AOL Intensive Course for depressive women, Tulkarem Palestine, February/March 2010 Teacher: Ulla Sandbaek, Denmark AOL in Palestine Report from an intensive.

AOL Intensive Course for depressive women, Tulkarem Palestine, February/March 2010

Teacher: Ulla Sandbaek, Denmark

AOL in Palestine Report from an intensive course

February – March 2010



The goal of Art of Living is to put a smile on every body´s face



We just love to start the day with yoga

The interpreter in front also shows the yoga postures



The breath of joy



The 3 stage pranayama breathing is relaxing and gives a sensation of happiness



The breath of bhastrika removes all the toxins from the body



The breath of bhastrika removes all the toxins from the body



To share knowledge is an important part of the course



Breathing takes a lot of effort - so it is good also to be allowed to relax

Listening to a life story



Make sure you get my boots on the photo!!!

Don't show my socks !!!



We will always be friends

No doubt that we owe it all to our beloved Sri Sri Ravishankar



Farewell party at Ulla´s house



After one month of Art of Living's intensive course these womens lives were changed for ever



Bechs Depression Test

Total result of the AOL Intensive CourseQuestions 1 - 21

Total repondents: 7All questions

1st test 2nd test 3rd test

Level 0 39% 60% 95%

Level 1 25% 22% 5%

Level 2 25% 16% 0%

Level 3 11% 2% 0%

Method: All respondents evaluations are added together for each level and shown as percentages for each test




Total repondents: 7Question 1:


0: I do not feel sad 5 5 7

1: I feel sad 2 1

2: I feel sad all the time and I can´t snap out of it.

3:I am so sad and unhappy that I can´t stand it



0: I am not particulary discouraged about the future

0 2 7

1: I feel discouraged about the future

2 3

2: I feel I have nothing to look forward to

5 2

3: I feel the future is hopeless and things can not improve



0: I do not feel like a failure 5 6

1: I feel I have failed more than average person

3 1

2: As I look back on my life, all I can see is a lot of failures

3 2

3: I feel I am a complete failure as a person

1



0: I get as much satisfaction out of things as I used to

4 2 6

1: I don´t enjoy things the way as I used to

2 2 1

2: I don´t get real satisfaction out of anything anymore

3

3: I am dissatisfied or bored with everything

1






0: I don´t feel particularly guilty 3 3 7

1: I feel guilty a good part of the time

3 1

2: I feel quite guilty most of the time

3

3: I fell guilty all of the time 1



0: I don´t feel I am being punished

3 7

1: I feel I may be punished 2 3

2: I expect to be punished 2 1

3: I feel I am being punished 3



0: I don´t feel disapointed in myself

3 5 7

1: I am disappinted in my self

2: I am disgusted with myself 4 2

3: I hate myself



0: I don´t feel I am any worse than anybody else

4 5 7

1: I am critical of myself for my weaknesses or mistakes

2: I blame myself all the time for my faults

1 2

3: I blame myself for everything bad that happens

2





1st test 2nd test

3rd test

0: I don´t have any thoughts of killing myself

7 7 7

1: I have thoughts of killing myself, but I would not carry them out

2: I would like to kill myself

3: I would kill myself if I had the chance



0: I don´t cry any more than usual 4 3 6

1: I cry more than I used to 1

2: I cry all the time now 2

3 :I used to be able to cry, but now I can´t even though I want to

3 2


1st test 2nd test

3rd test

0: I am no more irritated by things than I ever was

3 6 7

1: I am slightly more irritated now than usual

1 1

2: I am quite annoyed or irritated a good deal of the time

3

3: I feel irritated all the time



0: I have not lost interest in other people

3 5 7

1: I am less interested in other people than I used to be

1 1

2: I have lost most of my interest in other people

2

3: I have lost all of my interest in other people

1 1






0: I make decisions about as well as I ever could

4 4 7

1: I put off making decisions about more than I used to

2

2: I have greater difficulty in making decisions more than I used to

1 1

3: I can´t make decisions at all anymore

2



0: I don´t feel that I look any worse than I used to

4 7 7

1: I am worried that I am looking old or unattractive

1

2: I feel that there are permanent changs in my appearance that make me look unattractive

2

3: I believe that I look ugly



0: I can work about as well as before

2 5 6

1: It takes an extra effort to get started at doing something

2 2 1

2: I have to push myself very hard to do anything

3

3: I can´t do any work at all



0: I can sleep as well as usual 5

1: I don´t sleep as well as I used to

5 7 2

2: I wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual and find it hard to get back to sleep

2

3: I wake up several hours earlier than I used to and cannot get back to sleep






0: I don´t get more tired than usual

2 6 7

1: I get tired more easily than I used to

1 1

2: I get tired from doing almost anything

3

3: I am too tired to do anything 1



0: My appetite is no worse than usual

1 6

1: My appetite is not as good as it used to be

5 6 1

2: My appetite is much worse now

2

3: I have no appetite at all anymore



0: I haven´t lost much weight, if any, lately

2 4 7

1: I have lost more than five pounds

2 1

2: I have lost more than ten pounds

2 2

3: I have lost more than fifteen pounds

1


1st test

2nd test

3rd test

0: I am no more worried about my health than ususal

2 4 7

1: I am worried about physical problems such as aches and pains, or upset stomach, or constipation

3 1

2: I am worried about physical problems and it´s hard to think of much else

2 2

3: I am so worried about my physical problems that I cannot thin about anything else






0: I have not noticed any recent change in my interest in sex

5 6 7

1: I am less interested in sex than I used to be

2 1

2: I have almost no interest in sex

3: I have lost interest in sex completely



Statements from the participants

A: ” I used to be very stressed because I am always under pressure and I could only sleep a couple of hours at night. Now I do the breathing when I am under pressure. I do not worry about to-morrow and I sleep very well at night – this is worth more than millions.”

B: ” I used to be unhappy all the time also nervous and angry even when my kids asked

me for anything. That has changed . Now when one of my children ask me for something I will do it – may be only later but I will do it for sure.”

C: ”I had problems letting go of my feelings . I could not cry. But the last day of the course I

cried and all the hurt inside me got out. I cannot say that I am so happy now and have no problems but before the course a small problem would affect all my day and I would be sad and angry ,but now I say to myself why should I be angry because of a small stupid problem. I can see things in the right proportion now.”

D: ” I became a new person who sleep well, eat well and I am happy and relaxed and no

longer afraid to ask my father to allow me to do the things I want.”



Statements from the participants

E: ” My husband did everything he could to make me happy. But I used to have a spot inside which made me unhappy and angry all the time and without energy. That spot has disappeared . My husband wants me to do this course all the time because now I am happy and full of energy and can also make him and my children happy.”

F: ”I did not believe that this course could do anything for me at all and I only started the

course to prove that. I never could find one moment of happiness – not even with my children I only felt more devastated and desperate when I was with them and I used to carry a stick all the time and hit my children with it. I stopped that completely now and even if I still have a big sadness inside, when I am with my children now I can feel happy.”

G: ”I was so angry and I used to throw things and break them and also to hit people, but

since I began the course I did not break anything not even one glass – but I did hit Emthias once. I am so happy that I got to know everybody else in this course and hope we will continue to see each other.”



http://picasaweb.google.dk/sandbaek/Asmaa#

See the interview with Asmaa

http://picasaweb.google.dk/sandbaek/Asmaa

AOL Intensive Course for depressive women, Tulkarem Palestine, February/March 2010 Teacher: Ulla Sandbaek, Denmark AOL in Palestine Report from an intensive.

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