Sally Fletcher has
written two books coming out of her own personal experience. She is a musician who plays the harp and
organ and she also has suffered from epilepsy.
In The Challenge of Epilepsy: Complementary and Alternative Solutions, Ms. Fletcher shares her own
challenges with epilepsy and how she arrived at-if not a cure- a method to
prevent seizures. In the first chapter
she tells us that she used to suffer from ten to fifteen seizures per month
that were uncontrolled by medication.
She now is seizure free and the rest of the book is devoted to
explaining how she, without the help of doctors, books, or any other outside
source overcame her affliction.
The book explains the facts and myths of epileptic seizures
and what we know about what parts of the brain are affected. She devotes a couple of chapters to diet and
life style habits that can affect seizures and their frequency. She delves into
what is called biofeedback, neurofeedback and brain waves. A chapter describing medication and their
side affects are also listed.
After filling the reader in on the background of epilepsy-
causes (unknown), medical facts and different studies of the brain, she gets to
the main thrust of her book. According
to her, a person can control their own brainwaves and eventually learn to
prevent seizures.
Much of what she
offers includes yoga, meditation and relaxation techniques that she asserts
will raise an epileptic’s threshold so that they do not suffer a seizure. Examples of “correct thinking techniques” are
included in one chapter where she directs the epileptic to allow the body to
obey each conscious thought as follows:
1. I feel very quiet.
2. I am beginning to feel quite relaxed.
3. My feet feel heavy
and relaxed.
4. My ankles, my
knees and my hips feel heavy, relaxed and comfortable.
5. My solar plexus,
and the whole central portion of my body, feel
realxed and quiet.
There are 23 more thoughts listed that Ms. Fletcher walks
you through.
Other chapters discuss good exercise and the role music can
play in healing an epileptic of seizures.
I would like to point out that I am not an epileptic and
have not tried any of these techniques so cannot vouch for them. However, the book was interesting to read and
the idea of controlling one’s thoughts to contain seizures is
thought-provoking. My personal advice?
Consult a doctor before embarking on any unconventional therapy.
Ms. Fletcher’s other book is Music: Healing and Harmony. In this book she gives a lot of information
on how music affects the mind and body.
She cites many sources that show the impact music has on the development
of our mind, the manipulation of our emotions and even our bodily health.
She devotes some interesting chapters to the actual science
of music, the vibrations that make up different pitches and how they can affect
the brain and emotions. She gives
information on different styles of music and how they help us to become
energized, relaxed, concentrate, think logically or excited. She describes studies that have shown how
music helps control ADD and ADHD as well as the immune system.
While some of her information smacks of Eastern mysticism
(she talks of enhancing bodily energies by finding “chakra” points), I found
the book –if not providing a lot of new information ( I have a Master’s degree
in Music)- at least an interesting and useful tool for the non musical
layperson.
Disclaimer: I received these books for free by the author.
http://www.heavenlyharpist.com/epilepsy_book.htm
2 comments:
I really believe that diet, lifestyle as well as improving ones mental well being through things like planned relaxation and meditation can make such a difference in ones physical and mental health.
Though I can see how it would work, it is incredible and wonderful that Fletcher has achieved such results. I can also see how music could play a key part in all of this.
This sounds like a great book to read!
The books are short and easy to read. The mechanics of the mind is certainly fascinating. Glad you enjoyed the post. Take care.
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