Following on from my blog post about Family Reunions I have just come across an articl by Richard Gray, Science Correspondent for The Telegraph, explaining that Memories can be passed down to later generations through genetic switches that allow offspring to inherit the experience of their ancestors, according to new research that may explain how phobias can develop.

Scientists have long assumed that memories and learned experiences built up during a lifetime must be passed on by teaching later generations or through personal experience.
However, new research has shown that it is possible for some information to be inherited biologically through chemical changes that occur in DNA.

Researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, found that mice can pass on learned information about traumatic or stressful experiences – in this case a fear of the smell of cherry blossom – to subsequent generations.

This suggests that experiences are somehow transferred from the brain into the genome, allowing them to be passed on to later generations.


As a coach and therapist these memories are the basis of my work and it is good to see that the scientific world is now starting to work out scientifically how these memories are installed.  These memories cause emotional problems like phobias, fears, anxieties, sadness in the current lifetime that  cannot be explained through analysing the present lifetime. In fact, with the way I work, I don't need to know the reason for these emotions, fears, anxieties, I just work to harmonise the vibrations and the emotions and 'memory' no longer affect the client.  There are many ways that these genetic memories can be cleared the ones that I use are Reiki aura cleansing, Emotional Freedom Technique and daily sophrology exercises.  

Just returned from a reunion of my father's side of the family.  A glorious hot summer's day in the Lake District, UK, starting with a boat ride on Lake Windermere and ending up with a delicious buffet supper in the garden of my cousin's house.  
We had spent many family holidays together when we were children but as the older generation had moved on we had not seen each other for 20 or 30 years.  The family tree was brought out along with photos of our ancestors and many discussions involved around old family stories and memories of the times we had spent together when we were young.

It is interesting how many different memories there are of the same holiday and how some people's memories fitted in or added to mine and with other's it was as if they were talking about a completely different holiday.  It is strange when somebody talks about a holiday and remembers parts that others don't remember at all but I notice it happens often and shows how differently we each see the world.  It is as if we each have our own spectacles that show the world differently to each of us.
  
If I was to tie this into sophrology it would be a level 3 exercise where we would go back in time to find our earliest memories of people we loved and who loved us.  We would search out moments in the past where we were happy and enjoying life.  Watering the happy moments and letting the memories of not so happy moments become weaker and less easy to remember.  In this way we build up and reinforce our foundations making our springboard for the future stronger and  building our self-confidence.

If I were to see the family gathering through the eyes of Reiki I would be looking at the energy vibrations, aware that each one of us has our own individual vibrational signature that plays into the family vibrational signature.  The day was harmonious, fun, enjoyable and so the orchestral music of our family group was also upbeat, healthy and supportive.  The co-ordinates of our personal energy signature are: Name, Date of birth, time of birth and place of birth. Nobody has ever had or ever will have the same co-ordinates as you.  In some cultures names are not mentioned as they are too sacred to be said out loud.
Energy healing modalities like reiki work by retuning the body vibrations so that each cell is vibrating in harmony.

Writing this I am reliving the happy memories of the day and looking forward to our next reunion.
Wishing you a happy summer
Dorna

I just arrived back from the Summer University of the International Sophrology Academy in Andorra. With lightening storms and driving rain, the long journey Geneva to Andorra wasn’t for the faint of heart, but as the conference started, the sun broke through the clouds and the smiles came out.

The Summer University is held every year in Andorra, where Dr Alphonso Caycedo, the founder of Sophrology now resides. Although he retired in 2010, his daughter Dr Natalia Caycedo now runs the Sofrocay Organisation. Over 260 professional Sophrologists attended the conference from all corners of Europe, and it was great to see so many friendly faces and hear the new developments in the field.

This year, Natalia and her team presented a course of 8 session with the theme Well Being and Sophrology.  As well as spending 2 beautiful days immersed in this de-stressing programme where the stress just melted out of my body, we also received all the literature, slide presentations and recordings of the exercises required for the programme.   

The aim is to gradually train the mind and body so that you build a resistance to stress and it becomes easier to cope with. For those already dealing with high stress levels, the mini exercises are a way to release the stress throughout the day so that it doesn’t accumulate.

Although it was suggested that we do these 8 sessions over 2 weeks with clients, it was amazing to do them all in 2 days. I hadn’t realized just how much stress I’d been carrying, having recently moved house, re-organized my business and done lots of travelling. The intense stress-release programme of 4 sessions per day was perfect for me and I came out feeling lighter and happier, the stress having vanished into the now blue skies.

I look forward to passing on the benefits of this training to my clients! I’ll be running a stress relief workshop over 8 weeks starting in the Autumn, as well as a stress-busting weekend retreat in the peace of surrounding Switzerland. Watch this space!

If you are impatient to start the de-stress programme there is also the possibility of doing it individually with Sophrology one-to-one.

Experience Sophrology for free by signing up to our Sophro Sunday Online. Once you register you’ll receive 10 free Sophrology sessions delivered on Sundays over a 10 week period.

I am really excited to announce the launch of our advert on WRS - World Radio Switzerland which starts tomorrow and runs for a whole year! WRS is Switzerland's main English-language radio based in Geneva, so it's a perfect way to introduce Sophrology in English. 
Check out our sneak preview:

We look forward to seeing you at one of our Sophrology or Reikicourses or Sophrology One-to-One programmes - you can book through our website - www.energycentre.ch

Every Sunday at 8pm UK time, Diana Ritchie and I produce a free Sophrology exercise for our clients to try at home. These are available online as a webcast, and can be accessed for 48 hours after the event. You can sign up at our sister-site to enjoy this moment of peace, calm and inner wellbeing that will stay for you throughout your week: www.sophrologycenteronline.com

This Sunday, we're exploring the 5 senses - the door to a rich and fulfilling life experience and the key to full aliveness. Sophrology is about waking up, connecting with ourselves, and appreciating the fullness of each moment of life. It is a profound way to enhance psychological and emotional resilience, and increase life satisfaction. Sophrology involves consciously bringing awareness to your here-and-now experience with openness, interest, and non-judgment.

More details on the session:

• Sign up at: www.sophrologycentreonline.com
• Time: Sundays, 8pm UK time, Check the classroom time in your part of the world by clicking here
• How long: sessions typically last 35-45 minutes
• You’ll need a quiet, comfortable location, and an internet-enabled device
• Instructions on how to participate will be sent to you by email

Just read this interesting article. It’s amazing to think of our glands, organs, tissues and cells as storage places for emotion and memory, yet this was given explanation through the scientific research of Dr. Candace Pert, a neuropharmacologist who worked at the NIH and Georgetown University Medical Center.

Candace famously stated that “Your body is your subconscious mind. Our physical body can be changed by the emotions we experience.” Read more about it at the following link:
http://candacepert.com/where-do-you-store-your-emotions/

Our online courses are a huge hit with the international community, with participants flying in from as far away as Canada to attend our courses. Check out what one of our participants, Jade has to say about the course, which she found through our sister site, www.sophrologycenteronline.com