Between the inane fortune cookie advice from Oprah's LifeClass "experts" and The Globe and Mail reporter's sarcastic reactions, this is worth reading.

[www.theglobeandmail.com]

I figured out how to copy and paste the entire piece mentioned above, including the tweets.

[www.theglobeandmail.com]

Live with Oprah: Sarah Hampson goes to O's LifeClass
Published Monday, Apr. 16, 2012 10:15AM EDT
Last updated Monday, Apr. 16, 2012 12:03PM EDT

The Globe's Sarah Hampson goes to school - she's taking Oprah's LifeClass live in Toronto. O's guest speakers Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and Iyanla Vanzant will talk for the first half, then Oprah herself will take the stage at 12:30 (ET.)

Will the lessons learned lead to a more fulfilling life? Will everyone get a car?


Iyanla: tell truth about yourself to yourself. Look at what you do and why you do it.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:09 AM yesterday

If you don't tell the truth about yourself to yourself. If you don't, others will tell you and you'll hear it as criticsm.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:10 AM yesterday

When you tell truth about yourself to yourself, you can become aware of your issues, good and bad, that drive you.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:11 AM yesterday

If you don't tell truth about yourself to yourself, you will remain victim of the world and be powerless.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:12 AM yesterday

Lyanla Vansant wearing killer heels and elegant dress with red sweater - telling us to connect with others by looking at person in the eye.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 10:15 AM yesterday

To take truth in can feel as uncomfortable as intestinal gas - Iyanla Vanzant. But you got to do it!
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:17 AM yesterday

There's a bit of gospel singer in Iyanla Vanzant - strutting across stage and using singsongy voice.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:18 AM yesterday

We will make mistakes about what we perceive as truth. And we have to admit when wrong.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:19 AM yesterday

How to tell husband when you're wrong: put hand on heart, look at him in eye, say "Oh sweetie. I just love it when you're right."
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:21 AM yesterday

Say truth to someone else in way you would want to hear it.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:22 AM yesterday

Need to be still and allow the truth to come forward in your mind.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:23 AM yesterday

When we embrace the truth, welcome it, we live our lives as golden.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:24 AM yesterday

Jessica Holmes Canadian comic make on stage. Telling us truth about her chin hairs.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:24 AM yesterday

Jessica Holmes; laughing about risks we must take. When buying condoms, men should ask for fitting room.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:26 AM yesterday

Bishop T D Jakes on stage -big man in light grey suit and natty pink shirt.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:30 AM yesterday

Bishop Jakes: things are never going to go the way they're supposed to. Its when go wrong that you learn most.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:31 AM yesterday

Bishop Jakes; ability to manage chaos and crisis determines how far you will go in life. Claps abound in audience.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:35 AM yesterday

Growth moments are in the resistance. When things are hard, that's when you're going forward.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:36 AM yesterday

Happily ever after doesn't always come. But you cannot live life from place of bitterness.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:37 AM yesterday

You can't go forward when looking back. Whatever happened in the past is gone.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:38 AM yesterday

Your promise is never in what you lost, its in what you have - Bishop Jakes.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:39 AM yesterday

Bishop Jakes: plan for conflict when everybody is happy. Have to have system in mind for how to manage when things go wrong.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:42 AM yesterday

Have to know how to manage conflict without taking situation personally. Otherwise, you lose opportuntity to stretch as a person.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:44 AM yesterday

Bishop Jakes telling audience that today is opportunity to enlarge ourselves. Makes me want a donut.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:45 AM yesterday

Bishop Jakes walking like a chicken. His point? Chickens can't fly because they eat the worst stuff in the world: sticks, stones,feces.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:47 AM yesterday

We are like chickens if we eat stuff from the past, if we take in what we should excrete.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:49 AM yesterday

Now he is telling us that eagles make love in the air. we should live to fly!
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:50 AM yesterday

Life is not a chicken coop. Its an opportunity to spread your wings and soar like the eagle you are!
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:51 AM yesterday

Jessica Holmes back: shout out to her husband. About to give away a 1000 gift certificate to Judith Charles.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:52 AM yesterday

Jessica Holmes funny question: do you think global warming is affecting the group Earth, Wind and Fire??
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:54 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins, the guru of self- empowerment and peak performance about to make appearance.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:56 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins hyping up the audience with thumping music and manic clapping.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:57 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins reminds me Herman on the old tv show, The Munsters.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 10:58 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins promising he will help us transform. Looks like a hulky football player who is trying to be sensitive.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:00 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins extolling the virtue of women. Shrewd when the audience is mostly female.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:01 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins: telling us he grew up in stressed environment, financially and emotionally.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:02 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins: destiny is not genetics, it's decisions.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:02 AM yesterday

Laugh from Tony Robbins: I'm 6'7" and I'm about personal growth. Ha ha
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:03 AM yesterday

Tont Robbins: love is oxygen of the soul.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:06 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins: we all make excuses for why we can't get what we want. But Oprah was abused and she managed to do quite well.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:07 AM yesterday

Says Loreena Bobbit, who loped off her husband's penis, is responsible for lot of men sleeping on their stomach - Tony Robbins.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:10 AM yesterday

Asking what we say when we fail. Always about resources you don't have - money, education, time.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:12 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins: working with 50 million people, he sees patterns. Failure not about lack of resources, its about lack of resourcefulness.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:14 AM yesterday

People who are most successful found the resources they needed.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:15 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins: a breakthrough is a moment when everything changes -
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:16 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins: change is automatic,progress is not. Have to model yourself on successful people. Success leaves clues.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:19 AM yesterday

Break the pattern of what you tell yourself. Being unhappy with yourself is not bad thing - disappointment should create more drive.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:24 AM yesterday

A hunger is what you need to transform. Not intelligence necessarily. That comes from a different story than "It's not my fault."
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:25 AM yesterday

Your mental, emotional and physical state determines what you do - not intelligence - Tony Robbins.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:26 AM yesterday

Changing one's state is what professional athletes and top business people do.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:27 AM yesterday

Relationships: do what you did at the start of a relationship, and there won't be an end.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:29 AM yesterday

How to change your state without booze, food, a ciggie, shopping or drugs: telling us to stretch and shake body.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:35 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins telling us to put hans apart and then clasp them in front of us. Big insight? We always clasp hands in same way.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:36 AM yesterday

If you change the patterns in the body, you can change everything.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:39 AM yesterday

@hampsonwrites is live tweeting Oprah's Life Class in Toronto today. Should be a feed full of 'A-Ha' moments, no?
by Sarah Boesveld via twitter 11:41 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins telling us to greet three or four people around us in manner that is annoyed.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:41 AM yesterday

Wants us to see how we create environment of rejection. Asking us to greet someone meekly as a child might.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:43 AM yesterday

Have to say that I think Tony Robbins is robotic speaker. Annoying too.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:44 AM yesterday

Now telling us to greet someone as though they're a long lost friend. I now have wild women hugging me!!!
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 11:45 AM yesterday

Robbins extolling us to remember that emotion is created by emotion. Many women shrieking how beautiful each other are.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 11:48 AM yesterday

Wow, it's an estrogen party in here in the bunker of Metro Convention Centre.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 11:49 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins: you get what you tolerate. Problem might be "your story" that you repeat to yourself.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 11:53 AM yesterday

Woman behind me saying "Its bullshit" about the Tony Robbins "wisdom."
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 11:53 AM yesterday

#lifeclass Tony Robbins literally shook the house in #Toronto!
by write_vinita via twitter 11:55 AM yesterday

Tony Robbins asking us to shake the building by physically making excitement: scream and dance on count of 5.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 12:01 PM yesterday

Wild in here. Women jumping up and down, arms waving, screaming yes yes yes. Like a massive group orgasm.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 12:01 PM yesterday

At Oprah's Lifeclass Tour Live in Toronto - UNREAL!!!
by NicoleGallucci via twitter 12:09 PM yesterday

We're taping Oprah's Lifeclass, and all of the teachers are here! Experience the live stream in 15 minutes: on.fb.me
by OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network via facebook 12:10 PM yesterday

Life class will be filmed live to tape. O person telling 9000 people to read disclaimer that we agree to being filmed.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 12:11 PM yesterday

Being prepped now by Oprah person, telling everyone not to leave seat unless for emergency when life class being filmed.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 12:38 PM yesterday

Sarah says: Oprah says gratitude can heal pain and heartache.
by Amberly McAteer 12:39 PM yesterday

Sarah says: Oprah keeps a gratitude journal, writing down 5 things a day she's grateful for.
by Amberly McAteer 12:39 PM yesterday

Says that it's important to write them down. There's power in words.
by Amberly McAteer 12:40 PM yesterday

Oprah wearing a bight red dress. This show in Canada is largest audience ever, she says.
by Amberly McAteer 12:40 PM yesterday

All the life teachers are on stage with her - Iyalna, the Bishop, TD Jakes, Tony Robbins, Deepak. Sarah says they're all like disciples on stage
by Amberly McAteer 12:43 PM yesterday

Oprah says they are the spiritual squad!
by Amberly McAteer 12:43 PM yesterday

Everything connects to gratitude, Oprah says.
by Amberly McAteer 12:43 PM yesterday

Iyalna says that we have to be grateful for all the times that life stops - be grateful about each stop, even if they are sad stops.
by Amberly McAteer 12:44 PM yesterday

@hampsonwrites Go Sarah, Go!
by RogersShelagh via twitter 12:44 PM yesterday

Gratitude allows you to reconnect to the divine, Tony Robbins says.
by Amberly McAteer 12:45 PM yesterday

Bishop Jakes says: Gratitude is about not being narcissistic. Wherever there is appreciation, there will be duplication.
by Amberly McAteer 12:47 PM yesterday

“We cannot live life from a place of bitterness. Bitterness paralyses the soul. - @BishopJakes #Lifeclass” Be better not bitter 👍
by BellaChachi via twitter 12:47 PM yesterday

Sarah says: Deepak Chopra looks old! He is almost completely grey - hair sort of silver now, And has sparkly glasses. He didn't look this old when I interviewed him a few years ago.
by Amberly McAteer 12:49 PM yesterday

Sarah: I think this new life teacher Iyalana Vansant is great - she's a breath of fresh air.
by Amberly McAteer 12:49 PM yesterday

The gratitude chestnut is a little annoying. Haven't we heard importance of gratitude too many times?
by Amberly McAteer 12:50 PM yesterday

RT @TheDailyLove: "Gratitude cleanses your soul and connects you to the Divine." @TonyRobbins #Lifeclass #OinTO
by fionalinarda_ via twitter 12:50 PM yesterday

20-something girl in audience says Oprah raised her, Girl crying and hugging O.
by Amberly McAteer 12:52 PM yesterday

Oprah says: I am feeling the love in Canada.
by Amberly McAteer 12:52 PM yesterday

During filming break, Oprah marvels that there are even men here
by Amberly McAteer 12:55 PM yesterday

Sarah: There aren't that many men. Mostly women of all ages, grandmas, best friends, young women, moms with kids
by Amberly McAteer 12:55 PM yesterday

Oprah recycling old shows for lessons - says gratitude can be the thing that keeps us going.
by Amberly McAteer 12:56 PM yesterday

Reviewing story of woman who married man with leukemia
by Amberly McAteer 12:56 PM yesterday

The cancer returned, and the woman lost her husband. Woman is in the audience, talking now with the life teachers
by Amberly McAteer 12:57 PM yesterday

Iylana is trying to help this woman recapture her gratitude
by Amberly McAteer 12:59 PM yesterday

Woman says she has the survivor pissoff-ity, says she was angry with god. All the praying didn't help
by Amberly McAteer 1:00 PM yesterday

The Globe's @hampsonwrites is live at Oprah's #lifeclass, but O madness is overloading servers. I'll tweet Sarah's updates in the interim
by amberlym via twitter 1:02 PM yesterday

Iylana tells grieving woman in audience that the greatest romance was not necessarily what she had with her late husband. #lifeclass
by amberlym via twitter 1:03 PM yesterday

Sarah Hampson @hampsonwrites says: Lording, I think that's a bit rich. #oprah #lifeclass
by amberlym via twitter 1:03 PM yesterday

Bishop tells this sad woman that she has been given the greatest gift of having been loved like few women have. #lifeclass
by amberlym via twitter 1:04 PM yesterday

Bishop Jakes tells grieving woman to be open to how God will provide love for her in new ways. Weepy noises from the crowd. #lifeclass
by amberlym via twitter 1:06 PM yesterday

Sounds a little presumptuous, weird cult vibe to me.. This poor grieving woman.
by amberlym via twitter 1:06 PM yesterday

Hampson says: I agree! Poor woman who is being Oprah-fied in front of our eyes. A victim of good intentions and gooey advice!
by amberlym via twitter 1:07 PM yesterday

“You have a purpose in your life beyond just being loved by someone else,” says @TonyRobbins #LifeClass Live in Toronto #OWN
by RobertWesleyB via twitter 1:07 PM yesterday

Tony Robbins now weighs in on this poor widow's grief. Change the story from pain to gift, he says. @hampsonwrites says: My oh my.
by amberlym via twitter 1:09 PM yesterday

"Just listening to him makes me unhappy", Sarah says.
by Amberly McAteer 1:09 PM yesterday

Oprah playing devil's advocate, asks how woman can change her story when she's a widow - that's a fact. #lifeclass http:[tgam.ca]
by amberlym via twitter 1:11 PM yesterday

Bishop says why define yourself by one thing. You are more than what happened to you. #lifeclass tgam.ca
by amberlym via twitter 1:12 PM yesterday

Tony Robbins reminds Oprah that she herself went beyond the facts of her own life to create something new #lifeclass tgam.ca
by amberlym via twitter 1:13 PM yesterday

Deepak: Grieving woman has feel the pain. That's the only way this present can become the past. #lifeclass tgam.ca
by amberlym via twitter 1:16 PM yesterday

Anyone else feeling like they're on high bullsh alert? #lifeclass tgam.ca
by amberlym via twitter 1:16 PM yesterday

Audience member: how do we nurture gratitude in our kids?
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:17 PM yesterday

Tony Robbins: when you're a giver, you will live in gratitude.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:18 PM yesterday

Be grateful despite tragedies - this from Deepak. He has made a lot of dough by saying such inanities.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:24 PM yesterday

Looks like Oprah madness has overwhelmed the wireless network over at O's LifeClass. I'll post Sarah's updates in the interim.
by Amberly McAteer 1:25 PM yesterday

Life is happening FOR us not TO us. -Tony Robbins #OinTO #Lifeclass
by krod804 via twitter 1:27 PM yesterday

Deepak: when open awareness to gratitude, energetically body feels better. He is so predictable now, has lost influence I think.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:27 PM yesterday

Tony Robbins is an advice hog. He jumps in before any other life teachers.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:27 PM yesterday

More bromides from Tony Robbins: change your expectation to appreciation and the world changes with you.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:29 PM yesterday

@Oprah #lifeclass @OWNTV I say THANK YOU every night! That is my prayer! I am extremely grateful for everything I have!
by lizkinnell via twitter 1:32 PM yesterday

Practical lessons from Oprah's #lifeclass? "Change your expectation to appreciation and the world changes with you." t.co
by GlobeLife via twitter 1:32 PM yesterday

Now we are connected to women in a prison. Asking for how they can change their story.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:33 PM yesterday

Tony Robbins telling her he will connect woman to a coach because she can help so many because she was in prison.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:35 PM yesterday

Welcome back @hampsonwrites I'll let you take it from here. Just remember to really feel that pain from the server issues...
by amberlym via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:36 PM yesterday

Oprah interviewing guy in audience whose family was in terrible car accident. Sister in wheelchair with him.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:36 PM yesterday

Bishop says to prison inmate: with formal education and experience in prison, she will be unique in workforce.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:37 PM yesterday

The world is a university and everyone you meet is a teacher. Every day when you wake up, make sure you go to school. #OinTO #lifeclass
by ireneshalloway via twitter 1:37 PM yesterday

Now this is interesting. Woman in prison for 7 years was working on masters when arrested. Wants to know how she can change her story.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:42 PM yesterday

Life teachers on stage getting dusted with powder by makeup people during break in filming.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:44 PM yesterday

People in audience screaming for Oprah to commune with them.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:45 PM yesterday

Full hearts, minds and souls at Oprah's #lifeclass. Wow, wow, wow. t.co
by carmenhalifax via twitter 1:48 PM yesterday

Deepak looks like he might fall asleep up there on stage. Or maybe he's just bored by his own so called wisdom.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:49 PM yesterday

Oprah saying that people are judgemental about those in prison but they're often the ones in mental prison. Groan.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:49 PM yesterday

That's it? That was the life lesson? Women beside me saying simple things like need for gratitude are imporant reminders, life changing!
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 2:22 PM yesterday

Women around me gushing about need to "talk about it all" They loved the Tony Robbins exercise about "feeling the gratitude" flood.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 2:22 PM yesterday

Sarah: I think it's time for a drink.
by Amberly McAteer 2:36 PM yesterday

Stand up and shake body. Grasp with hands. Say yes ten times. Total excitment of a kid. We are flooding body with positive things.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:49 PM yesterday

Tony Robbins pacing the stage during break. Others are quietly chatting.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:49 PM yesterday

Get ready for "emotional flood" lesson from tony robbins.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:49 PM yesterday

Sappy music now. Tony telling us to put hand on heart and step into moment in life when we had deep gratitude.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:51 PM yesterday

Oh yes, naturally Oprah wiping away tears while eyes closed.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:52 PM yesterday

Now tony telling us to stack up moments of gratitude with moments of accomplsihment, pride, and breathe.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:54 PM yesterday

Educator of needy kids in audience asking how to help them.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:57 PM yesterday

Tony Robbins advice to her: dont tell them what to do, give them the experience of giving.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:58 PM yesterday

Deepak's wisdom to prison inmate: the saint has a past, the sinner has a future. Can you believe it?
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 1:58 PM yesterday

That was intense!!!! Everyone should take time to cherish memories!! #lifeclass
by mumoftheks via twitter 1:58 PM yesterday

Deepak saying you can change a child in 3 ways: with attention, appreciation and affection.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 1:59 PM yesterday

On Skype, someone in London asking how to make positive impact with someone with dementia.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:02 PM yesterday

Bishop Jakes telling her that communication of love can be made with touch and other ways than words.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:03 PM yesterday

Many women crying in audience during this "emotional flood" of positive thoughts experience.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 2:06 PM yesterday

Oprah in audience, eyes closed, head lifted to ceiling, hands clasped to her heart. This is like being in a cult.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 2:06 PM yesterday

Oh my goddd. Tony Robins made me a whole new person. #OinTo #Lifeclass
by Adriii_annA via twitter 2:06 PM yesterday

Oprah telling woman in london with sick mom that she is thinking too much about what she wants .
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:08 PM yesterday

Oprah moving through crowd with body guards.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:09 PM yesterday

Oprah preparing to do something from middle of crowd during break from filming.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:13 PM yesterday

We are going to play "the thank you game". Click "I said thank you" button on Oprah website.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:15 PM yesterday

I could not afford the $300 ticket to see @Oprah! Maybe next time do a show the middle class can afford. #OinTO #lifeclass
by Canadianchick45 via twitter 2:16 PM yesterday

O says everytime one person says thank you, it spreads to others. Now she is asking audience members what they're thankful for.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:17 PM yesterday

Iyanla in bullshit mode: telling woman not to be attached to outcome of how she wants her sick mother to feel.
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 2:21 PM yesterday

And of course Oprah roaming around saying "thank you for coming! Thank you for taking the time!"
by hampsonwrites via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 2:22 PM yesterday

In a lull now. Show is over. But we are waiting for Oprah to come back to stage to say farewell.
by hampsonwrites via twitter 2:29 PM yesterday

A young mom beside Sarah says she's going to make some real changes in her life: going to church and starting yoga.
by Amberly McAteer 2:31 PM yesterday

Oprah seating in audience, about to do a wrap of the show (Sarah's having server issues again - all 9,000 students
must be Tweeting their gratitude)
by Amberly McAteer 2:31 PM yesterday

Bishop Jakes says 'Whatever you feed will grow.' What's your favourite sound bite from Oprah's #lifeclass? tgam.ca
by amberlym via twitter 2:36 PM yesterday

Sarah: I am tired of being preached at. This bishop dude irritates me.
by Amberly McAteer 2:37 PM yesterday

And on that note, we'll sign off. Tell us: Did you learn anything from O's lifeclass? Any changes you'll make? What was your favourite piece of "wisdom"?
by Amberly McAteer 2:38 PM yesterday

@hampsonwrites tweeting from Oprah event in TO. Sounds like audience treating her like a messiah. She may even think she is one.
by mlgj via twitter edited by Amberly McAteer 2:44 PM yesterday

@hampsonwrites All this contrived emotion sounds so exhausting. What is it that the audience wants? Catharsis? Connection?
by JacquieGreen via twitter 2:44 PM yesterday

Thanks for the wonderful morning of Lifeclass... Oprah..the GIFT OF GRATITUDE !!
by Rick Leonovich via facebook 3:09 PM yesterday

Life does not happen to me, life happens for me. - Tony Robbins #Lifeclass I love that!
by Lorea M. Sample via facebook 3:09 PM yesterday

Another article about Oprah's LifeClass in Toronto.

[www.theglobeandmail.com]


Lessons from Oprah's Lifeclass: sensitivity sells and high heels hurt

Sarah Hampson | Columnist profile | E-mail
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Published Tuesday, Apr. 17, 2012 6:03PM EDT

Last updated Tuesday, Apr. 17, 2012 6:50PM EDT


A woman tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

“Put down your BlackBerry!” she admonished. “You should stand up and be a part of this!”

I was tweeting live for Globe online about Oprah’s Lifeclass: The Tour, which touched down on Monday to a sold-out audience at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre at the end of a six-week road show that included stops in St. Louis, Mo., and New York. The tweet I’d just sent read, “Wild in here. Women jumping up and down, arms waving, screaming yes yes yes. Like a massive group orgasm.” The moment had come at the hands of Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker who looks like a robot excited to have discovered that his equipment comes with a heart.

And that was before the wireless network in the convention centre slowed to a halt as many of the more than 8,500 participants took to social media to revel in the greatest of all Big Os, Oprah herself. She hadn’t even arrived yet.

This was her first televised event in Canada, and the mood was more frenzied than you’d find at a discount sale at Holts. People had come from far and wide to see their goddess, paying ticket prices ranging from $49 to $395, some lining up outside as early as 4 a.m. (Overnight camping on the sidewalk was prohibited.) Many women – there were only sporadic sightings of the male species – were beautifully dressed in heels and bright spring colours. Paramedics had to be called in for one woman with a swooning spell in one of the bathrooms.

“I will never have the financial resources of Oprah,” gushed Jan, a 54-year-old mother of three from Pickering, Ont., who had come with her 26-year-old daughter, Kim. “But what appeals to me is her sensitivity and compassion. That’s still there, even when the cameras are off.”

For all her deification, Oprah still has feet of clay, and they even hurt. At one point, during a break from filming, she complained that her Christian Louboutin high heels were killing her. She took them off and passed them to an assistant.

If the event was an effort to shore up the Oprah brand and remind everyone why she’s a media power to be reckoned with – despite the wobbly start of her year-old cable channel, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) – Lifeclass: The Tour was a success. She hugged strangers. She quipped about her yo-yo weight. “Do I look good?” she asked with a perfect tinge of insecurity. She ventured into the crowd with security guards, holding out her hands like a messiah. The Oprah Effect was in full swing.

She knows what she has to do. The Oprah Winfrey Network debuted with great fanfare in early 2011, the same year she abdicated her iconic role as the queen of daytime talk after 25 years. But her cable specialty channel has floundered with a grab bag of programming that has failed to catch on. Within months of its debut, its CEO, Christina Norman, was dismissed and Oprah herself stepped in. Last month, OWN cut 20 per cent of its staff (30 people) and cancelled Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show.

Her Lifeclass show in Toronto featured her safe, bread-and-butter content: all about gratitude and how it transforms lives. Her “spiritual squad” onstage doled out psychobabble like candy to unsuspecting children. In addition to Mr. (Robotic) Robbins, there was Deepak Chopra, bestselling author and spiritual guru, Iyanla Vanzant, a teacher, inspirational speaker and bestselling author, and Bishop T.D. Jakes, a pastor who is touted as the next Billy Graham. Mr. Chopra appeared as though he, too, was a bit bored by his now predictable offerings.

Bishop Jakes was by far the goofiest, even if he didn’t intend to be funny. During his solo segment, he strutted across the stage in his light grey suit (with a pink pouf in the breast pocket), mimicking the head wobble and gait of a chicken. They eat stones, sticks and feces, he pointed out, booming, “We are like chickens if we eat stuff from the past, if we take in what we should excrete!” Far better to be eagles. “They make love in the air,” he said. And, like, they soar. Get it?

Of them all, Ms. Vanzant came across as the most authentic and helpful, an Oprah-in-the-making who has a bit of the gospel singer in her. She talked about truth. But people should also remember that what they perceive as truth is not always correct, she added with a cheeky look, going on to explain how women should admit to their husbands that they were wrong about something. “Put hand on heart, look at him in the eye, and say, ‘Oh sweetie. I just love it when you’re right.’ ”

An “emotional flooding” exercise was the pinnacle of the day, led by Mr. Robotic. He asked the crowd to jump up and down to get the blood flowing and then, with hand on heart and eyes closed, bring into their minds a moment in their lives when they were grateful. Feel it, he bellowed. Sappy, spiritual-esque music boomed through the windowless bunker. Women swayed. On one of the huge flat screen TVs near the podium, we could see Oprah in her red dress, positioned among her acolytes in the middle of the congregation, hands on her heart, eyes closed, her head titled up to the concrete ceiling. Maybe she was thinking about Stedman Graham, her boyfriend of 25 years, who appears to be top of her mind these days. The April issue of O featured him on the cover with her, a sign of something in Oprah-world.

If OWN lost the magic connection Oprah once had with her audience, the 58-year-old star, worth an estimated $2.7-billion (U.S.), knows exactly how to re-establish it: bromides wrapped in saccharine passion. Will it be enough to reinvigorate her network? On the floor of the convention centre, the sentiment was clear. People were un-Canadian in their effusion. “Oh, that was life-changing for me,” said Debbie, a 39-year-old mother of 13-year-old twins, who had come from Ottawa. “It was surreal,” she continued after the “flooding” had ebbed. A self-confessed “huge Oprah fan,” she had travelled twice before to see the talk-show host in Chicago. It didn’t bother her that the message about gratitude is ubiquitous in a popular culture hooked on happiness. “It’s good to hear it again. It’s reinforcement. I don’t see it as a negative.”

Who would when you’re there to be positive? Well, maybe only a reporter.

Robyn Okrant devoted a year to following Oprah's advice and wrote a book about her experience. I haven't read it and feel no urge to do so, but having said that the following article is interesting given that so many people (mostly women) do follow Oprah's advice. We never (or at least I never) hear about people who followed her advice and things went badly, whether it's putting faith in the LOA or anything else.

[www.theglobeandmail.com]


A year of living Oprah is no life at all

Dakshana Bascaramurty

Globe and Mail Update

Published Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010 6:43PM EST

Last updated Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 7:56PM EST


Robyn Okrant has a complicated relationship with the most powerful woman in the world. She says she isn’t an Oprah hater or a superfan – she’s simply intrigued by the mogul’s influence on American women.

In 2008, Ms. Okrant abided by all the advice the icon doled out on her show, in her magazine and on her website.

Along the way, she spent $4,781.84 – plus 1,202 hours and 1 minute – as she followed the lifestyle guru’s instructions including taking a 21-day vegan cleanse, buying a crisp white Brooks Brothers shirt and seeing Céline Dion in concert.

The Chicago yoga instructor recently published a book about the experience called Living Oprah. By the end of the year, she told The Globe and Mail in a phone interview, she was unable to distinguish her own point of view from Oprah’s and felt unclear on whether she really was living her “best life.”

You mention many times in the book that you were on a tight budget. How did you deal with all of the things that you needed to buy for this project?

Oprah might think everyone should own a pair of Michael Kors pants because they look great on a woman with a booty, so she can just send her people out to get a pair of pants for her. I had to bargain shop and basically look in Marshalls [a discount chain] until I could find [them]. For someone with a budget like mine, it takes a lot of time to live up to these ideals of beauty set by someone else.

You noted that you “appreciate when different pieces of Oprah’s advice fit together rather than conflict.” Tell me about that side of it – that idea that so many of her teachings are conflicting with others.

The biggest conflict for me is where spirituality and consumerism converge on her show. As you’ve probably read her saying, “You have to read [Eckhart Tolle’s] A New Earth, where we learn to separate from material things, and you have to read it with a 3M Post-it flag highlighter pen.” The other thing is you know Oprah talks a lot about not wasting, not having things you don’t need in your life ... and that’s so ironic because so much of her show is about decadence.

When you got to be there for a taping of the show, you seemed shocked by the audience response. You wrote, “I’m wondering why everyone is falling over themselves to be seen by Oprah.” But you found yourself acting the same way around her.

I’m so embarrassed by that. I knew it was going to be crazy because I’d seen the show a lot. I knew how excited they were going to be. But it’s so different to be there in person. Yet again, there was another example of me trying to be Margaret Mead and then all of that fell apart.

This whole project was about living your “best life.” But by the end of the year, you write, “I haven’t felt this much pressure to look and act a certain way since high school.” What specifically triggered those feelings?

I think it hasn’t been since high school that I’ve felt so much part of needing to meet up to a group of women’s expectations, or needing to fit in with a very specific culture of women. Part of it was Oprah saying, “You need to wear this, you’ve got to go out and get this,” but part of it was also this group.

After completely immersing yourself in her world, did you find it difficult to relate to the friends that you had that weren’t part of that club?

There were certain times, especially when people told me that they thought what I was doing sounded like fun, because they weren’t involved in it – like the shopping or the going to see certain movies or planning certain events that Oprah told women to plan. I sort of wanted to throttle them because I thought, “No, this isn’t fun; this is torture!” After the smoke cleared, I just thought, “Oh boy, what have I done to all the people in my life?”

You praise your husband numerous times for being so patient and understanding. What kind of toll did this project take on him?

I think the time issue – that’s what he speaks to the most; the fact that he felt not only was he not seeing a lot of me, but when he did have me around, he never for that year had my undivided attention. Sometimes I was thinking, “This is how Oprah’s guest told me to interact with my husband and this is how Oprah’s guest told me to redesign my sex life with Jim.” I felt like I was always communicating with him through a filter, and I think he was sort of disappointed not to have the real me with him.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve gained from this project?

I think it is that Oprah always talks about clarity – not sticking your head in the sand when it comes to finances, your health, your relationships. Have I heard that from other sources before? Absolutely. But it was in doing that project that I have felt less incapacitated about certain fears in my life.

Did you go through Oprah withdrawal when it was all done?

Oh yeah. It took me a few months to stop watching the show. I don’t feel this way now, but I certainly felt like it was risk-free to live that way. I couldn’t possibly make a mistake because I wasn’t accountable for my choices. I could always pass the buck and say, “Oprah told me to do this.” Or “I read it in a magazine.” But then it came back to me again. It was like being slapped in the face with reality. I’m now happy in that reality but it took a few months.

Oprah has millions of fans, but you say she doesn’t have a single peer because of her status. Do you think that you’re happier than she is?

Clearly this all conjecture, but I think I have it easier than she has, which is crazy. I’m packing up my tiny apartment, everything is a mess, my cats are going crazy, there’s cat hair everywhere, we’re going to be lugging boxes soon to my new apartment and still, I think I have it easier than she does. I don’t know if I would say happier, but I think I know I would rather have my life than Oprah’s. I think there are times when we all joke, “If I had Oprah’s money things would be much easier. True, true, money would make things much easier. But it doesn’t look like it makes you much happier, frankly.

How much Oprah do you have in your life now?

Very, very little. I watch infrequently and occasionally. She’s gone back a little bit to being that sort of aural wallpaper – just some noise in the background sometimes when I’m packing. I’m more convinced than ever that her ratings may be sliding downwards but Oprah as a personality, as a fixture in American culture certainly isn’t going anywhere.

Hazards of Subpersonality Visualization Techniques - Reflections by a Clinician



Digging Up the Past Object Relations and Subpersonalisties by Chris Meriam

Psychosynthesis Palo Alto
Monograph Series
Published by:Psychosynthesis Palo Alto
461 Hawthorne Avenue
Palo Alto, California 94301
U.S.A.
Copyright © 1994 by Chris Meriam
All rights reserved


[www.psychosynthesispaloalto.com].

The author noted with concern that there had, with a couple of exceptions, been little development in clinical theory within the transpersonal school of Psychosynthesis, an approach developed by Italian psychologist Roberto Assagioli, who had been a friend and close associate of Alice Bailey, founder of the Arcane School, a break away sect influenced by Theosophy.

Quote

Roberto Assagioli (1965) used the term “subpersonalities” to
refer to those often-conflicting, semi-autonomous subsystems
within the personality which have also been called “the various
selves” (William James) or “ego states” (Eric Berne). Working
with subpersonalities has been an important aspect of psycho-
synthesis practice throughout its eighty-year history, and no
published treatment of psychosynthesis seems without a descrip-
tion of subpersonalities and their harmonization within the
larger personality.

While techniques abound for working with subpersonalities—
not only in psychosynthesis but now in other approaches as
well—a precise and comprehensive understanding of
subpersonality development has yet to emerge within psycho-
synthesis theory. How do subpersonalities initially form? Are
they normal and healthy, or a sign of early wounding? How are
they related to early childhood experience? What are the deeper
psychodynamics underlying subpersonality work?

Meriam, after listing three important early theories of Psychosynthesis then wrote:

Quote

The extant published literature in Psychosynthesis does little to develop
subpersonality theory beyond the earlier work, usually present-
ing variations of the three ideas listed above.

Quote

Furthermore, from Assagioli’s work it seems clear that he
did not view life as intrinsically tragic; he did not believe that
alienation, isolation, and destructive conflict were necessary
aspects of the human condition.

Rather, he saw that the psyche,
the world, and the universe itself comprised opposites which
were the products of natural laws. These opposites in their natu-
ral state not only existed in harmony with each other, but were
necessary counterpoints contributing to overall balance and sta-
bility.

Indeed, his system of psychosynthesis itself is based on
the premise that harmony among polarities reflects a natural
state, even when that harmony involves dynamic, creative op-
posites such as love and will, receptivity and dynamism, and
“the fundamental polarity between the human personality as a
whole and the Transpersonal Self...” (Assagioli, 1973, p. 104).

and

Quote

if subpersonalities are the “tragic formations” As-
sagioli indicated, then a subpersonality’s motivations and means
of expression are an attempt at reclaiming something vital that
was jeopardized, threatened, and subsequently dissociated from
the personality as a whole. Such a subpersonality is organized
in a way that reflects an attempt (through compromised behav-
ior) to regain a unified, coherent expression of the whole per-
son, while at the same time, paradoxically, exhibiting an amount
of dissonance or conflict with the conscious personality. My be-
lief is that this paradoxical stance of a subpersonality—born of
conflict and a striving for wholeness—is caused by psychologi-
cal wounding received within the early environment.

(Corboy note But..this fails to take into account not mere 'tragedy' of the sort Assagioli seemed concerned with. The the active and sometimes devious horrors of child molestation, political torture, economic and sexual slavery, systematic coverups of power abuse and child exploitation by clergy and their supervising bishops are now grimly familiar to anyone who follows the news with half an eye.)

The author, Chris Meriam, picks up the thread.

Quote

But why is it important to recognize and work with a deeper
level of conditioning underlying subpersonalities? Why is it not
altogether legitimate to work head-on, face-to-face, and in the
moment with a subpersonality, and thereby resolve most psy-
chological issues and conflicts? My answer is that it is legiti-
mate to the degree that such an approach can provide short-
term relief, but it will inevitably leave the deeper structures
unchanged and a continuing source of life difficulties. In
Yeomans’ words, “Subpersonality work alone, therefore, con-
ducted without regard for this deeper dimension, is palliative,
but incomplete in affecting real personality change” (Op. cit.).


In the following section, I shall relate my clinical experience
which led me to this same conclusion.

SOME LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT SUBPERSONALITY THEORY
Several years ago I seriously cut back on my clinical use of
traditional subpersonality methods and techniques such as hold-
ing dialogues between parts, moving back and forth into parts,
observing from center, speaking from center, etc. I made this
decision in order to focus on deeper psychological issues of abuse
and neglect which kept surfacing in spite of my best efforts to
work with these issues within the discrete subpersonalities my
clients and I could recognize.

(I salute Dr Meriam for facing this. One does have to ask how many dangers
Dr Meriam and his clients faced before he recognized all this. And how many clinical hours did they have to pay for? AK)

At that point in my clinical work with others I did not under-
stand the relationship of intolerable childhood experiences to
the phenomenon of ego splitting, nor did I appreciate the im-
pact and pervasive conditioning which early trauma and wound-
ing could have on the individual’s life. These remembered trau-
matic events (defined here as any event or interaction that ex-
ceeds the child’s capacity to fully engage, feel, and integrate),
seemed to traverse the entire core of those I worked with. This
wounding was not state specific to any particular psychic struc-
ture one could call a subpersonality.

In a nutshell, I found the subpersonality model as it was
currently developed, and as I was using it, to be a shallow and
potentially harmful approach because it promised a simple reso-
lution and a time-span for changing and healing which was
misleading and unrealistic vis-â-vis the client’s more formidable
issues of early wounding. When I sat with my clients and heard
their distress, I witnessed wounding that was systemic to the
entire personality rather than contained within the discrete
shelter of a particular subpersonality. I was seeing and hearing
some of the original reasons why such a multitude of selves had
emerged for these individuals, and why these parts had devel-
oped into such complex structures.

This wounding and early fragmentation of self was a com-
pelling force that overpowered their ability in session to
disidentify from, or observe, their emotions and behaviors from
a personal center (as a traditional subpersonality approach
might encourage). Their pain was complicated, deep and unde-
niably real for them.

Interventions aimed at helping them ob-serve their memories of abuse
from a place of freedom, or personifying and elevating the tragedy in their
lives to the superconscious for healing, succeeded only in diminishing and dis-
counting in their own minds the magnitude of oppressive con-
flicts that had brought them to seek therapy in the first place.

(Corboy note: this approach, as described by the author did not help, but instead provided an invalidating environment that replicated the mess that had led the person to seek help in the first place)

Clinicians who work with trauma and abuse issues know the
degree to which the therapist must authentically and faithfully
model a variety of healing postures in order for a client to gain
any amount of psychological distance from unspeakable memo-
ries.

This is particularly true if the client’s more relational needs
from the therapist—such as empathic understanding, presence
without speaking, space to grieve, and overall responsiveness
and attunement to the presenting issues—are not carefully and
consistently met.

In these instances, it is shortsighted to overemphasize inte-
grative strategies which encourage clients to take charge of their
“traumatized parts” in order to achieve greater harmony within
the personality. In the words of psychosynthesis therapist Vic-
toria Tackett, “Guides [therapists] must be careful not to mini-
mize the problem by treating victims of mental and emotional
abuse as though the problem were merely an unruly victim sub-
personality to be integrated” (Tackett, 1988, p. 29).

Such a prematurely integrative approach, if not naive, is
perhaps biased in its unilateral focus on holism.

The error in
such a focus is an underestimation of the environmental condi-
tions and traumatic experiences which may have contributed
to the earlier fragmentation of this whole self.

(Disclaimer: Quotation of this material does NOT constitute an endorsement of the clinician or theoretical approach either by Corboy or by the Ross Institute. What is of value is to see that a practitioner of a transpersonal therapy has recognized a need for care and an ability to respect the power of trauma and the need to bring continuing education and updated therapeutic awareness to ones care for clients. One cannot go barging in and impose subpersonality techniques and assume they are cure alls and that transcendance or God will cover all blunders.Corboy)

According to the article below Oprah is losing her influence. If this is true, then this could potentially effect the new age/self-help market as she has been a huge promoter of new age mumbo jumbo.

Personally, I'm not so sure she really is losing her influence given that her two shows in Toronto sold out as rapidly as they did, but hey, what do I know?

[www.toronto.com]

Oprah left off Time’s ‘Most Influential’ list for first time since 2004

By Star staff
Apr 20, 2012

Oprah Winfrey suffered another humiliation this week.

On Wednesday, just 48 hours after she stormed Toronto for two sold-out shows, Time magazine released its list of 100 Most Influential People. And for the first time, Winfrey’s name was missing.

She was a mainstay on the list since it became an annual tradition in 2004. With nine previous appearances — more than Steve Jobs (five times) and the Dalai Lama (three times) combined — the snub reveals just how far her personal brand has tumbled since her talk show ended last spring.

To put it in perspective: Oprah Winfrey is now considered less influential than Pippa Middleton, Jeremy Lin, Chelsea Handler, Mitt Romney, Rihanna and Tim Tebow.

Going back to 1999, when the list debuted, Winfrey had a perfect track record. She was to “influence” as Stephen Hawking is to “smart.”

But she is fading from view after vanishing from daytime television. Her new cable network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, has failed to replicate the kind of ratings and buzz the former queen of television once took for granted.

Last year, Winfrey lost another crown when Lady Gaga was deemed The World’s Most Powerful Celebrity by Forbes.

Gluten Free Eating, Marketing Fads

Corboy note: cooking for parties is becomming a pain in the anus. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, ARGGGHHH!

Celiac disease is a real and terrible medical problem. Persons who suffer from this have low energy, feel lousy because they are malnourished.

But Ive noticed that the gluten free thing is turning into a marketing angle. Anything and everything that qualifies is labelled gluten free.

A hale and healthy friend has jumped on the gluten free bandwagon.

Many people do report feeling better, but it may be that the effort to shop and eat mindfully could be part of the improvement.

Quote

ATLANTA (AP) — It sounds like an unfolding epidemic: A decade ago, virtually no one in the U.S. seemed to have a problem eating gluten in bread and other foods. Now, millions do.

Gluten-free products are flying off grocery shelves, and restaurants are boasting of meals with no gluten. Celebrities on TV talk shows chat about the digestive discomfort they blame on the wheat protein they now shun. Some churches even offer gluten-free Communion wafers.

"I don't know whether there's more people getting this or that more people are noticing" they have a problem, said the Rev. Richard Allen, pastor at Mamaroneck United Methodist Church, north of New York City.

Or is it just another food fad?

Faddishness is a big part of it. Americans will spend an estimated $7 billion this year on foods labeled gluten-free, according to the market research firm Mintel. But the best estimates are that more than half the consumers buying these products — perhaps way more than half — don't have any clear-cut reaction to gluten.

They buy gluten-free because they think it will help them lose weight, or because they seem to feel better, or because they mistakenly believe they are sensitive to gluten.

"We have a lot of self-diagnosing going on out there," said Melissa Abbott, who tracks the gluten-free market for the Hartman Group, a Seattle-area market research organization.

Fads aside, research suggests more people are truly getting sick from the gluten found in wheat, rye and barley, but the reasons aren't clear.

In the most serious cases, gluten triggers celiac disease. The condition causes abdominal pain, bloating and intermittent diarrhea. Those with the ailment don't absorb nutrients well and can suffer weight loss, fatigue, rashes and other problems.

It was once considered extremely rare in the U.S. But about 20 years ago, a few scientists began exploring why celiac disease was less common here than in Europe and other countries. They concluded that it wasn't less common here; it was just under-diagnosed.

More recently, a research team led by the Mayo Clinic's Dr. Joseph Murray looked at blood samples taken from Americans in the 1950s and compared them with samples taken from people today, and determined it wasn't just better diagnosis driving up the numbers. Celiac disease actually was increasing. Indeed, the research confirms estimates that about 1 percent of U.S. adults have it today, making it four times more common now than it was 50 years ago, Murray and his colleagues reported Tuesday in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

That translates to nearly 2 million Americans with celiac disease.

Celiac disease is different from an allergy to wheat, which affects a much smaller number of people, mostly children who outgrow it.

Scientists suggest that there may be more celiac disease today because people eat more processed wheat products like pastas and baked goods than in decades past, and those items use types of wheat that have a higher gluten content. Gluten helps dough rise and gives baked goods structure and texture.

Or it could be due to changes made to wheat, Murray said.

In the 1950s, scientists began cross-breeding wheat to make hardier, shorter and better-growing plants. It was the basis of the Green Revolution that boosted wheat harvests worldwide. Norman Borlaug, the U.S. plant scientist behind many of the innovations, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

But the gluten in wheat may have somehow become even more troublesome for many people, Murray said.

That also may have contributed to what is now called "gluten sensitivity."

Doctors recently developed a definition for gluten sensitivity, but it's an ambiguous one. It's a label for people who suffer bloating and other celiac symptoms and seem to be helped by avoiding gluten, but don't actually have celiac disease. Celiac disease is diagnosed with blood testing, genetic testing, or biopsies of the small intestine.

The case for gluten sensitivity was bolstered last year by a very small but often-cited Australian study. Volunteers who had symptoms were put on a gluten-free diet or a regular diet for six weeks, and they weren't told which one. Those who didn't eat gluten had fewer problems with bloating, tiredness and irregular bowel movements.

Clearly, "there are patients who are gluten-sensitive," said Dr. Sheila Crowe, a San Diego-based physician on the board of the American Gastroenterological Association.

What is hotly debated is how many people have the problem, she added. It's impossible to know "because the definition is nebulous," she said.

One of the most widely cited estimates comes from Dr. Alessio Fasano, a University of Maryland researcher who led studies that changed the understanding of how common celiac disease is in the U.S.

Fasano believes 6 percent of U.S. adults have gluten sensitivity. But that's based on a review of patients at his clinic — hardly a representative sample of the general public.

Other estimates vary widely, he said. "There's a tremendous amount of confusion out there," Fasano said.

Whatever the number, marketing of foods without gluten has exploded. Those with celiac disease, of course, are grateful. Until only a few years ago, it was difficult to find grocery and dining options.

"It's a matter of keeping people safe," said Michelle Kelly, an Atlanta-area woman who started a gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free bakery in 2010 after her son was diagnosed with celiac disease. While conventional bakers use wheat flour, she uses such ingredients as millet flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour and tapioca starch.

At one of Atlanta's largest and busiest health food stores, Return to Eden, manager Troy DeGroff said over a third of his customers come in for gluten-free products for themselves or their family.

"Thank you, Elisabeth Hasselbeck," he said, referring to one of the hosts of the daytime talk show "The View" who helped popularize gluten-free eating.

It's hard to say how many of his customers have a medical reason for skipping gluten. But "they're at least paying attention to what they're sticking in their mouth," he said.

On a recent Friday afternoon, several customers bought gluten-free, though none had been diagnosed with celiac disease or had digestive problems from eating wheat.

Julia White said she picks up gluten-free items when her granddaughters visit. They've been diagnosed with problems, she said. "They don't just make this up."

Another customer, Meagan Jain, said she made gluten-free cupcakes with a school friend and liked the taste. But she doesn't buy gluten-free often because "it's expensive."

For her, "It's a fad. It's part of the eclectic, alternative lifestyle."

___

Online:

Celiac disease: [digestive.niddk.nih.gov]

Quote

Michele • 10 hrs ago There are always at least 2 sides to these issues. Is celiac and gluten sensitivity on the rise? Probably. Are there bad reasons to avoid processed foods and/or foods with gluten? Not really. But I do know that I can buy 5 lbs of wheat flour for a couple bucks, but the tiny 1-lb bag of gluten-free flour is substantially more expensive than regular flour, and the bag of wheat gluten that sits next to it on the shelf (literally right next to it) also costs a pretty penny. So there is definitely some faddishness/marketing to it all as well.

Tune A Fish • San Francisco, California • 22 hrs ago Food sensitivity and allergies are a huge problem. But, you really need to make the effort to figure out exactly what it is that is bothering you. It may be wheat and gluten or it may not be. I had horrid sensitivities and spent 10 years avoiding wheat and such, but never got truly well.

Recently I discovered it may in fact have been corn I was reacting to all along and not the wheat/gluten.

And I had been to nutritionists, doctors and had tests done, and what came back at the time (10 years ago) was that I was allergic to basically everything (the tests are terribly inaccurate), so even with those tests, I was still left with having to figure out what exactly I was reacting to in my diet. I never suspected corn. One reason is that many times when one is allergic to something, you don't feel the allergic response right away, but instead feel crappy 3-4 days after ingestion making it very difficult to pin down a culprit. Also, avoiding corn is soooo hard because it is in everything and you really have to be careful.

For example: HFCS (high fructose corn syrup - what processed item is free of that??), aspartame, coatings on some vitamins and supplements, deli meats, bleached flours, sucrose, vanilla extract, "vegetable" oils, xantham gum, dextrose, maltodextrin, malt syrups and extracts, MSG, sorbitol, baking powder, caramel color, ordinary iodized table salt and of course anything with "corn" anything.

That was only a partial list as an example. If you check labels, you'll be hard pressed to avoid this stuff in your average supermarket. There are alternatives at health food stores and whole foods, of course more expensive. Anyway, I have been paying attention to this for maybe 2 weeks now and notice positive changes in my energy, weight, and aches and pains, after feeling like crud for a decade.

I had given up corn products many years ago, and had a surge of good health back then, but I didn't know at the time it was because of the corn. Now I look back and it all falls into place. Also, you'd be amazed how devastating consuming an allergen on a regular basis can be to the body. As time goes on, multiple organs can be affected - liver thyroid, pancreas, etc. It is not just runny noses and wheezing. TG the body, given a chance has amazing self-restorative powers, so figuring this out, while frustrating, is so worth it. Look up "elimination diet" as a good way to start.

Susan • Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania • 6 hrs ago the lesson to take away from this? we're a country of big, fat, dumb consuming sheep who buy into every single swindle and snake oil salesman around because the tv told us to..

Jan 25 mins ago Susan obviously doesn't have a problem with gluten. How nice for her, but those of us with celiac disease, and other food allergies, have to live with debilitating problems daily. We are NOT dumb, she should try to watch every bite that goes into her mouth for those hidden ingredients that may kill her.

Kathryn • 1 day 20 hrs ago We had to go gluten free for awhile for my daughter's wheat allergy. I didn't buy gluten free foods though. I made them. I found that we all felt much better getting off the premade foods, so even when we got wheat back in our diet, we stayed with the home-made foods instead.

The whole gluten free mania smacks of a fad. And shame on Dr. Oz for pushing this c**p. The fact is the vast majority of people don't have celiac disease. People are using it as a excuse why they are fat, lazy or gaseous.

As for the positive results - ever hear of the placebo effect?

If you think you have a problem with gluten, see a specialist, not a general practitioner but a specialist. And avoid the screwball new ager, idiots on TV like Dr. Oz, or the guy with a mail order nutritionists degree at the health food store, but a real doctor and immunologists.

Quote
Judy
Hello everyone!

I've been dealing with health issues for some time now and whilst consulting with regular MDs (who were of no help) and a naturopath (the most helpful, so far), I've also been reading the works of people such as Louise Hay, Doreen Virtue and Wayne Dyer... (And yes, I also read The Secret and started A Course in Miracles, but couldn't get past the first few exercises.) In my ongoing quest to get better, I've also tried using affirmations, visualizations, The Silva Method and self-hypnosis.

I've found that the new age writers were a ridiculous waste of time.

I wish I'd been able to respond to this thread sooner. I only just got my account here; I'm wishing I'd made one a lot earlier. There is a lot of good stuff here, by the looks.

Anyway, to respond to this topic. The Secret was basically Chaos Magick 101. The thing you'll find with a lot of New Age stuff, is that it's basically malformed or partial regurgitations of much older material; primarily Hinduism in Eastern terms, or Hermeticism in Western, which sometimes includes material taken from more recent occult subcultures, which more mainstream people generally won't know about. What that means, is that sometimes when you find information about a given technique, you're only getting part of the story. You're not necessarily getting all of the information you need, to make it work.

The other thing to be aware of, is the fact that we're individuals. So one person, as an example, could try their hardest to convince you to become a fruitarian or vegan, let's say, because it has done them the world of good. On trying it yourself, however, you might find that not only does it not help you, but that you actually get sick. This is because different people have different metabolic profiles, which means they need less of some nutrients than other people in order to survive, and more of other nutrients. I've tried to become vegetarian myself, and I can't do it. Eating red meat is extremely beneficial for me, as long as I don't have it too much; but of course, raw vegans don't believe that, and insist that I'm wrong or misguided, simply because of what works for them.

In the same way, gluten intolerance genuinely is a legitimate issue for some people, as are milk and wheat allergies. These things may not, however, be issues for you; and if they aren't, you shouldn't listen to people who insist that you should change yourself, based on what has worked for them. One of the most serious problems with cults, is the enforcement of uniformity. A leader will insist that because vegetarianism might work for him, that everyone else in the group has to be; and so even while he stays healthy, someone else will get sick, because their individual body needs the specific nutrients present in meat and other animal products, in order to survive.

What I can tell you, is that when I have the discipline to maintain them, for me, performance of japa (meditation with a mantra, and a set of beads that I have) and puja for Kali Ma, genuinely does help me maintain psychological equilibrium.

- I don't get depressed, which I will if I don't do it.
- I stop craving junk food, and can eat in a way which benefits me and control my diet, which again, is hard to do if I don't do the above.
- I'm able to control my libido, and being single isn't a source of unhappiness.
- Meditation for me reduces social phobia, misanthropy, and my more usual belief in impending human extinction.

Before I started engaging in ritual, I was indulging at times in binge alcoholism. I've also taken probably four different types of antidepressants, at different times. None of those things really helped; I was having the same sorts of psychological issues that most people in contemporary society do.

The point is, that you have to find what is going to enable you to reach a state of equilibrium in your own life. I'm a heterosexual (although celibate) Shakta. Stephen Fry, as an example, is a homosexual atheist. What I do most likely wouldn't work for Stephen, and what he does, definitely wouldn't work for me. We're completely different people, and that is perfectly fine.

So if being vegan, or an adherent of New Ageism or any other religion, philosophy, or ideology out there doesn't work for you, don't do it, and don't listen to people who tell you that you should, if they don't know you. You need to find what works for you.

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If OWN lost the magic connection Oprah once had with her audience, the 58-year-old star, worth an estimated $2.7-billion (U.S.), knows exactly how to re-establish it: bromides wrapped in saccharine passion. Will it be enough to reinvigorate her network? On the floor of the convention centre, the sentiment was clear. People were un-Canadian in their effusion. “Oh, that was life-changing for me,” said Debbie, a 39-year-old mother of 13-year-old twins, who had come from Ottawa. “It was surreal,” she continued after the “flooding” had ebbed. A self-confessed “huge Oprah fan,” she had travelled twice before to see the talk-show host in Chicago. It didn’t bother her that the message about gratitude is ubiquitous in a popular culture hooked on happiness. “It’s good to hear it again. It’s reinforcement. I don’t see it as a negative.”

Who would when you’re there to be positive? Well, maybe only a reporter.

Oprah Winfrey's success has zero to do with her own merit, and everything to do with America's institutional lack of self-respect. People like her, Dr. Phil, and the rest of the daytime freak show need to recognised for the attention craving, snake oil peddling, pathological narcissists that they are, and ostracised accordingly.

You need people like Oprah because you are empty, America. You don't need to be empty. That's purely a choice, but it is one that is much easier to make, than doing the real work of discovering who you actually are, and finding behavioural patterns which really help you. It's much easier to simply open wide, and swallow the giant stream of pre-digested, boiled down, simplified, psycho-spiritual sewage that the usual narcissistic suspects are perpetually willing to dispense to you, for a profit.

That's how the gurus (even the supposedly legitimate, non-cultic ones like Chopra, and Doreen Virtue, and Esther Hicks, and all of the other capitalistic frauds) obtain their real "success," by the way. They don't suffer from having a gaping, weeping, open wound in the center of their aura to a lesser degree than any of the rest of us. The difference, however, is that they are able to recognise said wound in everyone else, obtain money by offering placebos which are superficially pleasurable, but do not really work, and therefore need to be continually re-applied.

I do it myself, most of the time. I love comfort, and ease, and conformity, and instant gratification, and convenience. Who doesn't? It's much easier to sit here in front of a computer, and order pizza for dinner online, than it is to have to get up and cook something which might actually be good for me.

That, however, is the point. I make no claim to be less degenerate than my fellow man; only to be cognisant of said degeneracy. The psychopaths will continue to rule us, for as long as we desire and crave said rule. Cults don't exist purely because of cult leaders. Cults exist because said leaders are able to meet a need within the rest of the population.

Human beings want to be ruled, led, and told what to do and how to think. The one thing which we will crawl over broken glass to avoid, is being put in situations where we have to either think, or engage in individual responsibility. The psychopaths know this, and they encourage it as much as possible.

Maybe I am a hypocrite. Call me one if you want; if it makes you feel better. I am no less contemptible than any of the rest of you. Being able to see the bars of your cage, doesn't necessarily help you get out of it.