Laughter, Elation & Wonderment - The Up-Side of Releasing

I have a busy day today so this will be a quick one... We're filming more for the television show/documentary Marcus and I are creating/developing.

Recently Marcus facilitated a friend doing some releasing, or as I sometimes call it "release work."

If you've done this, you know what it's about. If you haven't, here it is in a nut shell.

Emotions, experiences, beliefs, fears, trauma, et cetera, are almost always carried in our bodies. They get released or vetted throughout our lives, especially in dreams and body work (if it's good, and usually intense body work), but from what I've seen, deliberate release usually helps really get it out.

Release work or releasing can be anything that I listed above, but to really get it out, it should be deliberate - crying, screaming, moaning, deep body work, tantrum-throwing. It basically looks like the girl from Exorcist but without the pea soup...

Or with the pea soup.

Almost anything goes. Almost.

It sounds pretty nasty and intense, no?

Well here's the good news and I'm sure I'll write more about it in a future blog...


Every time I've experienced it, witnessed it or facilitated it...the release work always ends with laughter and/or elation and/or wonderment.

Why? Who the fuck knows for sure. Well, maybe some shaman or gurus or holy men/women out there know. Me, I think it's because underneath all of that crap (I know I should love it but it feels like crap!) is laughter, elation and wonderment.

I'm sure all that thrashing around releases endorphins and whatnot, but it seems to me that a sort of popping takes place that sort of releases all of the tension (or in the case of Ms. Exorcist, pea soup).

Hopefully, this will encourage anyone hesitant or afraid of what they might experience or discover if they let themselves really get into releasing their demons, skeletons or whatever else they're afraid of releasing and unleashing.

Have lots of pillows, good quality water (natural spring water or high-ph water is best), and one or two experienced facilitators with you. Trust me. These essentials are non-negotiable.

Last time I really did this, I experienced all three...

Laughter, Elation & Wonderment.

I also fell in awe or more familiarly, in love with myself. Not as narcissism, but as wonderment.

Another benefit to having facilitators - witnesses. I have witnesses.

Let me know how it goes.

The best reason for DONUTS

Years ago, some friends (who will remain nameless so as to protect their identities) told me about a policy...a friends getting action policy that I think should be spread around the globe...

Donuts.

Anytime anyone has a lucky night, especially when it's with someone new or maybe for you long-term couplers, on an anniversary or night you try something new, they bring their friends or colleagues donuts the next day.

It's more fun if everyone is in on it, but if your work is not open-minded enough to deal with it, just bring in donuts after a good nights romp, and don't tell anyone. It'll be your little secret and reason to grin the day away.

If your colleagues or friends are the types who a) you'd want to tell, b) would want to know, and c) would like to live vicariously through your sexual exploits, then donuts (or donut holes if it's not full sex but fun and nudity were still achieved), are the perfect way of to let them all know you have stories for the water cooler.

So go out and look for a reason to bring donuts into work tomorrow...

And let me know how it goes.

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• My Favorite Things...Arrabiata Recipe - Fresh, Organic, Vegan or Primal
• My Favorite Shows on Television...or how David Duchovney & Jesus are likely Good in Bed
• The Hawaiian Islands and Washington D.C.’s sand-paper circle-jerk about Health Care
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Chop Wood, Carry Water, Do Taxes

I'm still in the middle of doing my taxes for 2009, or more accurately, processing my expenses since I have a tax guy actually do my taxes - well worth the $100 he charges as he's a retired accountant but he still processes taxes for people for extra money during tax season. Anyway, I still do my own compiling and calculating of my expenses which looks like going through a pile of receipts, taping them up, which means taping as many receipts as will fit to a piece of paper, and then entering them into an excel spreadsheet to categorize and total them so we know what and how much to deduct.

By the way, those of you with "normal" jobs probably don't have to do this, but since I work for several (and by several I mean 10+) companies as a freelance or self-employed producer, camera assistant, boom operator, musician, (and soon-to-be self-employed Hypnotherapist), I get to deduct a lot of expenses that go towards these various jobs. Geesh! Writing it out that way makes me realize how many random things I do. Don't worry, I don't work nearly as much as I used to. At one point it was 70+ hours a week. Now it varies from job to job. The last time I worked around 70 hours in a week was on a commercial last November. As much as I appreciate the work, I don't look forward to another job like that as I was doing logistics and that exhausts me way more than creative. These days I'm working more in creative or as a crew member which doesn't sit so heavily on my left brain (on "crew" I'm doing boom operating or lighting/camera and it's more hands-on). I also like creative because I get to (duh), be creative and usually interview people and that's fun for me since I tend to do that with people anyway. I suppose that's a large part of what I'll be doing in Hypnotherapy too. Humph. Makes sense. But I digress. Back to taxes.

So here's what I do. I watch movies while I'm processing my expenses. For the most part, I don't need to focus that hard on what I'm doing. A monkey could tape receipts to a piece of paper. Though they'd get bored, anything a monkey could do (I mean no disrespect, as I acknowledge fully the brain power and opposable thumbs of our primate cousins), I figure I can do while doing something else slightly more enjoyable.

Now I recommend doing these mind-less paperworky kinds of things with light-hearted movies, as taxes are usually not lighthearted for most people. Last year I remember watching "Enchanted" which is not only lighthearted, it's also silly and doesn't take a lot of concentration to get the plot. This year I've been watching romantic comedies that I might not have the attention-span or patience for watching without another thing to keep me busy. When in Rome (which honestly wasn't great but at least it gave me a little entertainment while doing my taxes), and I also throw in a little television too. I quite enjoy The Marriage Ref (on nbc/hulu - love dvr & watching shows online at my convenience), which is right up my alley since I'm developing a show on relationships, sex and food.

But maybe, just maybe, there's a bigger lesson than just realizing my adult-onset attention deficit disorder's need to watch movies and television while doing my taxes.

A dear friend reminded me recently of one of my favorite Zen teachings:

Before Enlightenment, chop wood carry water.

After Enlightenment, chop wood carry water. (link for more)

Are taxes like this? Am I becoming more enlightened or zoning out? I imagine most zen masters would say there isn't that much a difference because it's all part of my path to becoming more enlightened.

As much as I wish I could just enjoy things that I don't enjoy. I'm still growing in that arena. Really, the only difference between things we enjoy and don't enjoy is our association with them. Think about it. Folks into S&M (sadomasochism) enjoy very much things that would be painful or torture to other people. I wonder if anyone has a tax-fetish.

Hmmm.

But for now, I'm pleasuring myself with television and movies while doing paperwork and other menial activities at home (since I need both hands to do paperwork and housework - for all the perverts out there picking up my innuendo). 

Try it. Let me know how it goes.

More Interesting Katie Strand World Posts

• The male member revealed
• Play with the Girls
• How to tame the psycho hose beast
• Oh boy, that's a good question! or How to Deal with the Census
• These boots were made for walking
• If I were a Ninja, I'd wear these shoes
• How my friend Sally became the new First Lady
• My Boyfriend has Autism...Maybe
• Raw Primal Papaya Custard - The Nectar of the Gods
  
• And All the Cows Said Moo!
• If you were John Mayer, you would too
• Tiredness - Varieties of and unforeseen side-effects
• Foreplay is overrated
• Food should be As God Intended or Why isn't everything we eat organic?
• Yelling - One of the Highest Forms of Compassion
  
• The Cove - Louie Psihoyos' Oscar speech & a guide on how to create change...
• My Favorite Things...Arrabiata Recipe - Fresh, Organic, Vegan or Primal
  
• My Favorite Shows on Television...or how David Duchovney & Jesus are likely Good in Bed
  
• The Hawaiian Islands and Washington D.C.’s sand-paper circle-jerk about Health Care
• My Buddha has Termites...A Lesson in Infinite Joy
• The One-Date-Wonders!
• I had to learn SIGN LANGUAGE when I moved to Los Angeles
• Guys can make a game out of anything
• Hello? The power of CONNECTING and how technology has changed things
• Popping the question is better than porn!
• Bravo, Stephen Colbert & Co! and your Olympic Vancouverage
• Songwriting is like SEX
• Born To Run by Christopher McDougall - Inspiring a inspiring all of us to be more in the FLOW
• A moment of silence for all the plastic surgery ca...
• Ricky Gervais should be the new Simon on American Idol
• Muscle SURPRISE! The key to physical, mental & emotional fitness
• I think my boyfriend's a snake...
• Release... Sweat & Power
• MY FAVORITE THINGS! - Vibram's Five Fingers
• Dick Morris... How do you sleep at night?
• Rusty DePass, Gorillas, and Obama, oh my!
• Michael Jackson - Troubled Genius

New Music 
&
Postsat
Katie Strand Music

• Please Don't Leave Me
• Going To California
  
• Come Back
• Home