Research & Publication

11 June, 2015 Marayah Ayoub-Schreifeldt, ATOP Meaningfulworld United Nations Intern Dr. Ani Kalayjian, ATOP Meaningfulworld Founder and President      As attendees arrived at Meaningfulworld’s annual conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on 11 June they were greeted by an ambience that was warm, relaxing, and colorful thanks to fabrics from around the world, the glowing flicker of lit candles, and flowers in all the seven colors of our chakras. Participants greeted one another and expressed how comfortable and relaxed they felt as Tibetan chimes gently rang out in the background. The theme of the event was Transforming Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Divisionism: Nurturing Human Dignity & Ecological Harmony, which took place under the heading of Meaningfulworld’s annual Mind-Body-Eco-Spirit Festival. A very diverse audience of more than one hundred people attended, including United Nations delegates, academicians, government and non-governmental organizations, integrative healers, students, and alternative medicine practitioners. Meaningfulworld Intern Coordinator Raman Kaur welcomed everyone and invited all assembled to observe a moment of silence for reflection and grounding. Then she introduced Dr. Kalayjian as the Founder and President of the Association. In order to start the event off on a loving note, Dr. Kalayjian recited one of her poems called “Let Love Transform You.” After her moving poem, Peter Maniscalco preformed a shamanic drumming meditation while Manny from YogaFit demonstrated yoga movements. The audience was encouraged to participate, and many gladly did so.      Dr. Kalayjian then announced the Integrative Healing Panel, which opened with Lama Rangbar Nyimai Ozer, President and Founder of Bodihivastu Foundation for Enlightened Activity, who led the audience in a peaceful mediation. After everyone had experienced a deep sense of relaxation through this meditation, the panel continued with Alex Simmons’ presentation on transforming ethnic stereotypes through comic book writing and illustration. He spoke about how people are represented in stereotypical ways in comic books and how this impacts children negatively. He suggested that by stopping ethnic stereotyping in comics, discrimination could be prevented in our everyday lives. His passionate talk was followed by Dr. Kalayjian’s informative presentation on the 7-Step Integrative Healing Model. She talked about different traumas that have occurred throughout history and how they impact us generationally, and she ended her talk by stating that one should always be cautious of one’s actions, because they will affect the next seven generations. Each panelist was very passionate and enthusiastic about his or her topic, which generated a very positive atmosphere. Throughout the panel the audience was very attentive and gestures of agreement showed a very strong level of involvement.      After the presentations a film of Meaningfulworld’s Humanitarian Mission in Haiti was shown, which was timely since the Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Team is getting ready to leave for Haiti again on 19 June. During the networking break participants enjoyed the beautifully arranged and delicious food buffet. The break was followed by the graduation of Meaningfulworld’s Ambassadors: Renoude Charles, Ramandeep Kaur, Kathy Orchen, Yasmin Quaddoumi, Michael Reda, Lorraine Simmons, Susan Smith, Natalia Tomassini, Pamela Timmins, and Jean Weiss. All of the graduates offered up a short reflection on what is meaningful in their lives and how the training program impacted them, and they all thanked Meaningfulworld and Dr. Kalayjian for such a beautiful experience and expressed how transformative the journey had been.        After each graduate received a diploma, Lorne Schussel, PhD candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, led the group in the “Best Self Meditation,” which was very uplifting and empowering.       Dr. Barbara Wallace presented the keynote address on New Unified Health Psychology for Healing Global Trauma from Racism and/or Oppression: Integrating African and Indigenous Perspectives. Before the closing, Dr. Kalayjian opened up the floor for questions from the audience, during which many asked where they could continue practicing the meditations and yoga that were presented during the panel. To conclude the proceedings Dr. Kalayjian led the group in the Heart-to-Heart Circle of Gratitude and Love, bringing all the participants together into a form of meditation circle with Native American drumming provided by Ohstonha Ohskennonoton.       The festival was very well received by the participants. One attendee, Dr. Sharma, shared her experience: “I really enjoyed your conference and my students gained a new perspective on the UN. It was a great mélange of East-West therapies.” One of Meaningfulworld’s members also expressed tremendous gratitude: “Thank you for the wonderful graduation experience, it had me in tears! My guest, Harry Kendall, thought it was magical. He is an 82-year-old yoga instructor who commented, ‘The conference healed the old man’s soul!’”       Our next event is on 25 July, a “Pamper Yourself Party” in Dr. Ani’s Peace and Forgiveness Garden.

Designate the month of April as Genocide Remembrance and Prevention Month Commemorating Centennial of Ottoman Turkish Genocide of Armenians and Other Christian minorities Dear Friends and Members of the Global Community, We have started the petition “Barack Obama, United States Congress, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN General Assembly: Designate month of April as Genocide Awareness and Remembrance Month” and need your help to get it off the ground. We appreciate any help with distribution and promotion of the petition. Please feel free to express your creative impulse that you might have to achieve the goal. Let’s unite to make a change! Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here’s the link: http://lnk.nu/change.org/1e13f Here’s why it’s important: The word genocide conjures fear and horror every time it is uttered. “Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; forcibly transferring children of one group to another group.” This is genocide as it is defined by United Nation General Assembly in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948. Genocide is methodical extermination and persecution. It is the deprivation of human dignity on an unimaginable scale. President Barack Obama has said that genocide is a “stain on our souls.” How can we stand for such atrocity? Yet, throughout history, we have seen this crime against humanity perpetrated over and over again: Indigenous People, African Americans, Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Holocaust, Holodomor, Rape of Nanking, Herero and Namaqua of South- West Africa, Cambodian, Bosnian, Rwan1) da, Darfur… “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” Albert Einstein The 100-year commemoration of Ottoman Turkish Genocide of Armenians, Greeks and other Christian minorities is in April, 2015. Every year, wounds are re-opened. Like so many others, the Armenian genocide is still not recognized by the international community. The world community can no longer turn a blind eye. We must not let the mistakes of the past be repeated. We must unite against all genocide. “Pain that is not transformed will be transferred to next generations.” Anonymous We have the power to promote dignity and break this shameful pattern. Let us educate one another and put an end to atrocities. We propose: 1. To recognize April as genocide awareness month to promote public education about the devastating effects of genocides like those in Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Greece, China, Armenia, Rwanda, Germany, DR Congo, the United States and countless other countries (as was legislated in Minnesota, Texas, California, and New Hampshire states). 2. To establish April 24 in our calendars as a Remembrance Day commemorating all victims of genocide with deep commitment to prevention as a national and international holiday. On behalf of those who are no longer with us to speak out against those atrocities, let us unite to transform our lives and open our hearts to lessons learned, to forgiveness, to empathy. Please dare to speak up. Let your voice join thousands of others. Sign the petition to reaffirm your love for humanity and peace. You can sign my petition by clicking here http://lnk.nu/change.org/1e13f. With Love, MeaningfulWorld “When one helps another, BOTH become stronger” “The healing can occur through forgiveness even in the absence of the perpetrator’s remorse, and through finding a deeper meaning in even the worst experiences, and mindfully being vigilant to prevent future Genocides.” – Dr. Ani Kalayjian (2008)  

      OnWednesday, December 19th, 2012, Dr. Ani Kalayjian, founder and president of the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention/ Meaningfulworld, will appear on an edition of Open, hosted by Daren Jaime. Dr. Kalayjian will discuss the trauma of the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut that occurred the prior Friday, as well as her work with victims of trauma and survivors from around the globe. Dr. Kalayjian was also interviewed this past Sunday with ABC Channel 7 regarding the school massacre of 26 elementary aged children and 6 adults in Newtown. Known as an internationally recognized expert on mass trauma, Dr. Kalayjian has been committed to healing survivors locally and internationally, has served on United Nation panels, and has been a psychology professor at Fordham University. The segment will air live on December 19th, 2012 from 10am-11am on BronxNet Television 67 and Verizon Fios Channel 33.

Winter 2014-15 newsletter

ATOP Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Outreach Certificate Project to Romania: Ancestral Healing and Meaning-Making Utilizing the Biopsychosocial and Eco-Spiritual Model Training Pre-press release, Sept 2011 Written by Georgiana Sofletea While Romania has a long history of oppressive rule by unjust empires, the massive traumatic impact felt by the people currently living in Romania began in the 20th century. Both World Wars took an immense toll on the Romanian population, with the number of combined deaths and collateral victims reaching almost 2 million losses. After the World Wars Romania was dismembered, and it underwent a territorial restructuring that forced the deportation and relocation of many people. What followed was the oppressive and unforgiving Communist regime, decapitating the country’s political, military, religious, spiritual, business, and intellectual elite. This was a veritable genocide, with many people killed, taken to prison and tortured, pushed into forced labor, and brainwashed and turned against one another. While official reports state there were 350,000 victims of the communist regime in Romania, other sources are claiming that there were 2–3 million victims. Currently generational trauma is evident in the high rate of imprisonment, widespread alcoholism, high rate of domestic violence, and high rate of chronic medical, and possibly mental, illnesses. Our organization, the Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld, a New York–based international humanitarian charitable organization (501 (c)(3)) affiliated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations, is devoted to fostering a just, peaceful, and meaningful world. It has collaborated with many organizations to bring rehabilitation programs to more than 29 humanitarian empowerment, educational, and rehabilitation programs around the world, in locations such as Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Our mission in Bucharest, Romania, will focus on Ancestral Healing and Meaning-Making. We are collaborating with Mr. Aurel Mocanu, the Chemarea Sufletului Center, the Spiru Haret University, the Catedra de Psihologie Universitate Lucian Blaga din Sibiu, as well as the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian community in Romania. We will be working with a wide variety of professionals who are passionate about self-healing before healing others, who wish to learn the Biopsychosocial and Eco-Spiritual Modeland heal the many Romanians who are suffering from generational trauma. We have the experience, expertise, the passion, and the commitment to make a difference. The ATOP team members who will travel to Romania are: Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Founder and President of ATOP, who has devoted her life to bringing healing to those who have survived the devastation of disasters; and Georgiana Sofletea, Meaningfulworld Intern, Counseling Psychology Masters student at Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City, who has a strong interest in trauma prevention and disaster rehabilitation and is originally from Romania. Our goals are to teach professionals ancestral healing, peace-building, meaning-making, and forgiveness so that together we can help the Romanian people heal their emotional and psychospiritual wounds, which have resulted from years of communist oppression, conflict, poverty, discrimination, and displacement. This process will be based on Dr. Kalayjian’s CD From War to Peace: Transforming Generational Trauma into Healing. We aim to help people understand the impact of the past on our present through psycho-education, healing groups, and mind-body-eco-spirit integrative modalities. We will train psychologists, social workers, nurses, and legal and spiritual practitioners. This helps create empowered, centered, and healthy communities that are able to transform generationally transmitted trauma by cultivating a new worldview. Furthermore, we wish to foster dialogue for conflict transformation and peace-building through practicing forgiveness. We need your passion and volunteer spirit! Come spend two weeks to make a difference in your life as well as in the lives of hundreds of people. Your generous tax-deductible donations are vital to make this ATOP of Meaningfulworld humanitarian outreach project a success. Our first team will depart September 27, 2011. Tax-deductible donations can be made via check made out to ATOP, or PayPal (visit www.meaningfulworld.com for more details). Kindly mail your check out to ATOP, 135 Cedar St, Cliffside Park, NJ, 07010. Those in Romania kindly visit: http://www.chemareasufletului.ro, http://www.salutbucuresti.ro/planoras/swf_map.htm?-8531&-7960

Does Weather Really Affect Our Mood? How to protect your brain from the winter blahs By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness January 22, 2009 Ask a child to draw two pictures—one on a rainy day and a second in the sunshine—and you pretty much know what to expect. In the first, as blue raindrops fall from the top of the page, the stick figure behind the window is frowning. When a yellow sun beams from the corner, the stick man is smiling, with his scrawny arms in the air and colorful flowers at his feet. Even his stick dog wears a grin.That rain is gloom and sunshine happiness is metaphorical rather than scientific, though it rings true because we humans are inherently sympathetic to our environment. But we are not its victims. Barring a mood disorder, our emotions are not casualties of the weather. The rain can be guilty by association, but not causation.Why? Because we are free to make choices that either better our disposition or worsen it. Temperament vs. temperature Since the early 1970s, around the time B. J. Thomas sang “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” researchers have sought to confirm a relationship between weather and temperament. Predictably, the lion’s share of studies correlate a low mood—episodic depression, lack of vigor—with high humidity and limited exposure to sunshine. Spirits tend to rise with increased time in the sun and higher barometric pressure. More recently, in October of 2008, a group of European researchers examinedthe impact of six different daily weather factors—temperature, wind, sunlight, precipitation, air pressure, and length of day—on more than 1,200 participants from Germany, most of them women. Contrary to most prior research, the study’s central conclusion was that the average effect of “good” weather on positive mood was minimal. Windy, cool, and darker days seemed to have just a slight negative effect on mood, with many subjects reporting that they felt tired or sluggish.Though the study is ambitious and offers a new perspective on research on weather’s relationship to mood, it strains to draw a consensus. From the range of responses the study’s subjects recorded in their journaling, the researchers determined in the end that “people differ in their sensitivity to daily weather changes.” Sunny day, dreaming the clouds away Some people’s emotions are simply more vulnerable to weather changes than others. Someone prone to a low mood on dark, cold days will likely experience a depressive winter when there’s a prolonged string of like-weathered days. This propensity is the basis of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). However, most people are no more emotionally powerless against the weather than they are unable to put on a hat. Ani Kalayjian, Ed.D., R.N., professor of psychology at Fordham University in New York, advises that we “can and should take proactive steps to strengthen the [brain’s] system” against weather-driven mood changes. “We encourage people to take charge of their feelings,” says Dr. Kalayjian. Her self-help recommendations for SAD sufferers are applicable to anyone who wants to put a little sunshine in his or her step. “Do things that make you feel good, like listening to uplifting music or reading a good novel. Look at pictures from a vacation—and if you can, take a vacation to a warm place.” All of the tried-and-true methods of mood improvement and stress management apply as well, including getting regular exercise, moderating alcohol intake, and meditating.”Feelings are transient; we can change them, transform them into positive,” concludes Dr. Kalayjian. You may not be able to will the sun to break through overcast skies, but you can empower yourself to break through an emotional cloud. A prescription for seasonal moodiness In terms of psychology, grey skies fall into a grey area. Physiologically, though, we do reckon with weather conditions—sunlight, in particular—in direct and measurable ways.Research on SAD has been focused on the brain’s response to darkness and light, as the condition has been linked to the shortened daylight hours of winter. When our eyes detect darkness, a small gland in the brain called the pineal releases melatonin, which establishes sleep cycles. When we detect light, melatonin production subsides and its cheerier hormonal sibling, serotonin, takes over to promote wakefulness and help elevate mood. (The word serotonin is rooted in serum + tonic, so it’s like an elixir for happiness. Melatonin is the mel or “black” tonic, for darkness.)For most of us who aren’t suffering from SAD, the prescription for moodiness is straightforward.“We tell people to take advantage of the sunny days,” says Kalayjian. “Leave the computers and the indoor games and get out there in the sun. That’s when they can recharge their batteries—recharge their serotonin—and maintain higher mood.” A day of rain can potentially soak your plans and temporarily dampen your mood. But don’t forget what B. J. sang: That doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red / Cryin’s not for me….Because I’m free.  Does Weather really Affect Our Mood?  by Rich Maloof January 22, 2009

Dr. Kalayjian was interviewed on ABCnews.go.com regarding the recent financial disaster impacting us all directly or indirectly.  The article is entitled: Facing Loss in Financial or Natural Disasters. Here is a link to the story: ABC News Story.