University of California@San Diego Patient Advisory Group (UCSD PAG)

Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky - Stress, Neurodegeneration And Individual Differences

2011-03-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

The Grass Traveling Scientist Program presents Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky of Stanford University's Dept. of Biological Sciences in a seminar sponsored by the Dept. of VCAPP and the Northern Rocky Mtn. Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.

Magnesium: The most powerful relaxation mineral available...

2011-03-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

Cognitive Psychology for Hackers

2011-01-06T02:47:00.000-08:00

Experience firsthand some of the most interesting, surprising, and perspective-changing findings from cognitive and social neuropsychology. With perceptual illusions, priming, biases, heuristics, and unconscious influences, humans have tons of firmware "bugs". All have exploits; some even have patches.

Learn how to improve your own thinking, use others' bugs to your advantage, and gain new perspective on the unconscious and often illusory processes involved in your perceptions.

This interactive talk goes through as many interesting, surprising, perspective-changing findings from the cognitive sciences as I can fit in one hour while ensuring that as much as possible has a real, live demonstration that the audience participates in (rather than merely being told about).

It's not just a collection of 'stupid human tricks' (though I'll be using lots of those for examples); this is a coherent narrative about surprising ways in which humans are flawed, how these aren't just things that happen to "other people", and how one might go about improving the situation at least for oneself. Every point will be supported by good science, with references to papers for those who care to read up more about them.

7 Quick Tips to Avoid a Meltdown By Therese J. Borchard

2010-12-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

7 Quick Tips to Avoid a Meltdown

By Therese J. Borchard

When you feel like strangling the guy in front of you at Target, read these 7 Quick Ways to Calm Down, I laughed at the art that went with it because, well, I sort of looked like that the other day.
I needed a reminder of them, and I thought maybe you could use one too.
1. Walk Away
Know your triggers. If a conversation about global warming, consumerism, or the trash crisis in the U.S. is overwhelming you, simply excuse yourself. If you’re noise-sensitive and the scene at Toys-R-Us makes you want to throw whistling Elmo and his buddies across the store, tell your kids you need a time-out. (Bring along your husband or a friend so you can leave them safely, if need be.) My great-aunt Gigi knew her trigger points, and if a conversation or setting was getting close to them, she simply put one foot in front of another, and departed.

2. Close Your Eyes
Gently let the world disappear, and go within to regain your equilibrium. Ever since my mom came down with blepharospasm (a neurological tick of the eyelid), I’ve become aware of how important shutting our eyes is to the health of the nervous system. The only treatment available for this disorder is to have surgery that permanently keeps your eyelids open (you need to moisten them with drops, etc.). Such a condition would be living hell for my mom, because in closing her eyes she regains her balance and proper focus.
The only time I recommend not using this technique is on the road (if you’re driving).
3. Find Some Solitude
This can be challenging if you are at work, or at home with kids as creative and energetic as mine. But we all need some private time to let the nervous system regenerate.
I must have known this back in college, because I opted for a tiny single room (a nun’s closet, quite literally), rather than going in on a larger room with a closet big enough to store my sweaters. When three of my good friends begged me to go in with them on a killer quad, I told them, “Nope. Can’t do it. Need my alone time, or else none of you would want to be around me. Trust me.”
My senior year I went to the extent of pasting black construction paper on the window above my door so no one would know if I was there, in order to get the hours of solitude that I needed.
Be creative. Find your space. Any way you can. Even it involves black construction paper.
4. Go Outside
This is a true lifesaver for me. I need to be outside for at least an hour every day to get my sanity fix. Granted, I’m extremely lucky to be able to do so as a stay-at-home mom. But I think I would somehow work it into my schedule even if I had to commute into the city every day.
Even if I’m not walking or running or biking or swimming, being outside calms me in a way that hardly anything else can. With an hour of nature, I go from being a bossy, opinionated, angry, cynical, uptight person into a bossy, opinionated, cynical, relaxed person. And that makes the difference between having friends and a husband to have dinner with and a world that tells me to go eat a frozen dinner by myself because they don’t want to catch whatever grumpy bug I have.
5. Find Some Water
While watching Disney’s “Pocahontas” the other day with my daughter Katherine (yes, I do get some of my best insights from cartoons), I observed the sheer joy the main character shows upon paddling down the river, singing about how she is one with the water. It reminded me of how universal the mood effects of water are, and how healing.
On the rainy or snowy days that I can’t walk the double stroller over to our local creeks, I do something the global-warming guys say not to; take a long shower, imagining that I am in the middle of a beautiful Hawaiian rain forest.
“Water helps in many ways,” writes Elaine Aron. “When overaroused, keep drinking it–a big glass of it once an hour. Walk beside some water, look at it, listen to it. Get into some if you can, for a bath or a swim. Hot tubs and hot springs are popular for good reasons.”
6. Breathe Deeply
Breathing is the foundation of sanity, because it is the way we provide our brain and every other vital organ in our body with the oxygen needed for us to survive. Breathing also eliminates toxins from our systems.
Years ago, I learned the “Four Square” method of breathing to reduce anxiety:
1. Breathe in slowly to a count of four.
2. Hold the breath for a count of four.
3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips to a count of four.
4. Rest for a count of four (without taking any breaths).
5. Take two normal breaths.
6. Start over again with number one.
7. Listen to Music
Across the ages, music has been used to soothe and relax. During the worst months of my depression, I blared the soundtrack of “The Phantom of the Opera.” Pretending to be the phantom with a cape and a mask, I twirled around our living room, swinging my kids in my arms. I belted out every word of “The Music of the Night.”
“Softly, deftly, music shall caress you, Feel it, hear it, secretly possess you…”
The gorgeous song–like all good music–could stroke that tender place within me that words couldn’t get to.

Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, "Beyond Blue," on Beliefnet.com and is author of "Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes" and "The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit." Subscribe to Beyond Blue here or visit her at www.ThereseBorchard.com.

Are You Highly Emotionally Sensitive?

2010-11-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

People who are highly sensitive to emotions often experience the world as unsafe and feel helpless. When you’re emotionally sensitive you’re frequently overcome by emotion and have trouble tolerating emotional pain.

Click here to read more and contribute your success strategies ...

Via: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Understood

What is "Normal"?

2010-10-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

"The real hopeless victims of mental illness are to be found among those who appear to be most normal. Many of them are normal because they are so well adjusted to our mode of existence, because their human voice has been silenced so early in their lives, that they do not even struggle or suffer or develop symptoms as the neurotic does." They are normal not in what may be called the absolute sense of the word; they are normal only in relation to a profoundly abnormal society. Their perfect adjustment to that abnormal society is a measure of their mental sickness. These millions of abnormally normal people, living without fuss in a society to which, if they were fully human beings, they ought not to be adjusted."
— Aldous Huxley

Mental Earth Community is a peer to peer community...

2010-10-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

It is the mission and motto of Mental Earth Community (MEC) to provide support for people with mental illnesses / mental disorders, those recovering and those in remission as well as their families, friends and mental health providers in a Safe and Secure Environment.

Click HERE to access the forums, disscussions, chat, articles, links and more...

Bipolar Disorder and the Americans with Disabilities Act By Lynda McCullough

2010-10-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was amended in 2008 to include bipolar disorder as a covered condition.

The original 1988 law was designed to protect people with disabilities from discrimination in hiring, job assignments, promotions, firing, pay, layoffs, benefits and other employment-related activities. It states that if a disability causes impairment that “substantially limits” a person’s ability to handle “major life activities,” whether on or off the job, the employer must follow ADA rules in treating the disabled person.

Reasonable accommodations that employers must provide under the ADA may involve job restructuring, part-time or modified work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position, or adjusting examinations or policies. It may mean a change or adjustment to a job or work environment that permits an applicant or employee to participate in the application process, to perform the essential functions of a job or to obtain the benefits of employment that those without disabilities have.

To gain accommodations, an employee must disclose the fact that they have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (or another mental or physical disability) and make request for accommodations. Those who believe they have been discriminated against can report discrimination and file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The claim must be filed within 180 days from the date of the alleged violation or 300 days if the charge is also covered by state or local laws. The EEOC has an intake questionnaire to help you determine if you are eligible to file a charge. It can be filled out online or at the nearest EEOC office. Charges themselves cannot be filed online.

For ADA purposes, major life activities that may be limited by a mental health disorder could include learning, thinking, concentrating, interacting with others, caring for oneself, speaking, or performing manual tasks. Sleep also may be limited in such a way that daily activities are impaired.

Someone with bipolar disorder may temporarily experience “limits” to handling life activities. A deep bout of depression or insomnia may create a need for time off or for flexible hours. An individual may need time off for doctor appointments. In the daily work environment he or she may need a quieter work area to decrease stress and enhance concentration or more frequent breaks to take a walk or do a relaxation exercise. He or she may need office supplies to help them organize and focus more effectively.

To improve their work experience and productivity, individuals with bipolar disorder may need to create good structure to their day and to their eating and sleeping habits. They may need to develop special organizing behaviors and divide large assignments into smaller tasks. They will benefit from a firm schedule for work activities and rest, as well as strategies to manage stress and reduce distractions.

Disability by itself is not enough to be protected from job discrimination by the ADA. An individual must satisfy the employer’s requirements for the job, such as education, experience, skills or licenses. He or she must also be able to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations.

Employers may be exempted from ADA rules under several conditions including cost, disruption to business, or health and safety, but regardless of whether these conditions exist, employees still can file a claim with the EEOC. The company will have to prove its assertions of inability to provide reasonable accommodations to deny them legally.

Sources:

Psych Central bipolar disorder library
About.com bipolar resources
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Disclosing Your Disability To An Employer

Fish Oil Supplements 'Beat Psychotic Mental Illness'

2010-10-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

Taking a daily fish oil capsule can stave off mental illness in those at highest risk, trial findings suggest.

A three-month course of the supplement appeared to be as effective as drugs, cutting the rate of psychotic illness like schizophrenia by a quarter.
The researchers believe it is the omega-3 in fish oil - already hailed for promoting healthy hearts - that has beneficial effects in the brain.

The capsules are rich in omega-3

Young schizophrenic at her mind's mercy

2010-09-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

To read the story, go to http://tinyurl.com/msvvgm
January Schofield has schizophrenia. Potent psychiatric drugs in doses that would stagger most adults seem to skip off her. She is among the rarest of the rare: a child seemingly born mentally ill.

Controlling Anger

2010-09-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

The Nature of Anger

Anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage," according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline.

Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (Such as a coworker or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Dr. Robert Scaer on trauma and Brain State Technologies

2010-09-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

For Inspiration...

2010-09-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time". ~Andre Gide

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how". ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Chance is always powerful, let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish. ~Ovid

An Interesting Video from the '60s on Suicidal Behavior and Advice on Recognition and Intervention

2010-09-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

SUICIDE - THE UNHEARD CRY. Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Chief Signal Officer presents an analysis of suicidal personalities and the behavior patterns based in a military setting emphasizing that assistance can be offered to prevent suicide attempts.

Producer: National Archives and Records Administration. Creative Commons license: CC0 1.0 Universal

Welcome to Our Psychological Screening Tests and Quizzes By Dr Greg Mulhauser

2010-09-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our psychological quizzes are intended to be fun and educational, and they may help increase your awareness of particular experiences or of particular forms of psychological distress. They are not by themselves tools for diagnosing any type of health or mental health condition. All our quizzes are guaranteed to be scored by your own web browser: your answers are never transmitted to our server. As far as we're aware, this is the only mental health site on the internet that can make you that guarantee.

The range of psychological tests and quizzes we have available includes several for depression -- such as the CESD, the Goldberg, QIDS and more -- and several covering alcohol and drug use -- such as the CAGE, MAST, and DAST. Just check the submenu at the side of the page to see the full list of tests available.
Click anywhere in this sentence to get to the quiz site...

Via: Counseling Resource

Thoughts on the Link Between Mental Illness and Creativity: Case Study Being Vincent van Gogh By Christine Stapleton

2010-09-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

I love van Gogh – not just his paintings and drawings. I love his letters - hundreds and hundreds of letters in which he shares the minutia of his life – from impotence to absinthe. Gossip, advice, critique, paints, colors, hues, canvas, food, weather, God and his mental illness(es). Because the letters are dated it is possible to match a painting to a letter and hear van Gogh describe how he felt when he painted it – his state of mind and health. It as if van Gogh is the docent at his own exhibit.

Vincent van Gogh self portrait via public domain library

Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

via: Psyche Central

Self-Medication, Traumatic Reenactment, and Somatic Expression in Bulimic and Self-Mutilating by Sharon Klayman Farber, Ph.D., B.C.D.

2010-09-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

A psychoanalytic framework provided direction for research on the association between binge-purging (bulimic) and self-mutilating behaviors, comparing them for similarities and differences. The similarities in the multiple functions and psychosomatic processes served by these behaviors are presented, as well as the phenomenon of symptom substitution. Both behaviors tend to be practiced by those with severe personality and dissociative disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Both serve ego-compensatory needs in the absence of the adequate ability to regulate and modulate emotions, moods, and tensions. They may serve as compensatory attempts to differentiate self and object, define and differentiate body boundaries, master severe childhood trauma by means of psychophysiological addictive reenactments, and to express emotion.
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People who binge and purge and those who self-mutilate embody the theme of the 1995 conference, Mind, Memories, and Metaphors. Paradoxically, these apparently self-destructive behaviors have the capacity to alleviate psychic pain in some individuals, and serve other restorative, redemptive, cleansing and healing functions (Farber, 1995a). Lacking the ability to use metaphor or symbol to express emotion or unspeakable pain, their acts of self-harm may serve to narrate that which their minds cannot remember and their words cannot say. The author has come to know this from her years of clinical practice and from her research on the association between binge-purge behavior and self-mutilating behavior, a study which compares binge-purging behavior and self-mutilating behavior for similarities and differences (Farber, 1995a). The similarities in the multiple psychic functions and psychosomatic processes served by these behaviors will be presented, along with their implications for assessment, engagement, and countertransference.

Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: BDP Sanctuary

Beyond Blue: Self-Esteem File

2010-09-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

This person shares with you a few letters in her self-esteem file. To read more and comment, please click on the top Beliefnet banner to go to Beliefnet.com or go directly to 'Beyond Blue' at http://blog.beliefnet.com/beyondblue/

Information on Major Depressive Disorder

2010-09-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Image part of the public domain library. Artist Vincent Van Gogh

Major depressive disorder (also known as recurrent depressive disorder, clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, or unipolar disorder) is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. The term "major depressive disorder" was selected by the American Psychiatric Association to designate this symptom cluster as a mood disorder in the 1980 version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III), and has become widely used since. The general term depression is often used to denote the disorder; but as it can also be used in reference to other types of psychological depression, it is disfavored over more precise terminology for the disorder in clinical and research use. Major depression is a disabling condition which adversely affects a person's family, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health. In the United States, around 3.4% of people with major depression commit suicide, and up to 60% of people who commit suicide had depression or another mood disorder.
The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on the patient's self-reported experiences, behavior reported by relatives or friends, and a mental status exam. There is no laboratory test for major depression, although physicians generally request tests for physical conditions that may cause similar symptoms. The most common time of onset is between the ages of 20 and 30 years, with a later peak between 30 and 40 years.
Typically, patients are treated with antidepressant medication and, in many cases, also receive psychotherapy or counseling. Hospitalization may be necessary in cases with associated self-neglect or a significant risk of harm to self or—as rarely is the case—to others. A minority are treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), under a short-acting general anaesthetic. The course of the disorder varies widely, from one episode lasting weeks to a lifelong disorder with recurrent major depressive episodes. Depressed individuals have shorter life expectancies than those without depression, in part because of greater susceptibility to medical illnesses and suicide. It is unclear whether or not medications affect the risk of suicide. Current and former patients may be stigmatized.
The understanding of the nature and causes of depression has evolved over the centuries, though this understanding is incomplete and has left many aspects of depression as the subject of discussion and research. Proposed causes include psychological, psycho-social, hereditary, evolutionary and biological factors. Certain types of long-term drug use can both cause and worsen depressive symptoms. Psychological treatments are based on theories of personality, interpersonal communication, and learning. Most biological theories focus on the monoamine chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, which are naturally present in the brain and assist communication between nerve cells. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Wikipedia

Stanford Professor Robert Sapolsky, posits that depression is the most damaging disease that you can experience. Right now it is the number four cause of disability in the US and it is becoming more common.

2010-08-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Stanford's Sapolsky On Depression in U.S. (Full Lecture)

Stanford University:
http://www.stanford.edu/

Stanford University Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/stanford

Guest has asked for advice on healing emotional wounds. Taken from Abraham-Hicks audio CD Relationships & Co-creation.

2010-07-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

Abraham-Hicks: Find Better Feeling Options

2010-07-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

An example of effective thought changing by Magic Dragonflies: 'Also, what helps, if you are observing something that is bad, instead of saying,"this sucks and depresses me" you can say, "this is an annoyance and kinda peeves me."

The Theory and Mechanics of 'Emotional Contagion'

2010-06-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

Emotional contagion is the tendency to catch and feel emotions that are similar to and influenced by those of others. One view developed by John Cacioppo of the underlying mechanism is that it represents a tendency to automatically mimic and synchronize facial expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements with those of another person and, consequently, to converge emotionally. A broader definition of the phenomenon was suggested by Sigal G. Barsade—"a process in which a person or group influences the emotions or behavior of another person or group through the conscious or unconscious induction of emotion states and behavioral attitudes". Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Wikipedia

External links

An Alternative Perspective...The Theory of Positive Disintegration

2010-06-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD) by Kazimierz Dąbrowski describes a theory of personality development. Unlike mainstream psychology, Dąbrowski's theoretical framework views psychological tension and anxiety as necessary for growth. These "disintegrative" processes are therefore seen as "positive," whereas people who fail to go through positive disintegration may remain for their entire lives in a state of "primary integration." Advancing into disintegration and into the higher levels of development is predicated on having developmental potential, including overexcitabilities, and above-average reactions to stimuli. Unlike some other theories of development such as Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, it is not assumed that even a majority of people progress through all levels. TPD is not a theory of stages, and levels do not correlate with age. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via Wikipedia

Doubt, Expectations, Judgment

2010-06-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

Who sets the standards you live by?

Are you continually struggling to accomplish what is expected of you? If so, stop to think for a moment: who holds those expectations?

Perhaps you’re trying to meet the expectations of a parent or a teacher or other authority figures who may be long gone from your life. But many of us toil under the critical eyes of a vague ‘somebody’ who always judges that we’ve never done enough or done things well enough. Who is this phantom judge? And do we need to care about what they think any longer?

We find both our own power and happiness when we begin to set our own standards around what has heart and meaning for us.

“Doubt yourself and you doubt everything you see. Judge yourself and you see judges everywhere. But if you listen to the sound of your own voice, you can rise above doubt and judgment. And you can see forever.”
-- Nancy Lopez

Via: Higher Awareness

A Very Troublesome Symptom of Major (Clinical) Depression and Manic Depression

2010-06-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

Psychomotor retardation or psychomotor impairment comprises a slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movements in an individual. This is most commonly seen in people with major depression, as well as in the depressed phase of bipolar disorder, and is also associated with the adverse effects of certain drugs such as benzodiazepines. Particularly in inpatient settings, psychomotor retardation can require increased nursing care to ensure adequate food and fluid intake as well as sufficient personal care. Informed consent for treatment is more difficult to achieve when this is present.
Psychomotor retardation is also referred to as "motormental retardation", commonly seen in depression and bipolar disorder.
Some examples of psychomotor retardation may include the following:

Unaccountable difficulty with carrying out what are usually considered "automatic" or "mundane" self-care tasks for healthy people (i.e., without depressive illness), such as taking a shower, putting on clothes, self-grooming, preparing food, brushing teeth and exercising.
Actual physical difficulty performing activities that normally would require little thought or effort, such as walking up a flight of stairs, getting out of bed, preparing meals and clearing dishes from the table, household chores, returning phone calls, etc.
Tasks requiring mobility suddenly or gradually and inexplicably seem to be "impossible". Activities such as shopping, getting groceries, caring for the daily needs of one's children, and meeting the demands pertaining to employment or school are commonly affected. Individuals experiencing these symptoms typically sense that something is wrong, and may be confused over their inability to perform these tasks.
Activities usually requiring little mental effort can become challenging. Balancing one's checkbook, making a shopping list, making decisions about mundane tasks, (such as deciding what errands need to be done) are often difficult.

Via: Wikipedia

Find Light Within The Darkness

2010-05-05T03:08:00.000-07:00

"Each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart."
-- Myla Kabat-Zinn

“Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.”
-- Barbara Rose

“No matter what difficulty you are facing, it is coming from Divine Light to bring you to a higher place within. Write down every conceivable reason that this situation can contribute towards your growth. Write down every way this experience can possibly set the stage for serving to uplift others. When you are complete, and have come to the other side of this experience, you will then know 'why' it happened.”
-- Barbara Rose

“The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one’s life.”
-- Dalai Lama

A Short Video on the Effectiveness of Intentionally Changing Your Thought Patterns

2010-04-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Our brain is a bunch of plastic ... with lots of ridges, or neural circuits. To read more and comment, go directly to 'Beyond Blue' at http://www.beliefnet.com/beyondblue.

How Music Helps to Heal the Injured Brain Therapeutic Use Crescendos Thanks to Advances in Brain Science

2010-04-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: The use of music in therapy for the brain has evolved rapidly as brain-imaging techniques have revealed the brain’s plasticity—its ability to change—and have identified networks that music activates. Armed with this growing knowledge, doctors and researchers are employing music to retrain the injured brain. Studies by the authors and other researchers have revealed that because music and motor control share circuits, music can improve movement in patients who have suffered a stroke or who have Parkinson’s disease. Research has shown that neurologic music therapy can also help patients with language or cognitive difficulties, and the authors suggest that these techniques should become part of rehabilitative care. Future findings may well indicate that music should be included on the list of therapies for a host of other disorders as well.

The role of music in therapy has gone through some dramatic shifts in the past 15 years, driven by new insights from research into music and brain function. These shifts have not been reflected in public awareness, though, or even among some professionals.
Biomedical researchers have found that music is a highly structured auditory language involving complex perception, cognition, and motor control in the brain, and thus it can effectively be used to retrain and reeducate the injured brain. While the first data showing these results were met with great skepticism and even resistance, over time the consistent accumulation of scientific and clinical research evidence has diminished the doubts. Therapists and physicians use music now in rehabilitation in ways that are not only backed up by clinical research findings but also supported by an understanding of some of the mechanisms of music and brain function.
Rapid developments in music research have been introduced quickly into neurologic therapy (see sidebar) over the past 10 years. Maybe due to the fast introduction, the traditional public perception of music as a ‘soft’ addition, a beautiful luxury that cannot really help heal the brain, has not caught up with these scientific developments.
But music can. Evidence-based models of music in therapy have moved from soft science—or no science—to hard science. Neurologic music therapy does meet the standards of evidence-based medicine, and it should be included in standard rehabilitation care. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: The Dana Foundation

On Persistence and Personal Strength

2010-04-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

"Strength does not come from winning
Your struggles develop your strength.
When you go through hardship
and decide not to surrender,
that is strength."

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." - Ronald E. Osborn

2010-03-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Letting Go

2010-03-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Question: I live in the past, and I feel so lost in it. I am unable to let go of so many negative feelings and resentments. I can't seem to help it, and it's slowly ruining my life. Or it already has. Sometimes I get so mad about things in the past that I can't even eat. I don't want to live this way, but I don't know how to let go. I can't make friends or date, because I cannot trust anyone....

Answer(s): Most of us has had the same problem...living in the past. The past is "in your mind",, the future is "in your mind" just like a dream..."in your mind". All we have is "Now"....so live in "now"...this moment.
Let go.....let go of attachments and move forward. Otherwise, you are stuck and it's an awful place to be. You cannot change anyone but yourself...

The process of loving oneself is the most intense, confusing, frustrating thing that one can go through if they do it right, you are doing it right, just feel your feelings, don't act on them, just express them, which believe me is more than enough, as you express/feel/be present with your feelings, one by one the old feelings will start to clear out of the inside of you. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Experience Project

What Do Mood Swings Feel Like?

2010-03-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

Mike, an electrical engineer, seems to go through a range of several emotions in a single day. Sometimes when he wakes up in the morning, he feels excited and positive about the day ahead. He jokes with his family at breakfast and is in a great mood for most of the morning. On his lunch break, Mike suddenly feels depressed. He feels tense and aggravated. Sometimes he even feels aggressive. Later in the day he feels restless and bored with work. Everything seems unimportant. When he comes home from work, sometimes he is short and distant from his wife and children. Later in the evening, his spirits lift and he wants to spend quality time with his family. Every day seems like a rollercoaster. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: The Health Center

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not by strength but by perseverance." H. Jackson Brown

2010-03-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

The Deeper Sorrow Carves Into You, The More Joy You Can Hold--Kahlil Gibran

2010-03-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

Depression and Cognitive Dysfunction

2010-03-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

An excellent take on how it feels to have depression and too how it relates to various cognitive dysfunctions.

2006 Rare Neuroimmunologic Disorders Symposium Depression and Cognitive Dysfunction Adam I. Kaplin, MD, PhD

Network of Care for Behavioral Health

2010-03-04T02:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Network of Care for Behavioral Health, a comprehensive resource for individuals, families and agencies concerned with behavioral health.

This website provides an extensive directory to put people in touch with the right services at the right time. It also offers vital information about diagnoses, insurance and advocacy, as well as daily news from around the world concerning mental health. This unique, one-stop information tool enables you to find pertinent mental health Web sites, keep personal records, and communicate directly with elected officials to make your voice heard in the legislative halls.

The San Diego Network of Care for Mental Health website is provided by the County of San Diego with the sponsorship of the California Department of Mental Health. It is the inaugural Network of Care for Mental Health developed by Trilogy Integrated Resources.
Recommended by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (see excerpt), the Network of Care helps you find what you need and it helps ensure that there is "No Wrong Door" for those who need services. Regardless of where you begin your search for assistance with behavioral health issues, This Web site can greatly assist in our efforts to protect our greatest human asset - our beautiful minds. Click anywhere in this sentence for a direct link to the site...

Health Information

2010-03-04T01:48:00.000-08:00

Alphabetical list of many mental health disorders along with Handbooks about the signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments.
Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

All information cited from:
National Institute of Mental Health - Health Information

A lot of links with healing depression in mind...

2010-02-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

Latest NewsQuestions and AnswersBlog EntriesVideosLinksBook Reviews

A Heart of StoneA Mood ApartA Philosophical DiseaseActive Treatment of DepressionAdolescent DepressionAgainst DepressionAn Unquiet MindBeating the BluesBefore ProzacBlaming the BrainCalm EnergyConquering Postpartum DepressionConquering the Beast WithinDamageDepressionDepression FalloutDepression in ContextDepression Is a ChoiceDepression, the Mood DiseaseDepression-Free for LifeDown Came the RainDysthymia and the Spectrum of Chronic DepressionsEmotional ClaustrophobiaEssential Psychopharmacology of Depression and Bipolar DisorderEverything Is FineExperiences of DepressionHandbook of DepressionHandbook of DepressionHistory of SuicideHow I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill MeIn Pursuit of HappinessJourneys with the Black DogLifeForce Yoga to Beat the Blues--Level 1LifeForce Yoga to Beat the Blues: Level 2Lifting DepressionLincoln's MelancholyLucy Sullivan Is Getting MarriedMalignant SadnessMindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for DepressionMood GenesMy DepressionNatural Healing for DepressionNew Hope for People with DepressionOn the Edge of DarknessOutsmarting DepressionOvercoming DepressionPotatoes Not ProzacProzac and the New AntidepressantsProzac BacklashProzac DiaryProzac NationPuppy Chow Is Better Than ProzacRaising a Moody ChildSelf-CoachingSongs from the Black ChairSpeaking of SadnessStudent DepressionSubordination and DefeatSunbathing in the RainSwing LowTalking Back to ProzacThe American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Mood DisordersThe Anatomy of MelancholyThe Anti-Depressant Fact BookThe Antidepressant EraThe BeastThe Bell JarThe CorrectionsThe Cruelty of DepressionThe Depressed ChildThe Depression CureThe Emotional RevolutionThe Family SilverThe Feeling Good HandbookThe Mood CureThe Nature of MelancholyThe Noonday DemonThe Postpartum EffectThe Secret Strength of DepressionThe Van Gogh BluesThe Van Gogh BluesUndercurrentsUnderstanding DepressionUndoing DepressionUnholy GhostUnstuckWhat the Birds SeeWhen a Parent is DepressedWhen Nothing Matters AnymoreWhen Words Are Not EnoughWhy Are You So Sad?Writing Through the Darkness

Self-Help Groups

A Very Comprehensive Resource with 100's of Links

2010-02-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia's Index of Psychology Articles...

History of psychology
Branches of psychology

Basic science

Abnormal · Behavioral neuroscience
Cognitive · Developmental
Experimental · Evolutionary
Mathematical · Neuropsychology
Personality · Positive
Psychophysics · Social
Transpersonal

Brain Mind Lecture 6: Limbic System, Introductory Overview:

2010-02-24T18:03:00.000-08:00

Amygdala, Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, Hallucinations, Memory, Emotion, Sexuality, Amnesia, Flashbacks, PTSD, Brain Mind Lecture 6, Rhawn Joseph,
Ph.D.

Via: BrainMind.com

He who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment. -- Meister Eckhart

2010-02-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

We are the ocean -- vast, deep, powerful and rich. Nourishing and nurturing. Dive down into the dark stillness of being. Sense the rising and falling of surface thoughts and emotions, sometimes gentle, sometimes violent. Always shifting. Always in motion. Draw back and watch the waves of your life at play. Know you are the unfathomable depths -- surface agitations can’t disturb you. Know that you are bigger than the little things that aggravate you.

The bird of paradise alights only on the hand that does not grasp.-- John Berry

"It’s best not to get too excited or too depressed by the ups and downs of life."
-- Dalai Lama

Via: Higher Awareness

Art Therapy Intervention: Magazine Photo Collage

2010-02-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Magazine photo collage is Cool Art Therapy Intervention #10 and is really based on a medium more than a particular method. In art lingo, collage simply means "to glue," and is the assembling of different images or materials to create a new whole. It emerged as an artform in the early 20th century in the work of Picasso, Braque, and other artists, continuing through the present. One of the most famous photo collages and Pop Art classic, Just What Is It that Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing, is a quintessential example from the art world of how found images from a variety of sources are used to generate something completely different than their original intent. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Psychology Today Blogger Cathy Malchiodi

Why Do People Self Injure?

2010-02-16T00:51:00.000-08:00

...This may be the aspect of self-harm that is most puzzling to those who do not do it. Why would anyone choose to inflict physical damage on him or herself? There is evidence that self-injurers, when faced with strong emotion or overwhelming situations, choose to harm themselves because it brings them a rapid release from tension and anxiety. These situations cause an increase in physiological arousal, and self-injury quickly drops that level of arousal close to baseline. The self-injurer may feel release,but even if s/he feels guilty or angry afterward, it won't be an oppressive, pushing, demanding tension-filled feeling like it was before. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Deb Martinson

When Trauma and Psychosis Mix: A Cognitive Therapy Approach to Treatment and Recovery

2010-02-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

When people in the US are diagnosed with "schizophrenia" or another "psychotic disorder" they are typically told that the problem is simply something gone wrong with their brain, and that it has nothing to do with what anyone did to them or with any decision they made. Yet a great deal of scientific evidence indicates the opposite: that trauma, and decisions to react to trauma in specific ways, are often key causes of later psychosis. In this video, Ron Unger LCSW describes some of the relationships between psychosis and trauma and the critical importance of addressing this relationship in mental health treatment.

Categories: Psychoanalytic theory | Psychoanalysis | Psychiatry | Defence mechanism

2010-02-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

Level 1 - Pathological	Delusional projection · Denial · Distortion · Splitting

Level 2 - Immature	Acting out · Fantasy · Idealization · Passive aggression · Projection · Projective identification · Somatization

Level 3 - Neurotic	Displacement · Dissociation · Exaggeration · Hypochondriasis · Isolation · Intellectualization · Rationalization · Reaction formation · Regression · Repression · Undoing

Level 4 - Mature	Altruism · Anticipation · Humor · Identification · Introjection · Sublimation · Thought suppression

Other/ungrouped	Compartmentalization · Minimisation

Via: Wikipedia

Executive Functions of the Human Brain

2010-02-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

The executive system is a theorized cognitive system in psychology that controls and manages other cognitive processes. The executive system is thought to be heavily involved in handling novel situations outside the domain of some of our 'automatic' psychological processes that could be explained by the reproduction of learned schemas or set behaviors. The executive functions are often invoked when it is necessary to override responses that may otherwise be automatically elicited by stimuli in the external environment. For example, on being presented with a potentially rewarding stimulus, such as a tasty piece of chocolate cake, the automatic response might be to take a bite. However, where this behaviour conflicts with internal plans (such as having decided not to eat chocolate cake while on a diet), the executive functions might be engaged to inhibit this response. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Wikipedia

Living with Traumatic Brain Injury

2010-02-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

People with traumatic brain injuries may experience physical, cognitive or personality changes that affect their work and relationships. In this program from the University of Washington, hear stories of people who are rebuilding their lives and readjusting to family, careers and everyday life.

Via: U niversity of Washington

Moods and Attitudes: Treatment Options for Depression

2010-01-27T22:58:00.000-08:00

Via: UCTV

Psych Central World of Psychology Wonders About, if There is Such a Thing, a Good Side to Depression?

2010-01-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

10 Possibly Good Things About Having Depression by Therese J. Borchard... A snip from her actually quite playful list of what she considers the silver lining side of things. I like the idea because it is absurd...I mean, who dare ask such a bold question?

Reason #9. I have fascinating conversations with strangers.
Here’s how the majority of my first conversations/introductions go with people who I sit next to on the plane, train, or at my son’s soccer games:
“So what do you do?”
“I write a mental health blog.”
“Oh. That’s interesting. How did you get into that?”
“I had a major nervous breakdown and wanted to kill myself for about two years. So one day I told God that if I ever woke up and wanted to be alive that I would dedicate the rest of my life to helping people who are trapped in the Black Hole.
That morning came.
And you, what do you do?”

About the Brain

2010-01-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

The brain has been described as a three pound universe. It has come to be thought of in those terms because quite literally; we live in our brains. The brain is our personal, private universe. It is through our brains that we experience ourselves and the environment. It is though our brains that we understand our relationship to others. Scientists think of the brain as the organ of reason, language, complex social relations, and morality. It is, after all, what makes us distinctly human. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: The Brain Injury Resource Center

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.” M.A. Radmacher

2010-01-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

How to Block a Distressing, Recurring Thought Pattern with Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)

2010-01-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

A distressing and recurring pattern of thought is often difficult to block if you do not have the right strategies. However, with this simple mental conditioning technique from neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), you may be able to eliminate a distressing thought pattern permanently. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: wikiHow

From WikiHow Collaborative a How-To Manual on a Large Number of Topics

2010-01-21T04:50:00.000-08:00

Under the subcategory Relationships and Social Interactions on wikiHow, you find Managing Conflict and Difficult Interactions. There you will find a 'How To' titled: How To Be Persuasive. It is interesting reading in itself from many viewpoints surely, but what I realized while reading it was that it is valuable information for us to keep in mind in our daily interactions with others. Especially when you suspect the subtleties of such types of mind games in the mix.

For the article in wikiHow on persuasiveness, click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: wikiHow

Staying grounded: A self-help exercise

2010-01-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

It is very important to stay ‘grounded.’ If you are feeling disoriented, confused, or upset, you can do the following exercise:

Sit on a chair. Feel your feet on the ground. Press on your thighs. Feel your behind on the seat and your back against the chair.
Look around you and pick six objects that have red or blue. This should allow you to feel in the present, more grounded, and in your body. Notice how your breath gets deeper and calmer.
You may want to go outdoors and find a peaceful place to sit on the grass. As you do, feel how your body can be held and supported by the ground.

Via : Gina Ross and Peter Levine, Emotional First Aid

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence...Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge

2010-01-17T23:08:00.001-08:00

Child Sexual Abuse

2010-01-15T00:36:00.000-08:00

Psychological Harm

Child sexual abuse can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology. In later life Psychological, emotional, physical, and social effects include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, dissociative and anxiety disorders; general psychological distress and disorders such as somatization, neurosis, chronic pain, sexualized behavior, school/learning problems; and behavior problems including substance abuse, destructive behavior, criminality in adulthood and suicide. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

via: Wikipedia

Be aware of your thinking

2010-01-15T00:23:00.000-08:00

"There is a thought in your mind right now. The longer you hold on to it, the more you dwell upon it, the more life you give to that thought. Give it enough life, and it will become real. So make sure the thought is indeed a great one."
-- Ralph Marston

Most of our self-talk comes unconsciously from our subconscious. Yet every thought that exists in our subconscious got there through a conscious decision to accept that thought.
We need to become conscious of our self-talk so we can at will choose to replace negative beliefs with positive ones. We have the power to choose an identity we love, but we need to do the work. The process of changing our subconscious beliefs requires awareness, diligence, consistency and repetition.

"Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace."
-- James Allen

Via: Journey to Awareness email series

Imagine Your Ideal Future

2010-01-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

"Your imagination is your preview to life’s coming attractions."
-- Albert Einstein

If you were to create an ideal future for yourself, what would it be like?

All things that now exist in form were once simply ideas in consciousness. We each hold the power to manifest different circumstances for our lives. If we wish to manifest a new reality for ourselves, we need to consistently focus our imagination on the ideals we seek to realize.

Remember to explore your ideal in terms of qualities, not people or things. What qualities do you most want in life? Freedom? Respect? Playfulness? Abundance? Whatever qualities you seek, imagine experiencing them now and be open to new ways to discover those qualities appearing in your life.

"Change is created by those whose imaginations are bigger than their circumstances"
-- Unknown source

Via: Higher Awareness

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. -- Marie Curie

2010-01-08T11:05:00.001-08:00

Defense Mechanisms

2010-01-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

Theories have described the process by which we protect ourselves from awareness of our undesired and feared impulses. Defense mechanisms are our way of distancing ourselves from a full awareness of unpleasant thoughts, feelings and desires...while defense mechanisms are used in an attempt to protect oneself from unpleasant emotions, they often result in equally harmful problems. Below is an excerpt from the article.

Compartmentalization is a process of separating parts of the self from awareness of other parts and behaving as if one had separate sets of values. An example might be an honest person who cheats on their income tax return and keeps their two value systems distinct and unintegrated while remaining unconscious of the cognitive dissonance.

Fantasy, when used as a defense mechanism, is the channeling of unacceptable or unattainable desires into imagination. This can protect ones self esteem as when educational, vocational or social expectations are not being met, one imagines success in these areas and wards off self condemnation.

Repression is the blocking of unacceptable impulses from consciousness.

For more on common defense mechanisms and the theory, click anywhere in this sentence to continue to continue reading...

Via: Planet Psych

Consciousness-Mind Over Matter: A Quantuum Perspective

2010-01-05T22:47:00.000-08:00

An Interesting View to the Question of Consciousness

Facing Reality (1954)

2010-01-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Depression Treatment Lacking for Many People

2010-01-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

Treatment for major depression is abysmal, according to a study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry. In a national survey of 15,762 people, it found that only half of all people with depression received treatment. And among those who did receive treatment, only 21% were getting care that is consistent with American Psychiatric Assn. guidelines. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

UCLA Newsroom > In The News

"Live out of your imagination, not your history". Stephen Covey

2010-01-02T00:07:00.000-08:00

Causes & Symptoms of Amnesia, Fugue & Multiple Personality Disorders

2010-01-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

Dissociative disorders occur when a person becomes dissociated or separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings. Amnesia, for instance, occurs when a person experiences a sudden loss of memory; multiple personality disorder occurs when he experiences a change in identity. Extreme physical or psychological stress is the typical cause of dissociative disorders. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

via: Suite101.com

An Interesting Essay on Identity and Loneliness

2010-01-01T18:32:00.000-08:00

We all derive identity from the world around us. As infants, we are just a jumble of diverse biological processes over which we have no authority, and our first task in life is to develop a coherent personality which “pulls together” this fragmented confusion. Our first sense of coherence comes from our unconscious identifications with the persons around us. Then, as older children, we look around and see what the world shows us. Some things in the world appeal to us more than others; that’s because some things purport to show us something about what’s missing in our own lives and to offer us some knowledge of what seems to be hidden from us. So, from all the things that appeal to us in the world, we create images of how we want to see ourselves, and then we set about making ourselves “seen” in the world so our images can be reflected back to us through the desire of others. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

An Introduction to Eating Disorders

2009-12-31T01:06:00.000-08:00

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." - Helen Keller

2009-12-31T00:58:00.001-08:00

Social Anxiety Disorder

2009-12-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

Depression Saps Endurance of the Brain's Reward Circuitry

2009-12-22T15:40:00.000-08:00

The study challenges previous notions that individuals with depression show less brain activity in areas associated with positive emotion. Instead, the new data suggest similar initial levels of activity, but an inability to sustain them over time. The new work was reported online the week of Dec. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Science Daily

Child Abuse Permanently Modifies Stress Genes in Brains of Suicide Victims

2009-12-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

The trauma of child abuse can last a lifetime, leading to a higher risk of anxiety, depression and suicide further down the line. This link seems obvious, but a group of Canadian scientists have found that it has a genetic basis.

By studying the brains of suicide victims, Patrick McGowan from the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, found that child abuse modifies a gene called NR3C1 that affects a person's ability to deal with stress. The changes it wrought were "epigenetic", meaning that the gene's DNA sequence wasn't altered but it's structure was modified to make it less active. These types of changes are very long-lasting, which strongly suggests that the trauma of child abuse could be permanently inscribed onto a person's genes. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading.

Via: Not Exactly Rocket Science

Personality Theories

2009-12-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

   Introduction
   Sigmund Freud
   Anna Freud
   Erik Erikson
   Carl Jung
   Otto Rank
   Alfred Adler
   Karen Horney
   Albert Ellis
   Erich Fromm
   B. F. Skinner
   Hans Eysenck and others
   Albert Bandura
   Gordon Allport
   George Kelly
   Snygg and Combs
   Abraham Maslow
   Carl Rogers
   Ludwig Binswanger
   Medard Boss
   Viktor Frankl
   Rollo May
   Jean Piaget
   Sociobiology
   Buddhist Psychology
   The Ultimate Theory of Personality
   Bibliography

This is an electronic textbook ("e-text") in Personality Theories. While it is copyrighted, you may download it or print it out without permission from the author, as long as the material is used only for personal or educational purposes, and the source is indicated.

Via: Dr. C. George Boeree

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. Socrates

2009-12-19T12:39:00.001-08:00

Stress-less Ideas Hints and Tips

2009-12-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

...“Tell your fear to someone else and make sure to be as dramatic as possible, with very descriptive words and emotions. Then, when you’ve told every detail you can think of, start over again. Tell the entire, dramatic story, again with very elaborate descriptions (and gestures). By the third or fourth time, it becomes a bit silly.” Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: World of Psychology

Effective psychotherapy with depressed clients is associated with changes at the brain’s cellular level--Jakob Koch

2009-12-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

Can therapy really change your brain?

There is increasing evidence to support the potential for true change within the brain via the therapeutic relationship. I’m no expert in neuroscience and relationships – but am excited about the notion that people’s brains can be rewired within their intimate relationships and within the therapist-client relationship. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Psych Central

Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life

2009-12-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

I will take the audience on a tour of recent evolutionary thought, which suggests that our hyper vulnerable offspring rearranged our brains, genes, and social structures. I will detail new research on the vagus nerve and oxytocin, branches of the nervous system that have evolved to enable cooperation, trust, and caretaking. I detail new signaling systems -- tactile communication and vocalization -- which are critical to the transmission of prosociality across individuals. Throughout the talk I integrate the latest science with the wisdom found in Eastern thought.--Dr. Dacher Keltner

Via: GoogleTechTalks

Rewriting Fearful Memories by Bringing Them Back to Mind

2009-12-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

Bringing an old memory back to mind would, you might think, strengthen it. But not so - when memories are recalled, they enter a surprisingly vulnerable state, when they can be reshaped or even rewritten. It takes a while for the memory to become strengthened anew, through a process called reconsolidation. Memories aren't just written once, but every time we remember them.

This system allows us to rapidly update our memories with new information, for a more flexible and adaptable brain. It also means that the very act of remembering provides a valuable window of opportunity, during which memory can be manipulated. Click Anywhere in This Sentence to Continue Reading...

Via: Not Exactly Rocket Science

Conation: One of Three Parts of the Mind, Along with the Affective and Cognitive

2009-12-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

...In short, the cognitive part of the brain measures intelligence, the affective deals with emotions and the conative takes those thoughts and feelings to drive how you act on them.

Erich Fromm in his work on “Human Ethics” discussed the conative nature of man by saying the way man achieves virtue is through the active use he makes of his powers.

"Uncertainty (the cognitive) is the very condition to impel a man to unfold his power. If he faces the truth without panic, he will recognize that there is no meaning to life except the meaning man gives his life by unfolding his powers, by living productively; and that only constant vigilance, activity and effort can keep us from failure in the one task that matters — the full development of our powers without the limitations set by the laws of our existence… “to be himself and for himself to achieve happiness by the full realization of those faculties which are peculiarly his — of reason, love and productive work.”

Fromm’s productive orientation was a fundamental attitude, a mode of relatedness in all realms of human experience. It covers mental, emotional and sensory responses to others, to oneself and to things. Productiveness is man’s ability to use his powers and to realize the potentialities inherent in him ... he must be free and not dependent on someone who controls his powers... he can make use of his powers only if he knows what they are, how to use them and what to use them for... they [must not be] masked and alienated from him. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: Wikipedia

Many Persons are Confused about the Difference Between Psychiatry and Psychology. The Following Discussion, Therefore, Offers an Objective, Concise, and Simply-Stated Description of the Difference.

2009-12-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

Psychiatry

A psychiatrist has attended medical school and is a physician and therefore holds an M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree. In residency, he or she received specialized training in the field of psychiatry, in addition to all the rigorous training of medical school in general. And, just like other fields of medical practice such as internal medicine, psychiatry tends to focus mainly on the use of medications for treatment. Moreover, although psychiatric training may require some training in psychotherapy, psychiatrists are not required to complete any personal psychotherapy. Nevertheless, many psychiatrists have, for personal reasons, pursued training in psychotherapy. Historically, this training has most often been in the area of psychoanalysis.

Psychology

A psychologist usually holds a doctoral degree (a Ph.D., which means Doctor of Philosophy; a Psy.D., which means Doctor of Psychology; or an Ed.D., which means Doctor of Education) from a university or professional school. Generally Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: guidetopsychology.com

Positive Emotion in the Midst of Stress? It’s Not Crazy it’s Adaptive...

2009-12-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

UCSF social psychologist Judith Moskowitz examines how positive emotions can be marshaled as adaptive coping tools during stressful times. Moskowitz's research focuses on coping and emotion in the context of health related chronic stress.

Via: UCTV

The Greatest Things Ever Done on Earth Have Been Done Little by Little.- William Jennings Bryan

2009-12-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

This video is a great example of the wonder and power of the inspired human spirit. Please take 6 minutes and be transformed...

2009-12-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

A great accapella cover and tribute of the song, "Africa" by ToTo performed by a European choir called Perpetuum Jazzile...

Rumination Lullaby: Mind River is Self-Cleaning-By Pavel G. Somov, Ph.D. October 12, 2009

2009-12-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

“You must realize that thoughts are temporary, changing appearances, and neither seize on them or hate them, just let them occur and cease of themselves.” Bankei

Mind is an information-processing system. As such, it is in the business of digestion – and, not unlike your stomach, sometimes it chokes up on spice of life…Say, something happened – and now it is eating you as you are trying to digest it. The informational tug-of-war is on. No crisis here: same ol’ evolutionary game of the survival of the best-informed. Look: if you are alive and reading this, you’ve won this contest every time – you’ve eventually swallowed every information byte reality has served you.
Information-processing – like food-processing – is a metabolic process. It has its own pace and rate of...Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading. . .

Via: Psych Central

Al Seckel, TED Happiness Series: Your Brain Is Badly Wired — Enjoy It!

2009-12-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

Al Seckel, a cognitive neuroscientist, explores the perceptual illusions that fool our brains. Loads of eye tricks help him prove that not only are we easily fooled, we kind of like it.

The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands. Robert M. Pirsig

2009-12-06T12:48:00.001-08:00

A funny thing about codependency is that when you are so focused on another they become focused on themselves too.

2009-12-04T21:54:00.001-08:00

When Our Emotional Issues Affect Our True Availability

2009-12-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

Codependents are the ultimate example of a persecution complex. They always feel victimized, oppressed, and self-sacrificial. Although codependents may feel they give an inordinate amount of responsibility, obligation, and worry for another and mistakenly feel like they are giving, in reality they are actually taking. The only thing a codependent person wants to hear from his unappreciative (of course, this is usually in his imagination) spouse is the words "I feel so guilty about everything you do for me".

A Reader Writes:

"Co-dependence is a term that has been widely used in the last 10 years to describe relationships without clear boundaries. The concept of co-dependence provides a useful framework for examining how we interact in relationships with others. Our culture portrays romantic love, in songs, television, and movies, as being a relationship in which the partners are inseparable, are nothing without each other, and one in which each partner derives her/his very sense of self from the other. While portrayed as the ideal, this is actually a description of a very unhealthy relationship". Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Feelings' sway over memory: New research suggests that emotions can strengthen and shape memory.

2009-12-03T22:48:00.000-08:00

Where were you during the terrorist attacks of 9/11? For most, recalling this information is easier than remembering, for example, the details of Wednesday morning last week. This phenomenon--along with more than two decades of experimental evidence--has led many psychologists to posit that emotions can enhance memory and recall. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading >>>>>>>

Brain Development

2009-12-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

UCSD Cognitive scientist Joan Stiles reveals the latest understandings about the intricate relationship between biology and external influences in the development of the brain.

Via: UCTV

The World Looks Different if You're Depressed

2009-11-30T11:31:00.000-08:00

DEPRESSION really does change the way you see the world. People with the condition find it easy to interpret large images or scenes, but struggle to "spot the difference" in fine detail. The finding hints at visual training as a possible treatment. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: New Scientist

Brain's Fear Center is Equipped With a Built-in Suffocation Sensor

2009-11-28T02:21:00.000-08:00

..."It has been proposed that panic and anxiety disorders involve a suffocation alarm gone haywire," Welsh said. "Now, this work may shed some light on this well-known phenomenon and suggests strategies for further exploration."

The findings raise the possibility that some people may be more prone to anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, due to genetic variants they carry in components of this ASIC pathway. They also suggest that new therapeutic strategies for panic and anxiety might target changes in brain pH or the acid-sensing channels. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

What threatens you? What do you worry about?

2009-11-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

"When we feel threatened we turn away from soul and become obsessed or egocentric. When we feel threatened, we let the survival instinct take over. When this happens, we cannot think because perceived or real threats shut down the activity of the frontal lobe of the brain where we can think, reason and make choices. Loss of control for many is a common threat and a serious obstacle ..."

The above paragraph is an excerpt from a bi-weekly newsletter I receive. It is often full of interesting ideas to spark fresh ways of thinking. To subscribe to the email newsletter click the link below and you will find the newsletter link on the left side, near the top.

Via: Soul Perspectives

Let There Be Light-Is a Wartime 1946 American Documentary Film Directed by John Huston

2009-11-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

This documentary film follows 75 U.S. soldiers who have sustained debilitating emotional trauma and depression. A series of scenes chronicle their entry into a psychiatric hospital, their treatment and eventual recovery.

Much of the filming was shot at Edgewood State Hospital, Deer Park, Long Island, New York. The film was controversial in its extremely effective portrayal of shell-shocked soldiers from the war. It was subsequently banned after its release despite the fact that the movie was commissioned by the US Army itself, due to the potentially demoralizing effects the film may have on the soldiers.

ADVISORY: This movie has been described as shocking by some. From an observational stand-point it is a fascinating look into the history of the governmental acknowledgment and research into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. From a humanitarian stand-point, it is a distressing glimpse into the minds of terribly traumatized war veterans.

Text Via: Wikipedia

Be More Sensitive to that Little Voice of Intuition...

2009-11-22T23:51:00.000-08:00

"Most of us are in touch with our intuition whether we know it or not, but we're usually in the habit of doubting or contradicting it so automatically that we don't even know it has spoken."
-- Shakti Gawain

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

2009-11-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

We are all different yet we have a tendency to compare ourselves to others. Why? Because the marketing business makes money, because others compare us to themselves or other people, because some people get a boost out of putting us down, and from all these experiences we start feeling not good enough. Comparing yourself to others is unhealthy and unnecessary. Here's how to stop. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: wikiHow

Helen Keller, the American author, political activist and lecturer...

2009-11-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

This is truly an amazing three minute venture into the very hollows of the human capability to endure and overcome. Helen Keller is a great role model as well as her teacher Anne Sullivan...Take a 3 minute venture into the incredible human spirit.

Relieve the Pressure Cooker

2009-11-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

"Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life."
-- Mary Manin Morrissey

Journaling is a great way to release and let go. To get things off your chest. Our minds are our own worst enemies. The same thoughts go round and round in the same old ways and keep us stuck.

If something bothers you, write about it. Get it out so you can see it from a different perspective. Let it out. Let it go.

Owning and healing your pressure cooker is an important step in claiming your power, building your esteem and making your stand.

"In truth, to attain to interior peace, one must be willing to pass through the contrary to peace. Such is the teaching of the Sages."
-- Swami Brahmanada

Via: Higher Awareness

UCLA Newsroom: Can Thinking of a Loved One Reduce Your Pain?

2009-11-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, according to a new study by UCLA psychologists that underscores the importance of social relationships and staying socially connected.

The study, which asked whether simply looking at a photograph of your significant other can reduce pain, involved 25 women, mostly UCLA students, who had boyfriends with whom they had been in a good relationship for more than six months. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via: UCLA Newsroom

Google Personal Growth Series: Mindsight:

2009-11-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

This interactive talk will examine two major questions: What is the mind? and How can we create a healthy mind? We'll examine the interactions among the mind, the brain, and human relationships and explore ways to create a healthy mind, an integrated brain, and mindful, empathic relationships. Here is one surprising finding: the vast majority (about 95%) of mental health practitioners around the globe, and even many scientists and philosophers focusing on the mind, do not have a definition of what the mind is! In this talk, well offer a working definition of the mind and practical implications for how to perceive and strengthen the mind itself—a learnable skill called mindsight. Then well build on this perspective to explore ways that the mind, the brain, and our relationships are influenced by digital information flow and also how they can be moved toward healthy functioning.

Presented by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.

Via: Google Tech Talks