Dr. Brian Alman, PH.D. expands the horizons of his “less stress” message
Encinitas resident Dr. Brian Alman, PH.D. traveled to India to share his insights on mind-body healing at ashrams.
He posed a persistent question to the many esteemed teachers he encountered: What is enlightenment?
“The very last guru I met asked me, ‘How do you define enlightenment?’” Alman said. “I said, ‘Well, you feel like you’re above it all, you feel comfortable all the time, you can handle any stress, you’re relaxed, you’re very open and creative.
“He said, ‘Oh, no, no. That’s not what enlightenment is. And I thought to myself, ‘Uh oh, What is it?’ He said, ‘Enlightenment is unconditional acceptance of yourself.’
“And I said, ‘Wow, holy moly! I’ve been teaching that for decades. All my books are about that.’”
Among the numerous volumes Alman has authored, his latest release is “Menos Estrés para Niños: Un programa físico y mental para ayudar a niños de todas las edades a relajarse y manejar el estrés”.
It is a Spanish translation of “Less Stress for Kids: A Mind-Body Program to Help Kids of All Ages Relax and Let Go.”
Like all of Alman’s books, talks and consultations, the goal is to spread his panoply of techniques to help people of all ages conquer their fears and anxieties.
“We have a big purpose here, which is improving mental health, which is obviously physical, emotional, and family health, for everybody in the world,” Alman said in a recent interview at his office in the Encinitas community of Leucadia.
“That’s one of our big goals — to get everything we’re doing into the work places, to employers to help their employees and to get it to their employees so they can bring it home and help themselves, because it helps the bottom line.
“Happy employees are more present when they’re not absent. They have less medical visits, they have less workman’s comp, less disability. When you’re healthy and happy, you’re just a more productive and happier employee.
“We also want to get (our message) into the school system because the happier the teachers and the staff, the happier the students will be. That will have a ripple and positive domino effect to the families, siblings, parents and grandparents.”
Much of the approach stems from the groundbreaking Adverse Childhood Experiences Study pioneered by Dr. Vincent Felitti, who works with Alman.
The study asks respondents a series of questions probing experiences that have negatively affected their development.
“We learned in the ACE study that most of the problems people have come from their upbringing and childhood,” Alman said.
As part of the effort to expand popularity of the Spanish version of “Less Stress for Kids,” Alman said he attempted to narrate an audio rendition.
“I thought I would try to do the Spanish and so I did a little sample, and I tested it front of friends and colleagues that know me very well and have read all of my works.
“We got together and I played them the recording of me doing one section of the first chapter in Spanish. And they couldn’t stop laughing. They were hysterical. They were crying. They had bellyaches. Their faces hurt.
“And I said, ‘Why, Why Why?’ They said, “We’ve never heard somebody speak broken Spanish with a Boston accent. It is the funniest thing we’ve ever heard.
“That was humiliating and a valuable lesson at the same time.”
Alman gave up on the idea of translating “Less Stress for Kids” on his own and brought in various Spanish speakers to translate the book into audio.
“We had people record and help with the writing from many different countries that speak Spanish as their primary language.
“We even had people from South America so we could make sure that the writing was culturally sensitive and the voice was culturally in tune with Spanish-speaking countries and regions.”
Both in English and Spanish, “Less Stress for Kids” offers 36 chapters on how to cope with and reduce worries. Each chapter is accompanied by an assignment encouraging readers to write or draw about their experiences with the techniques.
Information on the book, Alman’s other publications and an Internet application on stress-reducing techniques can be found at drbrianalman.com.
“All of the techniques in the books are approximately five minutes each,” Alman said. “They get right into it. They’re experiential, interactive, enjoyable, relaxing. You never feel worse before you feel better. You start feeling better right away. Everybody says, ‘I’ve never felt this confident or this relaxed before.’
“(Parents say) thank you so much. My kid is doing so much better, not just socially, but also academically, and is happier, sleeping better, eating better, joining more activities and doing better in their sports from all of this…
“So whether it’s the books or the app, the programs are helping helping small-sized kids, medium-sized kids and grown-up sized kids. It makes a big difference right away.”
Article Source: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/06/30/local-doctors-new-book-reaches-out-to-spanish-speakers/