Specialists in Personal Development.

Galway Newspaper, February 2003

Negative stress is the single biggest cause of disease on the planet.  It is endemic in our western culture and comes as part of the price of progress.  It is important to understand the difference between negative and positive stress.  Stress  performs a positive function when it helps us achieve  goals and operate beyond our normal levels.  The vast majority of us, however, all to readily feel the symptoms of negative stress, the feelings of being "out of control", beyond our comfort zone and not able to cope.  The New England Journal of Medicines statistics are that stress causes an increase in cancer of 550% and an increase in heart disease and stroke of 470% - this is twice the rate of increase in these diseases as that of smoking!  Just think of the huge amounts of money spent on the stop smoking campaigns as opposed to the negligible budgets (if the exist at all) devoted to stress reduction.  If emotional intelligence was emphasised more in our society, 80% of our health problems would be alleviated (M.I.T statistic).

The situation is getting out of control, with spiralling depression and suicides;  the speed of change in our environment is phenomenal and will only escalate as we become more and more of a global village.  The faster the change, the more potential for stress as change brings with it perceived lack of security.  In the rush to this super information age we have lost much that used to keep us grounded; families fragment and communities get trappled into urban  sprawl leaving youth at a loss and often deeply troubled.

Many self-help programmes are too simplistic, believing that a positive mental attitude is all that is required when a deeper look into the way our minds work is needed.  Most of our stresses are caused by our perception that we have needs that are not being met. Teaching people to recognise this is a simple and often life transforming process.  Our system of education is prioritised incorrectly.  We are not taught about our thought process and the emotions these thoughts evoke;  yet, these emotions shape our lives.  Time Magazine call our brain "the greatest feat of engineering in the known universe".....  Do you feel like you possess something as grand as that?  If not, maybe it's time you learnt how to drive your "carbon computer" and become empowered to live a fuller, more exciting life.

Prior to our weekend seminars, the Mindlink Foundation gives free introductory evenings for those who would like to explore this untapped potential.