page 39)

Pages 43 – 52  Section 5 -  Soothing

Oh That Smell; The Nose Knows  (pages 47, 48)

BELIEF IS RELIEF (page 49)

Pages 54 – 64  Section 6 -  Mood and Pain

Pain and Mood Circuit (page 54)

Relax, Calm, Soothe – GABA to the Rescue (page 55)

Limbic Deactivation – Emotional Calm (page 57)

Access the Brain with  THOUGHTS  IMAGES   SENSATIONS  MEMORIES  SOOTHING EMOTIONS  MOVEMENT  BELIEFS  (page 58)

[ This wonderful workbook helps me understand just how awesome the beautiful brain is, however, my initial success was due to the coaching I received from Dr. Danielle Rosenman who was trained by Dr. Michael Moskowitz. The techniques helped me "outgrow" persistent pain. ]

Pages  66 – 74  Section 7  -  Pleasure – the Antidote for Pain

BLISS – Anandamide (page 69)

WELL BEING – Endorphins (page 71)

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE – Oxytocin (page 72)

Page  75  Section 8 – Conclusion – A New Beginning

Below are names of the writers who were credited for these particular episodes of

The Jack Benny Program which brought healing laughter

Written by Sam Perrin, George Balzer, Al Gordon, Hal Goldman -

James and Gloria Stewart are celebrating their wedding anniversary at a restaurant; Jack has invited himself and has brought girlfriend Mildred who sings (loudly) to Mr. Stewart when the band plays the French song “La Vie En Rose” (according to https://frenchmoments.eu/je-vois-la-vie-en-rose-the-story-of-the-song/ the music was composed by Marguerite Monnot and Louis Guglielmi aka Louiguy,  lyrics and also sung by Édith Piaf)

 ”Jack In Paris” (guests: Mary Livingstone, Maurice Chevalier) – according to https://www.imdb.com this show is Season 7, Episode 14  – Oh to see Arc de Triomphe  et la Tour Eiffel!

Written by  Sam Perrin, George Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon -

“The Income Tax Show” is hilarious! -  Season 15, Episode 4; October 16, 1964

“Jack Directs Film”  Season 14, Episode 6; Oct. 29, 1963  Jack finds out that Gloria Stewart is in James Stewart’s new movie and wants to congratulate her on the set.

Written by Sam Perrin, George Balzer, Milt Josefsberg, John Tackaberry

Jack Benny Program “The Jackie Gleason Show” is hilarious!  Wanting to impress Jackie Gleason, Jack and Rochester are staying in the penthouse suite in the Saint Regis Hotel. Yes, Jack is staying there (at no cost)

Again, thank you to the folks who post them on YouTube.

Thank you for reading Teresa Jade LeYung’s  blog post: “Wellness, Laughter, Writers, Jack Benny Program, Dr. Michael H. Moskowitz, Dr. Marla D. Golden, TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN Workbook”

For other posts related to our Beautiful Brains, Pain, and Neuroplasticity  in my blog  https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog …  If you scroll to top of page, look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”.  Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to the topic.

I wish you new vitality, total wellness!

Sincerely,

Teresa_Jade_LeYung__photo_by_Nan_Nooanan_and_Mary E. Knippel

Teresa Jade LeYung

(formerly Teresa LeYung-Ryan)

Story Theme Consultant / Photo Historian / Author / Public Library and Public School Advocate

http://www.OurBeautifulBrains.com goes to Teresa Jade LeYung’s Blog https://LoveMadeOfHeart.com/blog

Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung says: “I love helping writers identify the themes in their manuscripts to hook readers, and, build and fortify their platforms before and after publication. Reach out, not stress out.”

Love Made Of Heart ®

“MIT new study – Time spent indoors increases risk of COVID at 6 feet or 60 feet…”
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/23/mit-researchers-say-youre-no-safer-from-covid-indoors-at-6-feet-or-60-feet-in-new-study.html

To read Chi Nei Tsang Master Healer and Master Teacher Gilles Marin’s tried and true methods to attack viruses and neutralize them
https://www.chineitsang.com/post/prevent-getting-the-flu-and-help-eradicate-covid-19-contagion?mc_cid=186e80f0ec&mc_eid=ad8adb3075

2020 October 29 California USA

2020 November 4,5,6

In American author L. Frank Baum’s children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,  Dorothy and her dog Toto meet the Scarecrow who wants a brain, the Tin Woodman who wants a heart, and the Lion who wants courage.

I shall focus on what the Scarecrow doesn’t have and wants.

The Scarecrow who doesn’t have a brain would feel no pain.  He can’t.

He might sustain injuries and illnesses, but, until he gets a full brain (the thinking conscious brain in addition to the automatic survival brain), he would not feel any pain. Without the thinking conscious brain, he wouldn’t feel any sensation – pleasant ones or unpleasant ones.

Unpleasant sensations?   Pain.  Depression. Anxiety.

If I were the Wizard, before granting Mr. Scarecrow what he wants, I would tell him this:

Dear Mr. Scarecrow,

When you get what you want – a beautiful brain – you will be getting an adaptable nervous system – adaptability which scientists call neuroplasticity.  The brain changes whenever we learn to do something new or when we stop doing something. The brain produces sensations, including pain.  According to Dr. Norman Doidge,  Dr. Michael Moskowitz, Dr. Marla Golden, Dr. Danielle Rosenman, Professor Lorimer Moseley and other neuroscientists and physicians … pain is our most sophisticated protective device.

In Dr. Moskowitz’s and Dr. Golden’s most engaging workbook TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION, they inform: “Acute pain is an alarm going off in the brain that signifies danger and/or damage to the body….  The experience of pain may be the single most important perception we have to help us survive…. This is quite different than persistent pain experience, in which the signal sets up an endless loop between body and brain, inflammatory processes become chronic, anti-inflammatory processes are overwhelmed, and the nerve cells dedicated to pain increase up to five-fold.  Acute pain helps with survival while persistent pain transforms danger into misery.”

In his presentations, Professor Lorimer Moseley says: “We feel pain in our body, in a particular location, but, it is impossible to feel pain without the brain, and, it is definitely possible to feel pain without the body part.”

Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden also say: “This is why general anesthetics work – by separating the thinking conscious brain from the automatic survival brain. During anesthesia, the survival part of the brain stays active, but, the perceptive part of the brain is turned off.”

By the way, Dr. Moskowitz is Chapter 1 in Dr. Norman Doidge’s second book The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity

Chapter 1 Physician Hurt, Then Heal Thyself -  Michael Moskowitz Discovers That Chronic Pain Can Be Unlearned

I am giving you this information because you say you want a brain.  Understanding how your brain and pain pathways work can help dissipate fear.  Your loyal friends will stick by you, as mine have (I am forever grateful to them), but, you will be the one experiencing the sensations. Even the most courageous heroes can feel defeated when persistent pain takes over their lives.

“What is the antidote for pain, depression, anxiety, and other unpleasant symptoms?  PLEASURE.

“How to accomplish this?

“By studying the brain and practicing … by using thoughts, images, sensations, soothing memories, soothing emotions, movement, and beliefs … to harness the power of our brains,” Dr. Moskowitz and Dr. Golden instruct.  On the last page of their workbook, they leave us with plenty of hope: “Neuroplastic Transformation opens a new approach to treating people living with persistent pain ….   The overarching message is that persistent pain can be challenged and defeated  by using the same principles that have created it.”

The simple act of smiling for yourself will help your beautiful brain’s natural production of chemicals that include GABA, Anandamide, Endorphins, Oxytocin.

Dr. Danielle Rosenman reminded me:  “When you learn to talk to your brain, you are opening up a new life.” Thank you, Dr. Rosenman

Mr. Scarecrow, I wish you a new beautiful life. Also, I wish you, and Dorothy, Toto, Mr. Tin Woodman, Mr. Lion, and everyone you folks care about — safety, excellent health, and plenty of pleasure for all your beautiful brains.

Here are the names of a few “Wonderful Wizards” who have enriched my life through their books about our brains and wellness, their talks, or their treatments

https://youtu.be/5p6sbi_0lLc  to see the 41 minute talk  “Getting a grip on pain and the brain – Professor Lorimer Moseley – Successful Ageing Seminar 2013″ on Youtube

http://www.neuroplastix.com/  for Dr. Michael Moskowitz and Dr. Marla Golden - TRANSFORMING THE BRAIN IN PAIN: NEUROPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION workbook and webinars and brain graphics

http://www.normandoidge.com/ for Dr. Norman Doidge (look for his talks posted on Youtube)

Dr. Doidge’s first book – The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (translated into 26 languages)

Dr. Doidge’s second book – The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity (translated into 19 languages so far)

To my compassionate primary care physician (present and past) and the entire team at SEBMF, I thank you!

https://www.medicalcounseling.net/   Danielle Rosenman, M.D. uses neuroplasticity, imagery, meditation, psychotherapy, and other techniques in her Medical Counseling practice and in her innovative “Tools for Healing” groups.

http://amygracelam.com/ Dr. Amy Grace Lam, vibrational energy healer,  says: “I do this work by connecting with your body’s vibrational energy field to learn what unconscious beliefs and emotions are hindering you the most and supporting you in accessing your body’s wisdom for transformation.”

http://www.duskyswondersite.com/ Loduskia “Dusky” Pierce, MFT says: “Mind/body approaches such as EMDR and Emotional Freedom Technique are scientifically proven methods that we might use to address trauma or deep emotional wounds.”

http://www.mariechristinecornet.com/ Marie-Christine Cornet (now in France), Chi Nei Tsang and Somatic Experience practitioner, says: “Connecting to your body and its wealth of intelligence and wisdom is the portal to living Life deeply and authentically.”

http://stephaniedoucette.com/  Stephanie Doucette, M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. OM, is a California Licensed Acupuncturist and Clinical Herbalist. She is nationally certified as a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine and practices integrative orthopedic therapy, bringing together acupuncture, deep tissue massage and manual orthopedic techniques to treat neuromuscular injury and chronic pain.

https://www.victoriasweet.com/ for Dr. Victoria Sweet

Dr. Sweet’s first book – God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine

Dr. Sweet’s second book - Slow Medicine: The Way to Healing

Remember to smile for your beautiful brain, not just on the Yellow Brick Road but wherever you are.  During the pandemic when we’re all wearing masks to protect others and ourselves… all the more reason to smile for your brain’s pleasure pathways.

Sincerely,

Teresa Jade LeYung

Love Made Of Heart ®

Story Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ would feel NO pain”

I recommend this spellbinding workbook -

Transforming the Brain In Pain

Neuroplastic Transformation

by Michael H. Moskowitz, MD and Marla D. Golden, DO

Why doesn’t the pain stop?

Listen to your body talk

Use your brain to stop your pain

https://shop.neuroplastix.com/Neuroplastic-Transformation-Workbook-92-W8PZ-LIIY.htm

http://www.neuroplastix.com/ for Dr. Moskowitz’s and Dr. Golden’s webinars

For other posts in my blog, please go to: https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog   If you look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”. Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to our our Beautiful Brains and Neuroplasticity.

author Teresa Jade LeYung, mask by Emily O, July 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

To help prevent spread of COVID-19 virus, I wear face-covering AND keep at least 6-foot-distance with people who don’t live with me. No blaming No shaming; I protect myself and everyone else.

Teresa Jade LeYung speaks out and offers resources through her Blog: http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Teresa talks about her work of art entitled ”Four Desks for the Four Femmes In Me” at A PLACE OF HER OWN (Founder/Director/Curator: Cynthia Tom) 2018 Exhibition https://youtu.be/JtvIsTjcbOk  2 minutes, 44 seconds

Teresa Jade LeYung, September 2019 photo by Mary E. Knippel

Teresa Jade LeYung, an American naturalized citizen of Chinese ancestry, is a manuscript-theme consultant, author of Love Made Of Heart (daughter-mother novel archived at the San Francisco History Center), Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days (a workbook), and Talking To My Dead Mom (monologues), advocate for public libraries and public schools, and, admirer of City of Light.