DarrenMaguire

Dissociation as a clinical psychiatric condition has been defined primarily in terms of the fragmentation and splitting of the mind, and perception of the self and the body. Its clinical manifestations include altered perceptions and behavior, including derealization, depersonalization, distortions of perception of time, space, and body, and conversion hysteria. Using examples of animal models, and the clinical features of the whiplash syndrome, we have developed a model of dissociation linked to the phenomenon of freeze/immobility. Also employing current concepts of the psychobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we propose a model of PTSD linked to cyclical autonomic dysfunction, triggered and maintained by the laboratory model of kindling, and perpetuated by increasingly profound dorsal vagal tone and endorphinergic reward systems. These physiologic events in turn contribute to the clinical state of dissociation. The resulting autonomic dysregulation is presented as the substrate for a diverse group of chronic diseases of unknown origin such as IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome and other autoimmune disorders. The brain and the body are parts of a common interactive system. Any outside stimulus or input to the brain must first be registered by the sensory organ systems of the body, and the brain relies on the body to provide all information having to do with function in general, not just survival. What’s happening in the body continuously changes the brain. The flip side of this relationship is that the brain, in response, also directs and changes the body. Learning of a motor skill by the brain is dependent on the body’s ability to adapt and respond to feedback messages from the brain that direct the somatic musculature. The muscles of the viscera—the organs of the chest and abdomen—also operate through messages from the autonomic nervous system that are generated by the brain, while the sensory messages from these visceral [...]

Join us for the Ultimate Relationship Program and take your relationship to the next level. Our Relationship Coaching sessions teach scientifically validated ways to build intimacy and dissolve conflict through interactive exercises, role-plays, and new communication skills and insights to help deepen your connection with yourself and your partner. In The Ultimate Relationship coaching session, you will learn thought-provoking information and research on brain neurobiology that can help increase your understanding of the ultimate relationship method. You will also gain a fresh focus for meeting the challenges in your relationship in an intimate safe setting. Our approach is based on research conducted at the Gottman Institute and the research presented from the new field of interpersonal neurobiology incorporating ancient wisdom of tantra and new neuroscience of the polyvagal theory. Appointments take place in a beautiful setting in Dublin Ireland. The 12 Week Ultimate Relationship Program is Life Changing. When our relationships are working, everything else in life works so much better. Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take. “True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Ultimate Relationship Program – From Crazy Making to Love Making A passionate, thriving relationship is a beautiful thing that can give you certainty, meaning, and a powerful source of drive. What’s the secret to enjoying the relationship of your dreams? How do you spark passion and love, even in moments of conflict? Your relationship should be your greatest source of pleasure. [...]

Work with a trauma specialist at Trauma Recovery Institute using our unique nuero-scientific approach called Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy.The definition of trauma is experiences that overwhelm our capacity to cope. Trauma effects all areas of the brain. The major impact is on three brain networks called the Default Mode Network, the Salience Network and the Executive Network. A person who experiences early trauma, regardless of its source, does not feel welcomed into the world. When, at the beginning of life, for whatever reason, we do not feel welcomed, we find it difficult to develop a sense of our right to exist, of our sense of self, and of our entitlement to fully live. The life theme of this earliest survival style develops in relation to the issue of connection. Our earliest experiences of life in utero, at birth, and with early attachment shape our relationship to feeling secure in our capacity for contact. When this capacity for connection is in place, it supports our right to be and is the foundation upon which the healthy self is built. Early trauma compromises our sense of safety and existence in the world and our capacity for connection: we do not learn how to connect to ourselves, to our body, or to others. The Default Mode Network is the major rest state network of the brain, when we are in a resting state, the default mode network is most active. The default mode network is composed of three brain regions called the posterior singulate cortex in the back of the brain and is responsible for helping us with self relevance. Often a traumatised person will have difficulty figuring out what is self relevent. For example, if someone was raped in the forest and then goes back to a forest years later, they may think [...]

Join The Plant Based Revolution and Earn a Professional Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition, Lifestyle Medicine, Raw Food Mastery & Culinary Medicine. Plant Based Academy is a world renowned international raw vegan organic plant based training institute. Plant Based Academy is a world authority on refined fine dining raw food mastery training, plant based nutritional science training, comprehensive lifestyle medicine training, advanced herbalism training and vegan organic edible skincare training. Plant Based Academy offers a number of advanced and comprehensive professional certificate courses and introduction courses around the world. Plant Based Academy in Dublin Ireland offers a 12-week professional certificate course which is the most comprehensive plant based education available in the world. We also offer a 7 day intensive professional certificate course in Ubud Bali which also covers the full 12 modules. You will not cover any of this material in any other plant based course. Plant Based Academy is dedicated and obsessively committed to "sustainable veganism" through plant based nutrition & lifestyle education. We believe strongly that with the proper guidance and knowledge on correct plant based nutritional science that not only is a plant based vegan diet and lifestyle an incredibly ethical decision for animals and our planet but a perfectly adequate and life long sustainable health promoting, disease preventing and reversing approach for all of us. The Professional Certificate Course: Our professional certificate course is not only the most recognised plant based course available but also the most comprehensive and at the best value plant based certificate in the world . This is also the only course which focuses on plant based nutritional science , advanced fermentation & herbalism and we also include modules on advanced cacao making and vegan skincare. All produce is 100% organic. We do not use any processed sugars such as agave, [...]

The Trauma Recovery Institute offers unparalleled services and treatment approach. The Trauma Recovery Institute offers unique individual and group psychotherapy. We specialise in long-term relational trauma recovery, sexual trauma recovery and early childhood trauma recovery. We also offer specialized group psychotherapy for psychotherapists and psychotherapy students, People struggling with addictions and substance abuse, sexual abuse survivors and people looking to function in life at a higher level. Trauma recovery Institute offers a very safe supportive space for deep relational work with highly skilled and experienced psychotherapists accredited with Irish Group Psychotherapy Society (IGPS), which holds the highest accreditation standard in Europe. Trauma Recovery Institute uses a highly structured psychotherapeutic approach called Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP). Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP) at Trauma Recovery Institute Dublin Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP) is a highly structured, once to twice weekly-modified psychodynamic treatment based on the psychoanalytic model of object relations. This approach is also informed by the latest in neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology and attachment theory. As with traditional psychodynamic psychotherapy relationship takes a central role within the treatment and the exploration of internal relational dyads. Our approach differs in that also central to the treatment is the focus on the transference and countertransference, an awareness of shifting bodily states in the present moment and a focus on the client’s external relationships, emotional life and lifestyle. Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP) is an integrative treatment approach for working with complex trauma, borderline personality organization and dissociation. This treatment approach attempts to address the root causes of trauma-based presentations and fragmentation, seeking to help the client heal early experiences of abandonment, neglect, trauma, and attachment loss, that otherwise tend to play out repetitively and cyclically throughout the lifespan in relationship struggles, illness and addictions. Clients enter a highly structured treatment plan, which is created by client and [...]

Join us for the Ultimate Relationship Program and take your relationship to the next level. Our Relationship Coaching sessions & workshops teach scientifically validated ways to build intimacy and dissolve conflict through interactive exercises, role-plays, and new communication skills to help deepen your connection with yourself and your partner. In The Ultimate Relationship coaching session, you will learn thought-provoking information and research on brain neurobiology that can help increase your understanding of the ultimate relationship method. You will also gain a fresh focus for meeting the challenges in your relationship in an intimate safe setting. Our approach is based on research conducted at the Gottman Institute and the research presented from the new field of interpersonal neurobiology incorporating ancient wisdom of tantra and new neuroscience of the polyvagal theory. Appointments take place in a beautiful setting in Dublin Ireland. The 12 Week Ultimate Relationship Program is Life Changing. When our relationships are working, everything else in life works so much better. Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take. “True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Ultimate Relationship Program – From Crazy Making to Love Making A passionate, thriving relationship is a beautiful thing that can give you certainty, meaning, and a powerful source of drive. What’s the secret to enjoying the relationship of your dreams? How do you spark passion and love, even in moments of conflict? Your relationship should be your greatest source of [...]

Beautiful newly renovated clinical setting for consultations and massage.

Become a certified raw food chef, plant based nutrition coach & lifestyle medicine coach (plantrician) with Plant Based Academy, world unique raw vegan & organic culinary institute. We offer our professional certificate course, which is the most comprehensive plant based course in the world, Online, In Dublin Ireland, In Ubud Bali and in Sedona Arizona. WE are also planning on offering this course in London, Costa Rica, Brazil, Thailand & Barcelona very soon. Classes developed by institute director, relational psychologist, experienced restauranteur, long term raw foodist and professional chef Darren Maguire. Our curriculum has been designed to empower you to be successful at achieving extraordinary personal health once and for all, and to develop a career in teaching others about organic living Food, plant-based nutritional science and lifestyle medicine. The Plant Based Academy Professional Certificate Lifestyle Medicine Coaching program, is comprised of 12 comprehensive modules each delivered with a background and framework of psychology, plant based nutritional science, the latest gut research, and refined culinary skill to a Michelin star level. The Course will teach you the art, history and science of lifestyle medicine and plant based nutrition and show you how to practically implement an organic, vegan, raw and living foods, plant-based diet and healthy, sustainable fullfilling life. Upcoming Courses: Plant Based Academy offers the most advanced plant based course available anywhere in the world. This is a comprehensive professional 12- Module certification course with Plant Based Academy, which is part of The Life Change Health Institute group (previously Hippocrates Europe) and a world authority on gourmet raw foods, plant based nutrition and lifestyle medicine . The course is delivered in Dublin Ireland, Online, In Sedona Arizona & at Alchemy Academy Ubud Bali. The Full course fee is 3500 Euro for payment upfront or 3800 Euro on Payment Plan. Online Course is [...]

Become a certified raw food chef, plant based nutrition coach & lifestyle medicine coach (plantrician) with Plant Based Academy, world unique raw vegan & organic culinary institute. Our curriculum has been designed to empower you to be successful at achieving extraordinary personal health once and for all, and to develop a career in teaching others about Organic Living Food, Plant-Based Nutrition and become a Plant Based Academy Lifestyle Medicine Coach. The Plant Based Academy Professional Certificate Lifestyle Medicine Coaching program, is comprised of 12 comprehensive modules each delivered with a background and framework of psychology, plant based nutritional science, the latest gut research,and refined culinary skill to a Michelin star level. The Course will teach you the art, history and science of lifestyle medicine and plant based nutrition and show you how to practically implement an organic, vegan, raw and living foods, plant-based diet and healthy, sustainable fullfilling life.     The Professional Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition, Raw Food Mastery & Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum Module 1 - Plant Based Health & Essentials & Plant based Nutritional Science - The Facts & Myths Module 2 - The Art of Advanced Fermentation & The Science of Gut Microbiota & Probiotics Module 3 - Liquid Nutrition. Smoothies, Seed Milks, Slow Cooked Soups & Cold Pressed Juices Module 4 - Medicinal Herbs & Medicinal Mushrooms. Tonics, Teas, Tinctures & Extractions Module 5 - The Art of Raw Gourmet Chocolate & Healthy Light Refined Desserts Module 6 - Raw Food Dehydration. Crackers, Breads, Crisps, Cookies & Wraps. Module 7 - Molecular Gastronomy. Raw Preparation Skills & Sprouting Module 8 - Raw Gourmet Meal Demonstration. Costing, Planning,Writing & Ececuting a Menu. Module 9 - Practical & Written Exam. 5 Course Gourmet Plant Based Menu Presentation Module 10 - Plant Based Skin Care & Cosmetics which are [...]

Tantra is a spiritual path for integrating body, mind and soul. It differs from other paths in its honoring of the body, using the senses, sexuality, and feelings to help you evolve spiritually. Tantra assists you in realizing your full potential as a human being. If you choose to live from the tantric perspective, you will transform your life. You will discover bliss. You may apply tantric practices and principles to many areas of life - to relationship and sexual loving, spiritual practice and lifestyle, physical and emotional well-being. Red tantra is the aspect of tantra that relates to the mastery of sexual skills. White tantra relates to the yogic or spiritual aspects of tantric practice and consists of exercises or postures (asanas) combined with special breathing (pranayama), hand or finger gestures (mudras), internal muscular exercises (bhandas), chanting (mantra), and meditation. The skills and benefits of White tantra practices increase ones ability to master Red (sexual) tantra. Pink tantra refers to a heart centered path of tantra that blends many of the elements of White Tantra with some aspects of Red Tantra. Within the path of Pink Tantra, all of the chakras are acknowledged. However, there is an emphasis on the importance of the heart; opening the heart chakra and healing the heart. Compassion, acceptance and forgiveness for others and for our self are central themes to this practice. Pink Tantra teaches us to cultivate love without attachment, ownership or expectation. With Pink Tantra love is seen as the impetus for healing and transformation. Embodied Tantra Coaching with The International Embodied Tantra Institute is a unique blend of red, white & pink tantra. At the Heart of Tantra is Love. The practices and rituals of tantra, both spiritual and sexual, work to create the conditions necessary for love to flourish and endure. When we [...]

The Brain’s Own Anti- Depressants     Noradrenaline (Adrenalines cousin)   Function: • Acts on nerve that help to control heart rate and blood pressure • It is a factor in how quickly glucose is converted to energy • It is also a factor in how the body responds to stress and anxiety   Action • The body responds to a physical threat or a sense of danger with a surge of noradrenaline and adrenaline. This boosts the heart rate, increases breathing and sends extra blood to the major muscles. Whether you decide to take flight or stand and fight, your body is prepared for action. Production of Noradrenaline • Nuts • Seeds • Soybeans • Phenylalanine supplement • Intense pleasure experience Neurons synthesize noradrenaline in the body from the amino acid phenylalanine, with the following intermediate steps:   Phenylalanine – Tyrosine – Dopa – Dopamine – Noradrenaline   Too much noradrendine activity in the brain causes symptoms like that of excess dopamine such as Nervousness, Restlessness, Sex/Sugar addictions, weight loss, difficulty falling asleep, gambling. Whilst Deficiency in noradrenaline or inactivity results in Depression.     Glutamine (Brain fluid)   Function • Optimal brain function • It is a stimulation or “excitatory” neurotransmitter • Effects mood and energy levels • Helps to control brain levels of ammonia • Plays an almost unique role as brain fuel • Boosts mood and increases alertness Source Cabbage juice is a high source of glutamine   Deficiency (Too little glutamine activity in the brain) Cravings for sweets – Alcoholism - low sex drive       Dopamine (mood and addiction) (Curiosity/exploration)   Function • Transmits pleasure signals • Master molecule of addiction • Elevate mood • Helps generate feelings of pleasure and euphoria • Boosts libido • Encourage assertiveness • Short term memory, concentration and learning   [...]

Darren Maguire Darren Maguire M.I.G.P.S is the founding director of Life Change Health Institute Group, where he currently serves as clinical director, lifestyle medicine coach, relational psychologist and trauma specialist. Darren is also the founder and culinary director of Plant Based Academy. Darren is a professional classical orientated chef with almost 25 years of professional chef experience including running two of his own fine dining restaurants in Dublin City. Darren now has over 13 years experience as a strict raw vegan and has travelled the world obsessively researching plant based health. Darren also runs a busy psychotherapy practice with a focus on functional health, lifestyle medicine, trauma recovery and conscious sexuality. Darren has infused this rich experience into the development of the course and module content which has evolved over 10 years to become the most comprehensive plant based course in the world with a unique and unparalleled focus on refined healthy plant based cuisine, herbalism, advanced fermentation, vegan skincare & cosmetics, plant based nutritional science and advanced raw chocolate.                                                      Gregory Xavier A former pupil of Plant-Based Academy, Gregory completed the certificate program in Ireland in early 2015. He used the knowledge gained to successfully transition to and maintain a predominantly raw food diet over the last 4 years. Gregory has also regularly attended raw food festivals around the globe and has directly learned nutrition and culinary skills under some of the world’s leading experts. Gregory also earned his certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Institute offered by Cornell University in 2016. He has been educating others on the benefits of this lifestyle through his website, www.plantbased.ie, and has lectured on the subject in [...]

Trauma can be conceptualized as stemming from a failure of the natural physiological activation and hormonal secretions to organize an effective response to threat. Rather than producing a successful fight or flight response the organism becomes immobilized. Probably the best animal model for this phenomenon is that of ‘inescapable shock,” in which creatures are tortured without being unable to do anything to affect the outcome of events. The resulting failure to fight or flight, that is, the physical immobilization (the freeze response), becomes a conditioned behavioral response. In his book, Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self, Allen Schore has outlined in exquisite detail the psychobiology of early childhood development involving maturation of orbitofrontal and limbic structures based on reciprocal experiences with the caregiver. Dysfunctional associations in this dyadic relationship result in permanent physicochemical and anatomical changes, which have implications for personality development as well as for a wide variety of clinical manifestations. An intimate relationship may exist, with negative child/care giver interaction leading to a state of persisting hypertonicity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems that may profoundly affect the arousal state of the developing child. Sustained hyperarousal in these children may markedly affect behavioral and characterological development. Many traumatized children and adults, confronted with chronically overwhelming emotions, lose their capacity to use emotions as guides for effective action. They often do not recognize what they are feeling and fail to mount an appropriate response. This phenomenon is called alexithymia, an inability to identify the meaning of physical sensations and muscle activation. Failure to recognize what is going on causes them to be out of touch with their needs, and, as a consequence, they are unable to take care of them. This inability to correctly identify sensations, emotions, and physical states often extends itself to having difficulty appreciating [...]

Recurrent themes affecting the transference and countertransference with people who have suffered huge trauma in early childhood, start with the patient’s wariness of the therapist and the dangers involved in intimacy. In addition, dependency, reliance and counter dependent and counter phobic defenses tend to emerge, often-cloaked in overt idealization of the therapist. In this idealization, patients may expect the therapist to be all attentive, nurturing, non-seductive and nonabusing parent who will heal and undo the trauma. All these themes tend to appear in concerns about boundaries, secrecy, control and power and in discussion of fees, confidentiality, and other issues related to the frame of the treatment.   "Transference is the source of conflict but also expression of conflict"   Behavioral reenactments in treatment allow a patient to communicate previously dissociated and therefore unsymbolised, material to the therapist. By exploring verbally what has been communicated through behavior the therapist and patient initiate a process by which the dissociated material becomes encoded in language, and therefore available for conscious consideration. Behaviors associated with a reenactment in therapy are unconscious messages from the patient to the therapist and to himself about a traumatic past. They represent an attempt to bypass the need for symbolized experience. Reenactments are most likely to occur when the patient has a reduced capacity for self-reflection, another result of being unable to verbalize traumatic experiences that were never encoded when they first occurred, as a result of not have a present witness to their pain. Memories became trapped encased within a wordless world. Incapable of articulating what he has never symbolized verbally, the patent repeats behaviorally or reenacts an aspect of his dissociated trauma.   "Transference is also an assimilation of what might happen in the future if we act on the impulse in the here and now, also as [...]

Tantra is a spiritual path for integrating body, mind and soul. It differs from other paths in its honoring of the body, using the senses, sexuality, and feelings to help you evolve spiritually. Tantra assists you in realizing your full potential as a human being. If you choose to live from the tantric perspective, you will transform your life. You will discover bliss. You may apply tantric practices and principles to many areas of life - to relationship and sexual loving, spiritual practice and lifestyle, physical and emotional well-being. Red tantra is the aspect of tantra that relates to the mastery of sexual skills. White tantra relates to the yogic or spiritual aspects of tantric practice and consists of exercises or postures (asanas) combined with special breathing (pranayama), hand or finger gestures (mudras), internal muscular exercises (bhandas), chanting (mantra), and meditation. The skills and benefits of White tantra practices increase ones ability to master Red (sexual) tantra. Pink tantra refers to a heart centered path of tantra that blends many of the elements of White Tantra with some aspects of Red Tantra. Within the path of Pink Tantra, all of the chakras are acknowledged. However, there is an emphasis on the importance of the heart; opening the heart chakra and healing the heart. Compassion, acceptance and forgiveness for others and for our self are central themes to this practice. Pink Tantra teaches us to cultivate love without attachment, ownership or expectation. With Pink Tantra love is seen as the impetus for healing and transformation. Embodied Tantra Coaching with The International Embodied Tantra Institute is a unique blend of red, white & pink tantra.     At the Heart of Tantra is Love. The practices and rituals of tantra, both spiritual and sexual, work to create the conditions necessary for love to flourish and endure. [...]

Join us for the Ultimate Relationship Program and take your relationship to the next level. Our Relationship Coaching sessions & workshops teach scientifically validated ways to build intimacy and dissolve conflict through interactive exercises, role-plays, and new communication skills to help deepen your connection with yourself and your partner. In The Ultimate Relationship coaching session, you will learn thought-provoking information and research on brain neurobiology that can help increase your understanding of the ultimate relationship method. You will also gain a fresh focus for meeting the challenges in your relationship in an intimate safe setting. Our approach is based on research conducted at the Gottman Institute and the research presented from the new field of interpersonal neurobiology incorporating ancient wisdom of tantra and new neuroscience of the poly vagal theory. Sessions take place in a beautiful safe setting. Consultations are 150 Euro per couple or 125 Euro for individual. When our relationships are working, everything else in life works so much better. Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take. “True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Ultimate Relationship Program – From Crazy Making to Love Making A passionate, thriving relationship is a beautiful thing that can give you certainty, meaning, and a powerful source of drive. What’s the secret to enjoying the relationship of your dreams? How do you spark passion and love, even in moments of conflict? Your relationship should be your greatest source [...]

It is never too late to change your life. At Life Change Health Institute we offer a world unique holistic and comprehensive life transformation program which addresses chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart complaints, IBS & other gastrointestinal disorders of brain/gut axis. Many of which are rooted in an early life traumatic event or events. Our world unique comprehensive holistic health program uses lifestyle medicine model and functional health which incorporates a gut repair program, psychotherapy, embodied tantra, conscious parenting/relating and plant based nutrition which bring about feelings of integration, optimum health, vitality, longevity and well being. This program will assist you in thriving rather than just surviving and help you to live life at a much higher level. Anything you desire in life, you need energy to obtain and achieve, the kind of energy that only comes from optimum health and passionate relationships. If you are currently struggling with any of the following, then our life change transformation program will be perfect for you : Cancer Diabetes IBS Gastrointestinal distress Chronic Pain   The Life Change Transformation Program Includes: Weekly Psychotherapy Full Health & Psychological Assessment Full Comprehensive Blood test with Geneva Diagnostics Full Comprehensive Dna Sequencing of your Gut Biome Full Diet & Meal Plan Online Repait your Gut Program Comprehensive Online Recipes & Guide Detailed Lifestyle Change Plan Learn Stress reduction skills Advice on adjunctive therapies     Book in now for a comprehensive consultation to find out more about this world unique life change transformation program and get to the root of your life challenges so you can live a life of health and vitality. With our expert guidance you will learn to self regulate, heal your gut dysbiosis and reset your gut for health, activate parasympathetic nervous system for sustained relaxation, seek corrective emotional [...]

Having been diagnosed with cancer is like no other experience. It immediately scrambles our thoughts and dismantles our dreams and previous agendas. Our hearts and minds are lit with a burning and all encompassing fear. This occurs not because of the nature of cancer but rather is a consequence of a complete misunderstanding and lack of knowledge regarding biology, health and “disease”. It is essential to understand that our bodies function according to biological laws and are not arbitrary or doomed. Just as certain as a finger will heal, if cut with a knife, so can our bodies heal from cancer. Our aim is not only to treat the cancer, but to change the biochemistry of your body to a state of health and well being so the cancer will no longer flourish. What sets Life Change Health Institute apart from other centers is that we focus on providing you with this knowledge, to gain the understanding, the tools, and the direct experience, therefore the power to heal. When you understand how your body functions, how your brain and body are an organism functioning in unison, and how your mind and body have developed to the state it is today, then you can begin the process of healing, changing and transforming from a state of dis-ease to a state of vitality. The Chronic psychological status of the individual may play an important role either in facilitating tumour promotion or in dampening or accentuating the impacts of environmental stress. Lipman, head of the breast cancer section of national cancer institute Maryland has written that the human endocrine system provides one critical mediator of interaction between psyche and tumor, it seems inescapable that psychic factors which can evoke endocrine changes will have effects on actual tumour biology. The effect of hormones on [...]

Tantra is a spiritual path for integrating body, mind and soul. It differs from other paths in its honoring of the body, using the senses, sexuality, and feelings to help you evolve spiritually. Tantra assists you in realizing your full potential as a human being. If you choose to live from the Tantric perspective, you will transform your life. You will discover bliss. You may apply Tantric practices and principles to many areas of life - to relationship and sexual loving, spiritual practice and lifestyle, physical and emotional well-being. Red Tantra is the aspect of Tantra that relates to the mastery of sexual skills. White Tantra relates to the yogic or spiritual aspects of Tantric practice and consists of exercises or postures (asanas) combined with special breathing (pranayama), hand or finger gestures (mudras), internal muscular exercises (bhandas), chanting (mantra), and meditation. The skills and benefits of White Tantra practices increase ones ability to master Red (sexual) Tantra. Pink Tantra refers to a heart centered path of tantra that blends many of the elements of White Tantra with some aspects of Red Tantra. Within the path of Pink Tantra, all of the chakras are acknowledged. However, there seems to be an emphasis on the importance of the heart; opening the heart chakra and healing the heart. Compassion, acceptance and forgiveness for others and for our self are central themes to this practice. Pink Tantra teaches us to cultivate love without attachment, ownership or expectation. With Pink Tantra love is seen as the impetus for healing and transformation.     At the Heart of Tantra is Love. The practices and rituals of Tantra, both spiritual and sexual, work to create the conditions necessary for love to flourish and endure. When we achieve states of presence, energy flow, relaxation, harmony, and connection, love emerges and opens the [...]

You love animals, right? Well, did you know that the best way to save animals is by going vegan? By cutting meat and dairy products from your diet, you'll be saving the lives of more than 100 animals a year. Animals value their lives as much as you value yours. So do your best not to eat them. Make the switch to a compassionate, healthy lifestyle today by signing up for our Raw Food Mastery course at Plant Based Academy. After 30 days of living meat- and dairy-free, you'll feel so great that you just might turn 30 days into a lifetime. Watch the videos below and sign up for one of our upcoming course if you would like to eat better, feel better, and stop supporting cruelty to chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals raised for food.       "Raw vegan food is not boring salads and uncooked vegetables, raw food is a culinary pursuit, a dedication and endeavor to transforming the highest quality of vegetables using simple techniques to extract exquisite flavors, preserving the essential nutrients and enzymes and complementing them with an array of mineral rich nuts, seeds, seaweeds, sprouts and fruits. Raw vegan food is the pursuit of perfect food, art for the eyes, a taste of naturalness, unparalleled nourishment for the body and great for the planet too" - Plant Based Academy       Making a commitment to healthy eating is a great start towards a healthier life for you, for animals and our planet. Watch the educational movie below which outlines the practises used in meat and dairy production. We believe that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for our entertainment or abuse in any other way. Yet many people have never considered the impact that their clothes, food, cosmetics or entertainment [...]

The definition of trauma is experiences that overwhlem our capacity to cope. Trauma effects all areas of the brain. The major impact is on three brain networks called the Default Mode Network, the Salience Network and the Executive Network. The Default Mode Network is the major rest state network of the brain, when we are in a resting state, the default mode network is most active. The default mode network is composed of three brain regions called the posterior singulate cortex in the back of the brain and is responsible for helping us with self relevance. Often a traumatised person will have difficulty figuring out what is self relevent. For example, if someone was raped in the forest and then goes back to a forest years later, they may think they're going to be raped again because they think the forest is self-relevant even though it isn't at all. Another region of the default mode network is the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex which is located in the front of the brain in the middle. This area of the brain helps us to know what we feel and helps us to know our internal emotional life. Traumatised people find it very difficult to know internal emotional states. The third area of the brain that is part of the default mode network is the parietal cortex which allows us to have an embodied sense of self in space. Very often with Traumatised people , it can be difficult to know where the body starts and ends because of the disconnect from the body and how it relates to the environment. All of these areas are most active when we are at rest , when we are thinking or planning these areas are quiet. when someone experiences trauma very early in life, these [...]

The Chronic psychological status of the individual may play an important role either in facilitating tumour promotion or in dampening or accentuating the impacts of environmental stress. Lipman, head of the breast cancer section of national cancer institute Maryland has written that the human endocrine system provides one critical mediator of interaction between psyche and tumor, it seems inescapable that psychic factors which can evoke endocrine changes will have effects on actual tumour biology. The effect of hormones on the growth  and spread of cancer is twofold. First, many tumours are directly hormone dependant , or they, arise in organs intimately involved in homonal interactions, such as the ovaries or teste. Hormone dependant cancer cells bear on their membranes receptors for various hormones capable of promoting cell growth.one example of a hormone dependant cancer is that of the breast. it is generally understood that many breast cancers are oestrogen dependant, this being the rational for the use of oestrogen blocking drug tamoxifen. less well known is that some breast cancers have receptors for a broad array of other information substances including androgens,progestins, prolactin, insulin, vitamin D and several more all of them secreted by the HPA axis or regulated by it. Stress is a powerful modulator of hormonal function. Gabor Mate  One in three people in Ireland will develop cancer during their lifetime. In Ireland an average of 30,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year. The number is expected to rise to over 40,000 per year by 2020. The five most common cancers in Ireland are Non melanoma skin cancer (the most common and treatable form of skin cancer), prostate cancer, breast cancer, bowel cancer and lung cancer. Up to 50% of all cancers are preventable, 30% are preventable through lifestyle changes alone. These Statistics are taken from [...]

The digestive system plays an important role in the absorption of nutrients into the body.  It takes the food we ingest, breaks it down mechanically and chemically in the mouth and stomach.  It then absorbs nutrients, fats, proteins and water in the intestines before eliminating the waste through the rectum. Major organs involved in the digestive system include the mouth, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas. The main steps in the digestive system The digestive system is designed to do a few major things. They can be grouped into four categories: Ingestion Digestion Breakdown Excretion Following Food from Mouth to Anus To understand how our food is digested in the digestive system, it might be very useful to follow our food along its normal path, starting from the mouth. Imagine for just a second that you’re hungry and your eyes gaze upon a nice home cooked thanksgiving turkey dinner. Your mouth starts to water. The salivary glands in your mouth are triggered to start producing saliva, a compound that will aid in the digestion of the meal. As food enters your mouth, your teeth begin mechanically breaking down the food into small and smaller pieces. The saliva starts to chemically break it down as well. Soon, your conscious mind says, “lets swallow this food.” You swallow it and take another bite. While you’re thinking about your next bite of food, your nervous system is helping to move the bolus (the food package you swallowed), down throat. A small flap of skin called your epiglottis makes sure your food goes down your esophagus. Movements of the smooth muscles, known as peristalsis help move that bolus down your esophagus. When it reaches your stomach, a sphincter opens and dumps the food in. Inside the stomach, cells start to secrete different acids that help increase acidity [...]

The Art of Raw Gourmet Chocolate & Healthy Light Refined Desserts Course is now available as an online Course. This course is an advanced resource & guide on the art , history and science on raw chocolate and desserts.This course will teach you how to make your very own raw bean to bar chocolate, raw cheesecake, raw cookies and cakes. This online course is loaded with recipes, resources, tips about raw chocolate and amazingly how to make desserts health, fat free, sugar free and some even nut free, it is also loaded with informative online videos and research data on the chemistry and timeline of cacao, and why it is good for us as a probiotic, prebiotic and for its polyphenols and positive effect on our mood and hormones. If you want to make the best chocolate and the healthiest desserts then this course will be perfect for you. By Purchasing this online course you will have permenant access to this important material so you can revise any time you wish. After Purchasing, you will recieve an email with your username and password which you will use to log into our members only area and access this incredible course. Upon completion of this course you will become an expert fermentationist equipped with the most up to date information about out the incredible workings of our microbiota and psychobiotics.This is Module 5 from the 12 Module Professional Certificate Course with Plant Based Academy's Plantrician training program.Click HERE for more details.   Module 5 - The Art of Raw Gourmet Chocolate & Healthy Light Refined Desserts - Single Module 350 Euro Online / 500 Euro Onsite ( Advanced Module) The Art of Raw Chocolate module for obvious reasons is a very exciting as most people love chocolate. In this module we go [...]

Trauma informed group psychotherapy facilitated by trauma specialists at Trauma Recovery Institute Dublin. The advanced group psychotherapy is suitable for psychotherapy students and those who have at least 4 years experience with psychotherapy.The psychotherapeutic approach applied is Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP) which is a very unique blend of interpersonal neurobiology, psychodynamic psychotherapy and transference focused psyschotherapy incorporating the poly vagal theory by stephen porges. This group is a very effective platform to work through the neurobiology of trauma with the nervous system always in mind, keeping you safe and in felt sense at all times.     Treatment of Relational and complex Trauma at Trauma Recovery Institute Trauma Recovery Institute offers unparalleled services and treatment approach through unique individual and group psychotherapy. We specialise in long-term relational trauma recovery, sexual trauma recovery and early childhood trauma recovery. We also offer specialized group psychotherapy for psychotherapists and psychotherapy students, People struggling with addictions and substance abuse, sexual abuse survivors and people looking to function in life at a higher level. Trauma recovery Institute offers a very safe supportive space for deep relational work with highly skilled and experienced psychotherapists accredited with Irish Group Psychotherapy Society (IGPS), which holds the highest accreditation standard in Europe. Trauma Recovery Institute uses a highly structured psychotherapeutic approach called Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP). At Trauma Recovery Institute we address three of the core Attachment Styles, their origin’s the way they reveal themselves in relationships, and methods for transforming attachment hurt into healing. We use the latest discoveries in Neuroscience which enhances our capacity for deepening intimacy. The foundation for establishing healthy relationships relies on developing secure attachment skills, thus increasing your sensitivity for contingency and relational attunement. According to Allan Schore, the regulatory function of the brain is experience-dependent and he says that, as an infant, our [...]

It may be possible to relieve anxiety and depression solely by manipulating bacteria in the gut. Psychobiotics are defined as live bacteria and their food (probiotics & prebiotics) which, when ingested, confer mental health benefits through interactions with commensal gut bacteria. Ninety percent of what we lug around with us is not human. It's microbial, and it's vital to our health, our moods, even the decisions we make. There are roughly 15 trillion cells in our body—and over 100 trillion bacteria, most of them in the gut and most of them supporting such essential functions as digestion, immunity, metabolism, even mental health in ways that are only now being understood. The body is an ecosystem of interdependent parts relaying messages to each other, explains Ted Dinan, a psychiatrist at the University of Cork, Ireland. So influential are the thousands of species of gut flora on health that Dinan aims to harness the power of microbes to treat depression. Recently, he coined a term for the live organisms in the gut that are psychoactive and of potential benefit to those suffering from a variety of psychiatric illnesses—psychobiotics. Not only can researchers now discern which strains of gut bacteria affect the nervous system, they can also map the exact pathways through which specific gut bacteria influence the brain. Although there are many preparations of bacteria now being marketed as probiotics, "the vast majority do nothing for us," Dinan insists. "Most don't make it past the stomach acid. But a few have enormous implications for the future of psychiatric medication." It's long been known that the stress system is intimately involved in depression. People suffering from major depression frequently have elevated levels of the hormone cortisol, released in response to stress. In a recent study, a probiotic cocktail of Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium [...]

The Art of Fermentation is now available as an online Course. This course is an advanced resource & guide on the art , history and science on psychobiotics.This course will teach you how to make your very own raw vegan organic sugar free nut and seed cheese,miso,tempeh, fruit yogurt, medicinal kombucha, herbal water kefir, pickled vegetables, seaweed sauerkraut & traditional kimchi. This online course is loaded with recipes, resources, tips about fermented foods, it is also loaded with informative online videos and scientific articles on Probiotics, Gut Flora, Gut Health and the link between healthy brain and healthy gut. If you want to improve your health, the health of other people, and improve your brain function, there’s one essential topic that you need to know. ( Probiotics, Prebiotics, Synbiotics & Psychobiotics ) By Purchasing this online course you will have permenant access to this important material so you can revise any time you wish. After Purchasing, you will recieve an email with your username and password which you will use to log into our members only area and access this incredible course. Upon completion of this course you will become an expert fermentationist equipped with the most up to date information about out the incredible workings of our microbiota and psychobiotics.This is Module 2 from the 12 Module Professional Certificate Course with Plant Based Academy's Plantrician training program.Click HERE for more details. Using Probiotiocs as a Prevention from Cancer Some LAB (Lacto Acid Bacteria)-fermented foods have antimutagenic and anticarcinogeinc activities (Lee et al., 2004). Kefir is used for the treatment of cancer (Otes and Cagindi, 2003; Yanping et al., 2009). Sauerkraut, fermented vegetable of Germany, contains s-methylmethionine, which reduces tumourigenesis risk in the stomach (Kris-Etherton et al., 2002). Consumption of fermented products containing live cells of L. acidophilus decreases ß-glucuronidase, [...]

The Ultimate Realtionship Coaching Program A passionate, thriving relationship is a beautiful thing that can give you certainty, meaning, and a powerful source of drive. What’s the secret to enjoying the relationship of your dreams? How do you spark passion and love, even in moments of conflict? Your relationship should be your greatest source of pleasure. If you’re struggling with your partner, or would like to take your relationship to the next level, we invite you onto the Ultimate Relationship Program with Embodied Tantra. Check out our approach below and fill in your details, get in touch and book a session with us. When we meet our partners, we make an unconscious contract to help each other resolve emotional injuries of the past , we unconsciously pick or hire the perfect person to trigger this stored painful memory of our past , it is for this exact reason we have come together . Relationships are not a problem to be solved but an adventure to be embraced. Conflict is a gift to be unpacked , to embrace, an opportunity to grow , resolve and mature . Conflict can not be resolved at the level with which it was created. We hire the person in our life who is most compatible to help us resolve what is unresolved from our childhood. Our relationship lives in the space between us and it is sacred . This becomes the playground for our children . When there are only two options , take the third option ! Keep the space between you safe and sacred . Honour the space between you , by visiting the other by crossing the bridge . Cross the bridge with an open mind to learn , with curiosity and compassion , leave behind your hurt and trauma. Crossing the bridge is becoming [...]

It is never too late to change your life. At Life Change Health Institute we offer a world unique holistic health program which addresses relationship distress & conflict, illness such as IBS & other gastrointestinal disorders of brain/gut axis, anxiety, depression and other life challenges, all of which are rooted in an early life traumatic event or events. Our world unique comprehensive holistic health program incorporates a gut repair program, psychotherapy, embodied tantra, conscious parenting/relating and plant based nutrition which bring about feelings of integration, optimum health, vitality, longevity and well being. This program will assist you in thriving rather than just surviving and help you to live life at a much higher level. Anything you desire in life, you need energy to obtain and achieve, the kind of energy that only comes from optimum health and passionate relationships. If you struggle with any of the following, then a comprehensive Consultation will be perfect for you : IBS Anxiety Depression Eating Disorder Addictions Relationship conflict Gastrointestinal distress Severe Menstrual Pain Chronic Dissociation Book in now for a comprehensive consultaion and get to the root of your life challenges so you can live a life of health and vitality. With our expert guidance you will learn to self regulate, heal your gut dysbiosis and reset your gut for health, activate parasympathetic nervous system for sustained relaxation, seek corrective emotional experiences through healthy and passionate relationships, invoke and strengthen healthy immunity with a healthy diet that does not feel like a diet,resolve emotional distress and dissociated painful experiences of the past and awaken a powerful lymphatic system via dance, movement and yoga. Repair Your Gut, create conscious passionate relationships, resolve anxiety & depression, reverse IBS and other gastrointestinal disorders holistically With Lifestyle Medicine & Functional Health   Lifestyle medicine is a branch [...]

During the last two decades of the 19th century, psychiatrists in Europe began to explore and define the peculiar behavior manifested by patients of theirs who fell under the diagnostic category of hysteria. Pierre Janet at the Salpetriere` described dissociation as phobias of memories, in the form of expressions of excessive or inappropriate physical responses to thoughts or memories of old traumas (Janet, 1920). After visiting Janet, Freud adopted many of these concepts of dissociation as a splitting of consciousness, often associated with bizarre physical symptoms and manifestations, and ultimately attributed such symptoms in his hysterical patients to a history of childhood sexual abuse (Freud, 1896). Evolution of the concept of dissociation led to the description of a constellation of varied clinical manifestations attributed to it, including altered perceptions of physical sensation, time, memory, and the perceptions of self and reality. Complex expressions of these states came to include conversion disorder, fugue states and multiple personalities (dissociative identity disorder) (Freud & Breur, 1953, Mayer-Gross, W., 1935, Spiegal & Cardena, 1991, Bremner, et al, 1992). Thus the concept of dissociation evolved to include not only mental and emotional aberrations, but also stereotyped and unusual somatic perceptual and motor experiences and expressions. All of these symptoms and behaviors were felt to be the sequellae of prior life trauma. The basic mechanism of dissociation was felt to involve the splitting off of parts of memory or perception in order to escape intolerable anxiety triggered by those areas of the mind that retained elements of the traumatic conflict. Relief from that conflict through hysterical dissociation resulted in relief from anxiety, resulting at times in the seemingly blasé acceptance of disabling physical conditions (la belle indifference`). Freud, however, soon began revising his concepts of hysteria, and by 1925 had recanted his theories of the relationship [...]

Trauma and The Gut The Polyvagal Theory is the product of decades of research by Dr Stephen Porges and his team at the Brain-Body Center in the University of Illinois, Chicago. Adopted by clinicians around the world, the Polyvagal Theory has provided exciting new insights into the way our autonomic nervous system unconsciously mediates social engagement, trust, and intimacy, and how these may be influenced by our interactions with others.It was whilst studying the evolution of the nervous system that Porges first made an important discovery concerning the vagus nerve which alters the way we understand autonomic nervous system functions. Before this time it was widely understood that our autonomic nervous system operated in a balanced sympathetic/parasympathetic manner, but Porges research changed this through two discoveries; firstly that the vagus nerve in mammals has not one but two branches, and secondly that the newest branch is able to inhibit other nervous system activity. Porges research showed that in the process of evolution, animals first developed immobilised defense responses (innervated by the vagus/parasympathetic system) –where they would adaptively collapse, shut down or feign death when faced with threats. Over time, the nervous system evolved to enable mobilised responses to threat through the activation of a sympathetic nervous system. This mobilised circuitry was able to speed up the heart and lungs, and act on the same visceral organs as the parasympathetic system, in order to promote adaptive fight, flight and active freeze responses to threat. The third stage of evoluntionary development saw the addition of a newer branch of the vagus nerve which is also able to slow the heart and lungs and which links the innervation of these two with the use of facial nerves involved in social engagement. For this reason, Porges theory proposes that this newer Vagal ̳brake‘ evolved [...]

Happy Brain, Happy Gut ! How does it work? The brain and the gut communicate via gut-brain axis, a mode of bidirectional signaling between the digestive tract and the nervous system. There are several central mechanisms by which gut bacteria can communicate with the brain. First, imbalances in gut bacteria can trigger inflammation by increasing the permeability of the intestinal lining, which allows toxins to seep into the bloodstream. Research has linked pro-inflammatory markers (cytokines) and increased intestinal permeability with anxiety and depression. Secondly, bacteria can produce neurotransmitters, which are carried through the blood to the brain. Bacteria can also stimulate specific nerves in the gut that then transmit information to the brain. Fortunately, you can support gut health (and therefore mental health) by eating a diet that's rich in probiotics -- the "friendly" gut bacteria that support digestion and a balanced microbiome, and are known to boost immune and neurological function. Use the following simple recipe from Plant Based Academy to ensure you are including high dose full spectrum probiotics into your diet and your family's diet. Join our Professional Certificate course in Plant Based Nutrition and Raw Food Mastery at Plant Based Academy to learn more about the art, history and science of fermentation and gut health.   Raw vegan Blueberry Yogurt  15 organic Brazil nuts or almonds (Soaked overnight and rinsed) 200 ml of pure filtered Water or Organic Probiotic drink (water Kefir/kombucha) 4 organic Dates 100g of organic Blueberries 1 organic vanilla pod scraped Probiotics 1 teaspoon (B.Infantis / B.Longum) Blend the nuts, dates, berries and water to a thick creamy and smooth consistency, pour into a container, add the probiotic powder, and stir. Cover with lid but not an airtight lid, as air is needed. Leave out of refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Then [...]

Treating Trauma & Maladaptive Trauma Based Presentations at Trauma Recovery Institute. We offer clients an unique opportunity to work with trauma professionals specialising in recovery from complex trauma using an unique blend of somatic and psychodynamic psychotherapy which a an approach called Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy which is based on the latest and most current trauma research and scientific findings from neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiolgy and attachment theory. Working with Trauma at Trauma Recovery Institute Trauma Recovery Institute offers unparalleled services and treatment approach through unique individual and group psychotherapy. We specialise in long-term relational trauma recovery, sexual trauma recovery and early childhood trauma recovery. We also offer specialized group psychotherapy for psychotherapists and psychotherapy students, People struggling with addictions and substance abuse, sexual abuse survivors and people looking to function in life at a higher level. Trauma recovery Institute offers a very safe supportive space for deep relational work with highly skilled and experienced psychotherapists accredited with Irish Group Psychotherapy Society (IGPS), which holds the highest accreditation standard in Europe. Trauma Recovery Institute uses a highly structured psychotherapeutic approach called Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP). At Trauma Recovery Institute we address three of the core Attachment Styles, their origin’s the way they reveal themselves in relationships, and methods for transforming attachment hurt into healing. We use the latest discoveries in Neuroscience which enhances our capacity for deepening intimacy. The foundation for establishing healthy relationships relies on developing secure attachment skills, thus increasing your sensitivity for contingency and relational attunement. According to Allan Schore, the regulatory function of the brain is experience-dependent and he says that, as an infant, our Mother is our whole environment. In our relational trauma recovery approach you will learn to understand how the early patterns of implicit memory – which is pre-verbal, sub-psychological, and non-conceptual – build pathways in [...]

Drawing on his work with patients who have survived a variety of traumatic experiences — from plane crashes to rape to torture — Van der Kolk considers the great challenge of those of us living with trauma:In response to the trauma itself, and in coping with the dread that persisted long afterward, these patients had learned to shut down the brain areas that transmit the visceral feelings and emotions that accompany and define terror. Yet in everyday life, those same brain areas are responsible for registering the entire range of emotions and sensations that form the foundation of our self-awareness, our sense of who we are. What we witnessed here was a tragic adaptation: In an effort to shut off terrifying sensations, they also deadened their capacity to feel fully alive. While this dissociation from the body is an adaptive response to trauma, the troublesome day-to-day anguish comes from the retriggering of this remembered response by stimuli that don’t remotely warrant it. Van der Kolk examines the interior machinery at play: The elementary self system in the brain stem and limbic system is massively activated when people are faced with the threat of annihilation, which results in an overwhelming sense of fear and terror accompanied by intense physiological arousal. To people who are reliving a trauma, nothing makes sense; they are trapped in a life-or-death situation, a state of paralyzing fear or blind rage. Mind and body are constantly aroused, as if they are in imminent danger. They startle in response to the slightest noises and are frustrated by small irritations. Their sleep is chronically disturbed, and food often loses its sensual pleasures. This in turn can trigger desperate attempts to shut those feelings down by freezing and dissociation. In a passage that calls to mind philosopher Martha Nussbaum’s excellent [...]

Lifestyle Medicine is a comprehensive mind body medicine that addresses the underlying causes of illness & disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both client and clinician in a therapeutic partnership exploring diet, lifestyle, trauma history, relationships, somatic memory and armouring and stress. This is an incredibly effective holistic approach to recovery, incoporating the very latest in gut research and psychobiotics, dynamic psychosocialsomatic psychotherapy, conscious sexuality and embodied tantra and plant based nutritional science. Lifestyle Medicine is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more client-centered approach, lifestyle medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.   Lifestyle Medicine at Life Change Health Institute Reclaim your health on our new 12 week life change program. This 12 week life chnage program is a comprehensive professional program for weight loss and/or reversing chronic illness. The 12 week program will include two psychotherapy sessions per week for 12 weeks, a comprehensive diet and lifestyle plan for the 12 weeks, an online repair your gut program and a number of other online modules including simple and advanced recipes for healthhy meals, juices and smoothies and a detailed nutritional science guide. Our 5 Step Holistic Approach to Optimum Health is: 1) Eliminating toxic and inflammatory foods: 2) Rebuilding the Body & Rebuild the Gut: 3) Identifying environmental toxins: 4) Healing autoimmune-related infections: 5) Emotional release process and lifestyle changes   Follow this program, Whether you're battling diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease, autoimmune disease, IBS or obesity, or you simply want to put an end to nagging minor symptoms and get back to full health. Our Holistic approach, based on the latest scientific research is designed for optimum weight loss without [...]

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) Otto Kernberg’s description of the pathological narcissistic individual centers around a set of paradoxes: self-inflation existing alongside a limitless need for praise, a charming and engaging surface covering a ruthless interior, and a persona of self-sufficiency defending against underlying feelings of intense envy . For Kernberg, the diagnosis of the narcissistic character also depends on the quality of the person’s object relations and the pattern of his or her intrapsychic defenses. Narcissistic individuals experience their relationships with others as exploitative and parasitic. They divide the world between those who contain something that they can extract and those who do not. They distinguish between extraordinary people on the one hand - in association with whom narcissistic individuals experience a sense of greatness themselves - and mediocre or worthless people on the other. Narcissistic individuals idealize the former and are contemptuous of the latter. Yet those they idealize they also fear, as they project onto them their own exploitative wishes and experience them as potentially attacking and coercive. They thus are unable to rely on any object and fear dependence on another person, rendering all their object relations empty and dissatisfying. Like the borderline character, Kernberg’s narcissistic individual uses primitive defenses of devaluation, projective identification, omnipotence, and primitive idealization in his or her efforts to preserve self-esteem and self-coherence and to combat the intense feelings of envy and rage that threaten to undermine them. The narcissistic individual is distinguished from the borderline individual by his or her sense of object constancy, better impulse control, and better social and professional functioning, although these too may be fragile and hollow beneath a surface of apparent solidity. Although splitting as a defense is found in narcissistic pathology, its use is less prominent than in borderline pathology. The grandiose self further differentiates [...]

If you were neglected or abused as a child, your primary orientation to the world is likely to be one of threat, fear, and survival. Its only natural that a childhood experience with untrustworthy parents would leave you untrusting or confused about what constitutes a loving relationship. Fear and lack of safety might compel you to continuously scan your environment for potential threats. you may have relied on coping strategies to survive, such as dissociation, a protective mechanism that disconnects you from threatening experiences. if you can relate to these qualities, you may also identify with related issues such as self criticism, emotional suffering, and relationship difficulties. Healing childhood trauma involves a balance: attending to the wounds of the past while living in the present.   Take comfort in this: Complex PTSD is the result of learned ineffective maladaptive beliefs and behaviours that can be replaced by a positive mind set and health promoting social engaging behaviours.   The Role of the Therapist in transforming attachment trauma:  Healing into wholeness takes the active participation of at least one other brain, mind, and body to repair past injuries – and that can be accomplished through a one-to-one therapeutic relationship, a therapeutic group relationship or one that is intimate and loving. In exploring the “age and stage” development of the right hemisphere and prefrontal cortex in childhood, we discover how the presence of a loving caregiver can stimulate certain hormones, which will help support our growing capacity for social engagement and pleasure in all of our relationships. Brain integration leads to connection and love throughout our entire life span. At trauma recovery institute we bring a deep focus to the role of Neuroscience in restoring the brain’s natural attunement to Secure Attachment. Our brain is a social brain – it is primed for [...]

Neuroscience informed group psychotherapy facilitated by trauma specialists at Trauma Recovery Institute Dublin. The advanced group psychotherapy is suitable for psychotherapy students and those who have at least 4 years experience with psychotherapy.The psychotherapeutic approach applied is Dynamic Psychosocialsomatic Psychotherapy (DPP) which is a very unique blend of interpersonal neurobiology, psychodynamic psychotherapy and transference focused psyschotherapy incorporating the poly vagal theory by stephen porges. This group is a very effective platform to work through the neurobiology of trauma with the nervous system always in mind, keeping the client safe and in felt sense at all times. Trauma can be conceptualized as stemming from a failure of the natural physiological activation and hormonal secretions to organize an effective response to threat. Rather than producing a successful fight or flight response the organism becomes immobilized. Probably the best animal model for this phenomenon is that of ‘inescapable shock,” in which creatures are tortured without being unable to do anything to affect the outcome of events. The resulting failure to fight or flight, that is, the physical immobilization (the freeze response), becomes a conditioned behavioral response. In his book, Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self, Allen Schore has outlined in exquisite detail the psychobiology of early childhood development involving maturation of orbitofrontal and limbic structures based on reciprocal experiences with the caregiver. Dysfunctional associations in this dyadic relationship result in permanent physicochemical and anatomical changes, which have implications for personality development as well as for a wide variety of clinical manifestations. An intimate relationship may exist, with negative child/care giver interaction leading to a state of persisting hypertonicity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems that may profoundly affect the arousal state of the developing child. Sustained hyperarousal in these children may markedly affect behavioral and characterological development. Many traumatized children and [...]

The way we understand how trauma affects the brain and body has changed a lot in the last several years. We now have deeper insights into the nature of trauma that simply didn’t exist, even a short time ago. Researchers studying trauma can now show what actually happens – in the brain and in our nervous system – during and after a traumatic event. With this new science we’re able to help clients rewire the trauma response and foster healthier integration,and a new way to interpret the world.   Trauma can be conceptualized as stemming from a failure of the natural physiological activation and hormonal secretions to organize an effective response to threat. Rather than producing a successful fight or flight response the organism becomes immobilized. Probably the best animal model for this phenomenon is that of ‘inescapable shock,” in which creatures are tortured without being unable to do anything to affect the outcome of events. The resulting failure to fight or flight, that is, the physical immobilization (the freeze response), becomes a conditioned behavioral response. In his book, Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self, Allen Schore has outlined in exquisite detail the psychobiology of early childhood development involving maturation of orbitofrontal and limbic structures based on reciprocal experiences with the caregiver. Dysfunctional associations in this dyadic relationship result in permanent physicochemical and anatomical changes, which have implications for personality development as well as for a wide variety of clinical manifestations. An intimate relationship may exist, with negative child/care giver interaction leading to a state of persisting hypertonicity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems that may profoundly affect the arousal state of the developing child. Sustained hyperarousal in these children may markedly affect behavioral and characterological development. Many traumatized children and adults, confronted with chronically overwhelming emotions, lose their capacity to use [...]

Conscious parenting is parenting through connection instead of coercion, through love instead of fear.Conscious Parenting recognizes that securing and maintaining a healthy parent-child bond is our primary work as parents and the key to our children's optimal human development. Our effectiveness as parents is in direct proportion to the strength of the bond we have with our child. Connection Parenting promotes parenting practices that support a strong, healthy parent-child bond.The Latest Neuroscience now confirms attachement theory and the critical importance of the parent child attachment, This above all will influence the appropriate brain development of your child and influence the adult your child will become. The model of parenting most of us grew up with was authoritarian parenting, which is based on fear. Some of us may have grown up with permissive parenting, which is also based on fear. Authoritarian parenting is based on the child's fear of losing the parent's love. Permissive parenting is based on the parent's fear of losing the child's love. Connection parenting is based on love instead of fear. Connection Parenting recognizes that securing and maintaining a healthy parent-child bond is our primary work as parents and the key to our children's optimal human development. Our effectiveness as parents is in direct proportion to the strength of the bond we have with our child. Connection Parenting promotes parenting practices that support a strong, healthy parent-child bond. Both authoritarian parenting and permissive parenting are reactive. Connection parenting is proactive. Rather than focusing on ways to discipline children when their feelings of disconnection result in uncooperative or unacceptable behavior, Connection Parenting focuses on ways to maintain and increase the parent-child bond/connection. Connection parenting is an ideal, a navigation star we can look to for guidance. Whenever we question how to respond to a child we can ask ourselves, will [...]