MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'emotion'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:50:34 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169572&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F27%2F5-tips-for-staying-calm-in-a-hurricane%2F When hurricanes or tropical storms are forecast to reach us, we often go into a panic and fear the worst about the coming storm. The uncertainty of the storm provokes a certain in anxiety in most of us. Some of those fears are very real, as government officials ask residents to evacuate areas directly in the path of the hurricane. Low-lying areas are especially at risk for flooding. Calm is a hard emotion to muster when our entire environment is turning against us. It is ever harder to remain calm when you’re asked to evacuate your home, and live in a shelter or with a family member for a few days. Will my home still be standing when I return? What about my most cherished possessions? Even folks who aren’t asked to evacuate fear the loss of electricity to their homes, and wheth... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169572 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:18:51 +0100 5169572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159217&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Femotion_regulation_emotional_intelligence_for_pers.php This is the eighth in a series of articles about emotional intelligence for personal growth. Emotions give our experiences a sort of color, a dimension of experience very different from other senses, different from even thoughts. Yet many of us find our emotions at times more of an enemy than a friend. Our emotions serve a purpose, one that is not entirely obvious. Most current theories of emotion share the assumption that emotions serve an adaptive function in human life. Emotions play an important role in how we appraise and prepare to act on current circumstances. There are instances when emotions seem to interfere with what we do. The simplest examples are of anxiety reactions to public speaking, climbing ladders, or spiders. 'Emotion regulation' is a popular way of describing a sol... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159217 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:34:47 +0100 5159217 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008304&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F08%2Fhow-to-calm-down-after-a-fight%2F You’re on the couch and he’s in the bed, but neither of you is sleeping. After the heated argument over your summer vacation destination, he stomped angrily upstairs and you sit sobbing on the couch. He wants to go to camping with tents and backpacks and you want to stay at a resort by the ocean. Arguments are part of every relationship, but how we respond to them is crucial. Our reaction to conflict or any stressful event is based on our life experiences and genetics. We all have those friends who are so laid back that nothing affects them and we also have friends who become frazzled over the smallest situations. But to successfully manage conflict, we need to manage our stress first. If you cannot quickly calm yourself down, you will not be able to hear what your partner is real... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008304 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:54:48 +0100 5008304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968694&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=36506&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainSciencePodcastBlog%2F%7E3%2FXjSCPI9gHS0%2Fwhy-neuroscience-matters.html On May 11, 2011 Ginger Campbell, MD gave a talk entitled "Why Neuroscience Matters" at the London Skeptics in the Pub. Episode 42 of Books and Ideas is an edited version of that talk, including the lively Q and A with the audience. Listen to Episode 42 of Books and Ideas Free Episode Transcript (Download PDF)     Subscribe to Books and Ideas Podcast:   References  Bayes, A., Grant, S., et al. "Characterization of the proteome, diseases and evolution of the human postsynaptic density." Nature Neuroscience 14, 19–21 (2011) (Published online 12/23/2010). Libet, B. "Do We Have Free Will?" Journal of Consciousness Studies, 6. No. 8-9, 1999, pp. 47-57. On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not (2008) by Robert Burton; p 127. Philosophy in t... the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968694 Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:00:30 +0100 4968694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960120&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fcan-you-take-someone-to-the-er-for-mental-health-help%2F When I came home from work, she was sitting on the back porch steps, crying. Another friend was sitting next to her, arms draped around her shaking shoulders, trying to understand the words in between her hiccuped sobs. “Is everything okay?” I asked, even though I knew this wasn’t just a normal bout of tears. Julie (not her real name) had been crying the entire day. When I left for work she had been sobbing in the bathroom, and (I learned later) had turned on the shower to muffle the sound of her emotion from the rest of the house so no one would come and check on her. No one knew how long she had stayed like that, melted to the bathroom floor, clutching a towel to her chest, the shower running hot and humid whenever she felt she was getting too loud. It’s possible ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960120 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:45:24 +0100 4960120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960122&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fcan-you-learn-about-happiness-from-virginia-woolf%2F Assay: Recently, I posted a quotation from Virginia Woolf for my weekly quotation. I often quote from Woolf, because she’s one of my very favorite writers. And, as has happened before, I got a few comments from readers saying, in effect, “Why are you quoting Virginia Woolf about happiness? She committed suicide — what can she know about happiness?” This response always surprises me, for a few reasons. First, Woolf aside, there’s a big difference between writers’ works and what they personally experience and how they behave in their own lives. Tolstoy, for example. I love Tolstoy’s fiction, and find it elevating and very illuminating on the subject of happiness, but I can’t bear to read about the actual Leo Tolstoy, who was a dreadful person. Nevertheless, suffering “... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960122 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:17:07 +0100 4960122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911574&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F07%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-june-7-2011%2F Life lessons come in unexpected packages. Take yesterday, for example. I was peering into my nightly stack of “I’m-going-to-eventually-get-to-these-books,” when I came across the yellow covered copy of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. The only reason why I hadn’t finished yet, is that I did what I normally do when I’m infatuated with a book. I read it slowly as if each word were being analyzed with a microscope. I would ponder over an author’s choice of one word over another, for example or got lost in why a particular passage was so magical, so descriptively perfect. When I picked up where I left off, I was enchanted by the beginning of the last chapter, which started with this: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “[... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911574 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:32:53 +0100 4911574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872240&cid=t_100607_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fbotox-limit-emotions%2F A recent article on WebMD highlighted a study where one doctor says he found that not being able to express emotion, may actually impact the emotion. He did this by studying people who had Botox injections and  Joshua Ian David, PhD was out to prove that not being able to express actually takes away from the emotional experience. But a second opinion on the study actually states the exact opposite, saying that Botox normally makes people feel more beautiful, look happier and actually nicer. See the full story here (http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/news/20100623/botox-may-affect-ability-feel-emotions) The idea that facial expression Botox limits emotions seems far fetched. When a person gets Botox they should leave the office looking and feeling beautiful. The most important thing to know... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872240 Fri, 27 May 2011 15:37:16 +0100 4872240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862627&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2F8-tips-for-writing-a-love-letter-to-your-spouse%2F In my post, “Getting the Love You Want … Over and Over Again,” I mention one of the most powerful intimacy tools in my marriage, which is writing a love letter. I write one every day to my husband. Now mind you, these are not lengthy missives. Some of them are just a few sentences. But I do think the brief expression of affection has made our connection much stronger. On some days, it is the only substantial communication between us, because our kids have an uncanny knack of interrupting all of our conversations. But how do you go about writing a love letter? I found these eight tips on the site, Song of Marriage. This following suggestions are part of a husband’s guide. But I think they work for a wife’s as well. Rule Number One: Make It Positively Personal Anything put into w... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862627 Wed, 25 May 2011 19:31:33 +0100 4862627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704714&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F12%2F6-things-every-kid-should-know-about-a-parents-depression%2F Depression never happens in a vacuum. Like a ripple in the water, a parent’s illness can’t help but affect her offspring. Different studies have documented how depression in a new mother clearly affects her interactions with her baby or toddler. Depressed mothers are more withdrawn, less responsive to their infant’s signals. “Their facial expressions and displays of emotion [are] more muted or flat, and their voices [are] monotone,” explains Ruta Nonacs in “A Deeper Shade of Blue.” “They [remain] disengaged and [do] little to support their child’s activities or exploration of the environment.” A mother’s depression also affects grade-schoolers and adolescents. When parents fail to meet the needs of the people under their care, some kids begin to act out, have ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704714 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:05:43 +0100 4704714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636554&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2F27Ut8F4xPUE%2F It’s all in the timing: A psychologist measures how musicians communicate emotion Dan Levitin designed a psychology experiment using a special player piano to analyze and reproduce a performance without expressive elements, and versions in between. When participants ranked their preference of versions it was found they matched the most expressive, in which a musician uses variations in timing, loudness and softness to convey emotion. In the second brief video, part 2, Levitin discusses implications for synthesized music. Hat tip: Open Culture. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636554 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:53:36 +0100 4636554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631520&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F24%2Fgot-regret-the-top-10-american-regrets%2F Americans share a lot of the same regrets in life — lost love, family spats, missing a career or educational opportunity. So says new research out of Northwestern University from a telephone survey conducted by researchers on 370 American adults. The researchers asked people to describe one regret in detail, with the rationale that whatever regret they described would be the one that is most memorable. Regrets based on inaction were held on to longer over time, versus those based upon some action the person took. So what are the top ten regrets held by Americans? The Top 10 American Regrets Here are the subjects that survey respondents most commonly described they held the greatest regrets about: Romance, lost love – 18.1% Family (e.g., family arguments) – 15.9% Educati... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631520 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:26:00 +0100 4631520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4554598&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007953.html A Slate article took Charlie Sheen's (very entertaining IMO) comments about his tiger blood as an occasion to look at the science behind people who can respond very calmly and adaptively when in danger and under pressure. Yale psychiatrist Andy Morgan, for example, has studied elite Special Forces recruits as they undergo "Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape" training, a three-week course designed to simulate the tortures of enemy capture. The program is brutally stressful, yet many recruits preserve an amazing amount of mental clarity in the midst of it. When Morgan examined the poised trainees' blood tests, he saw that they were producing significantly more of "a goofy little peptide called neuropeptide Y" than other, more rattled recruits. The extra... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4554598 Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4554598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532256&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F01%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-march-1-2011%2F Do you know how many times a day I quote an article I read on Psych Central? I don’t know the exact number, but it’s quite often. I feel pretty lucky that I get to read so many articles on a daily basis. I read everything from the way people think to the latest research findings. Absorbing all that information not only makes me sound smart at parties, but I feel like I’m learning a lot professionally and personally as well. Take this week’s basket of blogs, for example. Adventures in Positive Psychology’s Joe Wilner discusses the importance of finding “flow” in your career-something my work here at Psych Central has definitely given me.  And although I’m not a parent, Family Mental Health teaches us something about parenting that we could al... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532256 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:19:26 +0100 4532256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4545163&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cancerlifeandme.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fi-wont-quit%2F My brother and I were having a chat yesterday. He told me he heard a song while on the road and it made him choke up, thinking of me. “What was the song?” I asked. It was “My Body” by Young The Giant. Curious, I hunted down a copy of the song, and instantly realized why it had Continue reading I won’t quit! (Source: Cancer, life, and me) Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4545163 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:43:46 +0100 4545163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460005&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F10%2Fcan-you-fake-feeling-remorse%2F An offender in the criminal justice system often seeks to portray themselves as feeling remorse, especially when it comes time for sentencing in front of a judge, or parole hearings and the like. It may be easier to relate to someone who feels genuinely sorry for their crime. And it may be easier to show some mercy to a person who appears to be displaying genuine remorse. Deception is also a good part of any skilled criminal’s behavioral toolkit, because dumb, honest criminals don’t usually last long. So how can you detect whether someone is feeling genuine remorse, versus deceptive remorse in order to gain some favor with another person? Canadian researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Memorial University of Newfoundland set to find out. In the first inve... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460005 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:07:29 +0100 4460005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337886&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007820.html If you have a job that requires you to project a poker face then the intellectual energy needed to suppress emotions cuts down on energy available to do the job. So if you can get away with expressing your emotions think about doing so. Employees who have to maintain a neutral disposition while they are on the clock tend to spend more energy to meet that requirement; therefore, they have less energy to devote to work tasks, according to new research from Rice University, the University of Toronto and Purdue University. The researchers found that workers who must avoid appearing either overly positive or negative -- such as journalists, health care professionals, social workers, lawyers and law enforcement officers --... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337886 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4337886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4275389&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F21%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-december-21-2010%2F As a child, I used to be so afraid of saying how I felt, that I would rather go cold than complain the air conditioner was too high. As a young adult, I still struggled with being completely honest with how I felt. There were moments in the past when annoyances would get stuffed down so deep that they would surprise me some time down the line when I was hit with its volcano of emotion. But recently, and in this holiday especially, I’m learning about the importance of being true to myself. That saying what I need is a virtue instead of a character flaw. And that being honest about who I am and what I believe will not be a hindrance to those I love or make those who don’t know me dislike me. It’s amazing what the holiday season can bring out. Maybe it’s all this ample... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4275389 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:03:57 +0100 4275389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281398&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=36506&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainSciencePodcastBlog%2F%7E3%2F7ey3Ju7TBKk%2Fcelebrating-4-years-of-the-brain-science-podcast-bsp-71.html Discussion Forum: Join our Facebook Fan Page: Send me feedback at gincampbell at mac dot com or leave voice mail at 205-202-0663.       (Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell) the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281398 Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:08:44 +0100 4281398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119730&cid=t_100607_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdetachment-from-emotion%2F This article may help. Letting someone else’s behavior determine how we feel at every turn is irresponsible. Our emotions should be determined by us, not by someone else. But no doubt we have spent years confusing the boundaries that separate us from other people. Whether at work or at home, we have too often let someone else’s “insanity” affect how we behave and how we feel. At first, it may seem insensitive not to react to others’ problems or negative behavior. We may fear they’ll think we simply don’t care about them. Learning that it is far more caring to let other people handle their own lives takes time and patience. But with practice, it will begin to feel comfortable. In fact, in time it will feel freeing and wonderful. I will work on detac... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119730 Sun, 24 Oct 2010 16:08:01 +0100 4119730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065417&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F13%2Fdo-you-still-have-a-security-blanket%2F Do you still have your favorite blanket, pillow, or plush toy from your childhood? If you do, don’t fear — you’re amongst good company. Our partner LiveScience has the story by examining the data that drives our need to keep these reminders from our childhood. We believe these objects hold something of greater value to us than just their outward appearance or physical properties. Scientists call this belief “essentialism.” Essentialism is why we don’t feel the same about replacing a lost object, whether it be our wedding ring, a toy from our childhood, or our cherished iPhone. The new object loses that emotional attachment the original had. That’s one of the reasons some of us hang on to those childhood toys or objects — they hold an emotiona... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065417 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:00:04 +0100 4065417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954308&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F09%2Fan-emotional-timeline-of-911%2F As we approach the ninth anniversary of 9/11, researchers writing in Psychological Science this week analyzed 85,000 text pages sent through pagers during the 2 hours before and 18 hours after 9/11 took place. (You do remember what a pager is, don’t you?) WikiLeaks, the website in the news lately for other reasons, has made the 573,000 lines consisting of 6.4 million words freely available on its website for the past year. What would these 85,000 pages tell us about the human emotion that people were expressing during those 20 hours? Researchers’ favorite tool when it comes to text analysis is the good ole Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). So it’s no surprise that’s what these researchers also turned to to analyze the word content of these communications for... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954308 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:30:44 +0100 3954308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3913185&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2FnJNdaX8seP0%2F The Neuroscience of Emotions Emotion, psychology and neurophysiology; how the brain processes emotion and their function in our functioning. A good talk for a lay audience as part of the Google Tech Talks series. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3913185 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:32:57 +0100 3913185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3786131&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftwitter-used-to-gauge-the-nations-mood%2F2010.07.24 A team from Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School has been analyzing words used in tweets by American users in an attempt to gauge the public mood around the country. What they discovered was that users on the West Coast seem to be quite a bit jollier than those on the East Coast. It’s not clear whether the data was collected during the summer or winter months and accordingly adjusted, for that surely would affect the readings. Researchers were able to infer the mood of each tweet using a psychological word-rating system developed by the National Institute of Mental Health’s Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention. The system ranks words based on how they make people feel. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Bette... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3786131 Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:00:41 +0100 3786131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3740655&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F09%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-july-9-2010%2F Is it just me or is anyone else feeling the “after holiday blues?” Yep, memories of fireworks and the waft of the grill are slowly fading away. I’m already thinking about the next big thing, a vacation, a birthday, another holiday. My mind starts to dream about the end of the summer and the beginning of fall and what that will bring. I let myself get carried away into the future and then a wave of worries take over. Money, family, career, you name it. I’ve thought about it and indulged in it. Before I know it, the day is gone. How unfortunate that we let time get the best of us and how easy it is to succumb to things like stress, worrying and negative thinking. Although it’s quite normal, it would be wonderful to catch myself in the act and stop the thoughts b... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3740655 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:21:00 +0100 3740655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641329&cid=t_100607_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Ffreedom-from-emotion-2%2F Detachment means "freedom from emotion." Detachment is something all people in recovery seek. Letting someone else’s behavior determine how we feel at every turn is irresponsible. Our emotions should be determined by us, not by someone else. But no doubt we have spent years confusing the boundaries that separate us from other people. Whether at work or at home, we have too often let someone else’s "insanity" affect how we behave and how we feel. At first, it may seem insensitive not to react to others’ problems or negative behavior. We may fear they’ll think we simply don’t care about them. Learning that it is far more caring to let other people handle their own lives takes time and patience. But with practice, it will begin to feel comfort... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641329 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:32:00 +0100 3641329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3542604&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-tool-to-help-the-visually-impaired-see-facial-expressions%2F2010.05.06 Shafiq ur Réhman, a doctoral student at Umeå University in Sweden has unveiled his thesis project — a technology that converts facial emotions into special tactile sensations for the visually impaired. The system uses a webcam to capture faces, and then subsequently converts the captured emotion into a series of vibrations that correspond with the expressed emotion. The users are expected to train themselves by making their own faces into the webcam and getting a feel for how the vibrations change with the faces they’re making. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3542604 Thu, 06 May 2010 20:00:02 +0100 3542604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3479832&cid=t_100607_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FUJDlsPRtY6c%2F Botox freezes more than just your face, it can wind up freezing out your friends, according to a recent Sunday Times Online article by Lois Rogers. Research out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison indicates that facial expression plays an important role in the brain’s ability to register emotion. Subjects in the study were tested on emotional response times to negative emotional situations both before and after botox injections to their frown muscles. Post-botox, subjects took longer to respond to emotional stimuli, because there weren’t facial expressions to trigger the brain’s emotional processing. While the study was limited to frozen frown muscles, researchers believe that freezing smile muscles will result in similar slowing of joy comprehension. This emotional h... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3479832 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:34:23 +0100 3479832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3471844&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F14%2Fon-being-a-student-therapist-unsatisfying-endings%2F Three weeks left in the semester, and the goodbyes begin. Technically, I did say goodbye to four clients earlier in the semester, but over the next few weeks, I’ll be saying goodbye to clients with whom I’ve worked “long term,” as in, longer than our four required sessions, and therefore, with whom I have built more of a relationship. The client I said goodbye to today made incredible progress during the semester. She came in very closed off, afraid to show emotion, and dealing with issues that would be hard for anyone to deal with, let alone a 20-year-old undergraduate. During our time together, she worked hard and was a rewarding client. However, today during our termination session, I was reminded of what counseling is really about: the client and her needs, not my needs or expe... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3471844 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:26:36 +0100 3471844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463725&cid=t_100607_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fchronic-pain-blog-to-change%2F After much contemplation, I have decided to write a new blog only once a week instead of the two fresh entries I have been writing since August 2006. Those of you who read this blog frequently know I fight an uphill battle each day with my health which is the source of inspiration for this. I’m trying to decide what to share with all of you. The bad news is that I’m running out of steam with all the current problems I’m having and the blog has become more and more popular and demands more responses from me. I’m thrilled at the popularity of this blog and stubbornly try to answer each entry from all of you. I will continue to do so. As many of you know, there are many days your energy only goes so far and then, that’s it. I thought about shortening the blogs or making them less su... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463725 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:25:51 +0100 3463725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3432930&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F02%2Fintroducing-dialectical-behavior-therapy-understood%2F I’m pleased to introduce you to Dialectical Behavior Therapy Understood, a blog about DBT by Christy Matta. What the heck is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and why does it have such a weird name? DBT is a specific type of therapy invented in the early 1990s by Marsha Linehan, a psychologist at the University of Washington in Seattle, to treat borderline personality disorder. Its primary focus is providing a validating environment for someone with this disorder, and helping them view the therapist as an ally in growth and change. Linehan also recognized that people with borderline personality disorder often lacked certain skills that most of us learn intrinsically, which made their lives even more difficult. The skills are taught in four parts and include Mindfulness, Interpersonal e... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3432930 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:10:36 +0100 3432930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3390822&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2Fbuddhas_brain_the_neuroscience_of_selfhelp.php I've been a skeptic about self-help books as have many of my colleagues. Self-help concepts often represent the home grown philosophy of the author. Seldom is there comprehensive research documentation of the foundations of the concepts shared. And so you can never be sure you are reading something that applies real science to every day needs. Cover via Amazon This book is an exception. Buddha's Brain - The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom. is the catchy title. Actually, there is little about Buddha or Buddhism in the book. Written by Rick Hanson Ph.D. with Richard Mendius MD, it uses some concepts of Buddhism as a frame of every day experience to convey the main themes. It thoroughly summarizes for the layman the latest neuroscience research as it relates to happin... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3390822 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:57:21 +0100 3390822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3390995&cid=t_100607_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdifferent-drums-and-different-drummers%2F “If I do not want what you want, Please try not to tell me that my want is wrong. Or if I believe other than you, at least pause before you correct my view. Or if my emotion is less than yours, or more, given the same circumstances, try not to ask me to feel more strongly or weakly. Or yet if I act, or fail to act, in the manner of your design for action, let me be. I do not, for the moment at least, ask you to understand me. That will come only when you are willing to give up changing me into a copy of you. I may be your spouse, your parent, your offspring, your friend, or your colleague. If you allow me any of my own wants, or beliefs, or actions, then you open your-self so that someday these wants of mine might not seem so wrong, and might finally appear to you as right – fo... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3390995 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:59:00 +0100 3390995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362434&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2Fselfknowledge_emotional_intelligence_for_personal.php This is the fourth in a series of articles on emotional intelligence for personal growth. Self-knowledge is something we all strive towards. But how many of us have done a complete review of our emotions and how they influence our thoughts and behavior? Most people find that pretty hard to do, especially since they struggle to put their feelings into words. We talk about "will power" as the ultimate motivation. It might surprise you to find out that motivation is really emotion. Emotion in it's simplest form is motivation, "...each emotion offers a distinctive readiness to act; each points us in a direction that has worked well to handle the recurrent challenges of human life." (Goleman, 1995, p4) Entering a state of mindfulness or flow a person reaches "perhaps the ultimate in harnessing... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362434 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:30:40 +0100 3362434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3335394&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F05%2Fwhats-in-a-smile%2F Conclusions What’s in a smile? A lot of information, telling the receiver of the smile whether you meant you were happy, amused, or proud. Research into human expression of positive emotions is ongoing and will explore more of these areas in years to come. What we have found so far is that not every specific positive emotion — for instance, pride — is expressed through every type of sense. As the researcher notes, “It will be interesting to consider whether ease of communication via different types of signals may relate to different “families” of emotions, such as self-conscious emotions including pride, and prosocial emotions like love.” If happiness can only be communicated through facial expressions, and not through touch, that’s good information ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3335394 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:45:17 +0100 3335394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298379&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F22%2Fdoes-happiness-follow-on-vacation%2F One of the holy grails of modern psychology is figuring out what makes people happy. The thinking goes, “If we know what makes people happy, people can then do more of that thing and increase happiness in their own lives.” Makes sense. We’ve noted previously how an experience — such as a vacation or going out to dinner — is more likely to increase happiness than buying a material gift. The reasoning behind this is that experiences create (hopefully fond) memories, which can be later recalled and enjoyed again. While you may also enjoy a gift, it just doesn’t seem to have the same impact that an experience does. But research published last week demonstrates that this finding be more complicated than we originally thought. That research by Nawijn and col... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298379 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:30:54 +0100 3298379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294646&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F21%2Fthe-gift-of-anger%2F An ancient saying states that just as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend to show rage or worthy purpose. What could this mean? Could anger be an emotion that reveals hidden truths about a person? In her classic book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron elaborates on the ability of anger to disclose concealed aspects of a person’s direction and purpose in life. One needs to translate the message that anger is sending. It is trying to bring something to the light to be looked at and examined. Usually one tries to conceal or bury anger, feeling the social restraints and consequences. While sensitivity to not hurt others is valid, an individual’s feeling of anger needs private examination. Anger must not master us, but it can become a tool for self-revelation... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294646 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:38:04 +0100 3294646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3290996&cid=t_100607_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F91BwAxbv7tU%2F This article may help. Letting someone else’s behavior determine how we feel at every turn is irresponsible. Our emotions should be determined by us, not by someone else. But no doubt we have spent years confusing the boundaries that separate us from other people. Whether at work or at home, we have too often let someone else’s “insanity” affect how we behave and how we feel. At first, it may seem insensitive not to react to others’ problems or negative behavior. We may fear they’ll think we simply don’t care about them. Learning that it is far more caring to let other people handle their own lives takes time and patience. But with practice, it will begin to feel comfortable. In fact, in time it will feel freeing and wonderful. I will work on detac... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3290996 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:05:04 +0100 3290996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3269729&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2Fted_blogjonathan_haidt_on_how_our_moral_roots_skew.php Our Righteous Minds were designed to unite us into teams, divide us against others, & blind us to the truth -Jon Haidt http://bit.ly/9N7TyU (Source: Ψ Dare To Dream...) Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3269729 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:15:48 +0100 3269729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259026&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F10%2Fnewsweeks-take-on-antidepressants-more-reactions%2F Since Newsweek published its article on antidepressants last week, we’ve seen a wide range of opinions posted about it online. Psych Central blogger and journalist Christine Stapleton asks, Am I treating my depression with expensive Tic Tacs? She reacted strongly to the main premise of the article — that antidepressants are nothing more than expensive Tic Tacs. It’s a personal but very real reaction from someone who has battled depression and has found relief in antidepressants — like millions of other Americans. Indeed, it echoes my own arguments. Research can inform us about many things in general, but they can never tell us anything about how a specific individual will benefit (or not). Christine posted a followup entry today, Antidepressants: JAMA, Newsweek an... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259026 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:18:19 +0100 3259026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060662&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2Fselfawareness_emotional_intelligence_for_personal.php This is the third in a series of articles on emotional intelligence for personal growth. Self-awareness is one of the most important benefits we get from spending time in a mindful state. The longer we are able to stay mindful, the more we learn about our selves. We come to recognize the ebb and flow of our thoughts, moods, emotions and impulses. We begin to see relationships between our thoughts and feelings and external events.One thing we notice is that our thoughts and feelings often contradict each other. Our emotional selves and our rational selves often have conflicting memories, perspectives, and motivations. On the surface, positive emotions seem helpful, and negative emotions seem to be destructive. There is an old Cherokee folk tale called the "Wolves Within". "An old Grandfat... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060662 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:12:51 +0100 4060662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060663&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2Fmindfulness_emotional_intelligence_for_personal_gr.php This is the second in a series of articles on emotional intelligence for personal growth. The first part is here. Mindfulness is a non-judgmental, present-centered awareness in which each thought, feeling, or sensation that arises is acknowledged and accepted as it is. It is a skill that is learned by committed practice. The object is to focus one's attention on thoughts, feelings and events in the present moment while remaining curious, open, and accepting whatever occurs. The idea is to take on the role of an observer of your own mind. Notice everything that happens without holding onto anything, having a "Teflon Mind". An important part of observing is putting words to the experience. The effect of naming the experience effectively separates you from it. Thoughts are just thoughts, fe... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060663 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:39:27 +0100 4060663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3159957&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fresolve%2F The holiday break is over. Well, not for me. I’m still relaxing at home. But it’s over for my wife and daughter. On Monday, Lexi reluctantly woke up early and went back to school. That evening, she finished her first pages of homework for the week, also reluctantly. My wife, Shawntel, resumed her night classes (medical assisting) this week as well. It was a nice break for us, though. Christmas eve was spent here (bro-in-law’s place). It went surprisingly well. No stress. No nausea. No back pain. At the end of the night, we were left with a fridge full of leftovers. Good times. On December 27, we went down to the Bay Area to visit my dad-in-law’s family for a post-Christmas party. It also went well. For New Year’s Eve, we headed to Elk Grove to visit my parents... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3159957 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:32:27 +0100 3159957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3175955&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2Femotional_intelligence_for_personal_growth.php This is the first in a series of articles on the topic of emotional intelligence for personal growth. I got this quote in one of those anonymous emails that has been forwarded through thousands of inboxes all over the planet: Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting '..holy sh*t ....what a ride!' Enjoy the ride. There is no return ticket. Image via Wikipedia I had heard something like this decades ago and remember that it had a profound effect on me. It was one of those "Aha!" moments we all have from time to time. I had always been a cautious man and taken great pains to avoid unnecessary risks on my way to building a career. While this new perspective didn't change a lot about what I did, it ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3175955 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:52:36 +0100 3175955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3157534&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2Femotional_intelligence_for_personal_growth.php This is the first in a series of articles on the topic of emotional intelligence for personal growth. I got this quote in one of those anonymous emails that has been forwarded through thousands of inboxes all over the planet: Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting '..holy sh*t ....what a ride!' Enjoy the ride. There is no return ticket. Image via Wikipedia I had heard something like this decades ago and remember that it had a profound effect on me. It was one of those "Aha!" moments we all have from time to time. I had always been a cautious man and taken great pains to avoid unnecessary risks on my way to building a career. While this new perspective didn't change a lot about what I did, it ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3157534 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:52:36 +0100 3157534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3153513&cid=t_100607_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fwhat-secrets-lie-in-a-life-of-chronic-pain%2F This whole business of online sharing is very public. Those of us who share on this blog often hold back a bit because of the glaring nature of our words staying here forever. We hide behind first names, try to watch our language, although that isn’t always easy to do, and often hold onto our emotions to be civil. In short, we make a noble attempt to behave like ladies and gents. All the while, we know, within each of us we are so much more than just our pain. We all have homes to run, many have jobs to hold down just to survive and many have children with needs, tears, laughter and love to share. We worry about money, family problems and mortgages, just like everyone else. The difference is that we have this “albatross” to carry, each and every day on top of the usual stresses of li... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3153513 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:16:06 +0100 3153513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3066986&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006768.html The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), drugs used to treat depression, make people less neurotic and more extraverted. Individuals taking a medication to treat depression may experience changes in their personality separate from the alleviation of depressive symptoms, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.Two personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion, have been related to depression risk, according to background information in the article. Individuals who are neurotic tend to experience negative emotions and emotional instability, whereas extraversion refers not only to socially outgoing behavior but also to dominance and a tendency to experience positive emotions. Both traits have been linked t... FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3066986 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3066986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3003845&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F18%2Fthe-situation-of-mortgage-defaults%2F This article suggests that most homeowners choose not to strategically default as a result of two emotional forces: 1) the desire to avoid the shame and guilt of foreclosure; and 2) exaggerated anxiety over foreclosure’s perceived consequences. Moreover, these emotional constraints are actively cultivated by the government and other social control agents in order to encourage homeowners to follow social and moral norms related to the honoring of financial obligations – and to ignore market and legal norms under which strategic default might be both viable and the wisest financial decision. Norms governing homeowner behavior stand in sharp contrast to norms governing lenders, who seek to maximize profits or minimize losses irrespective of concerns of morality or social responsibilit... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3003845 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:01:17 +0100 3003845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981393&cid=t_100607_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F11%2Fwhat-do-i-do-when-ive-had-enough-the-effect-of-emotions-on-self-regulation-chronic-pain%2F As soon as read the first paragraph of the paper I’ve used as the basis for this post, I knew I was onto something that resonated with my original occupational therapy values. It says this: ‘Living with chronic pain is a balancing act. People with chronic pain are required to make daily decisions about how best to cope with illness-related demands while managing other role-related obligations. Although some people become overwhelmed by the demands of illness and daily life, many, if not most, remain focused and well-adjusted, and do not require the services of a mental health professional. … Why do some redouble their coping efforts following a health set back, whereas others become demoralised?’ I concur with the idea that ‘most remain focused and well-adjust... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981393 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:15:44 +0100 2981393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912264&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2Fbarriers_behaviors_subcultures_and_the_homeless_po.php I really enjoy reading the blog Kellevision.com. She says it like it is and seldom misses the point of what she's writing about. She identifies a problem in programming for homelessness and proposes a set of concepts to help clarify the situation. Image via Wikipedia Many of the "barriers" faced by the chronically homeless are not external. They are self-inflicted. Repeatedly failing to pay one's utility bills is not a barrier. It is a behavior. Repeatedly getting into relationships with drug addicts and being evicted because you have allowed your new girlfriend to turn your affordable housing into a crack house is not a barrier. It is a behavior. Choosing to pay your boyfriend's bail instead of the rent is not a barrier, it is a behavior. Consistently refusing to hold down steady employm... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912264 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:12:07 +0100 2912264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2881319&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fbad-news-good-news%2F Bad news: Went in for my 3rd set of trigger point injections (read part 1 & part 2 & part 3) this past Tuesday. During the initial examination, was told by doctors (there were 2 of them) that the tissue around my shoulder blade (where the pain is REALLY bad) does not react like a trigger point. As one doc put it, “You’ve got a good, old-fashioned mechanical problem. The padding between bone, muscle and skin is very thin.” Essentially, it looks like the pain is caused from the wear and tear of my bone hitting the muscle, which then hits the skin. In my case, the muscle is weak and in constant strain (per the kyphosis) and I’m underweight, so there’s no soft tissue between muscle and skin. Therefore any surface my back touches only adds pressure and more... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2881319 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:15:52 +0100 2881319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859105&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fmy-foundation-dads-response%2F Not too long ago, I wrote about my father. He called me yesterday and asked if I was ready to hear his response yet. I said, “Sure.” I was curious. He actually read this to me over the phone. Can you say emotional? Between him choking up and me reaching for tissues…well, I’ll let you read it. He left this as a comment on the blog yesterday, but I’m elevating it to full-on blog post, baby! My comments are in GREEN. His reply: Hi mi hijo, After I read “My Foundation” I was crying for awhile, and so many memories to to my mind and heart. I remember how many of my plans (as a dad) for you suddenly collapsed right before my eyes. I figured maybe you would be a great soccer player. But, most of all, a martial artist that I could be teaching and coaching. (My Dad... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859105 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:12:51 +0100 2859105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709254&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2Fs7xWMY1hpzs%2Fthinking-with-feeling.html This Time With Feeling What is the difference between emotion and feeling? How emotions influence decisions and cognitive functioning. Neuroscientist Damasio, in an interview by David Brooks, reveals the history of neuroscience divorced from the neurobiology of emotion, and details experiments and case studies from his distinguished career. (Although you can watch the embed here, I highly recommend viewing on FORA’s enhanced player instead.) (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709254 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:30:33 +0100 2709254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2611154&cid=t_100607_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2F_xpK-siI_io%2Fwould-you-want-to-know-if-your-were.html Fact or Myth? Knowing you are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's would cause psychological or emotional damage?Myth.A new study that is being published in the New England Journal of Medicine dispels this myth.The researchers found that a genetic test for predisposition to Alzheimer's disease does no psychological harm to people who take it. No harm even if it turns out that you are carrying the risky gene for Alzheimer's--APOE, for apolipoprotein E.“There has been this extraordinary worry that disclosing risk was going to devastate people,” said Dr. Robert C. Green. “This has upended those assumptions.”Dr. Green is a professor of neurology, genetics and epidemiology at Boston University, is the lead author of this new study.There are two excellent articles up on the Internet th... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2611154 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:12:01 +0100 2611154 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2594471&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2Ffinding_meaning_in_research.php Image via Wikipedia I very much enjoyed recent exchange on Psychotherapy Brown Bag. I find myself frequently thinking of the implications of our approach to research and how it contributes to our understanding of psychology. Intuition is, by no means, useless. A half-century ago, Karl Popper (1959) gave an answer to this that today remains powerfully compelling. Intuition, inductive reasoning, and philosophical theories are extremely valuable as the first step of a multi-step process. He termed this step the "context of discovery." His point was that we need creative thought, outside-the-box thinking, and alternative perspectives in order to drive progress, but that our thoughts, no matter how elegant, can not be the end point. We need to follow up this stage with deductive reasoning - ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2594471 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:51:29 +0100 2594471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859121&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fwell-you-know-my-name-is-simon%2F …and I love to do drawrings! Age 8 Age 9 Well, these pretty much explain themselves. If I remember correctly, I think I sided with the humans. Or was it the big, badass vultures? Hm, either way, these are decent examples of emotions  I felt then (even now). There’s fear, danger, pain, suffering, and a great battle. (Source: Cancer, life, and me) Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859121 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:21:53 +0100 2859121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859125&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fthe-value-of-privacy%2F You know what’s annoying as f.? Trying to sleep and being woken up with a needle stick at 12am, then 2am, then 4am, then 6am. You know what else is annoying? Wearing those skimpy, flimsy gowns, with my ass hanging out the back. And then there’s the fact that I’ve had catheters up my dick, fingers up my ass, tubes down my nose and mouth, IV’s galore… not to mention the constant beeps and buzzes and hisses and wheezes from all the damn machinery surrounding the bed. And why is every damn X-ray table a freezing slab of metal? Point being, I was violated. Exposed. Stripped. So I created an area where I knew NO ONE could touch me.  My own head. In there I lived and in there I guarded every thought and emotion.  Because those were mine.  My BODY was mine, but cer... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859125 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:02:36 +0100 2859125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570608&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F02%2Fdeclaring-independence-from-fear%2F Independence Day in the U.S. is the day that America declared its independence from a tyrannical government, but real independence took many longer, hard years of war. The sacrifice of tens of thousands of people was needed first, before our declaration of independence had any real effect. And so it is with any change in our lives. We can make the declaration, “Today, I’m going to start losing weight,” or “Today, I’m going to try and reply to every cognitive distortion by examining the evidence and answering it back.” But declarations are only starting points — they represent the beginning of our journey, not the end. But declarations serve an important purpose — they place us (and others) on notice. Something is going to change. It may not ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570608 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:42:06 +0100 2570608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556165&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2009%2F06%2Fpositive_thoughts_make_things_worse_for_poor_selfe.php Image via Wikipedia I caught this article at Psychcentral.com, Positive Thoughts Make Things Worse for Poor Self-Esteem . It struck me as a counter-intuitive finding for a research study. I've been helping clients build self-esteem for over 30 years and while positive thoughts is not a short road to better self-esteem, it certainly does work over the long run. I'd estimate that at least six months is required to make significant progress with self-esteem from solely refocusing on the positive, and some people require much more time. Several things jumped at me as I read the article. First of all, Dr. Grohol quoted an article from the The Economist of all places. Both articles stated the research was published in this month's Psychology Research and authored by Wood et al (2009). A review ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556165 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:19:15 +0100 2556165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2515180&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fmusic-keeps-heart-beats-in-tune%2F There is something very therapeutic about music. It brings out emotions, makes us want to dance and sing, and soothes and relaxes when you’re weary. Now a new Italian study highlights the fact that  “music induces a continuous, dynamic—and to some extent predictable—change in the cardiovascular system.” This new study is a follow on from previous studies done by Luciano Bernardi and his team which had found that changes in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems mirrored musical tempos. To find out more about how the body responds to changing rhythms, they hooked up 24 volunteers - half experienced singers, half with no musical training - to monitors that measure physiological signals. The volunteers were then subjected to five random selections of Bach, Beethoven, Pu... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2515180 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:41:04 +0100 2515180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441657&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2Fhow_do_you_inspire_a_client_to_believe_in_therapy.php Image via Wikipedia Recently, I exchanged messages with Michele Rosenthal, author of the blog, Parasites of the Mind. She asked me a very good question, one that is so much a part of my everyday work, a good long contemplation was needed just to tease out a good answer. Speaking of inspiring, how do you inspire a client to believe in what he/she is doing? It's so difficult to believe in anything when PTSD has settled its big black cloud on your head. Any general rules of the game for (self) empowering belief? Another therapist, Mary Redoutey, joined our discussion and attempted to answer this question. She took the conventional route. All therapy in essence is self empowered therapy.... The therapist is the partner in the process. I can sit in the chair in my office, can make sugge... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441657 Wed, 20 May 2009 21:14:30 +0100 2441657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2353884&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F21%2Fnurturing-my-soul-stadium-therapy%2F Everyone has a few places on this earth they consider special. People get a certain feeling when they are there, like putting on a pair of old comfortable shoes or being plugged into a charge of energy. Memories, emotions, physical sensations - these places stir them all up, creating a divine craving to return often. For me, it’s an old football stadium. This past weekend I went to the football stadium of my alma mater. It’s just a spring scrimmage, but it’s a Huge Deal every year. This thing is more than just a sporting event. It’s an excuse to “be there”, to bask in the aura and the atmosphere, to get lost inside the experience. I went to college there, so did my husband, my dad, and so many other people in my family. I was in the marching band, and I... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2353884 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:37:08 +0100 2353884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060685&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2Fforgiveness_therapy_endorsed_by_a_skeptic.php Since I heard of all the excitement in the therapy literature about forgiveness therapy, I've been a skeptic. I've worked with a lot of people who have experienced unforgivable abuse. Often they are tortured by their feelings of anger, resentment, helplessness, violation, and shame for allowing themselves to be a victim. They also feel guilt about their anger with the perpetrator so much so they feel morally obligated to forgive the perpetrator. When they do, they seem to feel no personal relief from forgiveness except for less anger and guilt and a better relationship with the perpetrator. But they seem no closer to recovery than before. I work with persons with depression and anxiety, as well as long standing serious problems with relationships (personality disorder) due to growing up ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060685 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:01:41 +0100 4060685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348541&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F17%2Fsusan-boyle-a-lesson-in-expectations-and-emotion%2F In a mere six days, Susan Boyle from Scotland has become a multi-million-view sensation on YouTube. Her rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables has been a phenomenon, growing steadily by the minute as more and more people see the video. Clearly, Susan has an amazing voice. She owned this song, and the audience before too long. In my opinion, “I Dreamed a Dream” is one of the most gorgeous songs ever written, and it’s difficult to sing well. It has a musical range much like the “Star Spangled Banner” (ever have to sing that one by yourself in front of people?). To really pull it off, you need to have some good singing chops. Boy, does she. But here’s the thing, the real secret to why this woman is getting so much attention and s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348541 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:00:13 +0100 2348541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313543&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F06%2Fnegative-anticipation-set-up-for-worry%2F Last night I was worried about a work thing that I felt less than ideally prepared for. Some parts were fine, but others worked against my weaknesses. In short, I was pretty worried. When I went in to work, it all went better than I expected. Some bumps in the road, but it was a great learning experience with good support. I knew this in my head going in, but I was still worried. And I was still somewhat worried about doing it the next time. So if my logic tells me it’s likely to be OK, why did I still get so worried? Worrying is feeling anxious about something that could or will happen in the future. The emotion usually includes fear of either something specific or of the unknown. Your heart beats faster, you might feel sweaty, and you often feel a sense of physical tension in your ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313543 Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:55:00 +0100 2313543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266685&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F13%2Ffriday-flashback-for-march-13-2009%2F Well, one day last week it was 60 degrees here in New England, and then a few days later it’s snowing. It must be March. And if it’s Friday, it must be time for another Friday Flashback while I’m attending the annual SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. Yes, I’ll eat some BBQ for you. 10 Years Ago on Psych Central Detecting Deception A decade ago, I wrote about the research to-date that demonstrated how lousy human beings are in detecting deception in others — to catch another person in a lie. “The conclusions from this research are obvious — trained professionals and untrained laypeople, in general, cannot tell when a person is lying.” A decade later, our ability to detect deception has increased slightly and 4 years ago, we noted Paul Ekma... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266685 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:50:09 +0100 2266685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258163&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F12%2Femotional-payoffs-finally-revealed%2F Alright, so I teased you a bit on the first post of this topic. You probably thought you were going to hear all about these so-called “emotional payoffs” I keep talking about. Well, here I will get to the “rest of the story.” Just a caveat, this whole self-awareness thing can be kind of dicey. Be careful what you ask because you might get answers that make you uncomfortable. If you see yourself in these descriptions, try not to soak it up too strongly all at once. Just make a note of it and read on through the end. Keep in mind that the first post referred to your special someone becoming disinterested in a night out with you. We will now look at the emotional possibilities with this conflict. Angry and vocal - This brings the confrontation to a head quickly. The p... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258163 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:18:49 +0100 2258163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2256052&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006033.html There's nothing to fear but fear itself - and even that can be eliminated with a drug treatment. A team of Dutch researchers under the leadership of Vici-winner Merel Kindt... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2256052 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2256052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258166&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F11%2Fwhat-is-the-payoff-for-your-emotional-choices%2F Yes, you read the title correctly. There really is a payoff for every emotionally-driven behavior and thought. And to a certain extent, these are controllable elements of your life. So when you behave or think in a way that is directed chiefly by emotion, what actually happens in your favor? Pouting, giving in, refusing to give in, self-pity, yelling - they all have payoffs. Let me explain and you may find a little bit of yourself by the end of this post. How Do You React Internally And Externally? When you are faced with a challenge or conflict, you are likely to have an emotional response. You are also likely to have thoughts that reflect your beliefs and life priorities. From those elements, you will officially have some kind of reaction. It may be shock, disgust, anger, despair, confus... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258166 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:09:46 +0100 2258166 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258147&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2Fmood_swings_are_normal.php Image via Wikipedia We have become a medicating culture. If we don't like how we feel, we can take a pill to feel better. Kellen Von Houser, MA, LPC, in her blog Kellevision says it boldly. My concern is for people who are actually experiencing the normal emotions of life, labeling them "mood swings" and trying to medicate their discomfort away. My concern is for doctors who participate in this and validate it. My concern is for teaching people that emotions can be "negative" and undesirable. That they are "bad" in some way and should be eliminated, by chemical intervention or any other means. This is not a message we want to send. Emotions are what make us human. And expressing them is what keeps us sane. In this world, shrewd advertisers manipulate our moods to overwhelm our self-c... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258147 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:03:25 +0100 2258147 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2240890&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F05%2Fmore-thoughts-on-motherhood-and-depression%2F The post I wrote earlier only seemed to stir up more thoughts about depression and motherhood. Of course, you could insert whatever mental illness into the place of depression and many of the consequences and outcomes would be similar. So here goes round two of motherhood and depression from a mom who’s been there. Many women feel the pressure to be supermoms — do it all with a smile and have it all at the end of the day. This is so difficult to fulfill that women often feel like they come up short. Somewhere somehow something has to give. Many families certainly have to sacrifice to make ends meet, and especially now the economy isn’t making it any easier. But it’s just this type of “be everything to everyone” kind of expectation that can get moms in a ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2240890 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:29:33 +0100 2240890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2222493&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F02%2F28%2Fhow-indifference-can-kill-a-relationship%2F Sometimes the killer of relationships isn’t a lack of trust, a lack of communication or arguing with your significant other. It’s simple indifference. A relationship can survive most things if both people involved in it are committed to the other person and act with respect toward the other. It can survive the death of our parents or the birth of a child. It can sometimes even survive an indiscretion (although such a behavior shows a shocking lack of respect for one’s partner). It can survive layoffs and career changes, of going back to school, or buying your first home together. It usually can even survive the wedding, one of the most stressful things adults go through in their lives. A relationship can survive angry tirades and arguments that span endless lonely days an... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2222493 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:32:51 +0100 2222493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2105540&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fis-crying-good-for-you-it-depends.html This post about crying behavior is way off task for the focus of my blog.  But the title of the article captured my attention, and upon further review, I discovered, much to my delight (and preference for good model-based research) that the article presented a nice conceptual/theoretical model for understanding crying behavior.Bottom line---according to Rottenberg et al. (2008) a "good cry" may be beneficial...but sometimes it is not and it may exacerbate stress.  Crying, like many human behaviors, is the result of a complex interaction of personal individual difference variables and environmental settings.  The authors model (see nice visual-graphic represenation above) suggests that the pros/cons of crying are a function of (a) how crying behavior is measured in research, (b) the cond... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2105540 Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:35:00 +0100 2105540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1964598&cid=t_100607_107_f&fid=36585&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHighlightHEALTH%2F%7E3%2FBQ-_S2aYqZQ%2F Conclusion Well, what do you think? Have you made a decision? We’ve moved through each of the different attributes: needs, preferences, values and emotions. Did you find the articles interesting? Did you learn anything new? Was this a successful edition of Encephalon? I really enjoyed reading through each of the articles and learned quite a lot. My thanks to everyone that contributed articles — it’s been great hosting this edition of Encephalon. Be sure to take a moment and let your fellow bloggers know this issue is available so that everyone’s hard work can be appreciated and enjoyed by all. You can find both the hosting schedule and past editions at the Encephalon Archives & Calendar. The next edition of Encephalon will be at Ionian Enchantment on November 24th.... Highlight HEALTH blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1964598 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:20:10 +0100 1964598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947131&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F11%2F09%2Fweather-can-change-your-mood%2F Pages: 1 2 Next »     Single Page I was browsing a blog the other day and saw an undated (recent?) entry suggesting that research shows that “weather has little effect on our mood.” The entry relied heavily on a recent study (Denissen et al., 2008) that shows that although a correlation between mood and weather does exist, it’s a small one (not nearly as large as conventional wisdom might suggest). The entry quotes almost exclusively and entirely from the one study. I’m familiar with this area of research, so I found the entry’s conclusions a little simplistic and not really doing justice to this topic. There’s a fair amount of research in this area (more than the 3 or 4 studies mentioned in the blog), and I think the overall prep... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947131 Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:56:28 +0100 1947131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1856101&cid=t_100607_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F5mGA0vcrwps%2F Or so suggests this study, so I write this with raised eyebrows. Scientists have identified a common genetic variation that appears to weaken a man’s ability to emotionally attach to one partner. Findings from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that men with relationship and communication problems carry a variation in the gene that codes for vasopressin 1a receptor subtype, a hormone involved in brain signaling and said to influence monogamy in animals. Allele 334 of the vasopressin gene was associated with lower scores on partner bonding and greater odds of marital conflict. Among men either with no copies or just one copy of the 334 allele, 15 to 16 percent reported a marital crisis in the past year. However, when men had two copies of the 334 allele, the odds of marital crisis d... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1856101 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:15:36 +0100 1856101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060697&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F09%2Fis_there_a_place_for_emotion_in_cognitive_theory.php Aaron Beck, considered the Father of Cognitive Therapy, is an American psychiatrist and a professor emeritus at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is President of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research that is directed by his daughter, Judith S. Beck, Ph.D.. He is noted for his research in psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), one of the most widely used instruments for measuring depression severity. At age 87, the man is still publishing, building on his pioneering work on the cognitive model of depression. In his latest article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, he recalls his early work: "Caught up with the contagion of the times, I was prompted to start something... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060697 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:52:42 +0100 4060697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1791969&cid=t_100607_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F15%2Fthe-art-of-chronic-pain%2F Pain is invisible - and people with pain often find it difficult to express exactly what their pain is like in words… BUT art can express so much that words can’t and the art of chronic pain can be found in all sorts of places. Today I was given a pamphlet from a nonprofit organisation called PAIN Exhibit in the US.  The organiser and creator of this group is Mark Collen, who has experienced chronic pain for over ten years.  If you go to the website PainExhibit.com, you’ll find some incredibly powerful images created by people who have chronic pain.  Some of the images are hard to look at, they’re so evocative. Mark has published a brief pamphlet about chronic pain, and the website also has some information about chronic pain, but the main purpose of the site is ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791969 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:06:38 +0100 1791969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060701&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F08%2Fthe_wolves_within.php Image via Wikipedia Even in our high-tech world, our understanding of emotions is dominated by culture. FirstPeople.us "An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply rep... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060701 Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:02:48 +0100 4060701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1733955&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2008%2F08%2Fyour_brain_lies_to_you.php Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr With elections just around the corner, I thought we could all use a reminder about just how easily we are influenced beyond our awareness by election campaigns. The Frontal Cortex In reality, we voters -- all of us -- make emotional, intuitive decisions about who we prefer, and then come up with post-hoc rationalizations to explain the choices that were already made beneath conscious awareness. "People often act without knowing why they do what they do," Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner, noted in an e-mail message to me this week. "The fashion of political writing this year is to suggest that people choose their candidate by their stand on the issues, but this strikes me as highly implausible." ...we're really an emotional animal, guided, for the m... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1733955 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:31:30 +0100 1733955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1711751&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2008%2F08%2Fis_sadness_the_same_as_depression.php This article examines the assumption that major depression is a specific illness, that it is rapidly increasing, and that a medical response is justified. I argue that major depression is not a natural entity and does not identify a homogenous group of patients. The apparent increase in major depression results from: confusing those who are ill with those who share their symptoms; the surveying of symptoms out of context; the benefits that accrue from such a diagnosis to drug companies, researchers, and clinicians; and changing social constructions around sadness and distress. Standardized medical treatment of all these individuals is neither possible nor desirable. The major depression category should be replaced by a clinical staging strategy that acknowledges the continuous distribution... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1711751 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:04:24 +0100 1711751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1709116&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2008%2F08%2Fmalwebolence_the_world_of_web_trolling.php Recently, the NYTimes.com had an article about a malicious sort of on-line anti-social behavior called Trolling. One of the people the author interviewed was Jason Fortuny, a thirty-two year old web programmer, who's passion is trolling. Today the Internet is much more than esoteric discussion forums. It is a mass medium for defining who we are to ourselves and to others. Teenagers groom their MySpace profiles as intensely as their hair; escapists clock 50-hour weeks in virtual worlds, accumulating gold for their online avatars. Anyone seeking work or love can expect to be Googled. As our emotional investment in the Internet has grown, the stakes for trolling -- for provoking strangers online -- have risen. Trolling has evolved from ironic solo skit to vicious group hunt. "Lulz" is how t... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1709116 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:23:23 +0100 1709116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1668411&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2008%2F07%2Fwhat_can_we_learn_from_the_knoxvilles_church_shoot.php Knoxville Police Chief sheds a little more light on the motivation of Adkisson's murderous tirade. He blamed liberals from keeping him from a job. CBS News "He felt he was being kept out of the loop because of his age and because he was not liberal." It seems unlikely that this belief has any basis in rationality. The thought would probably qualify as a paranoid delusion. I have found it quite common for themes of religion and sex in delusional thinking. I suspect because both of these topics inspire considerable passion in most people. A person prone to paranoia, down on his luck, will look for someone to blame around him, a victimizer who has it out to get him. Adkisson demonstrated the essence of paranoid projection. He was the one with aggressive intent towards liberals and gays. The... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1668411 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:20:26 +0100 1668411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1625611&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2008%2F07%2Fask_for_help_people_are_likely_to_assist.php PsyBlog reviewed interesting research this week. We all know how hard it is for many of us to ask for help. Our culture so values our individuality, openly acknowledging we might need other's help may be thought to show weakness by some. We may also have to bear the implication of rejection if we are refused. But if we dared ask for help, we are likely to be surprised with the answer. As usual, emotions carry a message as well as a consequence, many of us are too often unwilling to face. The blush of embarrassment feels much more intense than the anxiety of anticipation. But we misinterpret the message of the emotion if we automatically withdraw from the challenge. Emotions warn us of risks that might not be so obvious to detect otherwise. But risks often accompany rewards well worth the... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1625611 Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:04:17 +0100 1625611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1484870&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F06%2F02%2Fwhat-is-good-mental-health%2F So many people, myself included, throw around terms in everyday use without really ever defining them. So what is “good” mental health? And what do we mean by “mental health” anyway? Mental health is a pretty broad term. Some use it as a simple synonym to describe our brain’s health. Others use it more broadly to include our psychological state. Still others will add emotions into the definition. I believe a good definition includes all of the above. Mental health describes our social, emotional, and psychological states, all wrapped up into one. (There are far more complicated models of mental health and wellness, but I prefer simplicity.) But it includes something else we may not always consider — mental health, just like our physical health, operate... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1484870 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:00:12 +0100 1484870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1349933&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhy-do-we-always-want-to-learn-the-hard-way-the-necessity-of-rest-after-surgery%2F There are a lot of people who really dislike being laid up after surgery. I’m not one of them, I recover quickly enough and to date have had no real ill effects from surgery, but, I don’t mind being laid up. It gives me time to read and talk to friends on the phone and indulge in afternoon television. It is a good excuse to drop out for a while. Sister isn’t very good at sitting still and she was reminded just how fragile our bodies are last week. It was a week and a half after her hysterectomy, and Sister who was feeling restless accompanied her daughter for a shopping trip to the mall. I think she was fooled by the energy she was feeling and the fact that she no longer felt ill or needed pain pills. When she returned home, there was some issue of blood. It was a very real reminder ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1349933 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:41:27 +0100 1349933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1338298&cid=t_100607_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhy-do-we-always-want-to-learn-the-hard-way-the-necessity-of-rest-after-surgery%2F There are a lot of people who really dislike being laid up after surgery. I’m not one of them, I recover quickly enough and to date have had no real ill effects from surgery, but, I don’t mind being laid up. It gives me time to read and talk to friends on the phone and indulge in afternoon television. It is a good excuse to drop out for a while. Sister isn’t very good at sitting still and she was reminded just how fragile our bodies are last week. It was a week and a half after her hysterectomy, and Sister who was feeling restless accompanied her daughter for a shopping trip to the mall. I think she was fooled by the energy she was feeling and the fact that she no longer felt ill or needed pain pills. When she returned home, there was some issue of blood. It was a very real reminder ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1338298 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:18:17 +0100 1338298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1289772&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_limits_of_reductionism.php I've previously complained about research that so often is focused on small parts and pieces so small that they mean very little to the average person, or even the practitioner in the field. Worse yet, few authors seem willing to reach beyond the data and advance theoretical knowledge. It is at the level of theory development that research reaches into application and education. There have been few willing to take the grand theory from nearly 50 years ago and integrate the research results during that time. There has been some important new knowledge with broad applicability that may foretell a integration of divergent and contradictory psychological models into a single grand theory. The so-called "objective" human sciences reduces people to parts and pieces so small that we can't recogn... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1289772 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:23:28 +0100 1289772 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1181841&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=35666&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphineasgage.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F01%2F27%2Fyoull-feel-better-in-the-morning-sleep-deprivation-disconnects-the-emotional-brain%2F Disturbed sleep patterns feature in a range of psychiatric disorders, many of which fall under the DSM’s mood disorder category. A recent paper by Yoo et al (2007) suggests that sleep deprivation itself can produce abnormal affective processing. In other words, sleep disturbances may be a cause as well as a symptom in conditions such as depression. Yoo et al (2007) approached this issue with fMRI. Brain scans were taken of one participant group who had been sleep deprived for 35 hours, and one group who had slept normally. The participants viewed emotional pictures from a standardised set (the international affective picture system), which varied gradually in valence from neutral to aversive. Yoo et al approached the imaging analysis with a few theoretical notions, which formed the b... The Phineas Gage Fan Club blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1181841 Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:56:01 +0100 1181841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1162015&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2008%2F01%2Femotion_defines_morality_culture_sets_priorities.php “Man will become better when you show him what he is like.” - Anton Chekhov Our modern culture highly values our rationality. Genius, seemingly defined as those with great accomplishment, is highly celebrated by our culture, if not by income, at least by notoriety. Our emotionality, on the other hand, seems to get attributed with causing many of the problems our culture finds criminal. Rage is said to have led to many murders, domestic abuse, child abuse and greed to theft and fraud for a couple of examples. Combining genius and emotional disturbance however seems to characterize those that gain infamy in the history books. Hitler and Stalin come to mind. We are part rational, part emotional. From my clinical experience, we are unable to separate the two effectively. In other words,... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1162015 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 02:03:59 +0100 1162015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1106223&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2007%2F12%2Fthe_function_of_contradictions_between_emotion_and.php A couple months back The Frontal Cortex had an interesting article about the seemingly contradictory nature of humans. The author is a neuroscientist and so has more than an average faith in the scientific method. 1. Jeff Lewis, the incredibly entertaining lunatic at the center of Flipping Out, the real-estate reality television show on Bravo, fires his psychic because she wasn't doing a good job of predicting the future. So what does he do? He goes and hires a different psychic. I'm fascinated by this thought process. On the one hand, Jeff's empirical enough to realize that his psychic sucked. But he never even flirts with the possibility that all psychics suck. I know that we all have our rational blind spots, but rarely are they so elegantly captured on television. 2. I've recently b... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1106223 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:30:31 +0100 1106223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1093159&cid=t_100607_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F199764161%2F I have been thinking about what type of list post to write here at A Hearty Life for a few days. We are having a theme type day here at our science and health channel today and our exact theme is “a top 5 holiday type list on your specific topic”. Hmm… we all know the food list, the traveling list and the what not to do list when it comes to cardiac health. So I have pondered over what would be new and fresh and useful, and have come up with the ol’ goose egg several times. But when I think about the words HEART- HOLIDAYS- HEALTH-LIFE, the same image keeps popping into my head… my family! How do I know that my heart is healthy? I take a look around and realize everything that I have and get that warm, loving, overwhelming feeling in my chest. I don’t car... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1093159 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:19:20 +0100 1093159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1083099&cid=t_100607_107_f&fid=36585&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FHighlightHealth%2F%7E3%2F197960100%2F This article was published on Highlight HEALTH. (Source: Highlight HEALTH) Highlight HEALTH blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1083099 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:02:35 +0100 1083099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1060299&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F192536184%2F (Dear reader: Here you have a little gift to continue the Thanksgiving spirit. Enjoy the interview, and thank you for visiting our site.) Prof. Robert Emmons studies gratitude for a living as Professor of Psychology at UC Davis and is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. He has just published Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, an interdisciplinary book that provides a research-based synthesis of the topic as well as practical suggestions. Alvaro Fernandez: Welcome. Prof. Emmons, could you please provide us an overview of the Positive Psychology field so we understand the context for your research? Robert Emmons: Sure. Martin Seligman and colleagues launched what was called “positive psychology” in the late 90s as an antidote to the tradi... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1060299 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:42:34 +0100 1060299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=991917&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=35666&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphineasgage.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F10%2F30%2Fin-defense-of-electroconvulsive-therapy%2F The TED talks website contains material for a hundred posts, but a video posted earlier today hits particularly close to home. In this talk, Sherwin Nuland, a surgeon turned writer, gives an authoritative and unexpectedly personal account of the history of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), sometimes known as electric shock therapy. The talk is only about 20 minutes, and gets very interesting around the 7 minute mark where Nuland describes how ECT once saved his life, as he puts it. If the general public could be accused of placing too much trust in antidepressant medication, the reverse is certainly true of ECT. Ask anyone about electric shock therapy, and they’ll conjure up horror stories, and associations with frontal lobotomy. This is unfair, since there is some evidence that ECT a... The Phineas Gage Fan Club blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=991917 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:06:34 +0100 991917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=979700&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F175003828%2F Context: Last February we had the chance to attend a great conference on how brain research is influencing education. Highly recommended. Caroline wrote our impressions, summarized as "It was a fascinating mix of neuroscientists and educators talking with and listening to each other. Some topics were meant to be applied today, but many were food for thought - insight on where science and education are headed and how they influence each other". See some of our take-aways below. Announcement: the 2008 edition of this conference, titled Using Brain Research to Enhance Learning, Attention & Memory For Educators, Parents and Clinicians, will take place in San Francisco,  on February 7-9th, 2008. The organizers have kindly invited me to deliver a lecture on Interventions to Sha... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=979700 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:22:35 +0100 979700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=971604&cid=t_100607_107_f&fid=36585&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FHighlightHealth%2F%7E3%2F173822316%2F This article was published on Highlight HEALTH. (Source: Highlight HEALTH) Highlight HEALTH blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=971604 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:45:54 +0100 971604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=894273&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=35666&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphineasgage.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F09%2F23%2Fis-is-rational-to-do-no-harm%2F From the left: Josef Mengele, Rudolf Hoess, Josef Kramer, and unknown. The picture above comes from a set recently added to the US Holocaust museum. The pictures have caused a stir since they depict staff at the Auschwitz concentration camp on what might in modern terms be described as corporate kick-offs and the like. I’m not sure why it’s surprising that the prison guards liked to relax and have fun now and then - clearly, they would not have taken up the position if they were not at least acceptant of the task at hand. There is little evidence that the third reich forced or ordered anyone to commit these atrocities, after all. Mengele is an interesting character. As a leading physician in the camp, he (along with the other physicians) decided who would be sent to work and wh... The Phineas Gage Fan Club blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=894273 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:04:56 +0100 894273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=888575&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2Ftiming.php The subject of timing and influence has fascinated me for a long time. Early on it was apparent to me that influence has little to do with what would logically follow: It's not about command of the facts. Instead it's a quite irrational process. There has been extensive research on how we are influenced by a person's appearance, both in terms of attractiveness and similarity to our own. We are known to be more inclined to say acquiesce to requests than refuse. The emotional state of the persons involved is also important. Here is a post from We're Only Human that gives us a glimpse of the emotion involved in timing and influence. Two Berkeley psychologists decided to test this particular brand of irrationality in the laboratory. Eduardo Andrade and Teck-Hua Ho used a modified version ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=888575 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:18:03 +0100 888575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=848404&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=35666&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphineasgage.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F09%2F07%2Fai-detection-of-facial-expressions%2F I’ve written previously about how algorithms that detect faces in images are appearing everywhere, including Google Images and many recent digital cameras, where they are used to ensure that focus is on the face (presumably, no one who buys a Cybershot is interested in the aesthetic effects of not having the face in focus). This technology is being expanded into the realm of specific facial expressions by OMRON (among others), a company that just released software that promises to measure the smile factor of faces in a picture. The smile factor as OMRON conceives of it goes from 0 to 100 %, and will presumably serve to shift the blame nicely when you want people to smile more in a picture (”look, I think the picture is fine, but the camera thinks you should be smiling more&#822... The Phineas Gage Fan Club blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=848404 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:46:12 +0100 848404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=803730&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=35666&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphineasgage.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F08%2F16%2Ffeel-the-heat-skips-a-beat-or-the-other-way-around%2F Can’t go with my heart when I can’t feel what’s in it Red House Painters - Katy Song The common-sense understanding of emotions and their physical expressions is that the causal arrow goes one way only: if you feel upset, the feeling will cause your cheeks to flush and your heart to beat faster. However, the opposing notion is also possible: we experience physical arousal, and interpret this arousal as emotion. This is referred to as the James-Lange theory, or simply as feedback theory. This alternative idea is not much younger than the common-sense notion - William James was probably the first to propose it, in the 19th century. More recent simulationist accounts such as Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis could be said to build on this notion. A story in the news ... The Phineas Gage Fan Club blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=803730 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:01:45 +0100 803730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=747155&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2007%2F07%2Fsometimes_even_the_experts_lack_common_sense.php I think it's probably a human trait that we seek the simplest solution to a problem even when more complex and proven methods are well known. Even scientists seem to do this, even in their area of study! Our culture seems to have decided thousands of years ago that negative emotions are bad and should be avoided. Everywhere in the psychological literature is examples of researchers seeking to find ways to help people avoid psychological pain. Has it occurred to anyone that psychological pain has a purpose? For those of us that believe we evolved to be human beings, we have to assume that most attributes that make us human in some way enhance our survival, or that trait would have been selected out of the gene pool. Negative emotions help us. I make that assumption and help people make s... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=747155 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:29:53 +0100 747155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=741443&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F004397.html Identification of a molecular mechanism involved in learned fear response suggests that chronic disabling fears might be extinguishable. CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Researchers from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have uncovered... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=741443 Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 741443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=707637&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2007%2F07%2Fthe_function_of_pride.php Pride is concept that appears to have cultural significance world-wide. That in and of it's self makes studying the concept interesting. However, I think it is a mistake to assume pride is an "emotion". I think pride is very likely a composite of several emotions and attributes that each have a related but very different function. So studying the concept of pride is more relevant to the study of how humans organize concepts used in conceiving what it takes to be successful and transmitting survival skills to others. The problem with studying a complex topic like pride is that it's very difficult to draw conclusions beyond how complex the concept of pride really is. We're Only Human... had an interesting post a couple weeks ago. He reports on the results of a study that probes what he ca... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=707637 Sun, 01 Jul 2007 17:19:05 +0100 707637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=644973&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2007%2F05%2Fcompetition_does_not_ensure_quality.php Competition gets a lot of visibility for aiding in creation of a quality product. The assumption is that everyone will work harder and improve the outcome if there is a competition for rewards. However, in practice, it really doesn't work that way. Here are articles about two studies that demonstrate in different ways that winning induces the competitor slack off, losing makes one try harder. We're Only Human Psychologist Wesley Schultz of California State University, San Marcos believes that despite the fact that we want to be normal, most people are very bad at estimating what normal human behavior really looks like. [...]Schultz decided to test this idea in the real world. He enlisted nearly 300 residents of San Marcos, California, who agreed to let him monitor their home energy c... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=644973 Mon, 28 May 2007 02:30:28 +0100 644973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=638258&cid=t_100607_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F119925591%2F From an exchange between musician David Byrne and Daniel Levitin, professor of behavioral neuroscience and music at McGill University and author of This Is Your Brain on Music in the April 30th Seed magazine: ………… music is a better tool than language for arousing feelings and emotions. This ties into what we were discussing a few months ago, about music and visual art bypassing the filters that language seems to get snagged on, in emotionally affecting you. Every time I stand beside Charlie as he practices the piano—new this week is playing a chord with his thumb on E and pinky on B, a fifth; it is new position for him to hold his fingers in—I think this more and more: That music is indeed a mode, a means of communication, by which he bypasses those &#8... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=638258 Sat, 26 May 2007 22:30:57 +0100 638258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=515140&cid=t_100607_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F04%2F01%2Fsunday-seven-seven-sweet-simple-spoken-words%2F Filed under: All Cancers, Sunday Seven, Cancer SurvivorsSeven sweet, simple words were hurled at me last night by my oldest child, Joey -- the boy who makes me as crazy as he does happy.Joey, 6, was all snuggled in bed, cozy with his soft blankets, squishy pillows, and three favorite stuffed puppies. I gave him my usual speech -- Sweet dreams. I love you. Now don't get out of bed -- and then made my usual trek to another room for some me-time. My trip was stopped short, though, because a strong urge inspired me to reverse my steps and return to Joey."What are you doing, mommy?" Joey asked as I walked back into the room."I thought I'd come rest with you for a little bit," I told him. "Is that OK?" I asked, knowing full well any excuse to avoid sleep is just fine with himJoey sat straight up... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=515140 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 515140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=479145&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2007%2F03%2Fwe_are_smart_enough_to_make_ourselves_sick.php Much of the stress we all suffer from is of our own creation. That may seem absurd at first glance. Why would we spend so much energy making ourselves sick? Stanford University neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky says that people, apes and monkeys are highly intelligent, social creatures with far too much spare time on their hands. He discussed the biological and sociological implications of stress in a lecture titled "Stress, Health and Coping" at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco. EurekaAlert "Primates are super smart and organized just enough to devote their free time to being miserable to each other and stressing each other out," he said. "But if you get chronically, psychosocially stressed, you're going to compromise your hea... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=479145 Mon, 05 Mar 2007 02:06:01 +0100 479145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=469643&cid=t_100607_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Fchanneln.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Femotional-memory.html title How Does It Feel? Closing the Gap Between Unconscious and Conscious Emotiondescription "Using classical fear conditioning as way of inducing emotional memories in rats, they have mapped the neural pathways by which sensory stimuli enter and flow through the brain in the process of fear learning. This work implicated specific circuits in within the amygdala as essential for the formation of memories of the fear conditioning experience. It is now clear that the same brain system underlies fear learning in and humans. The detailed mechanisms of fear, which can only be uncovered through animal studies, are thus applicable to understanding fear processing in the human brain."producer NIH Neuroscience Seminar Seriesfeaturing Joseph Ledoux, Ph.D., New York Universityformat RealMediadate ... Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=469643 Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:41:00 +0100 469643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=479150&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2007%2F02%2Fthe_emotional_roots_of_rationality.php Perhaps the most common problem I see in my clients is pervasive avoidance of emotion. I suspect that the American culture encourages us to value rationality above all else and hide our emotional "weakness". I recall as a teen hearing guy talk about girls and their intuition about things how irrational and erratic that process made them. My Norwegian extended family certainly modeled stoicism, but paradoxically also demonstrated in a grand fashion why emotion was perceived as a problem of dramatic excess. Indeed, most people who find themselves persistently avoiding and suppressing emotions are those who have experienced emotional excess at it's worst and been traumatized as a result. All human beings share a neurological system that produces the manifestations of rational thought and flo... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=479150 Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:21:01 +0100 479150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=487519&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=35078&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceblogs.com%2Fneurontic%2F2007%2F01%2Fthe_limits_of_rational_thought.php A couple of months ago a friend of mine recommended I pick up Richard Power's new novel The Echo Maker. "It's right up your alley," he said, "It's all about a man suffering from a bizarre brain condition." I added it to my Amazon shopping cart within the hour. In The Echo Maker, Powers' character Mark flips his truck on an icy stretch of road in Nebraska and ends up in the hospital in a near-vegetative state. His sole-remaining family member, his sister Karin, immediately rushes to his bedside to nurse him back to health. Mark remains comatose for long enough that the doctors begin to lose hope. But then, miraculously, he wakes up. It takes him weeks to regain the power of speech, but once he does, it becomes clear that something is seriously amiss: Mark is convinced that this person who... Neurontic blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487519 Thu, 11 Jan 2007 20:58:55 +0100 487519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060828&cid=t_100607_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2006%2F04%2Fpost_traumatic_stress_disorder.php A study published in the Journal of American Psychiatry has confirmed what clinicians have known for a long time, PTSD is a lifelong disorder with a varying course across sufferers. Some have an acute onset, an immediate stress reaction that ebbs and exasserbates indefinitely. Some have no symptoms for many years, then triggered by witnessing another traumatic event, even from afar, symptoms overwhelm the individual. Many veterans of various wars were overcome by witnessing the 9/11 attacks on television, some showing symptoms for the first time. PTSD is a tragic aftermath of war and other trauma. Trauma survivors and our veterans need years of monitoring and professional assistance. Reuters At year 1, subjects in the combat stress reaction group had a 10.57-fold higher odds of meeting... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060828 Tue, 25 Apr 2006 01:18:12 +0100 4060828