Windhorse Community Services

Home-Based Recovery of Mental Health, Inc.

Journal entry 036: Like Oxygen

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Dear Friends, 

Tsewa is a Tibetan word that we explored in Windhorse Journal entries 009, 010, 024 and 025—with the guidance of Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Tsewa can be most simply described as the warmth and tenderness we feel toward others. Rinpoche encourages us to see tsewa as an experience we should cherish and one we should learn to trust as the skill most responsible for assuring our own happiness and the happiness of others. Kongtrul Rinpoche’s thoughts and instructions on the topic are far from simplistic, but rather deeply reasoned and profoundly potent in the face of the polarity, conflict, distrust and meanness that many of us perceive in today’s social interaction. He compares Tsewa to oxygen—as something fundamental and essential to our well being: “. . . our lungs always yearn for oxygen, our heart always yearns to be open, to give and receive tsewa.” [Read more…]

Journal Entry 031: Radical Self Acceptance: the Practice of Maitri Space Awareness, Pt 1

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Jeremy Ellis, Kathy Emery, Anne Marie DiGiacomo, and Daniel Green

Dear Friends,

Maitri Space Awareness practice, as described in this Podcast, has played a very significant role in my personal and professional life and development.

I was first introduced to this view and practice at the (then) Naropa Institute in the summer of 1977. The class was taught by Marvin Casper who—as indicated in the Podcast—was instrumental in the early therapeutic development and application of the work with these practices and in the subsequent development of such practices as a key element in the training of Contemplative psychotherapists. This was my introduction to meditation and Space Awareness practice… [Read more…]

Journal Entry 021: Taking “Faith” Apart – Part 1 of a dialogue with Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel

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Chuck Knapp, Elizabeth Namgyel, and Gretchen Kahre

Dear Friends,

In our previous post, WJ 020, we shared an excerpt from the recent book, The Logic of Faith, by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, Buddhist teacher/ student, writer, and long-time friend of WCS. Because of our contemplative roots, we often seek out the wisdom of those who ardently pursue the spiritual path of Dharma (i.e. teachings of the Buddha) to provide inspiration for our work. This post features part 1 of a conversation about that word “faith”—the discomfort and misapprehension it gives rise to. Elizabeth is joined by Gretchen Kahre (Windhorse Senior Clinician, and Elizabeth’s fellow student and close friend), and Chuck Knapp (Windhorse Co-Director). Besides allowing us to hear about Elizabeth’s initiation and evolution as a student/teacher of the Dharma, the dialogue invites us to reconsider our understanding of faith… [Read more…]

Journal Entry 009: Training in Tenderness, A Guide to Tsewa, the Openness of Heart That Can Change the World 

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Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Dear Readers,

You’re in for a real treat with this week’s offering. What follows is a selection from the Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s new book, Training In Tenderness. This is one of those rare dharma gems that speaks from the deepest roots of human sanity and intelligence, while being accessible and immediately applicable to our day-to-day lives. Considering the difficulty of finding reference points of clarity amidst the powerful and often conflicting torrents of our daily experiences, not to mention within our social and political environments, these teachings could not be more timely.

Please note that today’s offering is a prelude for part one of a podcast that Rinpoche recorded with us, which will be published on July 20th…

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Journal Entry 008: Integrating Community Programs into Home-based Services & Windhorse Clinical Practice

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This is part one of a series. Be sure to listen to Podcast below named “Samantha’s Song”
There is strong research pointing to the effectiveness of meaningful activity, employment and social involvement inthe recovery process of people with mental health challenges,and these aspects can be addressed and fostered within the Home-based services at Windhorse Community Services (WCS)as part of the Recovery Plan. In recent years, and in response to the wishes of families and clients, Community Programs (CP) was created to offer structured programs that enhance social opportunities amongst the Windhorse larger community and provide more formalized supported employment and educational services… [Read more…]