Stay in Touch

by Dr. David Sanders

When I heard that Weight Watchers filed for bankruptcy it gave new meaning to the idiom “going belly up.” What was the cause of its demise? Weight Watchers, as has been the methodology of so many health-related initiatives, was based on human connection, the camaraderie and support of seeing and being seen, week after week, by people working to accomplish the same challenging change. What is replacing the group experience are the newer appetite suppressant medications and individual on-line tools.

The convenience and effectiveness of a do-it-yourself approach to weight loss is a sign of the times. Those who consider human connection to be essential for lasting change to occur are simply “out of touch.”

Metaphorically, we use the word “touch” to connote closeness because we all learned that beyond being seen or heard is the intimacy of physical connection. Hugs, kisses or caress are the physical correlates of when we truly feel heard and seen on the deepest level and when we are being in-touch with our whole self.

There are times when we must go it alone, break away from a herd mentality to forge our own creative paths. In the end though, we are not lone humans, we are pack animals with interconnected souls. No doubt, spiritual gain, like weight loss, can be aided by medicines and on-line tools. The importance of in-person connections, the do -it -together method remains essential for spiritual growth.

That has been and will continue to be our core methodology at Kabbalah Experience. As we prepare for our 20^th year celebration on June 5^th know that while we see and hear you, the hidden ingredient is the deep connections formed through group learning. It our way of “staying in touch.”