Health and Wellness Repertoire

  • What are Psychedelic Mushrooms and What can They do for us?

    What are Psychedelic Mushrooms and What can They do for us?
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    Introduction

                Psilocybin, otherwise known as magic mushrooms, “Bammers”, psychedelic shrooms, and even a plant of the Gods. I am sure there are all different kinds of names for these on the streets since they were considered a schedule 1 drug back during Nixon’s presidency and the War on drugs. Schedule 1 drugs in the United States are those that are purported to have the following traits: 1) The drug or other substance has a high potential risk of abuse 2) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment within the United States. I don’t know if you have tried them, but you won’t want to do them twice in one day, or every day at that! So, the probability of abuse is nearly non-existent! Furthermore, there are so many more medicinal properties than almost all “Big Pharma” medicines, without any side effects.

    In June of 1971, Nixon established that drug abuse was “Public Enemy Number One”, with psilocybin mushrooms being among that list. However, the thing about mycology (which is the study of all fungi) began making some progress towards positive effects of almost all safe mushrooms, and psychedelic mushrooms. Magic Mushrooms and other mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane, Red Reishi, Oyster, and so much more have shown proof of enhancing all kinds of human qualities. Mental clarity, immunological enhancement, neurogenesis, neuro-generation, neuro-regeneration, and even neuroplasticity has all been shown to enhance our minds. Reishi is even called natures Xanax since it helps lower anxiety. Neurogenesis is the origination of newborn nerve cells from stem cells within our body. The more active cells we have the better we will be in almost all aspects of life. Now Neuro-generation and Neuro Regeneration, does exactly as it sounds, generating new neurons, while regenerating helps atrophied neurons. And finally, to top it all off, neuroplasticity which consists of synaptogenesis where more nerves begin branching out more conduits for more connections (JRE, 2019). Neuroplasticity, in other words, is the brain’s ability to adapt to new situations or changes in their environment. Psychedelic Mushrooms just make you feel like a happy person, in almost everything you do.

    How Do They Work?

                The way these mushrooms work is quite exceptional actually. People used to think that you were just basically getting food poisoning, which in too high of a dose, you would just raulf it up. But even then, the effects will still last. We will touch base on Micro-dosing, moderate dosing, and even heroic dosing which all have their own benefits within themselves. But first, the chemical response that is happening in our bodies. There are over 200 mushrooms that contain psilocybin which is the naturally occurring chemical compound that makes you experience a psychedelic spectacle. Psilocybin is considered a pro-drug, which is a compound that is inactive by itself, but when metabolized, it can turn into a pharmacological compound in the body (Psilocin). When we consume psilocybin-containing mushrooms (which is the most terrible tasting experience, if it isn’t boiled into a tea, or put in chocolates or capsules), our bodies begin metabolizing the psilocybin into psilocin, which is actually able to bind to our serotonin receptors. Serotonin’s chemical structure is fairly similar to that of psilocin, but it is a monoamine neurotransmitter, which is the source of all those wonderful happy feelings we get from something we enjoy doing, or around people we love being around. It can also be boosted through chemical assistance, where we can establish a new sense of well-being in this life we live. Psilocin is actually considered an agonist, meaning it can initiate a physiological response for our serotonin receptors (Haze and Mandrake, 2016). The following picture will show how closely related the chemical molecule structures are to one another.

    So closely related, don’t ya think! (Science Direct, n.d.)

    As a neurotransmitter it can assist in relaying messages from one part or section of the brain, to the other. Research from back in 2016, states that there is a sensory overload that happens when someone “trips”, which is caused from the psilocin. This makes the brain become more hyperconnected; that is, it allows for greater communication between parts of the brain that otherwise wouldn’t talk to each other. The process is called Synesthesia phenomena which is said to reorganize connections and strengthen weaker ones, enhancing our mental acuity. It is also something that may make your senses interact with one another. Such as, if you hear music, you may see shapes, or if you hear the name Jake, you may see the color green. It is something that brings all your senses in line with one another, creating a higher acuity of your senses (Haze and Mandrake, 2016). You will see me constantly go back to primal times, comparing what these mushrooms may have done, and how they potentially corelate with our existence today (Stoned Ape Theory), but we will get back to that. This Synesthesia may have helped our primal ancestors to hunt and kill food, pick other certain plants, and even stay alive amidst so many predators.

    Our minds have evolved to constantly filtering out any non-useful stimuli in our new world, enabling us to focus on the important task of living our lives, or simply being a human being. It saves our minds resources, and extracts things that can be considered trivialities. Not everyone counts how many cars are being tugged behind a train when stopped at a train crossing. Certain areas of the brain that inhibit distracting stimuli and help maintain our attention, such as the hypothalamus, have been proven to show decreased activity when under the effects of psilocin. Another area is called the claustrum (derived from the Latin word for “hidden or shut away”), which is an extremely thin sheet of neurons deep within the cortex, yet it reaches out to every other region in the brain. The true purpose is also “hidden away”, however there are a few speculations of why it’s there, and what its true purpose is. One is from Francis Crick of DNA-discovery, which he believed the claustrum is responsible for our awareness and sense of self, or the seat of our consciousness (John Hopkins, 2020). With this in mind, Johns Hopkins tested 15 people, whom some took psilocybin, while the others received a placebo. They found that the ones that took the psilocybin, showed a reduced neuronal activity in the claustrum by 15% to even 30%. The lowered activity seemed to be associated with stronger subjective effects of the drug, such as emotional and mystical experiences. The researchers also found that the drug changed the correspondence between the claustrum and brain regions that involve hearing, attention, decision-making, and remembrance (John Hopkins, 2020). This is what ties in with what people claim as typical effects of psychedelics, including feelings of being connected to everything, and more importantly, reduced senses of self or egotistical behavior. New technology, such as the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) have given researchers the ability to track certain brain activity. Thus, making more breakthroughs on certain effects of mind-altering drugs, such as psilocybin mushrooms, and many more. There has been proven research that shows that they can help manage, or even cure people with PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, and even substance abuse disorder. And to think these are still in the “Schedule One” drug category.

                These regions of the brain are usually some of the most active, which play important roles of our sense of self, organizing incoming sensory information, and regulating internal impulses. Aldous Huxley claims that each person is capable at any moment to remember everything that has ever happen to him/her and can even perceive everything that is happening everywhere in the universe at that certain moment. He also believes that the central nervous system and the brain is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevant information that we don’t currently have any use for (Haze and Mandrake, 2016). Usually after the effects wear off, these connections go back to normal, and we won’t experience synesthesia anymore. Most people claim that they feel dulled out after experiencing something so marvelous, and even eye opening, when it comes to sense of ego. There are other ways of reaching this feeling that is being tested currently too. These are pharmacologically similar to psilocybin, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phenethylamine-containing alkaloids (mescaline).

    Different Types of our Mushie Friends

                Enough about the anatomy of the human body, and words that are extremely hard to say at first. That stuff can continue to drag on, and on, and on……… and on. To start this off, we will touch base on what mushrooms start off as. If you are familiar, you will see most mushrooms have a long stipes (stalks/stems), and convex heads or “caps”. Typically, you will see gills up underneath these caps, and this is where the mushroom stores, these tiny microscopic spores (poet and didn’t know it!). When the mushroom matures fully, thousands of these tiny spores will fall to the earth, causing more mushroom growth. That is why you will see mushroom cultivators, smack the cap before taking the mushroom from its base. However, instead of acting like seeds, and gather energy through photosynthesis–they germinate to produce a mass of interwoven, single-cell wide structures known as hyphae, which is also considered as Shiro. A collective mass of hyphae is known as mycelium.

    Mycelium is the plural form of the word Mycelia, which has New Latin and Greek origins, literally meaning more than one. In order to understand the greatness of mycelium, we have to get a little more technical. Fungi absorbs nutrients from the environment such as a substrate (certain conditions of soil), a log, etc., through its mycelium in a two-stage process. First off, those little hyphae (which reminds me of Hefe) secrete enzymes into the decaying wood or other substrate. They break down biological polymers into smaller units called monomers. The mycelium then uses a combination of facilitated diffusion and active transport to absorb these monomers (The Conscious Club, 2017). There is so much more that goes into mycelium, that you can look up for yourself. Some people believe mycelium to be the way that all fungi life communicate in the forest. Fun Fact: The largest single fungal organism is found in the Malheur National Forest, and it belongs to the species called Armillaria Ostoyee. It covers a whopping three and a half square miles or 9 square kilometers in the state of Oregon! Paul Stamets has even found that mycelium can help retain our bee population, to continue pollinating the earth. By protecting them from detrimental diseases that hinder their wing growth. Really interesting stuff if you ask me!

    The following is a progression of a mushroom, from the beginning mushroom spore, all the way to the developing fruiting body that you typically will see above ground. Even though the larger, more branched out aspect of the mushroom is below ground.

                            Quite the Cycle (Mycologic, n.d.)

    Though there are many different species of psilocybin containing mushrooms, we will only touch base on the main species that hold the most affect. The most potent types of psilocybin containing mushrooms belong to the genus Psilocybe. You can find all kinds of information of the different types of mushrooms, and their poisonous look alikes, in Paul Stamets book: Psilocybin Mushrooms of The World: An Identification Guide (1996). All of these different species carry three different “ingredients”, Psilocybin, Psilocin, and Baeocystin. There are 12 species but there are only 7 that have high enough percentages to account for: Psilocybe Azurescens, Psilocybe Bohemica, Psilocybe Semilanceata, Psilocybe Baeocystis, Psilocybe Cyanescens, Psilocybe Tampanensis, and the most common Psilocybe Cubensis. We won’t go into the description of each, however, they are in order from the most potent, to the least potent in all three “ingredients”. Go take a look at the full descriptions if you have time.

    Dosing Types: Micro, Moderate, and Heroic Dosages

                The thing about mushrooms being blacklisted all those years ago, they weren’t able to be assessed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to find the proper dosing for an actual supplement. It isn’t like your traditional dietary or nutritional supplement that you will find at the local drug store, where recommended daily allowance has been arduously tested. So, the following dosages aren’t proven, and should be taken lightly, especially since there are numerous factors that must come into play. What is the species? What is the potency of that specific mushroom? Is it consumed wet or dry? How much do you personally weigh? Of course, there are all kinds of unknowns out there, and skepticism makes people think it is all just for the “hippies”. In some of the pioneering psilocybin studies done at Johns Hopkins University, controlled doses of psilocybin were administered to patients.

    ***Let it be known, I do not perform any illegal activity, and I do not suggest that anyone does anything illegal. This is just information that I have gathered for the purpose of education. NONE of this information has been tested by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used as a remedy for any mental illnesses. Please consult with you physician, therapist, or psychiatrist for any means possible to help with your specific illness. I need to notify you of this before you proceed. This disclosure is here for your safety and understanding (and mine of course)***  

    Micro-Dosing

                Micro-dosing is exactly as it sounds, where you take just enough to have the mental effects, without the full body high and altered visual perception. It just enacts the happy feeling that you get from taking a larger dose. According to Curative Mushrooms (2020), A proper dosage for micro dosing would be 1/10th of a gram, which may change to your certain body type. So, remember, there are 1000 milligrams in one gram, so you would take 100 mgs for the traditional micro dose. There is also the body weight method, which you take .25 mg per kilogram of bodyweight.

    I will also bring in the infamous Paul Stamets, and his patented micro dose formula, where he stacks psilocybin with Lion’s Mane and niacin. Lions’ mane is another delicacy mushroom that is legal and has shown proof of helping with nerve regenerative properties. Other benefits of Lions Mane are as follows:  Increases memory, increases focus, increases concentration, Anti-inflammatory, supports gut health, improves mood, increases energy levels, and Supports insulin sensitivity (Microdosing Institute, n.d.). So, this mushroom alone, can give anyone a lot of supporting health benefits. His stack is as follows:

    DAYS 1-4: Micro dosing days

    DAY 5-7: Non-micro dosing days

    • No micro dose
    • Optional: Niacin
    • Optional: Continue implementing Lion’s Mane

     CYCLE: continue for four weeks

    RESET: Stop micro dosing with psilocybin for two to four weeks. You may continue supplementing with Lion’s Mane during this reset (Microdosing Institute, n.d.)

    Moderate Dosing

     Again, it is exactly how it sounds, a moderate dose. You will find all different kinds of numbers when it comes to a moderate dose. Curative Mushrooms (2020) states that a typical moderate dose would be 1-4 grams. While others say anywhere from one gram to 3.5 grams. That is where the traditional eighth that most people enjoy taking comes from. This is a practice that can be conducted every so often, such as every month or two. All depending on your schedule and ability. You won’t have the full dissolution of self that you would a heroic dose, but you will feel the effects, both physically, visually, and emotionally. That nice word, synesthesia comes back into play at this dose, where your senses begin to cross. Of course, there isn’t many studies conducted on this dosage practice, since again, they are illegal…. But I am positive that there will be more as the days pass. This helps keep your empathy levels higher throughout the time span in between dosages.

    Heroic Dosing-Lets Get Ready to Rumble!!

    Now for the large dosage, that completely dissolves your sense of self. The dissolution of self sounds intimidating; however, it is only for the duration of the trip, and there may be some lingering feelings for a few days after. This feeling is something that is thought of coming from the claustrum (as stated earlier) where it is thought of being our seat of consciousness. It can be more looked at as, the dissolution of our ego, instead of our self. Because, well, everyone always remembers their name, and who they are after the fact. Sometimes you may begin questioning who you are, and what your purpose is in this finite life. But more often than not, it always pushes you towards something more positive. You may learn that you must quit putting so much effort in finding the negative aspects of life and begin focusing more on the positive aspects of it. Or maybe even quit taking yourself so seriously and start having a little more fun in life. Another trait that people have found they experience after a heroic dose, is they become more empathetic with the people around them. When we can start feeling other people’s pains, then we may even be able to stop being the root cause of their pain. It is sort of like an eye-opening experience, helping us to be a bit more introspective in our actions. When you begin looking more inwards, you may be able to find that you are at fault for your own tribulations. Thus, creating an avenue to changing for the better.

    I will bring up good ole curative mushrooms, yet again. According to Oliver, a heroic dose would be 5-7 grams (2020). However, there are also others claims of it being anything above seven dry grams of psilocybin. It is kind of like the old saying with beans: “Beans, Beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot”. So, besides the tooting part… it is a lot the same. Taking anything above six dry grams, you will find yourself in an altered dimension almost. Again, this sounds scary, but it really isn’t that bad. You will see the whole world waving in a sense, which is really neat when you look at the horizon, or even some cool art. Synesthesia begins to set in, where you think you are hearing colors, and seeing sounds.

    Johns Hopkins has found that one heroic dose has shown to have long lasting effects, where people claimed to have a personality change. They claimed to have a more openness feeling when it came to life, looking at life in a whole new lens almost. Openness includes traits such as imagination, aesthetics, feelings, abstract ideas, and general broad-mindedness. They also claimed to have more of a spiritual side after the experience. Most of the individuals were over the age of 30, which it is thought that we don’t really make any drastic personality changes after 30 years old. These lasting affects lasted anywhere from 12 months to 15 months in the 51 people that they tested. Reduction of anxiety, fear, and sad thoughts was also found throughout this study. So, I mean, why wouldn’t you want to do this every six months to a year? Of course, it needs to be in a comfortable environment, where you have someone that is sober (and knows what the experience is like) to be able to keep everyone and everything in line. People have even tried conducting therapy sessions during these experiences, to help guide people into changing certain traits of their lives.

    If this stuff interests you, then I know you have heard of the word (or person), Shaman. A Shaman is someone that is believed to have a connection with good and evil spirits or is influenced by the afterlife/before life. They typically enter a trance state during a ritual to practice divination and healing for the people participating in the ritual. You may also look at them as your guide into your psychedelic experience, where when you begin to venture off, they can center you back into your purpose. They believe that they can obtain healing powers whilst in the ritual, for almost all of the people around them. They are admired as one of the more powerful human beings in this present life. You can find the biggest influence in these people in remote areas of the Amazonian Forest. Where nature is more important than the smart phone or computer you are currently using. They are these peoples Google in a sense, where they can give them answers to the most important questions about life. These people are found to have almost nothing in their possessions but are some of the happiest people on the face of the earth. There must be a connection to the psychedelic experiences they endure.

    Stoned Ape Theory

    First proposed by a main stream ethnobotanist Terence McKenna (1946-2000) in his early 90’s book “Food of the Gods,” the basic concept is that the consumption of psychedelic fungi may have played a crucial role in the development of human mind and culture (Lamb, 2021). Of course, he believed that the “Stoned Ape Hypothesis” misrepresented his theory, but it is still the name that stuck. Terrance and his brother Dennis McKenna (who is an ethnopharmacologist) must have had some DEEP, late-night conversations when it comes to something as intense as this theory. Dennis claims that they put forth the evidence during their conversations to come up with this theory. Long story short, the hypothesis suggests we owe the emergence of language and self-reflection to ancient, sustained consumption of psilocybin mushrooms all those years ago. They know that the human brain doubled in size about two million years ago, which is of course evidence that would need to be dug into more, but we will just roll with it for the sake of description. It is also thought to have been apart of the “Creative Explosion” that happened around 40,000 years ago. Where homo sapiens began living in their own creations, making tools, and hunting in a more innovative way. This again made the development even faster all the way up to where we are today.

    With the effects of psilocybin making our mental acuity higher, and deeper visual perception, they may have been able to think and react faster. This would make them be less susceptible of getting attacked by larger predators, or even finding, and killing their food for daily rations. The long tale of Vikings drinking ale and eating mushrooms before battle runs congruent with his hypothesis. Where it is thought that they fought harder, moved faster, seen incoming attacks, and even weren’t afraid of death. Of course, none of us lived in this era, and the probability of finding more documentation is slim, so it will remain that… a theory. If we could travel back in time and find that we adapted to our surroundings because of mushrooms, then I bet they would get legalized that same time. But I guess, if we had the technology to time travel, then our superficial problems wouldn’t exist anymore… or we would create even more problems!

    Summary

    So, I know that if you are reading this, then you are obviously interested in this topic. And honestly, throughout the duration of this article, I told myself that I wouldn’t take a stab at big pharma. But in my opinion, I think marijuana, and psilocybin mushrooms were both outlawed so that “man-made” remedies could begin to corner the market. I feel like they already knew about the medicinal properties of both these NATURAL remedies, but they knew they couldn’t regulate it, since they could easily be grown at home. Sometimes I feel like money turns most people into greedy individuals. Most man-made products have been proven to lead to more side effects than the initial illness that is trying to be healed. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love innovation, and it is one of the best times to be alive, however, I feel like we are all being controlled by the elites of our world. They may not think they are, because that is what they were taught as they were coming up. But it all started somewhere. It only takes 30 years to completely change the outlook of an entire generation, and I believe we are beginning to yet again, change the outlook, of an entire generation. If mushrooms didn’t get blacklisted all those years ago, just think about the amount of research that could have been done by now. I don’t know about you, but I truly believe that if it worked all those years ago, why ON EARTH wouldn’t it work now!? I think if every person on earth took a heroic dose once a year, our world could potentially be a better place. The absence of ego would bring more people together. The increase in empathy would make people think before they acted in a negative way. And finally, the closeness that we could all experience with our fellow humanoid, would rid us all of division. We wouldn’t all resort to tribalism, where it is thought that we all MUST reside on one side or the other, or one country or the other. Instead, we could all reside in one harmonious connection of fellow humans, who are all on the same, good ole’ Pursuit of Happiness.

    I hope you enjoyed my article, and I look forward to hearing any feedback you may have. Please stay tuned to more information on mushrooms, not only Psilocybin mushrooms, but all medicinal mushrooms. If you know of any new research pertaining to this topic, please feel free to reach out to me at any time via email, socials or anywhere else. Just search the unique name, you will find it.  

    Have an excellent day, and remember, “Every situation you are in, is a test of who YOU truly are”

    -Cyral I Callender III

    Post-Script: The world is just a reflection of yourself. Whatever you put out into the world, it will get reflected onto you. If you stare into a mirror, and you hate what you see, you cannot attack the image, but you can change it. Whenever you transform, the world will transform around you. In a state of non-acceptance, you will attack the image. But if you accept yourself as is, then your image won’t attack you. Mental illness is not the problem, you are the problem. As long as your Ego mind thinks of it that way, you will never get better. DO NOT blame life for treating you unfairly, but do not blame yourself either, all that is, is resistance.

    Much love people.   

    References

    Curative Mushrooms. (May 3, 2020). Magic Mushroom Dosage-Heroic Dose & Microdosing Correctly. Retrieved from: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6TDMK3IUc2LqgyJBIMtBhZ?si=ATBrfxn3RhWMo69Eu-IFIQ&utm_source=copy-link

    Conscious Club, The. (Oct. 31, 2017). Mycelium-The Future is Fungi. Retrieved from: https://thegreentemple.net/articles/mycelium-the-future-is-fungi

    Haze, V., Mandrake, K. PhD. (2016) The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible. 1st Edition. Green Candy Press.

    Joe Rogan Experience. (Nov. 14, 2019). Episode #1385-Paul Stamets. Retrieved from: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2VdrsKSyOmm5iNr8eCUy0y?si=17gVkv1vRq2yVpQnivxUMw&utm_source=copy-link

    Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2020, June 5). How psychedelic drug psilocybin works on brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 23, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200605121512.htm

    Lamb, R. (Jan. 27, 2021). The Stoned Ape Hypothesis: Did Magic Mushrooms Influence Human Evolution? Retrieved from: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/stoned-ape-hypothesis.htm

    Microdosing Institute. (n.d.) Stamets Stack (Stacking Lion’s Mane and Psilocybin Mushrooms). Retrieved from: https://microdosinginstitute.com/microdosing-101/substances/lions-mane-stacking/

    Mycologic. (n.d.). Biology and Life Cycle of a Mushroom. Retrieved from: https://www.mycologic.nz/life-cycle Science Direct. (n.d.). Psilocybe. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/psilocybe

  • Who is Cyral I. Callender III

    Who is Cyral I. Callender III
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    Hello my friends! Having my Bachelors degree in Health and Wellness, I have studied all different types of–well– Health and Wellness. Everything stemming from physical activity, to anatomy and physiology, proper diet habits, and stages of change. While also studying the possibility of integrative medicines or alternative medicines to Western Societal Medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicines worked all those centuries ago, so I mean, It has to work in some way, shape, or form. I started my college career as a diesel mechanic at my local college, but I did some digging into my future goals and desires. I knew I didn’t want to work on heavy machinery for the rest of my life. Getting doused in oil, smashing my hands taking off a bolt, or digging through the cold snow to get to a certain part. Nuh uh… that wasn’t for me anymore, my time of field work was finished. I was always told that if you do something you love, then you will never work a day in your life. I asked myself, “What was something that I absolutely loved doing”. One, physical activity and healthier lifestyles. Two, helping every person that I possibly can throughout the duration of my time on earth. And finally, constantly learning new ways to make those two aspects of life a reality and relevant to the current time. I searched for schools within my range of travel, however, the closest place would have been Denver, Colorado. (Which is a four hour drive!) You know the saying that everything happens for a reason? Well at the very same time that I was searching for schools, I had an opportunity of a life time of starting my own small business with a friend. I knew we would have made this partnership work, so I couldn’t leave him behind. So, as I was building the limited Liability Company, I was searching for online schools. All while working 10 hours a day, attending in-person college, getting my workouts in, and fitting in small stretches of sleep here and there. One night, with my eyes heavy, I found a school through the slits of my eyes, just before they closed for the night. Purdue University Global was accentuated in its black and gold colors on my screen. I quickly requested more information, and dosed off right on the couch of my apartment. Just to wake up five hours later to start my day again with a solid workout. I got the grants, and funding to attend Purdue University Global for my bachelors in Health and Wellness. It hasn’t been easy. Being a father of three (almost four), a small business owner (which did all the accounting, data, and traditional work), a board member for the State of Wyoming and for our local disc golf group, and to finish it off, training as a combat sports player. Fast forward four years, in May of 2022, I finally graduated. I must say, the long-term gratification of finally graduating was the best feeling in the world, after my children being born of course. With my past history of being a delinquent in my late adolescent/early 20’s, that feeling was more intense than any substance known to man. The possibility of changing, and becoming who you want to be is obtainable, no matter how deep you think you are. It isn’t easy, but you must be willing to put forth the effort. I am just a casual guy, trying to assist anyone I possibly can into changing their lives for the better. Please reach out at any time of day, no matter what it is. Much love and respect, and I appreciate the support. Thanks for reading 🙂

    -Cyral I Callender III

  • Resources of Contemporary Diet and Nutrition Topics

    Resources of Contemporary Diet and Nutrition Topics
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    The following is a group of resources pertaining to each separate topic of discussion. You will find information on foodborne illnesses, the globalization of fast-food, and finally, lobbyists impacts on nutritional guidelines. These topics can affect people in nearly every demographic and culture in our entire world. Each one of them compliments one another in more ways than one.

    Foodborne Illnesses:

    Globalization of Fast-Food Restaurants:

    Lobbyists Impacts on Nutritional Guidelines:

    Wyoming Food for Though Project. (2021). Changing the System for Good. Retrieved from: https://www.wyomingfoodforthoughtproject.org/

  • Comparison of Ethical Theories

    Comparison of Ethical Theories

    Ethical Theories Comparison Chart

     UtilitarianismEthical EgoismEthics of CareKantianismPrima Facie DutiesDivine Command TheoryVirtue Theory
    How is “good” DeterminedThat everyone should act out the moral good for the good for everyone around.The individual form maintains that everyone ought to act in my self-interest.men’s moral attitudes have to do with justice, rights, competition, being independent, and living by rules.nothing was good in itself except a good willthat all human beings must obey in a general way before any other considerations enter into the picture.It is morally good if it is commanded by God.Becoming a certain type of person
    Most Noted Philosopher(s)John Stuart MillHenry SidgwickCarol GilliganImmanuel KantSir William David RossJohn Calvin (2012) WikipediaMartinaeau
    Major Strengths1.Enough similar human actions. 2.Benefits every one involved1.Appears in three forms 2.a philosophical-normative, prescriptive theory1.Woman should be generous 2.men should live for justice1.Such truths must be logically consistent, not self-contradictory. 2.  They also must be universalizable.1.always act in accord to duties 2.always act in a way to achieve rightness over wrongness.1.judging whether people are moral or immoral. 2.obey a supernatural being  1.Differentiates the difference between consequential and nonconsequential. 2.rule ethics  
    Major Weaknesses1.Danger for the social worth of the individual 2.Does a good end justify to attain it, or should we also consider our motives?1.Only applies to one individual 2.Cannot help humanity1.Replacing on problematic theory with another. 2.Not talking about gender equality, instead it talks about what jobs should be done by who.1.emphasized duties over inclination 2. we must act from a sense of duty rather than from our inclinations1.How do we decide if it is Prima Facie Duties. 2.how do we know what takes precedence over the rest.1.Atheists couldn’t be moral 2.Agnostics couldn’t be moral1.Cannot be determined mathmatically 2. do we have a purpose.  

  • Advertising: Then & Now

    Advertising: Then & Now
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    When it comes to advertising, it is something that has been around for centuries. People have always been out there trying to sell some sort of service or product for other people, so that they can make an honest living. I guess you can’t say honest, due to the fact that most advertising makes the service or product sound a lot better than it actually is. Of course, advertising has become a lot better as we age further into the decades due to advancements in technology and more amount of people in society. Even though there has been advertising for centuries, we are only going to stick to some of the most recent, from the 1920’s to now. Back in 1920, the first radio station was opened up in Pittsburgh called KDKA and they broadcasted the presidential election there (ADAge, 1999). A lot has changed since then, being the fact that we have a radio station for almost every channel for FM Radio. And we even have another whole broadcasting station called Surius Radio.

    The Human Expression hasn’t really changed all that much since the 20’s. They were always talking about elections that were going on, or the top of the line car that was just released. As well as the first woman CEO of companies. This is all news that we still hear today, but in a whole new Era. We don’t only have radio stations now days for advertising, because of advancements in technology. We have televisions, social media’s, and internet that almost every individual in the world can get their hands on.

    I think this all has proven a positive advancement for the human population and for us as a country. With more eyes and ears being able to hear these advertisements, more products or services can be sold, thus creating a larger economy for us as a whole. Back then, only the rich people could hear the advertisements for around 100 dollars for only ten minutes of broadcast, so they weren’t reaching that many of people. I feel with our new and improved advertising abilities more products and services can be sold and more people are apt to try harder on building a name for themselves. Getting your name out there is a lot easier now days than it was back then, that’s why it helps influence our people to try bigger and better things for themselves, or their small business’s. Advertising is partially free now days with social media, all it takes is a little bit of your time and effort. That’s the difference between then and now when it comes to advertising.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    ADAge. (March 29th, 1999). AD Age Advertising Century: Timeline. Retrieved from: https://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/ad-age-advertising-century-timeline/143661

  • Persuasion

    Persuasion

    Part One

    When it comes to persuasion, there are all sorts of ways to do it. Whether you are aggressive, passive, assertive, or what most people appreciate is being more understanding of the other persons needs. With advertisement, you must have some level of persuasion to be able to get across to your intended consumer. The ad that I chose to search, is an ad about a sports car called the Audi R8. This is my dream car, so this is something I have been interested in my entire life. In this ad they are in a setting that sort of resembles the salt flats in Utah. A gentleman pulls up to a shack in his Audi R8 to get a bag of coffee. He finds out that he left his wallet, and as he panics, his significant other pulls up and tosses him his wallet. The peripheral cues in this ad starts off with the guy driving really fast which most car lovers enjoy doing. It also brings in the bag of coffee, which most Americans love coffee. The targeted audience is of course consumers that appreciate their nice cars, but also could be in a family setting. With his spouse helping him with his wallet, it reminds you, that some of us couldn’t function if it wasn’t for our other half. It also states at the end of the ad about welcome home to those that love to drive (Automobile and Vehicle Station, 2017). Some people find so much joy in their cars, that is a sense of home for them. So, this could expand the ad to a whole other variety of consumers. The emotion that I felt was adrenaline, being able to drive a 205 MPH car, would be extremely exhilarating!

    Part Two

    Dr. Martin Luther King was one of Americas biggest icons in our history. One of the biggest quotes that he said was “All men are created equally…”(Dr. MLK Jr., 2013). Within his speech he remains consistent throughout with always bringing up this quote at separate times. Everybody that is present at the time, and ones that still view it to this day, will only perceive what they want to. Even though he is stating the same facts throughout, certain people will only hear what they want to hear. Another thing he does through the whole speech, is he assertively asserts his authority, and people know it. Being some one at the level that he was, should already be respected well enough that nobody should judge otherwise. One thing that most people don’t understand, is that what is logical, should be heard. But I guess we are in different times then they were back in the 60’s. “I have a dream… that some day… the sons of slaves, and the sons of slave owners, will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood…”(Dr. MLK Jr., 2013). And with that, we are where we are today if it wasn’t for this gentleman’s level of persuasion to our American people.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

  • Spiritual/Psychological Wellness Interview

    Spiritual/Psychological Wellness Interview
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    The following is an assignment that was conducted at the conclusion of my Spiritual wellness program, in pursuit of my Bachelors of Science in Health and Wellness. I put together an assortment of questions that I felt were relative to spiritual health and wellbeing. I then proceeded to ask these questions to someone that I personally knew. I believe these are relative to health and wellness, since wellness is a huge aspect of every persons life. With spirituality and psychological being one of the main focuses. Please enjoy!

    Spiritual and Psychological Wellness is something that people must pay attention to throughout their entire life. It is a plan set forth by people that want to proceed in growth within their life. While on the other side, some people focus only on the worldly aspects in life, instead of grasping for self-enlightenment. According to Emily Smith (2016), Spiritual Wellness is being connected to something bigger than yourself and having a sense of morals, values, principals, and beliefs that establish a sense of purpose and meaning in life, and using those to guide your life. Some people think that it isn’t worth their time, or just don’t quite understand it quite yet. However, it is something that is obtainable, even if you take a few moments a day to work on it. I believe that if everybody strived for a better sense of purpose daily, then this society wouldn’t be as hateful and discontent as it is today. The following interview was conducted by me as a practitioner, attempting to remind the interviewee a sense of purpose in life again.

    My interviewee is my spouse’s stepfather, who I have known for a few years through being with my spouse. He has had his own falters at this life, just like anyone else. But he seems to know a thing or two about spirituality and the mind-body-spirit connection. As stated in the interview, he has been to prison, but it doesn’t determine the type of person he is today. He also recently was diagnosed with diabetes due to being overweight, in which he is taking better care of himself because of this diagnosis. Through this interview, I feel as though we have made a stronger bond and got to know each other a little bit more. And maybe it has even given him some new ideas that he must work on for the future. I didn’t inform him about the questions at all before asking them, just that if he didn’t feel comfortable, then he didn’t need to answer them all.

    Question 1: What do you think of when you hear the words Spiritual Wellness?

    After a long pause and being deep in thought, he began listing a few key points that he believed spiritual wellness was all about. He feels as though being happy with one’s self is the root of it all. While also being satisfied with your life and content with where you are. He believes that spiritual wellness gives you a better outlook on life and brings happiness in all your circumstances.

    Question 2: With that description, where do you think you are with your spiritual wellness?

    Starting off in deep thought, he stated that he was satisfied with his spiritual wellness, however, it is a day to day battle. He feels as though some days are great with other being quite rough. He feels as though it is whatever this world throws at him on that specific day and just tries to take it day by day. If he focuses on the positives, he tends to find himself having a great day. At the conclusion of this question, he stated that his medication does help.

    According to Keisha Blair (2017), we all go through peaks and valleys, sometimes the valleys seem impossible to get out of and the mountain tops seem too far away making it a far-off dream. This statement is true in so many ways, however, it is something that we all experience and just have to keep moving forward.   

    Question 3: What can you do to improve your spiritual/psychological wellness?

    He spouted off quickly that he just needs time to reflect on situations that he is involved in. Assess why his anger is rising so quickly and try to mitigate it. He said that he has used meditation in the past, especially while in prison. There are times that he just gives up on a situation, and he feels as though he needs to quit doing that type of thing. He is one of the people that uses the term “It is what it is, why should I deal with it”. He finished it all off with sort of a smirky look on his face, and a shrug of the shoulders.

    Question 4: Do you believe in a mind-body-spirit co-relation? Why or why not?

                He does and began to go into a story from when he was younger. He had this friend, and his friends’ mother was sort of like the “hippy” type. He would get throbbing headaches all the time he said, and she showed him a way to mitigate them. She would have him lay down on his back, with his eyes closed. Relaxing, she would tell him to think about the pain, and begin to try and push it out the top of his head. After a few moments, he would feel it dissipating and within 20 minutes, it would be gone entirely. He believes that if you focus on whatever is bothering you physically, you mentally can alleviate the pain and illnesses just by focusing on them.

    Question 5: Were you raised in a spiritual household? Please describe.

                He stated that he was raised by his single mother, who was a big believer in Christ Jesus. Being a single mother, she was always working, so she would drop him off at church each Sunday. They were raised in Virginia, so it was sort of like a southern type experience for him. They would attend Presbyterian and Southern Baptist churches. She didn’t force it onto him, she just wanted him to find his own beliefs, and carry with him into adulthood. 

    Question 6: Sub-Question 1: If you were, have you ventured from it?

                He states that he feels spiritual most days, but other days he feels as though the worldly aspects capture him and take him away from his spirituality. He said it is like having two wolfs inside of you, a good one and a bad one. The one that is going to be more powerful, is the one your feed the most.

                Sub-Question 2: If you weren’t raised in a spiritual household, would you seek it?

                He went into a story about how he was baptized at 27 years old finally after meeting one of his old bosses that was a new preacher. He feels as though he cannot make up for loss time, so sometimes he is discouraged about it. However, he wants to always seek it, but this life gets too busy sometimes.

    Question 7: Have you ever Meditated? Why or why not?

                As he stated earlier, he did practice meditation while in prison almost every day. Having all that time to assess his entire life up until that point. He re-ran his whole life so he could see where he went wrong with his life, kids, family, etc.… He mentioned forgiveness and how he worked so hard to forgive himself. According to Davis and others (2015), self-forgiveness can alleviate negative emotions such as guilt, shame, disappointment, anger, and regret that in turn leads to mental or physical health problems. He was in the farm program here in Wyoming, where they do a bunch of ranch work, and breaking horses so that they could be sold to other families as barrel racers, or any other purpose. He felt that he made more of a connection with the horses than anyone else there, since he would meditate with them. He felt as though it gave him the ability to be more in tune with nature and its beauty.

    Question 8: Since mindful meditation has been proven to reduce stress levels, blood pressure, aches/pains, and improve focus. Would you perform it more? Why or why not?

                He stated that if he could find the time to do it, and remember to perform mindful meditation, that he would do it more often due to the benefits. With him being overweight and having diabetes, he feels it could benefit him. He went into asking more questions about it, so I went into a description of how to perform it a little bit more. We also discussed yoga classes, and the benefits of yoga as well. I gave him a couple links to look at for future reference.

    Question 9: Have you ever experienced a mystical event that you can’t logically explain?

                He brought up this time where he was in a car accident back when he was younger. He believed that his grandmother was looking out for him during this accident since it was so extreme, but he only walked away with a concussion and 15 stitches. He stated his car was smashed so much that it basically looked like an accordion. His head went through the windshield during impact, in which he feels like he should have gone through the windshield entirely, but he felt someone pulling on him. He said he felt hands wrap around his waist and pull him back into his seat, preventing him from flying through the windshield, but there wasn’t anyone else in the car with him. He thinks it was his grandmother, his guardian angel doing it spiritually. Still to that day he drives around feeling safe, knowing she is watching over him.

    Question 10: Is there truth is someone reaching full enlightenment in life? Where they have reached the precipice of life with no more worries. Why or why not?

                He believes that people can get there, but they won’t be happy after a while. He thinks that once someone makes it there, they will self-sabotage to work towards something again. He believes humans will always put themselves down to get back up. It is just human nature, free will, and tribal instincts that keep us from being completely satisfied with life. He feels like everyone must keep moving forward so that they don’t become stagnant.

                In conclusion, this interview lasted about 30 minutes after we all had enjoyed some nice weather, and great barbequed food. So, seeing him in a relaxed, and calm mind, I feel as though he was able to answer these questions more assertively. Though there are somethings that need to be worked on, and him and I may have a disagreement on certain things. However, as the practitioner, I needed to put my biases aside, so that I could evaluate my interviewee with a sound mind. We are now working toward bettering his spiritual/psychological wellness and building a wellness paradigm. All it takes sometimes, is someone to listen to you, and ask the right questions.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    Blair, K. (2017). The 4 Spiritual Laws of Self-Renewal. Retrieved (Apr. 25, 2021) from: https://medium.com/thrive-global/the-4-spiritual-laws-of-self-renewal-182c6c1398f6.

    Davis, D. E., Ho, M. Y., Griffin, B. J., Bell, C., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., & … Westbrook, C. J. (2015). Forgiving the self and physical and mental health correlates: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(2), 329-335. doi:10.1037/cou0000063 Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=2015-15500-005&site=eds-live

    Smith, Emily. (Sep. 2016). Spiritual Wellness: What Is your Meaning and Purpose? Retrieved (Apr. 25,2021) from: https://www.lhsfna.org/index.cfm/lifelines/september-2016/spiritual-wellness-what-is-your-meaning-and-purpose/#:~:text=Spiritual%20wellness%20is%20being%20connected,principles%20to%20guide%20your%20actions.

  • LET’S GET MOVING Course

    LET’S GET MOVING Course
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    The following is the Groundwork of my local CAM Practice course that I will teaching to a group of applicable people. When it comes to ethics with any Complimentary and Alternative Medicine practice, you must first consult your physician. Since this alternative to conventional western medicine is based around physical activity, then we must ensure that the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire is filled out honestly, and that assessments are done accordingly. I cannot cure, diagnose, or eliminate any health problems you may have. All I can do is teach you how to workout, and work towards a better version of yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically. Please click on the below documents to use as a guideline for the three session course that we will be conducting over the next three week’s. Now LET’s GET MOVING!!

    Course Outline HandoutDownload
    Course SyllabusDownload
    Lesson One HandoutDownload
    Lesson Two HandoutDownload
    Lesson Three HandoutDownload

  • Five-Step Meditation Plan

    Five-Step Meditation Plan
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    Meditation is a trance like state that individuals can obtain through different guided meditations or breathing techniques. It is something that has been around for centuries, dating back to old Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism practices. It isn’t necessarily a religion in my eyes, it is more of a way of living this life we live. I believe that if everybody took 10 minutes out of their day to devote their time to some sort of meditation, we could live in a better society. Skeptics hear some of the guided meditations, and think that they are redundant, or too soft for a man to perform. However, that is not the case. You can meditate in basically all aspects of life, whether you’re at the gym, work, home, school, or simply walking around. The following is a five-step program that a newcomer to meditation can follow in order to obtain a higher sense of self.

    Step one will be building a plan. When can you perform a scheduled meditation session? Where are you going to perform this session? How will you perform your session? You need to establish a plan on whether you are going to attend a group meditation session or if you are going to do it on your own. Start off doing it every day for 10 minutes, and progress from there. Do some research on which type of meditation you want to perform. According to Villinis (2017), meditation types vary as follows: Loving-Kindness Meditation, Body Scan or Progressive relaxation, mindfulness meditation, breath awareness meditation, Kundalini yoga, Zen Meditation, and transcendental meditation.

    Step two will consist of establishing a time and place to perform your meditation. If you have the time to sit down and do a good meditation session in a silent room, or with calming music, then go for it. However, most people think they are too busy to do anything extra, so why not kill two birds with one stone? As you are doing some sort of task during your day, escape the present moment. Begin to focus on the breath and eliminate all negative thoughts. If a thought comes into your mind, process it without judgement, and continue to focus on the breath. This is the basis of meditation, focusing on one aspect of your physical body, to clear out your mental capacity so that you can ruminate a goal or thought process. This can be beneficial for anyone that wants to do it.

    Step three Come back to the schedule if you feel yourself veering away from it. Follow it and keep a level of discipline that you know you will perform your meditation at that specific time throughout the day. As you develop discipline, you will begin incorporating it into all aspects of your life. Your diet will improve, lifestyle choice, exercising, and even potentially the people around you might change. You will begin feeling a whole new person with less frustration, resentment, anger and more love towards others, satisfaction within your circles, focus, and even improving your relationships. 

    Step four will be that level of discipline that you gathered in the previous step, but this time, start incorporating it into new healthy lifestyle decisions. Use your meditation time to think what you want to do better for yourself, your body, or the people around you. Become more in tune with yourself, and your spiritual side so that you can begin to gather knowledge from your higher power on what you need to improve. Mix it up a bit and begin doing a different type of meditation that you researched in step one. Each type of meditation has its very own qualities, so you can learn something from them all. Take away something that you learn from each one and incorporate it into your own type of meditation so that you feel more comfortable with it.

    Step five is your very own assessment of yourself. Do you feel like you have change throughout the course of the last six months of doing meditation? Has your relationship quality increased? Are you less irritable? These are all things that should have gotten better throughout all of this. So just remember where you were when you started and strive to never get back to the low of a level again. Continue your discipline in this new lifestyle you have embarked on, and eventually you will finalize it which that transcendental feeling coming over you. A sense f enlightenment will come to you like you have never felt before. There will not be anything that distracts you from what you want. You can do it, keep pushing forward with all of it.

    In conclusion, if you follow this simple five step program for meditation, you can begin to see your life change in so many more aspects than you think. This is something that everybody can learn, and strive to be better at, but they must take that first step, sew that first seed, or make that one plan. These steps can be done in a three-month period, six-month period, or even a year. In which you will see the difference in your life, so you will find yourself continuing past that duration of time. If you don’t see any improvements in life, step back, assess, and look at it from a different angle. Each one of us is destined to accomplish more in our lives, we just have to find that accomplishment that we desire.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    Villines, Z. (2017). What is the best type of meditation? Retrieved (April 20, 2021) from: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320392.php

  • Three Mystical Events and Skeptisism

    Three Mystical Events and Skeptisism
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    Cossutta (2018) explains that mysticism relates to the ecstatic experience of union between the human and the divine. We all have something that happens to us, that we aren’t quite able to wrap our heads around. This may be in form of a dream, event, sight, or incident that may change the way we think into the future. I believe that some of these events are put forth in front of us in order to help us grow as individuals. There is some other explanation to why things turn out the way they do, and that there really is a bigger picture. Whether you believe in a God, nature, simulation theory, or any other theory that pertains to our existence. I have had my fair share of experiences, and I believe that it has been my mother looking out for me. With her passing 13 days before my 17th birthday, I have seen and been involved in more mystical events than I have had in the past.

    One experience was back when I was 18/19 years old, a time after my mother’s death, I began to use drugs regularly. There is no excuse why, because I never had imagined that I would ever do them growing up. But there I was, in the midst of my addiction, doing anything possible to not remember what had happened to my mother and what happened when I was a child. One night, I had used a bunch of LSD which everybody understands as a psychedelic. Amid my tripping experience, there was a moment where I was walking to the bathroom where in that hallway, there was a full body mirror. I had seen myself in a distorted perception, which had frightened me. In that mirror, standing across from myself was the shape of a skeleton, wearing the same clothes I was wearing. This brought all my past thoughts that I was killing myself, to fruition. So, I acted on impulse, and punched the mirror where the distorted being standing across from me was standing. Of course, it cut my hand all up, and created another pain that wasn’t just in my mind. I sat on the floor and just began crying… this was the turning point of my life, as I began to work towards recovery.

    Another experience that I had was in the same house as the last experience. This was my sisters house, in which I moved into after I moved back from Portland, Oregon. I was sitting out on the couch in the living with my cousin and a few friends. Just talking and going about our day. In the middle of the conversation, I just quit talking, and I had a sudden urge to stand up. It was all done in frames it felt like, one moment I was standing up, the next moment I was in the same hallway as the last experience, and then I was standing at my sisters door to her room, knocking on her door. This was all done without me controlling my body. After the third knock, I didn’t hear anything inside, and typically I wouldn’t walk into my sisters’ room without her permission. As I walked into the room, I had seen my sister laying on the ground with a rope twisted tightly around her neck, with her hand keeping it from unraveling. Blood vessels popped out of her neck and forehead, and her lips were a dark blue color. Then something came over me that I didn’t even know was possible, I unwrapped the rope, and had my sisters body laying on my lap, rubbing her chest area with my knuckles. I didn’t know what I was doing, but whatever it was, worked. By this time, my cousin is back there and I tell him to get water… I didn’t know what got me to come back there. There wasn’t anything I needed at that moment. But if I had been, even 5 seconds later, she wouldn’t have been here today. My mother was looking out for us that day.

    The last experience isn’t as intense as the last two, but it was around the same time as I was in active addiction. I had been up partying for a few days straight, and after everything I had been through in the past few years, I was honestly fed up with the person I had become. I went from being a high school athlete in numerous sports, to being addicted to not feeling anything anymore. So, one day, as I was driving my Chrysler 300, that I had not treated well at all, and had wrecked numerous times. I was done with this life I lived. I was going out on an old side road, listening to some music that honestly was hitting all my feelings, way too much. I started running all my experiences through my head, and finally came to a sense of calmness. This sense of calmness made my decision to end my life seem like it was what needed to be done. I stepped on the gas pedal in my car and got to a high speed. But with the calmness that came over me, my eyes were closed. I began ripping my steering wheel back and forth until my car finally ran off the road. It went through a fence and began drifting side was up the side of this hill. At the very moment, something pulled my eyelids opened. As I opened them, I seen what was coming and had to brace myself. My car hit a old tree trunk head on at a high rate of speed sending my car through the air, rolling front to back, and side to side twice until it came to a rest on the roof, upside down. I walked away from that suicide attempt with not a single scratch. The paramedics that were treating me said that if I hadn’t braced from impact, I would have been ejected from the car. And in my mind, I thought to myself, that if whatever it was that made me open my eyes hadn’t done what it did, I wouldn’t have been walking away from that.

    That last experience was the last straw. I began searching harder for a higher power, and my sobriety. If it hadn’t been for that suicide attempt failing, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have only told three people about the truth in that “accident” with this being the fourth. So please don’t place any judgment on me, for I am no longer that person. I haven’t touched a drug since 2014, and I am more in tune with my spiritual side now, more than ever. These are only some of the profound experiences that I have been through, but there are several. These are the turning points of my mind-body-spiritual wellness, where I have turned into the man I am now. I had finally figured out that I was destined for so much more than I was apart of at that moment. And it has shown to be true.

    Of course, there will always be skepticism with inexplainable experiences. Cossutta (2018) states that skepticism is a generalized doubt between truth and being. With, some ways to improve a skeptic thought process, and convince them into believing what happened is true, is through data. You can show them the science behind an anomaly that happens throughout our lives, and that there are more stories related. Of course, they are going to want to see hard evidence to convince them thoroughly. However, experiences we have, are proprietarily our own. That’s where the last example comes in, getting them to believe what happened is true. You might not be able to show them cold/hard evidence but tell them the experience in such a matter where they can believe what you are saying. It all comes with communication, where comprehension is one of the most important aspects. You must explain it to them like they are there, living it with you. Without that, they will remain skeptic about your experience.

    In conclusion, what I have said in this writing is very personal. And I am beginning to understand that relaying it to other people takes a sense of weight off my shoulders. In my new way of living, I want to be able to get my testimony out there, to help other people, avoid going down the same path that I have been down. The grass really is greener on the other side. Now if a skeptic came into my life and explained to me how things like this don’t happen, I will kindly ask them to keep their opinion to themselves, because I know what happened. And it changed my life forever.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    Cossutta, F. (2018). Mysticism and skepticism. Le philosophoire, 1(1), 43-80. https://doi.org/10.3917/phoir.049.0043

  • Anger Management Activities

    Anger Management Activities
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    Anger is only a secondary emotion, where you will feel it after some other emotion. With it being a secondary emotion, it isn’t something that should be prominent in our lives. However, some adolescents haven’t learned their true emotions fully, so they resort to what they know, anger. This is something that can become out of control as we progress in life, so being able to recognize that it is a secondary emotion, may help you manage your anger on a whole other level. I believe that as we are developing into young adults, we aren’t trained on what true emotions are, which in turn, creates a lot of teenagers being angry. It can be mitigated in several different ways, but just having a full understanding of yourself will create that buffer between acting out and saying/doing something we don’t mean or controlling our anger. Through anger management courses, it needs to be something that the person will enjoy, otherwise they will just become angry that they are doing it in the first place.

    There is a copious amount of management techniques that one can do to better enhance their anger management skills. However, it is the same as anything that pertains to self-help, it all can vary per person. Some people go through the educated way of managing their anger, with counselors that never really lived a rough life, so how can they understand what this angry teenager is all about. With the different perspectives, there are different implications. The first of the three activities for anger management, would be to get to know yourself better, instead of focusing on others around you. According to Julie Peters (n.d.), we have every right to feel anger, just as much as sadness and joy, because it is our emotion, but we just need to know how to hone it. Most adolescents at out in the anxious/fear aspect of anger, and make decisions that they don’t mean to do, or say things they don’t mean full heartedly. So being able to assess yourself and lay the groundworks of why you felt a certain way in a certain situation can help you. A great activity for this topic would be to write down your feelings right after they had risen. Whether it is a text message to yourself, or what have you, as long as you are able to assess it and put it on paper to read again. This will give you the ability to find other relative situations that made you feel the same way and build that up.

    Another activity that I would advise would be to do physical activity. There is just something about being in the gym, putting yourself through physical stress for an hour or two. The way I look at it, and the way I will explain it to my clients is, we won’t face anything harder than what we put ourselves through on purpose. Putting yourself through that physical stress on purpose just makes all other problems seem minimal. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t still feel the emotion of the external situation, but they shouldn’t hinder their internal perception of themselves. Recognizing that there are people out there that will purposely make you angry, assists you on determining if it is a waste of time, or if you should try and help them be a better communicator.

    The last activity that I would recommend would be to practice some sort of mindfulness meditation. Going through the steps of a guided meditation can really get yourself in tune with your mind-body-spirit complex. Meditation has been a old traditional Chinese medicine for centuries now, and is just now making a come back to the mainstream world now days. Miles for Migraines (n.d.) states that emotions are a big aspect of meditation, were you allow them to be present and be able to channel them, whether it is joy, sadness, anxiousness, and even anger. Accepting their presence and letting them go can actually enhance your ability to do it in real time in the real world. It can be done on a daily basis, or even periodically throughout the week, whenever you feel like your emotions are too hard to handle.

    In conclusion, these might only be three activities to do to help manage your emotions, mainly your anger and frustrations. However, there are so many other tasks that can be completed to mitigate the feeling of anger and all other emotions. Understanding yourself first is the biggest key aspect to this, where it can lead you to a level of self-love, thus giving you the ability to love others around you. Physical activity, and meditation can be done at the same time, within the same hour. I have found that meditating after a rigorous workout has given me better mindfulness meditation sessions. There is just something about being so physically broken down, that your mind and spirit seem to be stronger. It will be uncomfortable at first, but in order to progress into a positive mindset, you must step out of your comfort zone.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References

    Miles for Migraines. (n.d.). The Mind-Body Connection: Managing Migraine.

    Peters, Julie. (n.d.). The Spirituality of anger. Retrieved (April 5, 2021) from: https://spiritualityhealth.com/blogs/pathfinding-yoga-and-mindfulness/2015/12/23/julie-peters-spirituality-anger

  • Five Personal Values

    Five Personal Values
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    The way we live our lives, is an accurate depiction of who we are. Whether it is negative, positive, or somewhere in between, we are all going through this life with a certain set of values and morals. My father once told me that every situation you are in, is a test of who you truly are. I have held onto that still to this day, with just about everything that I do. He has taught me all sorts of wisdom over the years, that has helped me grow as an adult. That being said, I have been raised in an old fashion style of living, with respect and manner full to my elders/superiors. That is something that a lot of the younger generation has lost over the years. In Jeffery’s (n.d.) 200 values list, I have found the following five core values that I have lived with my entire life: leadership, integrity, ambition, determination, and empathy. I believe these are good foundations for someone aspiring to own their own business and continue to be an entrepreneur.

    The value of leadership has been something that I just sort of obtained whilst growing up. All my cousins and friends would do what I would do, young and older than me. I was the captain of the football team and basketball team for my superior level of leadership. Once I began working in an industry such as the oilfield, I rose up the ranks quickly. By the time I was 20 years old, I was already a foreman running my own crew. We were building tank batteries, which entail all the lines and tanks from the well head after a drilling rig leaves location. It was a demanding task; however I was voted as best production foreman six months in a row. It was hard at first, since the older workers didn’t want to listen to such a younger person, but they managed to come to terms with it.

    Integrity is something that comes along with being a leader as well. Doing the right thing no matter what, even if no body is watching is the best way to go about life. I cannot just walk by something that needs to be done. If it needs done, I am going to get it done. With that being said, it goes along great with my peers as well. They find a level of gratitude, knowing that they are going to be well taken care of while I am in the area. However, I have been taken advantage of numerous times due to this. It also helps my spouse know that everything I tell her is the truth. If I did anything wrong, it would convict me to the point to where I had to get it off my chest. Which is another great value to have, conviction.

    Ambition is something that has been ingrained with me since day one as well. I remember being 9 years old, getting my first job as a paper delivery boy. While on the side, I would sell hot wheels cars and sports cards to my friends. That was the beginning of my ambitious behavior. I began looking for new ways to become a better person, or to be an inventor. I remember also taking things a part just to understand how they would work, and then put them back together. All of this was while I was still young, and though I lost it for a few years, I still have it now stronger than ever.

    Determination can fit into all categories of life. Without having a level of determination to successfully complete the tasks at hand, or our goals, we can find ourselves slipping into a downward slope. When I set my mind to something, I am going to get it done, without hesitation. It may take some time, but eventually I will obtain what I have set forth. As in when my mother passed away, I began going down that downward spiral, in which I pulled myself out of after some terrible experiences. In boxing, mixed martial arts, disc golf, college, owning a business, being a states councilman, and managing a boxing gym have all been done through a level of determination.

    Empathy is something that I wish a lot of people could learn in a short amount of time. The last four values may make me out to be a self-centered individual, that is only looking for my own lifestyle gain. However, the reason I work so hard is because I want to give my family a life that I never had. It all comes down to one act of random kindness a day or opening my time to listen in on someone that needs some help. I am living proof that you can get to rock bottom; multiple times, and come out of it prosperous. That is why I strive to help our youth in my community, so that I can show them what life is about, from someone that has been down that road. Caring for others is something that makes me happy, and without that, my happiness would dwindle.

    The five core values are only a few of the values that I live for each day. With the list continuing for quite some time, it would take too long to explain each one. These are all good for my spiritual wellness, because I give all thanks to my higher power. I know that I had to go through the incidents that I did, in order to use the values more and more each day. My spiritual wellness is based around these values, which in turn help my physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.

    In conclusion, leadership, integrity, ambition, determination, and empathy are some of my main core values that I strive for each day. Each one of them fit together in this puzzle of a life I am living currently. Furthermore, I know I wouldn’t be where I am without these five core values. I have lived, I have lost, and I have been beat down multiple times. However, I pick myself back up, find what went wrong and I fix it. You must pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and continue to push forward in order to be better than you were yesterday.

    -Cyral I Callender III

    References:

    Jeffrey, S. (n.d.). Core Values List: Over 200 Personal Values to Discover What’s Most Important to You. Retrieved from: https://scottjeffrey.com/core-values-list/.

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”-Yoko Ono

Source: Famous People Quotes. Cyral Callender III. Mar. 29, 2022