Post-COVID Reentry Process - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

Understanding the 3 Fundamentals to Master Post-COVID and The New Normal

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 19:05:51 +0000

The 3 Fundamentals are the one Truth that governs all human beings in their entirety. It is studied as 3 separate Truths for better operationalizing, better organization, and better use. This makes it easier to discuss how they can each be broken down, though, they are always one. First, their names: Mind, or Intelligence Center; Thought or Belief; Consciousness or Awareness. Second, operationalizing or defining each one of them and then collectively: The Mind or Intelligence Center governs everything in us and about us. It coordinates every single process, and it is where everything takes place. Thought or Belief is the Operant Factor and what catalyzes or activates the Intelligence Center. It’s what changes or adjusts things. It’s how things happen. Consciousness or Awareness is the Decisional Factor and what allows us to decide the type of relationship we have with our thoughts or beliefs. It is what decides our predominant thoughts, and therefore what we experience, how we experience it, and how aware we are of the experience itself. The 3 Fundamentals are always in operation, and whether you are aware of that or not, doesn’t change anything. How they operate is similar to the 3 Fundamentals of Nature, which are: the Gravitational Force, the Electromagnetic Force, and the Nuclear Force. They are occurring whether we are aware of it or not. Third, how are they organized? Naturally, since they are actually One, the 3 Fundamentals are designed to work as one. In this case, they are integrated. However, due to evolutionary processes, our thoughts and beliefs, being the Operant Factor, having passed from one generation to the next over millions of years, have led us to operate mostly unconsciously. As a result of the lack of integration, we operate mostly from an unconscious level, making it harder for the Decisional Factor (Consciousness or Awareness) to operate properly. This is because it’s basing its decisions on an unconscious process. For the Decisional Factor (Consciousness or Awareness) to operate properly, we ought to shift. This means unlearning, relearning, and learning is to take place for Consciousness to play its proper role of the Decisional Factor. This is in no way a deficiency; rather, part of the evolutionary [2] process. Fourth, what is the use of all this? 1. We get to rediscover who we really are; 2. We get to bring to light why and how we got here; and, 3. We get to realize Life, what it is all about, and how to live. The ramifications of all this are as follows: We live well, in harmony, in peace, joy, and love for ourselves and for others Without the need to understand Physics, we get to fully understand what Einstein meant when he said, “We are part of a whole, called by us, Universe; but we experience our thoughts, feelings, and ourselves, as if we were separate from the rest-a kind of an optical delusion.”[3] We get to fully experience what it means that we are One [4], and what it means that we are Whole We get why health, abundance, happiness, and success are natural to us, and all it takes is Consciousness and Awareness to decide We get to understand that we are here to be a joyful model for one another, to elevate one another, and to create an environment that enhances everyone from our generation and beyond. We get to appreciate how suffering is self-made; how no one is a victim of one’s life or circumstances; and how everything we live and experience is simply a reflection of our Operant Factor We get to fully understand that no one is ever stuck where one is at; that no one is ever broken, and everyone can shift at any time by simply knowing how We realize that we get to design the new “normal” for us in the post COVID era. Fifth, given that the Mind or Intelligence Center governs everything in us and about us, one may wonder if it means that we are not responsible; that we are at the mercy of life, circumstances, or of the nonlinear pattern and cyclical nature of life. The answer is a resounding, “No!” The Mind or Intelligence Center is neutral and gets activated and operated through our thoughts and beliefs, which are the Operant Factor. Because we can always change our thoughts and beliefs, we always get to change or choose the output of the Mind or Intelligence Center. Sixth, what’s the best way for us to change the output of our Mind or Intelligence Center? We do so by shifting. We shift from one state of Consciousness to the next. First, we shift from the lowest state of consciousness to the next one up. Then we shift from an unconscious state to the first conscious state. And then we shift from one conscious state to the next one up. Seventh, what’s the best way for us to shift? Take one of the SWEET Certificate Courses. Here are your options: The Psychotherapy Certificate Course; The Inside-Out Certificate Course; The Anxiety Certificate Course; The CBT Certificate Course Are you ready to design your new “normal” in the post-COVID era [5]? If so, please reach out and we will work with you so you continue to best serve your clients, loved ones, and yourself. Until soon,Karen and Mardoche [2] HOFFMAN, DONALD. CASE AGAINST REALITY: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes. W W NORTON, 2021. [3] Einstein, Albert, and Stephen Hawking. A Stubbornly Persistent Illusion: the Essential Scientific Works of Albert Einstein. Running Press, 2009. [4] “Oneness – How We Are All One.” Better Believe It!, 16 Sept. 2016, betterbelieveit.net/oneness-how-we-are-all-one/. [5] Fisher, Max. “What Will Our New Normal Feel Like? Hints Are Beginning to Emerge.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/world/americas/coronavirus-social-impact.html.

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Fear About Going Back to Normal

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 12:18:34 +0000

Hearing for the first time, “We need not be afraid of our thoughts,” can leave us feeling confused, shocked, or even upset. Yet, our attitude will determine what follows next. If we have a growth mindset [1], we are likely to be curious, wonder, ponder, ask questions, and even look for more information. On the other hand, if we have a fixed mindset [2], we are more likely to ruminate upon how confusing, shocking, and upsetting such an assertion is. This then leads to more confusion, shock, and upset. And this then confirms what the assertion was based upon to begin with. In other words, the reason why the more we ruminate on how upset we feel the more upset we feel, is because our brain works through associations. Association takes place through the firing of neurons [3]. And the more intense and the longer the firing of our neurons, the more we are likely to experience the effects. And that’s the same thing that happens when we feel. Our neurons are firing so regularly, frequently, and intensely, that our feeling has reached an action potential, whose effects are then experienced. The above biochemical explanatory model of thoughts and feelings has been simplified to make it available to all. However, if fully understood, it will be enough to appreciate and understand the following biochemical based fact, “We need not be afraid of our thoughts.” Regardless of whether we are talking about fear, worries, anxiety, or feeling upset, it is a biochemical fact that we are simply feeling our thought. Moreover, the Neuroscience basis for this assertion is best explained through the Inside-Out Paradigm [4]. Simply put, our thoughts are simply reflected in the outside through our feelings, through our somatic symptoms, through our behaviors, and the like. This means when we feel fear, we must be having fear thoughts; and we need not be afraid of these fear thoughts because, in fact, being afraid of them entails thought association. Thought association entails neuron firing, leading to action potential. All this means is that we continue to activate the same thought that is being reflected as a type of feeling that we want to go away. In other words, we are reinforcing the fear thoughts and feelings because we are focusing on them. In Reality, in Truth, we need not be afraid of our thoughts, not those of fear, not those of upset, not those of worries, or anxiety, none of them. When we fully understand that we will be able to: Develop a healthier relationship with our thoughts Develop a healthier relationship with fear Understand how we do not fear anything other than our thoughts Understand once we are no longer afraid of our thoughts of fear, we will no longer need to be afraid of our feeling of fear Appreciate that once we’re no longer afraid of our feeling of fear, we will develop a healthier relationship with our fear of going back to normal. At SWEET we are: Translating the latest in Science into clinical care Bridging the 25-year gap in translational research Organizing the rapidly increasing vast of knowledge in our field (doubles every 18 months) in such a way that all of us clinicians can use, implement, practice, and develop into skills, leading to mastery We are committed to this because the two of us (Karen and Mardoche) have witnessed in clinical practice and in the literature the following: Patients who have physical health needs experiencing successful intersection with mental health, emotional health, and behavioral modification so that they benefit from optimal health Patients in the general mental health, psychiatry, and neurology systems are shown to have started displaying symptoms early and we therefore ought to start early Adolescents who get involved in the juvenile justice system and who use mind altering substances. This means pediatric mental health is to be comprehensive and requires multifaceted skills Those involved in the criminal justice system have high recidivism rates that are related to challenges around reentry and around substance use disorder. This means to properly make a difference in the lives of this patient population, we ought to hone on our skills on transition and on substance use disorder treatment Most of those with a substance use disorder enter recovery and then relapse, then recover and then relapse. A phenomenon often related to their environment, among other factors, but most being related to the Social Determinants of Health. To help our patients then, including those with substance use disorder, we ought to address the Social Determinants of Health with a focus on systems, and management Clinicians are working with clients from primary care, to criminal justice system, to FQHC, to College mental health, inpatient, community mental health and beyond. All of them with no exceptions are being cared for by us, clinicians, on the front line. And as we are taking care of them, we find ourselves to be burnt-out. The vast majority of us experience exhaustion, a sense of cynicism, and a sense of lack of accomplishment – the burnout triad. Then, we realized and asked, how can we really make a difference in the lives of our patients without making a difference in the lives of those of us taking care of our patients? Then SWEET was born to be the place for all clinicians throughout the world. To be the community, the place of support for one another, the place of training, cutting edge education, and where each clinician and agency alike feel empowered to care for everyone from those who are the most vulnerable to those who are the highest functioning. This is what SWEET is all about. As such, as we are learning to develop a healthy relationship with fear about going back to normal, we hope you will use this opportunity to make SWEET your second home, so together we work on ceasing suffering once and for all. No one, absolutely no one, is to be afraid of one’s thoughts, when […]

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Post-COVID Reentry Process: Back to Normal And Our States of Awareness

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 22:25:19 +0000

First, what does “normal,” even mean? Etymologically, the word, “normal,” comes from the Latin word, “Norma,” which means, “Carpenter’s square,” or “right-angled.” And a right angle necessitates a perpendicular, meaning a vertical and a horizontal line, giving a sense of relativity [1]. The word, “normal,” also comes from the Latin word, “normalis,” which means “in conformity to rule; conforming to common standards, established order or usage. [1]” The definition itself of the word, “normal,” tells us that what’s normal today may no longer be what’s normal tomorrow. And this is so regardless of which system of thought formulation we are looking at from: Science, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Spirituality, or Religion. As we say in Science, “The biggest Truths of today are the biggest lies of tomorrow.” Looking at this from far away, one may be left wondering whether truth may therefore be, subjective. To this, we respond that “truth,” (with a lower-case t), known in Neuroscience as “Self-Created truth,” is indeed, subjective. On the other hand, “Truth,” (with a capital T), known in Neuroscience and Physics as “Objective Truth,” is the same everywhere, for everyone, and at all times. What does that mean to us as it relates to going back to normal in this slow transition from the acute COVID era? It means the following: What’s “normal,” changes all the time. It’s part of self-created truth, and it is not part of The Objective Truth What’s “normal,” is a variable. It varies from one place to the next; from one culture to the next; and from one generation to the next. On the other end, the Objective Truth is constant. It operates the same way, across space, time, and culture This moment can be used as an opportunity, and an opportunity to make the distinction How do we use this as an opportunity? First, everything is an opportunity [2]. There is no exception to this. And this is what makes this assertion Objective Truth. Now, because everything is an opportunity, it does not mean that everyone knows that. And everyone does not know that because everyone is not at the same state of awareness (Another example of an assertion that is based on Objective Truth and, therefore, has no exceptions). Now, those who may be aware that everything is an opportunity may not be at a state of awareness for them to make use of it, despite understanding that there is an opportunity present. Furthermore, those who make use of an opportunity may not be at a state of awareness where they make use of every opportunity. This tells us that each state of awareness presents a specific set of decisions, and this is another example of Objective Truth. Now, this statement also tells us that the decisional factor when it comes to transitioning or going back to normal will fully be determined by our state of awareness, as our decisional factor. This means: If before COVID, we were not at a state of awareness where we understood that everything was an opportunity, we may miss the fact that COVID has been an opportunity [3]; therefore, we may miss all the benefits that come with it. In fact, not only might we be missing the benefits, but we may also have been seeing COVID as perhaps “the worst thing ever!” or “a curse,” or “a trauma.” Regardless of how we view it, unless we can recognize COVID as an opportunity, we will then be missing all the related benefits Failing to see COVID as an opportunity, and missing the associated benefits means we will likely be failing to see the Post-COVID Reentry Process as an opportunity, and we will therefore likely be missing the intrinsic benefits If before COVID we were at a state of awareness at which we failed to understand that everything is an opportunity, then the best step in going back to normal; the best step in the Post-COVID Reentry Process is to shift our state of awareness to one that will allow us to understand that: A. Everything is an opportunity, and B. COVID has been an opportunity; and C. The Post-COVID Reentry Process is an opportunity. While we are still practicing Social Distancing in most parts of the world, we are all preparing, at least mentally, to transition back to normal. Given that “normal,” is a subjective, variable, and self-created truth [4], the wisest way for us to prepare for a Post-COVID Reentry Process is for us to: Recognize which state of awareness we are currently operating from Learn how to shift to a different state of awareness Learn how to recognize both COVID and the Post-COVID Reentry Process as an opportunity; and Learn how to reap the benefits of the upcoming Post-COVID Reentry Process; benefits that are available to all of us, with the only pre-requisite being a specific state of awareness We look forward to hearing about how helpful this article may have been to you. We at the SWEET Institute are determined to end suffering in the world. It starts with us clinicians who will then be able to facilitate the same for our patients. Almost everyone in the world sees a clinician. Therefore, there can be no better way for us to end suffering other than working with all clinicians. As such, we hope you will join us and together we can make a real difference in the lives of those we serve and beyond. We look forward to seeing you soonKaren and Mardoche [1] “Normal (Adj.).” Index, www.etymonline.com/word/normal. [2] Smythe, Jamie. “Opportunities Are Everywhere.” Medium, Medium, 13 July 2020, medium.com/@jamiesmythe/opportunities-are-everywhere-c865ea8523cc. [3] Kraaijenbrink, Jeroen. “The Bright Side Of Covid-19: Seven Opportunities Of The Current Pandemic.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 23 Mar. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2020/03/23/the-bright-side-of-corona-seven-opportunities-of-the-current-pandemic/?sh=1ab65810785c. [4] Fisher, Max. “What Will Our New Normal Feel Like? Hints Are Beginning to Emerge.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/world/americas/coronavirus-social-impact.html.

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