When your child is 3 or older, he/she will probably go to school.  Each school system is required by law to have special education programs for children with autism as well as other types of learning problems. If your little one exhibits severe symptoms, he/she may be placed in a self-contained class with other learning disabled children. If symptoms are more mild, like those of Asperger's Syndrome, a fully integrated regular education program with assistance from a special educator, would be a good choice. Each school system has its own techniques but they should all provide a structured, and secure environment where your child can feel safe. The program should emphasize social skills and functional communication as well as academics.  Also, it is to your advantage as a parent to keep in close contact with your child's teachers, so that you can work together and continue to train him/her at home.

Now for some alternative treatments that have been used in the past for the treatment of autism.

• Facilitated Communication is a technique used to help a child express feelings by having them to type their inner thoughts on a computer. Studies have shown that the messages typed describe the thoughts of the support provider. Recently there was a news blurb on television about a young autistic girl who could only communicate by typing on her computer. Amazing, isn't it.
• Holding Therapy is a technique in which a child is hugged by his/her parent for long periods of time, even if there is resistance. Proponents of this method believe that it helps to develop a bond between child and parent. Others say that it helps stimulate the brain by allowing the child sense his/her body boundaries. As of yet, there is no scientific evidence to support this.
• Auditory Integration Therapy is a technique in which a child listens to different sounds with the aim of improving language comprehension. Those who advocate this method believe that it helps those with autism receive more balanced sensory information from their surroundings. After scientific testing, this method has proven to be as effective as listening to music. Some parents have stated that they have seen behavior and language gains from this program.
• Dolman/Delcato Method is a program where children are made to crawl and move as they did through every stage of their early development. This is done so that they can learn some of their missed skills. Unfortunately, their is no scientific evidence to support this.

• A food plan that has been successful with some families consists of a gluten-free, casein-free diet. To eliminate these products however, is difficult because gluten (which is a casein-like substance) is found in cereal plants like wheat, oat, rye, and barley and casein is the major protein in milk.
• If you, as a parent would like to place your child on a special diet please consult with your pediatrician, and a nutritionist, before embarking on a program of your own.

• Herbal Mindsoothe Jr. available in capsules for adults or drops for children. This has been proven clinically to help balance serotinin levels and it works in a similar way as the Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors or SSRI's that are made synthetically.
• Pure Calm is an herbal formula which has been specially formulated to calm and soothe children and adults. This remedy comes in a liquid form so you disperse it with a medicine dropper for both children and adults. It may be taken for quick relief of sudden symptoms and is safe to use with most prescription drugs and herbal medicines. Unlike synthetic tranquilizing drugs which can become addictive as individuals build up a tolerance resulting in the need for higher dosages, Pure calm will not cause an addiction.
• Focus ADHD Formula helps to treat those who are hyperactive and can't concentrate. This natural remedy comes in a tincture that you can take with juice or water.
• Bright Spark is for severe cases of ADHD as well as anger management and defiance issues and can be used by itself or in combination with the Focus formula.
• Tantrum Tamer is an effective remedy for children who have extreme temper tantrums, sometimes with no provocation, or for those who become frustrated because they are unable to communicate their needs,etc. This particular formula helps to eliminate and/or reduce these symptoms. Tantrum Tamer has a pleasant taste and most children will take it willingly.

• http://www.autismspot.com/
• http://www.thetole.com/Autism.html
• http://www.theolympian.com/113/story/321945.html
• http://autism-programs.com/
• http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/holistic.html
• http://www.feelgoodcounseling.com/autism.htm

Today I would like to talk about a troubling condition for parents and children alike.  It is called enuresis which is unintentional bladder relief or wetting the bed while asleep.  If you have a little one, aged 3-5, bed-wetting is considered normal and nothing to be concerned about. Usually, the bladder is regulated by a reflex that controls the sphincter and pelvic muscles preventing unwanted urination. More than likely,  bed-wetting occurs because your child has not yet learned to use this reflex.  This is known as primary bed-wetting. If however your little tyke  has learned to control this reflex, and after a few months reverts to this behavior again, it is called secondary enuresis.

• Genetic factors, if one parent had enuresis, there is a 45% chance that the child will be a bed-wetter, if both parents suffered from this condition there is a 75% chance of the child inheriting this problem. This happens because there is not enough of an anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) produced during sleep.
• Bladder size may be a cause of bed-wetting.  If the child's bladder is unusually small, he/she may have a problem holding his water and may have to urinate more frequently.
• Obstructive Uropathy or an abnormality in the structure of the ureter may cause your child to wet his/her pants during the day or night. Consequently, the bladder is unable to hold a normal amount of water and makes the child less able to control his/her urine.
• Urinary Tract Infection or UTI if your child is complaining of burning or pain while going to the bathroom.
• Tonsillar Obstruction if your child breathes through the mouth or snores and is groggy and grumpy in the morning.
• Diabetes may be another physical cause of bed-wetting.

• Stress is an important factor to consider especially if your child has been dry for a long period of time and suddenly begins soiling the bed at night.  Has he/she experienced something traumatic like the death of a loved one, even a pet. Is there a new baby in the house? Have you moved to a new neighborhood so that your child has to go to a new school.  How well is he/she doing at school, has the teacher noticed any changes? Are you having marital problems, or have you been recently divorced?
• Toilet training is a very emotional time, if parents are too harsh, or too lax in their training, a child may revert to bed-wetting. As a parent, do you expect too much of your child, if so he/she may soil themselves. If you were too permissive in your training, perhaps beginning toilet training when your child was older, he/she may have poor impulse control.
• Impulse Inhibition can cause bed-wetting. Is your child able to control his anger? How does he/she act when angry? By not allowing a tyke to express anger often causes daytime incontinence, but may be a factor in bed-wetting. It is not mentally healthy to suppress feelings of anger, grief, rage, etc for adults, let alone children.
• Secondary Gain There are times when a child wants to get back at a parent (usually the mother) and will wet themselves without even being aware that they are doing it. Ask yourself these questions: What does the child get out of this behavior?  How do you as a parent react to this? How do siblings react? Is the child embarrassed wetting the bed? If your little one is not concerned about this problem, he may deriving some satisfaction from it and it will be more difficult to treat. But with patience, kindness and understanding this condition is curable.

I once watched a television program about a very unhappy man named Sam who would stuff himself with junk food and then throw it all up. After doing this, he would go to the gym and work out for hours, only to go home and do the same thing all over again. He knew that he had a problem so he was  getting counseling in a group setting with others like him,  During the therapy session Sam and the others would have to discuss their eating patterns for the week, if they engaged in negative habits, they would have to admit it.  The mental health practitioner was just awful and she would scream at them for doing this.  Needless to say, the therapist's approach was more harmful than helpful. Sam kept binging and purging every time he was stressed out over something. Of course, this was a television show and they had to make it more juicy. In reality, during a mental health counseling session, the therapist will not embarrass you like this and if they do, it is time to find a new counselor.

Like anorexics that I dealt with in my last blog, bulimics are overly weight conscious.  They are constantly getting on a scale, looking in a mirror, and  measuring or pinching themselves to see if there is any fat. The self worth of an individual with bulimia is directly related to how they perceive their body shape and weight.

Believe it or not, binge eating is seen as a way to cope with life's stresses,  disappointments and poor body image. What is ingested is usually "comfort foods" like carbohydrates such as sweets, fats, and anything with high caloric content. This obsessive eating pattern is of course done in privacy as they don't want others to witness this inappropriate behavior.

As you can see, this mental health illness is a vicious cycle that can only broken through psychotherapy. Group therapy is also helpful because it gives the bulimic and their family support and understanding from others who have similar issues. No longer are they so alone.  There are hospitals and clinics with out patient programs to help those with eating disorders.

• Chamomile or Yarrow are recommended for their recuperative powers. Put 1 tsp of chamomile or yarrow in 1 cup of boiling water, let sit for 10 minutes, strain. Swallow 1 cup 3 times a day to help you feel better.

• Try geranium, lemon-balm, bergamot,  and rose oils  to alleviate  sadness and depression.
• If you are tense, anxious and easily  angered, try clary-sage, lavender, ylang-ylang, chamomile or sandlewood, they will help to relax and soothe you.

• Kava Kava root helps to soothe away anxious feelings. Ingest 1 tsp. of a tincture, or swallow several capsules 3-4 times a day or whenever you feel that you need it. If symptoms improve, take less.

• St. John's Wort may help to alleviate depression. Put 1 cup of hot water over 1 tsp of St. John's Wort, let steep and strain.  Drink 1 cup 2-3 times a day.  You can also ingest St. John's Wort as capsules, whichever you prefer. 4-6 weeks may pass however, before you note any improvement when taking this herb.

• Natrium chloratum is good for those of us who lose touch with our feelings.
• Calcium carbonicum is helpful if you are worried about things. It is also good for timidity and when you are cold.

• Magnesium is a good vitamin to take to prevent sweet cravings like chocolate.
• Chromium is great for balancing your sugar levels, because it alleviates the desire for sugar and carbohydrates.
• It is also important for you to take multi-vitamins and minerals to restore what was lost during vomiting.

First up is Anorexia, a mental health condition whose most distinguishing characteristic is the desire to be slim.  Granted, most of us women watch our calories so that we can keep our weight down, but anorexics have an irrational fear of putting on even one pound. Consequently, they are always monitoring their caloric intake and feel guilty whenever they eat. Women with this mental illness therefore are painfully thin and have no body fat at all, most of them truly look like skin on bones. Their "starvation diet" may cause a complete breakdown of the the fatty tissue lying just below their skin. We need a certain amount of subcutaneous fat to be healthy.

Anorexics are very much out of touch with reality when it comes to their body image, they perceive themselves as fat, when in actuality they are dangerously thin.  A scale is an important part of their daily routine, they don't merely weigh themselves once a day, but, rather throughout the day.  They are very obsessive about it. If they do eat, they are compulsive about burning up the calories, so they may exercise vigorously. In addition to this, an anorexic may ingest laxatives and pills to stop their hunger, or they may purge themselves. This is the mental health illness call Bulimia, which I will feature in my next blog.  Some of them even refuse to eat at all, at which point their illness  becomes a hazard to their health. If they go indefinitely without food, they will end up being hospitalized and fed intravenously. If left untreated the mortality rate is about 5-18%.

Those suffering from this disorder may actually be  hungry but still refuse to eat.  They have an extremely poor self image and try to control their surroundings and their emotions by starving themselves. Quite often, eating disorders come from internal and external conflicting forces as well as stress, anger, anxiety, and sadness. Unfortunately, refusing to eat is the only way that an anorexic  deals  with these issues, but it is a very negative way of coping. They may think to themselves, "you can't make me eat", therefore gaining the upper hand, or so they think.   Some people truly believe that they don't deserve to enjoy life's simple pleasures, namely eating, hence, they starve themselves .

• 1 oz. dandelion
• 1 oz. centaury
• 1 oz. licorice bark
• 1 oz. peppermint leaves
• Put 1 cup of water that has been boiled, over 1 tsp. of the tea. 
• Let it sit for 10 minutes covered, then strain it.
• Drink 1 cup before meals.

I would like to briefly mention that there are many relaxation techniques they include yoga, deep breathing and meditation to help control stress, discouragement and fear that are part of this illness.

Last but not least is the alternative medical practice of acupressure which can stimulate appetite by working on pressure points.

• Approximately 20 minutes before eating, apply pressure to the area halfway between the sternum and navel, do this for 3 minutes.
• You can also press firmly on the bottom of the nail located on the pinky finger for 5 minutes to accomplish the same thing

 Remember, In order to have a healthy mind and body we need to eat healthy foods!

The holidays are over, It's almost February, the days are cold, the nights are long and you are feeling depressed. There are two more long months of winter and it seems like an eternity. You keep thinking to yourself, "I wish it were spring." Sound familiar? Many of us feel a little blue at this time of year. We may be a bit lethargic, or  wish that we could stay in our warm bed a little longer, some of us even gain some weight. This is normal.  However, if you are really down, have no energy, are having difficulties at work as well as with your significant others and can't see a way through it, you may have the mental health condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This condition can be debilitating because is stops you from engaging in your usual activities.

• Mood changes An overwhelming feeling of gloom, despondency, self- loathing,  easily angered. There  might also be bouts of crying and extreme sensitivity to criticism.
• Lack of energy Feeling listless, and sluggish for no reason.
• Lack of pleasure Things that you loved doing are no longer fun.  Daily activities are now drudgery. You are not satisfied with anything you do and beat yourself up about it by feeling guilty.
• Changes in rest patterns You find yourself sleeping much longer, sometimes all day.
• Difficulty focusing  Little or no motivation to complete tasks that you usually breeze through.
• Changes in diet You have cravings for "comfort foods", like sweets and carbs. You may also experience a weight gain, which of course adds to your feelings of self-hate.
•  Lack of socializing You have no desire to do things with your friends. This effects your self-esteem and enhances the negative feelings that you are having about yourself.

It is believed that diminished exposure to the sun alters the brain's production of  two important chemicals, melatonin and serotonin, that help to regulate our sleeping and waking patterns. Melatonin is essential for sleep and is produced primarily at night while we rest.  During the dark winter months,  the production of melatonin increases and can make us drowsy and lethargic. An increase of light is needed for the production of serotonin.  So as you can see, we have the perfect conditions for depression, too much darkness and not enough light.

• Foot reflexology helps to alleviate the stress and tension from SAD. This type of therapy utilizes the application of tender massage to pressure points on our foot that correspond to various body parts. 
• Herbal teas are helpful Try Hops tea which has a relaxing effect when you are especially nervous and irritable.  Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tsp of hops. Let sit for 10 minutes, strain and enjoy.
• Exercise does wonders because it releases those "feel good endorphins". Try yoga,   tai chi ,  meditation , or even vigorous exercise.

Psychotherapy is an option that I would like to mention.Talking to a well trained professional who understands your mental health, really helps. One of the symptoms of depression is extreme negative feelings about yourself and life in general.  A therapist can help you gain an awareness of why you have this condition and assist in setting up an appropriate method of treatment.  In addition to counseling, prescription medications such as antidepressants may be prescribed as they are used to regulate the production of melatonin and serotonin.

Thirty years ago this February, my grandmother (Ninny) died.  I can’t believe it’s been that long.  In some ways it seems like just yesterday my mother was telling me Ninny needed an operation on her stomach.  In can still picture her the day she came home from the hospital, weak and gaunt.  I can remember how she steadily lost even more weight over the next 18 months. And I get an instant stomachache when I remember the overwhelming fear and uncertainty that swirled around me when she died.   (While my parents weren’t neglectful, they were young when I was born.  Ninny offered me the stability and security they weren’t able to give.)

Thirty years is an awfully long time.  On one hand, it seems impossible that I lived that long without her.  On the other, seems like she was never physically here at all.  Some days I honestly have a tough time remembering what life was like, what I was like, when she was still alive.  Like the Wizard of Oz movie, there are two parts of me, one part in techno color (before death) and the other in black and white (after death.)  The techno color Danielle is a little fuzzy in my memory.    Back then, was I optimistic?  Yes.  Was I naïve?  Of course.  Was I hopeful for the future?  Absolutely.   Then life threw me a curve and all that changed.

A lot has happened in the 30 years between then and now.  For 2-1/2 decades I was defined by my denial, anger and grief.  I made mistakes (millions), lived selfishly (I lost someone I loved, wasn’t I entitled?) and spent far too much time feeling sorry for myself.  And in the end, it brought me nothing but more grief, anger, sadness and eventually, depression.

Today I’ve settled into a nice life as a wife and mother of a teenager but it’s only recently I’ve come to understand how Ninny’s death affected my life and made me who I am.  Losing someone you love sucks, I’ll be the first to admit it, but like everything else in life, you can learn from it and become a better person.  Realizing that came in a series of baby steps, hits and misses, triumphs and failures.  Honestly, there isn’t a therapy I haven’t tried. Alternative medicine, relaxation techniques, meditation, visualization, drugs (as in anti-depressants) and support groups…been there, done that!     

What’s important is that I didn’t give up.  I’m not always a “glass-is-half-full” kind of person but I am competitive and I used that to my advantage.  When dealing with my depression and grief, no matter how hard things were, I was determined not to let it beat me.  It’s been a long battle but guess what?  My perseverance paid off.  Sure there are days when I feel sad or hopeless, but they occur with less severity and frequency than they once had.

So, what’s the moral of my story?  To have hope, to not give up, to understand that what you are feeling can temporary, to believe you can get better and to know that you aren’t alone. 

"We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth's creatures, the worrying animal.  We worry away our lives."  ~Lewis Thomas

 We all have things that scare us, so a certain amount of fear and or anxiety is actually healthy.  It is a premonition of danger and allows our body to prepare itself for an imminent threat.  This might turn into a phobic reaction if your fear is irrational and inhibits you from acting.  A phobia is a stress related disorder, that is an over-exaggeration of fear and terror towards a particular object or situation that is not in itself harmful. The harm is in the way you react when you perceive it.  Some of the symptoms that you may experience are similar to a panic attack, they consist of sweating, rapid heart rate and breathing, trembling, and confusion, as well as abdominal pain and stomach cramps.

There are three types of phobias that are recognized in the field of mental health.

• Simple phobia is a fear of insects, flying, elevators, escalators, some animals, etc.
• Social phobia is an intense fear of attending social events, speaking in public, etc.
• Agoraphobia is the most serious of all phobias because in extreme cases, you are afraid to leave your home and have an intense dread of public places.

Systematic desensitization is a type of behavior modification that consists of small amounts of exposure to the object or situation perceived as a threat so that the phobia can be alleviated. A certified counselor or therapist will show you some relaxation techniques to utilize while confronting your fears. For example, an individual who has a fear of reptiles might begin a therapy session by reading about snakes and looking at pictures of them. In subsequent sessions, they might be asked to look at a caged snake, and eventually to hold one. If the phobia has to do with riding in a elevator, the therapist will go in an elevator with them until their fear subsides.

• Valerian and Lemon Balm together alleviate anxiety, fear and help you to sleep. They also have a soothing effect on the psyche. For extreme reactions, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2 tsp of each herb. Let the tea sit for 15 minutes and strain. Drink 1 cup 2-3 times a day.
• Skullcap is a gentle sedative that helps you sleep as it soothes anxiety and muscle tension. Take 1 cup of boiling water and 1 tsp of the dried herb. Let sit for 10 minutes, strain and drink a few cups a day.
• St. Johns Wort may help to alleviate fear and anxiety that are accompanied my mild depression. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1-2 tsp of the herb, and let sit for 10 minutes. Drink 3-4 cups everyday. It takes about 3-4 weeks for optimum benefit.

• Cherry Plum for fear and panic.
• Rockrose for sudden extreme panic and terror..
• Rescue Remedy for acute fear, anxiety, a panic attack, and rapid heart beat.

• Aconite when symptoms get worse at night, your heart is racing, and you are feeling acute fear.
• Argentum Nitricum for test anxiety, fear of going on stage, bloating and diarrhea.
• Stramonium when you have a fear of darkness and being by yourself.

Stages of Grief

The loss of someone you love is very painful deep heartache and deep sorrow of not having the physical presence of our loved one can be overbearing. The emotions and the physical sensations a person goes through when experiencing the loss of someone close is called grief.

There are many ways to start discussing the grieving process, but perhaps one of the most known models of understanding loss and its effects is the Kubler-Ross Model.

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance are the main five stages mentioned and often referred to when touching the subject of bereavement.

In order to get prepared for writing this post, I started searching for more information about the above mentioned model and of course my mind wondered off. I started asking myself, Who is Kubler-Ross? How and Why did she come up with the concept of breaking down the human reaction of facing death?

Well, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was one of triplets, born in Zurich (Switzerland) on July 8th, 1926. She studied medicine and worked for the International Voluntary Service for Peace after WWII. It was then that she discovered her passion, serving and helping the people whose lives had been destroyed by the unforgiving monster of war. One day in Maidanek (a concentration camp),she found carved in the wall where prisoners spent their last moments, the picture of a butterfly. Since then, "it became her symbol of transformation that she believed occurred at the time of death"

She later came to America and worked in many hospitals, bringing compassion and fighting against the "standardised" treatment of of patients facing death. She wrote many books but it was her bestselling first book, "On Death and Dying", 1969, that made her an internationally-renowned author. The five psychological stages of dying (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) which were outlined in her book "became accepted as common knowledge throughout the world". She died at 78 on August 24th, 2004, in Scottsdale, Arizona of natural causes.

Her life was dedicated to the treatment of others, especially of those facing death and their loved ones with compassion, empathy and respect. I believe that understanding the bereavement process, is important in order to cope and know how to deal with grief. We should also raise awareness that the process for some people start much earlier, when physical death has not occurred yet. In the case of a prolonged illness this is a very stressful moment for both the family and the person making the transition. Following a  suicide the survivors face shock , anger, resentment and many other strong emotions. If left unresolved, they may cause depression and other mental health issues.

In my up-coming post, I will be addressing the ways that understanding, caring and compassion can help in dealing with the effects of grief.

Credits:
With written permission
http://www.ekrfoundation.org/

http://www.elisabethkublerross.com/

Therapists have known for a long time that the practice of dance not only allows us to get in touch with our own bodies, but it gives us confidence. We are able to express ourselves in an acceptable manner. By incorporating dance therapy into a prescription for improving mental health, a counselor is able to make an assessment of how we relate to the world around us, by the way we move. It also allows us to get in touch with locked up emotions and innate talents. For instance, when someone is timid, it shows through body posture such as not making eye contact, slouching, looking down at the floor, etc. A therapist will use this insight to set up a beneficial course of treatment.  An effective way to break this pattern might be to have the person move to uplifting music thus eliciting feelings of freedom and lightness.

Dance therapy may be practiced on an individual basis, or with others. In a group ensemble, each member is encouraged to express their emotions or life circumstances freely through improvisational movement and or dance. Depending on the type of music played, its rhythm and melodies may elicit various emotions such as sadness, anger, or joy. The participants express these feelings through movement. In some group therapy sessions, the members may each have an opportunity to dance by themselves as the others watch. The counselor and group members may offer their insights. The dancer will then have chance to discuss how he/she felt about their performance. In this manner  subconscious thoughts will become conscious and issues that are causing mental anguish can be dealt with and hopefully alleviated. Each gathering usually lasts for an hour and may occur once or twice weekly for about 8-10 weeks.

• Group members are encouraged to express a strong emotion such as anxiety, anger, sadness, grief, depression, etc. Through improvisational movement they would interpret this feeling, and then show a way to discard it leaving it behind.

• Emulating animal motions such as the gracefulness of a deer, the silent movement of a stalking feline, or the soaring of an eagle is often used in dance therapy sessions. The group members are encouraged to imitate an animal of their choice. These movements bring back memories of childhood that can be expressed in an imaginative and creative way.

Dance therapy is not only good for grown-ups, it is an excellent way to have children get in touch with their feelings. They are less inhibited than adults and their natural curiosity allows them to benefit from this type of activity.

Color is an important element in each of our lives.  While what we wear doesn’t tell everything about us, it does say something.  The colors we gravitate towards can reveal details about us, our desires and our needs.

For many centuries, it has been believed that colored gemstones have powers that can be used to transform our energies when we wear them.  This natural remedy was embraced by the ancient Egyptians and is becoming more popular in today’s culture.  While each stone carries its own unique vibrations, the color of the stone also factors in its healing and therapeutic properties.

Red (garnets & rubies) the warmest color, symbolizes vitality, confidence and a willingness to take action.  A red stone should be worn by anyone looking to increase their courage as the color red provides strength and increased energy and confidence.

Yellow (citrine) is the color of happiness and joy.  Wearing yellow will create an atmosphere of creativity, wisdom and energy while providing relief from depression and fatigue while dispersing anger.

Blue (sapphire) is both cool and pleasant and carries a vibration of peace and truth.  This color has a soothing effect that promotes relaxation and a peaceful mood while helping one cope with daily stressors.

Green (emerald) has long been associated with life and finances.  Wearing a green gemstone will promote a feeling of well-being and wealth and promote positive financial growth.

Purple (amethyst) is the color of inspiration and imagination.  The vibrations of this color will enhance good judgment and meditation.  Wearing purple gemstones will also sharpen your imagination and self awareness.

Orange (carnelian) gemstones encourage endurance, creativity and playfulness.  This is an excellent color to wear if you are feeling overworked, tense and anxious.  Orange gemstones also work to increase self-esteem.

While the effects may initially be subtle, wearing a particular gemstone can have an uplifting effect on your life and help influences changes in mental health, wealth and personal growth.  If you are unsure of which stone to wear, relax and let your intuition be your guide! 

• Make a ball with clay by kneading it with your hands.
• Without looking at it pay attention to the way it feels, its softness, and  texture.
• Allow your imagination to run freely and make any shape that you want.
• After you are finished with your sculpture, pay attention to how it makes you feel, what does it remind you of? Is it something that relates to what is on your mind?
• Your finished piece tells something about your emotional outlook. Try to look at it with an open mind. For instance, a large strong looking sculpture may indicate strength and stability. Is the shape pleasing to you, or do you want to crush it and start all over again? Do you see yourself in it? Is it an indication about something that you would like to achieve or change in your life?