In following various media coverage, I am always struck by how very different this magazine — and our readers’ point of view — is from the coverage offered in the mainstream media. To the point, the New York Times (NYT) recently ran a story about Cherie Blair, wife of the British prime minister, and her "New Age" eccentricities. It was an eye rolling "can you believe this!" account of how this 48-year-old lawyer and mother of four indulges in what was tacitly framed as dubious approaches to managing her high-pressure life.
The article noted that Mrs. Blair wears "stress-fighting acupressure earrings," and dons "inflatable Flowtron trousers to combat leg bloat." Further, she consults a psychic, has taken part in a rebirthing ceremony and sports a "bioelectric shield pennant" believed, as the writer snidely couched it, to ward off harmful radiation from everyday appliances.
To support the fact that she’s not the only high-profile whacko with woo-woo predilections, the story mentioned Nancy Reagan’s astrology consultations, Hillary Clinton’s intention to hold imaginary conversations with dead public figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, and (gasp!) feminist Gloria Steinem’s advocacy of hypnotism in a spiritual search for her "wise woman."
In an apparent attempt to find some sliver of rationale for the actions of these otherwise seemingly intelligent people, the NYT writer quoted an author of a book looking at the "growing" fascination with the paranormal and supernatural in modern life. "These particular kind of New Age therapies," said the author, "seem to be a spiritual refuge for more affluent people."
Hmm, in our conventional society — among people who (thank Gawd!) aren’t riding the fringe elements of woo-wooism, what would be appropriate therapies to stress reduction, spiritual self-development, and protection from environmental risks for the affluent or not-so-affluent? I would venture to say it’d start...and end with prescription drugs. Zoloft, Paxil, or Prozac (often prescribed indefinitely) can quell the personal and professional stresses and anxieties that ravage our day-to-day activities. A diuretic could nip in the bud Mrs. Blair’s bloating problems. And, gee, if we medicate enough, we won’t have to be seeking hypnotism, our inner "wise woman" or the touchy-feely role-playing techniques with dead public figures. Of course, there’s no drug that can protect one from electromagnetic frequencies but we can probably medicate that concern away also.
Not that I’m disparaging the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Some of the people closest to me feel better because of antidepressants. What I take exception to is the wholesale condemnation of most any modality outside the prescription drug culture which has insidiously weaved itself into the very fabric of our society. I, for one, am weary of the relentless badmouthing of the use of non-invasive, non-addictive approaches to stress-reduction and self-development.
In this magazine you’ll find ads for almost every alternative therapy that Cherie, Nancy, Hillary, and Gloria have used. That’s because addressing and healing the spirit is a far better medicine than numbing the feelings that are wake-up calls to self-examination. Competent and respected alternative practitioners can help us gain new understanding.
The bioelectric shield pennant Mrs. Blair wears to counter electromagnetic frequencies (EMFS) is yet another approach that’s outright dismissed. Yet the theory that huge amounts of emfs bombard us daily, adding to the cumulative total load of insults that wear our bodies down, is intriguing. (Whether an emf shield is effective is speculative; who is going to conduct expensive, in-depth research to potentially discover we should scale back our use of computers, TVs, and clock radios — perhaps GE?)
So please know that if you’re looking for a refuge from the daily "in-your-face" business-as-usual media coverage that belittles the virtues of the many viable approaches to getting in touch with yourself, you can count on Conscious Choice’s editorial and advertising content to support your journey of self-discovery.
Given the choice between staying stuck or breaking free to new growth, I’ll opt for the road to Touchy-feely any day. — Rebecca Ephraim