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 'emotions'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:50:55 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181907&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F27005966%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EConnect-Emotionally-to-Boost-Sales.htm Does your brand or business have an emotional connection with at least some of its customers? If so, that’s a very good thing. A new study of retail chains showed that while just one in five consumers felt they had an emotional connection to a retailer, those that did were far more valuable as customers [...] CommentsGood summary thanks. And a good link back to the earlier post ... by Brendon B ClarkGreat article. Just goes to show how powerful building an ... by Aman Basanti | Age of MarketingPlus 2 more...Related StoriesLove BrandingSales Secret: The Best Time to CloseThe Rivalry in Your Customer’s Brain (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181907 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:36:13 +0100 5181907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182330&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fserenity-and-the-serenity-prayer%2F Alcoholics Anonymous members have made the Serenity prayer part of recovery. It asserts five basic elements of the recovery program. A belief in something other than ego-self Serenity – one of the goals of recovery Acceptance of …, e.g., loss of control Courage to make changes Wisdom of recovery that is gained from other members, Spirituality, meditation and literature God grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.   Whether we belong to this church or that, whether we are humanists, agnostics, or atheists, most of us have found these words a wonderful guide in getting sober, staying sober, and enjoying our sobriety. Whether we see the Serenity Prayer as an actual prayer or... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182330 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:21:27 +0100 5182330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174676&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F29%2Fdo-doctors-lack-empathy%2F Shortly after I finished Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book, The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty, I spoke to one of my friends who had just had an extremely bad interaction with a doctor.  The friend had just received a frightening diagnosis and when she went to ask more questions, the doctor was blunt and emotionally-disengaged.  As I spoke to the friend, it occurred to me that, while there were some very important exceptions, I’d actually had a lot of similar experiences with doctors.  Might it be true that doctors have less empathy than other people? Coincidentally, with the help of the gnomes of the World Wide Web, I found an interesting recent article by Omar Sultan Haque and Adam Waytz in Scientific American, which describes two experiments by Jean Decety ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174676 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:01:58 +0100 5174676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159196&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F26%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-august-26-2011%2F I sometimes wonder if our focus on “doing things right” is what causes us more pain, anguish and difficulty than anything else in life. It’s almost as if those red marks on our graded assignments as kids stay with us when we become adults. In fact, our fear of impending negative feedback often grows as we grow older. We hold our vulnerabilities even closer, wrapping them up carefully like we would a glass vase or a precious piece of china. We’re fearful of sharing our feelings. We hold back our laughter, forgetting that as kids we let it all out from our bellies to our mouths. And to shield our pain, instead of crying, confronting or expressing ourselves, we avoid loved ones when they’ve hurt us. Yet, in order to fully live, to feel completely alive, we must f... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159196 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:36:56 +0100 5159196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159946&cid=t_100881_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FI1ujEhDOl6s%2F As far as I’m aware Seth Godin is not a certified Life Coach, nor does he write about Life Coaching or even self development per se. He does however, own what in my opinion is probably the best blog on the planet and has written some amazing books . Even though he’s first and foremost a marketeer, Seth dispenses the kind of common sense wisdom that is in reality, very uncommon and that’s why Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159946 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:28:27 +0100 5159946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140055&cid=t_100881_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fthe-public-you-versus-the-private-you-in-a-life-of-chronic-pain%2F Early on in a life of chronic pain we learn to guard ourselves against being hurt by callous comments from others. We say, “I’m fine, thanks.” What we’re really thinking is, “If only you knew, even as I stand here my knees are buckling, my rear is throbbing and I’m trying to concentrate on what you’re saying. I don’t think you could handle the truth and I don’t want to see that cold dead look come into your eyes if I dump the truth on you.” We ask the checker at the supermarket to keep our cloth bags light; which we bring with us because we’re “green” citizens and because the plastic bags will leave our fingers numb for the rest of the day. We continue to watch as the checker puts a five-pound bag of sugar and a five-pound bag of flour topped off by a half gallon ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140055 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:15:36 +0100 5140055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140176&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flife-after-the-battle-with-breast-cancer%2F I am in North Carolina on vacation this week. My husband and I have been enjoying leisure time fishing, exploring, and watching the sun set over the mountains. Vacation time is important to me, and even though I am a full-time student and our income is drastically reduced, I would not go without it. I can’t tell you if this is because of having been threatened by breast cancer, or because of the change in attitude towards life I experienced when my dad died. It was after his death that I realized that life was for the living, that when it was over it was over, and all the things you wanted to do wouldn’t get done. My dad didn’t live for tomorrow. He enjoyed each day as it came. He was the most patient, content person you could ever meet. When he was in the hospital before his death... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140176 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:05:27 +0100 5140176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125814&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2F14405%2F From The Atlantic (by David Eagleman): On the steamy first day of August 1966, Charles Whitman took an elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower in Austin. The 25-year-old climbed the stairs to the observation deck, lugging with him a footlocker full of guns and ammunition. At the top, he killed a receptionist with the butt of his rifle. Two families of tourists came up the stairwell; he shot at them at point-blank range. Then he began to fire indiscriminately from the deck at people below. The first woman he shot was pregnant. As her boyfriend knelt to help her, Whitman shot him as well. He shot pedestrians in the street and an ambulance driver who came to rescue them. The evening before, Whitman had sat at his typewriter and composed a suicide note: I don’t really unde... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125814 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:03:41 +0100 5125814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5119001&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F8-admissions%2F The wisdom of these timeless spiritual paradoxes are encompassed in all 12 Step Fellowship recovery processes. Admit your fear, and your courage will grow. Admit to not knowing, and you will learn. Admit your weaknesses, and you’ll become stronger. Admit your mistakes, and you’ll begin to move past them. Admit you don’t know what to say, and you’ll have said just the right thing. Admit that you’re confused, and you’ll begin to understand. Admit that you’re hurting, and you’ll begin to heal. Admit that you care, and the things that truly matter will grow stronger. Being honest with yourself, with others, with life, can often be difficult and intimidating. Yet honesty is always the most reliable, the most direct route to truly attain whatever... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5119001 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:33:38 +0100 5119001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107904&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fthe-perils-of-sober-dating%2F When I said goodbye to alcohol and all its attendant drama, I never intended to bid farewell to dating, period. I saw my romantic future shimmering atop a cotton-candy cloud of contentment and stability. Without the crutch of alcohol, I was convinced that my once-jumbled love life would fall easily into place. Now that I was sober and ready, Mr. Right would surely be waiting for me (albeit at the local coffee shop instead of the next bar stool.) It sucked to discover that alcohol-free dating was still, well, dating: an ever-awkward dance of anticipation, expectations and artifice. And for those of us who don’t drink, dating can be even more of a mixed bag. Why? Because, in case you missed the memo, most Americans are all about alcohol, especially when it comes to getting hitched (or laid... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107904 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 04:05:31 +0100 5107904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103377&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F06%2Fart-therapy-exercises-to-try-at-home%2F I’ve always loved art. Looking at interesting, unique, beautiful-in-their-own-way images and objects always has made me feel alive and happy.  As a child and teen, I also loved drawing, painting and creating everything from collages to greeting cards. And I loved losing myself in the work. So I was excited to learn more about art therapy, where clients create their own art to help them express emotions, better understand themselves and grow in general. In her book, The Art Therapy Sourcebook, art therapist Cathy A. Malchiodi describes various exercises that readers can try at home. Below are three that I found especially helpful. By the way, remember that this has little to do with artistic ability or the final product. Instead, Malchiodi suggests focusing on the process, your intu... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103377 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:35:08 +0100 5103377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103518&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fsex-for-recovery-after-40%2F Variety can be the spice of intercourse Recovery from alcoholism, addiction, gambling or co-dependency is common for people in their forth decade. Often sexuality in relationships has been absent or troubled. This may be true for straight, gays or lesbians. Too many men and women in long-term relationships lament that “the thrill is gone” but often don’t understand why. Some blame themselves or their partners or tell themselves that sexual boredom is as inevitable a part of growing older as wrinkles and reading glasses. It doesn’t have to be that way. And here’s why: To coin a cliché, variety can be the spice of intercourse. There are many kinds of sex play, but here let’s consider intercourse and different ways to do it — that is, experiment with positions. This doesn’t m... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103518 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 06:12:48 +0100 5103518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096827&cid=t_100881_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FwOQXx0BJIGk%2F I was flipping through the latest issue of Yoga Journal last night, and I came across an article about how to “uncover your personal blueprint for happiness.” Excited to see what they had to say, I dove in: Happiness. We all seek it. There is no more basic or universal drive than the desire to be happy. Agreed. So far so good… Everything that human beings have accomplished or aspired to, our every endeavor, has been and always will be rooted to the impulse to satisfy our longing for happiness. Got it. Then, it goes on to describe how yoga provides one of the most effective systems for achieving happiness, followed by the statement: There may be no more important step to achieving ultimate fulfillment than accepting what the Vedas teach us about desires—that some desires... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096827 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:50:07 +0100 5096827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086281&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fpaul-bloom-on-the-situation-of-pleasure%2F From TedTalks: Why do we like an original painting better than a forgery? Psychologist Paul Bloom argues that human beings are essentialists — that our beliefs about the history of an object change how we experience it, not simply as an illusion, but as a deep feature of what pleasure (and pain) is. Related Situationist posts: Susan Boyle and the Situation of Sound, “Busker or Virtuoso? Depends on the Situation,”  The Painful Situation of Guilt The Science of Songs Stuck in Your Head “The Situation of Music,”  “Hillary Clinton, the Halo Effect, and Women’s Catch-22,”  “The Situation of Pain,”  “Attributing Blame — from the Baseball Diamond to the War on Terror,” “The Magnetism of Beautiful People,” and “Survival of the Cutest.” (Source:... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086281 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:01:40 +0100 5086281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057770&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F23%2Fheat-of-the-moment%2F From Wired Science: The link between violence and hot weather is so intuitive that it’s embedded in our language: Hotheads lose tempers that flare, anger simmers and comes to a boil, and eventually we cool down. So what does science have to say? Do tempers truly soar with temperature? The answer, appropriately enough for these triple-digit days, is hazy and hotly contested. To be sure, extensive literature exists on hot weather and violence, stretching from poorly controlled regional studies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — oh, those hot-blooded southerners! — to more sophisticated modern analyses. This doesn’t just apply to the United States, but countries like England and Wales and New Zealand. But whether weather is cause or coincidence is difficult to determine. Perh... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057770 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:01:46 +0100 5057770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051245&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdifferent-types-of-stress-in-recovery%2F People in 12 Step Fellowships need to be aware of the different types of stress that can affect their recovery. What are the different types of stress? Acute stress Acute stress is the most common and most recognizable form of stress, the kind of sudden jolt in which you know exactly why you’re stressed: you were just in a car accident; the school nurse just called; a bear just ambled onto your campsite. Or it can be something scary but thrilling, such as a parachute jump. Along with obvious dangers and threats, common causes of acute stressors include noise, isolation, crowding, and hunger. Normally, your body rests when these types of stressful events cease and your life gets back to normal. Because the effects are short-term, acute stress usually doesn’t cause severe or permanent... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051245 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:51:54 +0100 5051245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051062&cid=t_100881_134_f&fid=34847&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsixuntilme.com%2Fblog2%2F2011%2F07%2Fparenting_with_type_1_diabetes.html Lead by Korey Hood and Stefan Rubin, the Parenting with Type 1 Diabetes session at Friends for Life was aiming to touch upon the different challenges of being a parent with type 1 diabetes, instead of the concentration on parenting a child with type 1 diabetes that Children With Diabetes was once known for.  This was my first year attending this session, and I sat between two of my best friends in the diabetes community - Scott and George."So thanks for coming, you guys.  We're here to talk about parenting with type 1 diabetes," said Korey.At this point, people started doing introductions.  "Hi, I'm So-and-So and I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1998."  or "I've been diabetic for 16 years and I have three children."  Only introductions... Six Until Me. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051062 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:03:56 +0100 5051062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036290&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F16%2Fnicholas-christakis-on-the-situation-of-epidemics%2F From TED Talks: After mapping humans’ intricate social networks, Nicholas Christakis and colleague James Fowler began investigating how this information could better our lives. Now, he reveals his hot-off-the-press findings: These networks can be used to detect epidemics earlier than ever, from the spread of innovative ideas to risky behaviors to viruses (like H1N1). Related Situationist posts: “The Situation of Social Networks,” “The Social Situation of Breaking Up,” “Social Networks,” “Common Cause: Combating the Epidemics of Obesity and Evil,” and “Situational Obesity, or, Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat and Veg.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036290 Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:01:57 +0100 5036290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028469&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F26415427%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EApologies-Really-DO-Work.htm Have you ever annoyed a potential customer, or made her angry? Before you decide to ignore the faux pas and press forward with the pitch, or write her off and move on to greener pastures, try this simple technique: say, “I’m sorry.” That’s likely instinctive behavior for many of us, but at times it may [...] CommentsAgree, Wes. If I'm rude once and immediately acknowledge it ... by Roger Dooleyon Page's topic, There was similar discussion in this topic ... by Wes ManPlus 7 more...Related StoriesThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan ArielyNeuromarketing Explains Weiner’s PickleYour Brain’s Twitter Limit: 150 Real Friends (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028469 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:54:35 +0100 5028469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028455&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F13%2Fwishy-washy-help-in-making-good-decisions%2F Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I’m a tad indecisive, not about everything, but most things. Here’s a typical experience: I’m at a restaurant, perusing (i.e., studying) the menu and pondering. I ask what everyone else is having, and ponder some more. Then I chat with the server. If I’m wavering between two dishes, I ask what’s the better option. If I just have one meal in mind, I focus my questions on that dish. After I get the answer, sometimes, I think some more. Aside from being a super fun dinner date (fortunately, my boyfriend and friends just laugh it off now…most of the time), I clearly have decision issues. So what’s my problem — and yours if making simple daily decisions feels like you’re gearing up for the choice of a lifetime? An articl... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028455 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:15:03 +0100 5028455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028490&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=38950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shockmd.com%2F2011%2F07%2F13%2Fearly-clinical-experience-for-med-students%2F Buffer In The Netherlands most medical schools have voluntary first clinical experiences for first year medical students. Recent Dutch research looked at the learning goals and learning outcome of a 4 week nursing attachment in Year 1 of medical school. The students actively participate in patient care by working as assistant nurse in a hospital or a nursing home. The students take part in reflection meetings after two weeks and at the end of the attachment. Several learning goals are formulated for these attachments The main educational goal set by the medical school is learning to empathise with patients. Other formal educational goals are entering into conversation with patients, acquiring some practical skills, such as washing and dressing patients, and reflecting on feelings that acc... Dr Shock MD PhD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028490 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:17:29 +0100 5028490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028470&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F26392869%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EThe-Upside-of-Irrationality-by-Dan-Ariely.htm Nobody is doing more to add to our knowledge of the irrational side of human behavior than Dan Ariely. Not only does he conduct experiments that are elegant in their simplicity, but he writes about his work and that of other researchers in a highly acccessible way. Upside is the successor to the bestselling Predictably Irrational, and it takes to new topics, ranging from CEO pay to speed dating. Comments[...] The Upside of Irrationality, Dan Ariely describes an ... by Apologies Really DO Work | Neuromarketing[...] Dooley (Neuroscience Marketing) writes about Dan Ariely ... by Can a Crappy Video Effect Your Decision Making? | Will Video for FoodThanks, nice review. I loved Predictably Irrational. I think ... by Luke FosterRelated StoriesApologies Really DO WorkSecrets of th... Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028470 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:52:51 +0100 5028470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008325&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F05%2Fwhitey-bulgers-situation%2F From Northeastern News: Notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger — who eluded authorities for more than 16 years — is accused of murdering 19 people. Here, David DeSteno, associate professor of psychology at Northeastern University, who studies the role of emotion in social cognition and social behavior, assesses the mind of crime figures like Bulger and those who exalt them as heroes. What drives immoral behavior? We cannot assume that Whitey Bulger, Anthony Weiner, or other “fallen” individuals were flawed from the start. After all, Whitey’s brother, William Bulger, was raised in the same environment but followed a different trajectory; he ended up becoming the president of the University of Massachusetts. 
The answer, then, to what makes someone &... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008325 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:49:36 +0100 5008325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008311&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F05%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-july-5-2011%2F Another holiday’s come and gone. Whether you celebrated Canada Day or Independence Day, you may be basking in the glory of a glorious holiday or exhausted from another family gathering of trying to keep your sanity in toll. If I’ve learned anything over the years is that you could spend years working on yourself and then poof! just like that you’re back to where you started. Maybe it’s your people-pleasing ways that return when you’re in the company of old friends who knew you way back when. Or certain relatives who trigger painful childhood memories when you are in their presence. Perhaps, the extra day of freedom could remind you just how toxic your work environment is and how much you are in need of a new job. Whatever it is, I feel you. The only thing we c... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008311 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:48:51 +0100 5008311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975941&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F28%2Fmarsha-linehan-what-is-dialectical-behavioral-therapy-dbt%2F Last week the New York Times ran a fascinating piece on Marsha Linehan, Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington and the original developer of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), a modification of standard cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but including elements of acceptance and mindfulness. Her work has been designed specifically for people who harm themselves, for those diagnosed with borderline personality (BPT), and those who suffer from pervasive suicidal thoughts and/or attempts. For the first time in her life, the mental health expert disclosed her own story (that we also discussed on the blog yesterday), which involved hospitalization at the age of 17 that lasted longer than two years. Benedict Carey, author of the interview with Linehan, writes: No one knows h... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975941 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:45:03 +0100 4975941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975942&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F28%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-june-28-2011%2F Sometimes when I’m in need of a little inspiration, I head out for a short walk. Today, as I meandered through the tree lined path of my apartment complex, I found it. I kept ending up in the direction of a beautiful fountain. The sound of the water as it sprung up in the air like fireworks and then gently falling as it lapped softly against the rocks was soothing. I thought about what the water represented, that regardless of whether it was thrust up in the air or moved gracefully to the bottom, it was the same unchanged substance. I realized that no matter what you did to it, the water was still water flowing in a fountain. The same could be said about you. You may have emotions that carry you from the highest mountain peaks to the valley lows, but you are at the core that unchange... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975942 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:11:39 +0100 4975942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975960&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F26%2Fsusan-fiskes-new-book%2F Discussion about (In)Equality,” “The Interior Situational Reaction to Inequality,” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975960 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:36:47 +0100 4975960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953008&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2Fthe-situation-of-the-vancouver-riot-kiss%2F From the Ottawa Citizen (article written by Sheril Kirshenbaum, a research scientist at the University of Texas and author of The Science of Kissing): The man and woman appear oblivious of the chaos swirling around them. When anarchy erupted on the streets of Vancouver last week, the couple exchanged an ephemeral kiss that will last forever on our cultural landscape. Photographer Richard Lam inadvertently captured the embrace on his camera, and the image quickly made headlines around the world. It’s a striking contrast of furious energy and tender pause that will be analyzed, criticized, and admired for decades to come. Scott Jones and Alex Thomas were the calm in the eye of a storm. Many wonder whether the scene has been photo-shopped or staged. Who are these people and what would ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953008 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:41:22 +0100 4953008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934586&cid=t_100881_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fsues-patient-rights-responsibilities-and-opportunities%2F You have the right to life as long as you realize it might not be quite as you planned. You have the opportunity to change what you can and accept that which you cannot change. Just remember the word impossible is a relative term. You have the responsibility to seek options, be they health care, marital status or parenthood. All three require early action rather than late. You have the responsibility to judge each situation you face with candor, good judgment, and valor. If you choose not to do the above, you have the right to screw things up. It is your life, after all. You have the responsibility to maintain your body even though it appears to not give a fig about you. Disloyal lot these physical shells. You have the responsibility to remember your brain and your heart are in charg... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934586 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:46:43 +0100 4934586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953303&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fi-am-ready-for-convalescence.html But first the latest in breast cancer detection is a sheep. Yes, really. Read more here.So after cancer, there is depression and anger and all sorts of other emotions. The Victorians did one thing right, aside from introducing extreme modesty to piano legs (that's why everything was draped - so legs didn't show), after a significant illness they sent everyone off to convalescent clinics in the Swiss alps or the Adirondacks or some other remote place. This allowed emotional recovery from the illness as well as physical.Now they say 25-40% of those of us lucky enough to get cancer suffer from depression. Who would have thunk? I mean you get the biggest shock of your life, deal with surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and all sorts of nasty tests and procedures, and you get depressed? I mean ... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953303 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:59:00 +0100 4953303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921520&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F09%2Fthe-seed-9-pieces-of-advice-for-graduates%2F In his new book, The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work, international and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jon Gordon tells the story of Josh, a guy who, like so many of us, has lost his passion at work. When Josh’s boss challenges the young worker to take two weeks off to assess his attitude and intentions, Josh heads to the country. There, a farmer hands him a seed and tells him that when he discovers the right place to plant the seed his purpose will be revealed to him. This tale takes readers on a quest to explore their own passion, purpose, and happiness in life and work. The themes presented are most appropriate for graduates just embarking on their path. Here, then, are nine such lessons presented in the story, in the words of Gordon: 1. Focus on Get to i... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921520 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:45:54 +0100 4921520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921761&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Falcohol-the-isms-and-fear%2F This article will discuss the ism’s and associated fears.The Ism’sThese ism’s are part of normal life, everyone has them to varying degrees. Specifically, the ism’s are an attempt to make life bearable, as a way of “interpersonal control and coping.” This is, of course, what we all strive to do on a day-to-day basis, we need these thinking patterns and behaviours to cope, most people seem to be doing alright, while the alcoholic seems to be sinking fast.One of the main ism’s with alcoholism is the ism of fear.FearsRecovery is mostly about letting go of fear. In fact, fear produces most all my insane moments. Any time I need a reality check, I try to stop and ask myself if there is a fear at the root of what I’m doing.These are the fear demons I’ve identifi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921761 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:44:23 +0100 4921761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911570&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F08%2Fwhy-these-6-happiness-boosters-might-actually-make-you-feel-worse%2F Everyone has a few tricks for beating the blues. It turns out, however, that several of the most popular strategies don’t actually work very well in the long term. Beware if you are tempted to try any of the following: 1. Comforting yourself with a “treat.” Often, the things we choose as “treats” aren’t good for us. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, loss of control, and other negative consequences just deepen the lousiness of the day. So when you find yourself thinking, “I’ll feel better after I have a pint of ice cream… a cigarette… a new pair of jeans,” ask yourself — will it really make you feel better? It might make you feel worse. In particular, beware of… 2. Letting yourself off the hook. I’ve found that I sometimes ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911570 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:45:45 +0100 4911570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911586&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvideos.videopress.com%2F9gXsPnud%2Frep-anthony-weiner-lewd-photo-scandal-woman-who-forced-confession-speaks-to-2020_dvd.mp4 During the summer of 2007, we published the post below in response to the sex scandal du jour involving U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA). We republished it in the wake of former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s (D) “indiscretions.”  Former U.S. Senator and Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee John Edwards’ confession had us dusting off this post yet again.  We published it again when Senator Jon Ensign (R-NV)–who in 1998 urged President Clinton to resign following the Monica Lewinsky scandal–was added to the list and then again in response to the Mark Sanford scandal and for Chris Lee’s Craig’s List shenanigans.  We’ve decided to republish the post yet again in recognition of the recent revelations regarding Arnold Schwarzen... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911586 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:43:24 +0100 4911586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893924&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdaily-moral-inventory%2F Twelve Step Fellowships suggest we ‘continue to take personal inventory’ as part of the program of continuing recovery.One way that many use is when we retire at night, we constructively review our day.Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid?Tick Boxes daily. There might be one tick per line or there might be a tick in both sides or none Characteristics of Self Will     Characteristics of Higher Power’s Will Selfish & Self-Seeking  Interest In OthersDishonesty  HonestyFrightened  CourageInconsideration  ConsiderationPride  Humility – Seeking God’s WillGreed  Giving Or SharingLust  What We Can Do For OthersAnger  CalmnessEnvy  GratitudeSloth&#... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893924 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:29:00 +0100 4893924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4876382&cid=t_100881_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmood-scores-which-day-of-the-week-has-the-lowest-rating%2F2011.05.29 You know that 1979 Boomtown Rats song, “I Don’t Like Mondays.” (This Youtube music video features a very young-looking Bob Geldof.)  The song is about the 1979 shooting spree on a Monday morning at a San Diego elementary school. The shooter’s only state reason for doing it was that she didn’t like Mondays. The silicon chip inside her head Gets switched to overload And nobody’s gonna go to school today She’s gonna make them stay at home It turns out that — contrary to popular impression that Mondays are the worst day of the week — Tuesdays are the worst day of the week.  According to a piece by Chris Hall (@hallicious) on HealthCentral, Tuesdays are the worst day of the week (moodwise) while Sundays are the best. This is based on mood rating s... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4876382 Sun, 29 May 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4876382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872182&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F27%2Fintroduction-to-social-psychology-and-social-cognition%2F (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872182 Fri, 27 May 2011 15:09:32 +0100 4872182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862631&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F24%2Fself-exploration-getting-to-know-thyself%2F Many of us go through life skimming the surface of our identities. That is, we don’t truly dig deeply into our thoughts, feelings, desires and dreams. Part of the problem is that we’re always on the go. When to-do lists keep swelling, self-exploration takes a backseat. How can it not, when we barely find time for self-care? Specifically, self-exploration involves “taking a look at your own thoughts, feelings, behaviors and motivations and asking why. It’s looking for the roots of who we are — answers to all the questions we have about [ourselves],” according to Ryan Howes, Ph.D, psychologist, writer and professor in Pasadena, California. Having a deeper understanding of ourselves has many benefits. It “helps people understand and accept who they are and why they d... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862631 Tue, 24 May 2011 15:14:26 +0100 4862631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829216&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fjudge-rules-that-mom-with-breast-cancer-cant-parent%2F I have been following the story of Alaina Giordano, the North Carolina woman whose two children (ages 5 and 11) have been removed from her care and placed in the custody of their father because she has stage 4 breast cancer. It doesn’t matter that Giordano’s cancer is under control; it doesn’t seem to concern Judge Nancy Gordon that the children’s father lives in Chicago and that she is relocating the children far from their home. It only matters that this judge feels they will do better by being with the non-ill parent. Is Judge Gordon surmising that women with breast cancer can no longer parent? Since when did breast cancer take away our ability to be a loving, caring, and responsible parent? I wanted to write about this when I first heard about it from my editor last week.... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829216 Mon, 16 May 2011 18:18:14 +0100 4829216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820931&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F13%2Fself-fulfilling-doomsday-prophecies%2F In a world experiencing global climate change and massive environmental degradation, could it be that doomsday prophecies are a cause and consequence of the seeming indifference and recalcitrance of so many Americans? From NPR’s Here and Now: * * * Margaret Pease stands on a corner in downtown Pittsburgh, handing out doomsday pamphlets. “JUDGMENT DAY FOLKS!” she yells with a volume that would make a drill sergeant proud. “May 21, 2011!” For the past seven months, Pease has been crisscrossing the country in a caravan with eight others, warning anyone who will listen that God’s wrath is near. “I might be a little loud, but I want people to get the message,” she says. “I don’t want anybody’s blood on my hands. … JUDGMENT ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820931 Fri, 13 May 2011 04:01:57 +0100 4820931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821007&cid=t_100881_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fchoices-for-good-or-choices-for-evil-its-up-to-you%2F Each day, as mere mortals, we have decisions to make. Choices surround us 24 hours a day. We are assaulted by choices even when we’re asleep. For instance, during the night, are we cold, are we hot, do we get up to urinate or is it worth the effort? Do we feel enough pain to check the clock and see if it’s time for a pain pill or perhaps, a muscle relaxant? Does that mean we have to get up or did we plan ahead and put some water or juice at the bedside, trying to avoid that long, long hobbling walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night? When we try to get back to sleep we wonder about life, decide we need a new mattress, or in my case, think of ways to get my spouse to stop snoring. I hate to bother the poor, tired man so I try not to wake him but I have found he will stop snoring... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821007 Thu, 12 May 2011 19:23:27 +0100 4821007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813379&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F11%2Fholder-on-the-situation-of-violence%2F In 2010, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the launch of the “Defending Childhood” initiative to help prevent children’s and young people’s exposure to violence, mitigate its effects and put an end to cycles of violence that undermine the public’s health. During this webcast, he described his vision for this initiative and its progress so far. Related Situationist posts: 25 Mil­lion Years of Us vs. Them “Michael McCullough on the Situation of Revenge and Forgiveness,” The Power of Suggestion The Situation of Psychopaths The Situation of Hate Crimes Obesity and Bullying The Cruelty of Children Examining the Bullying Situation The Situation of Bullying The Situation of Gang Rape The Situation of Hazing, Torture, Gender, and Tears “New Study ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813379 Wed, 11 May 2011 04:01:51 +0100 4813379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813614&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdo-we-need-a-longer-hospital-stay-after-a-mastectomy%2F Even though the scientific evidence shows that women recover just as well at home after a mastectomy, I don’t believe women should be sent home the day after surgery. In the late 1990s, the switch was made to sending women home quickly after surgery to remove a breast. The evidence suggested that women recover just as well at home as in the hospital. Prior to that decision, many women were in the hospital for several days — now it is up to doctors whether to keep a woman longer than the initial day of recovery. They need a medical reason for insurance to pay for the extended hospital stay. But the evidence doesn’t address the emotional impact that breast cancer and losing a breast has on a woman. We especially need time to assess our feelings about losing a breast before returni... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813614 Tue, 10 May 2011 17:00:14 +0100 4813614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803249&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fthe-situation-of-train-crossing-accidents%2F From the Boston Globe: On average, 10 people die daily by being hit as they’re crossing the tracks. Track trespassing is the largest everyday cause of unnatural deaths in Mumbai. For just over a year, however, an experiment at Wadala station, on the Central Line, has been hinting at unorthodox solutions to this problem. * * * In the six months before the experiment went live in December 2009, Wadala had recorded 23 track-crossing deaths, said M. C. Chauhan, a manager with the Central Railway’s Mumbai division. Between January and June 2010, that number had dropped to nine; in the next eight months, up until February 2011, only one death was registered. “We think the project is a huge success,” Chauhan said. * * * To walk around the Wadala experiment is to understand the surprising ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803249 Tue, 10 May 2011 04:01:22 +0100 4803249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872488&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fh-94W9hbtX8%2F Mature sexualityMen in their 50s have more satisfying sex lives than men in their 30sMen in their fifties are more satisfied with their sex lives than men in their thirties and forties, recording similar levels to 20-29 year-olds, according to a survey published in the February issue of BJU International.A team of experts from Norway and the USA surveyed 1,185 men aged between 20 and 79, asking them about various aspects of their sex life, including drive, erections and ejaculation.They found that although there was a strong relationship between a man’s advancing age and his declining sex drive and ability to have an erection and ejaculate, there wasn’t such a strong link between age and overall sexual satisfaction.The men who responded to the Norwegian postal questionnaire wer... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872488 Thu, 05 May 2011 17:18:01 +0100 4872488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872490&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FPx6YB1i7sYU%2F What is sexual abstinence?Can it benefit my recovery?Relationships and sexual activities are controversial in recovery from alcoholism, addiction and co-dependency. But there are benefits to sexual abstinence. These apply equally to heterosexual, gays and lesbian.Sexual abstinence is a choice to refrain from sexual activity. This choice is usually made for a specific reason. The reason may be moral, religious, legal, or for health and safety.It may only be short-term celibacy. It’s fine to go through periods of your life in which you choose to abstain – the decision to have sex is yours to make, each and every time.Abstaining does not mean you are frigid or destined for life as a monk or a nun – it may just be a temporary decision. Taking some time out for your body, mind... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872490 Wed, 04 May 2011 16:45:01 +0100 4872490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4768050&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F30%2Fon-money-and-motivation%2F This lively RSAnimate, adapted from Dan Pink’s talk at the RSA, examines some the ways that money doesn’t always buy motivation. Related Situationist posts: Shocking for Money The Situation of High Marginal Income Tax Rates and Motivation Money and the Situation of Happiness “The Situation of Money and Happiness,” “Receiving by Giving,” and  “Something to Smile About.”  To review a collection of Situationist posts exploring the causes and consequences of happiness, click here. (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4768050 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 04:01:58 +0100 4768050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4759045&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Frecovery-burnout%2F This article may help you think about the issues involved.Burnout is subtle. It creeps up on you slowly. How do you know if you are burning out?I know well the face of burnout. I found myself questioning my motives, feeling guilty, and being greatly misunderstood. Sometimes I was shamed for not “working the program!”What are the signs of burnout?As a professional counsellor I have researched burnout. According to the best research available on the subject there are three aspects of burnout:1. Perception of Inequity/Unfairness/InjusticeWhen you start to feel like you are getting the short end of the deal, being mistreated, under-appreciated, the program is not working for you… You may be burning out.2. Emotional ExhaustionWhen you start to run out of emotional gas you know something i... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4759045 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:59:02 +0100 4759045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4724269&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fpost-menopause-sex-is-great-in-so-many-ways%2F This article may help give hope and debunk some myths.Sex after menopause brings more than pleasure. It lowers blood pressure, boosts immunity and reduces pain, according to a mass of evidence that has been piling up in recent years.More Pleasure, Less PainSex reduces pain. An orgasm releases the hormones oxytocin and endorphins (the brain’s pain and anxiety reliever) so that pain declines. This means that the pain from arthritis, headaches and most other pain is reduced, according to a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine.Full story at; Post-Menopause Sex Is Great in So Many Ways | Womens eNews. Share, print or e-mail this articleStudy Confirms Sex is Better than MasturbationRelapse RevisitedSex is Better at 50 than Age 30 or 40Masturbation in Recover... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4724269 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:46:16 +0100 4724269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723958&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F17%2Fthe-psychological-situation-of-climate-change%2F Situationist friend, Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, describes the psychological impulses that make it difficult for humans to confront the threat of global warming. Related Situationist posts: Dan Gilbert on Why the Brain Scares Itself “Dan Gilbert To Speak at Harvard Law School,” “Dan Gilbert on the Situation of Our Decisions,” “Dan Gilbert on the Situation of Psychology,” “The Situation of Climate Change,” “The Heat is On,” “The Situation of Happiness,” and “Conversation with Dan Gilbert.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723958 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:54:35 +0100 4723958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719986&cid=t_100881_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fgone%2F Life is filled with constant change As we grow, mature and learn Unfortunately it’s not all mental as Our bodies sometime take a turn. Yet, each of us is amazed Because life doesn’t stay the same; Relationships, jobs and health In a flash can rearrange. Each time the hand of fate comes down We face surprise and shock Because we want it all to stay the same We learn early how to pitch a squawk. Accidents, bad planning and stupidity Can throw us into a spin; It seems we’re always trying to cope, To adjust, never dreaming we could win. As we struggle to adjust our Rubik’s cube We blame ourselves when struck by fate, And we face fear, self-blame and loathing And try to give up, “That’s it, it’s just too late.” Yet, deep within us, after the initial surprise Is this glim... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719986 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:15:00 +0100 4719986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684770&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fcoping-depression-in-adult-children-of-alcoholics%2F Coping Behavior and Depressive Symptoms in Adult Children of AlcoholicsThis research examined whether adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) would report more depressive mood symptoms as compared to non-ACOAs, whether coping behaviors differed as a function of ACOA status, and whether specific coping behaviors were related to depressive mood symptoms in ACOAs.Participants were 136 college students categorized as ACOAs and 436 college students categorized as non-ACOAs.As compared to non-ACOAs, ACOAs reported significantly more symptoms of depressive mood.On the COPE Inventory, ACOAs reported higher use of the following coping strategies:Withdrawal and defend themselves physically, cognitively and emotionally,Denial,Focus on Venting of Emotions,Humor, andSubstance Use.For both the ACOA and non... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684770 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:51:08 +0100 4684770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4677049&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fbottled-up.html Emotions, bewildered and with no home or expression in which to fly outward, get put in a bottle big enough to hold, stuffed down like constricted gas in a container of your own making.Medicine. Comes in bottles - not so pretty these days in their plastic with sanitary white labels and prescription numbers, but still amber. Temporary peacemaker for the bottled up emotion, temporary relaxation so your shoulders don't turn to stone, loosen your grip so you can hug someone in the deeps of your own emotional winter.Memories. Memories in bottles too, like a sweet perfume bottle you just lift the lid on to recapture joy, recapture someone long lost, like Evening in Paris brings Fern back to life for my aunt Rosalie. Rosalie with the fragmented memory of all childhood, brought back into the deep ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4677049 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:34:00 +0100 4677049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676870&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F04%2Ftips-to-start-journaling%2F Journaling — the act of writing things down somewhere (where doesn’t really matter) — has many benefits. Here’s an important one: “It’s not in the rereading that one finds solace but in the writing itself. It’s like crying—you don’t know why, but you feel so much better afterward. Everything pours, streams, flows, out of you aimlessly,” writes Samara O’Shea in her beautifully written book Note to Self: On Keeping A Journal And Other Dangerous Pursuits. Here’s another: Journaling is a profound — and simple — way to get to know yourself better. To figure out what makes you tick. What makes you happy. What makes you defensive. What makes you giggle or grateful or grieve. What makes you who you are. Quite simply, it’s a grea... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676870 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:39:01 +0100 4676870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664281&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F01%2Ftalk-on-the-situation-of-retribution%2F Title: “Punishing Jaws: Experiments  on  Retribution  Against  Nonhuman  Perpetrators” When: Today – April 1st, at 12PM Where: Griswold 110, Harvard Law School Who: Situationist Contributor and Drexel Law School Professor Adam Benforado and University of Pennsylvania Psychology Professor Geoff Goodwin will discuss historical and empirical research regarding retributive punishment imposed upon animals.  They will then use this evidence to draw inferences about human intuitions regarding punishment. Free burritos! * * * Related Situationist posts: The Criminals that Other Criminals Punish “Intuitions of Punishment?,” “Michael McCullough on the Situation of Revenge and Forgiveness,” “Steven Pinker Speaks at Harvard Law School,” “John Darley on “J... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664281 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:01:39 +0100 4664281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664484&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fstraight-sex-is-best-sex%2F NEWYou Can Help an AlcoholicHave vaginal orgasm and be happyHaving a penis-vaginal orgasm rather than just clitoral stimulation or masturbation results in a better life.Researchers studied over 1,200 women in Sweden and found that vaginal orgasm resulted in greater satisfaction with sex life, mental health, relationships with partners and friends, and life in general. Additionally these women had greater sexual desire and less recent masturbation.Better sex life was also associated with their first sexual orgasm being from intercourse rather than masturbation.Vaginal orgasms were not the result of partner masturbation or cunnilingus.It seems that straight sex, penis – vagina is still the best sex. Other ways of having an orgasm, at least for women, are OK but not as satisfying.Stuart... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664484 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:30:25 +0100 4664484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626872&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F24%2Fif-its-evitable-i-dont-like-it%2F Situationist Contributor Aaron Kay as well as Peter A. Ubel and Gavan Fitzsimons wrote the following editorial for the Detroit Free Press.: This week it will be one year since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Despite all the controversy that preceded the bill’s passage, most health policy experts confidently predicted that the public would soon embrace the legislation. To back up these predictions, they pointed out that Medicare was quite controversial when it was established in the 1960s, but rapidly grew in popularity. Much the same happened more recently with Medicare Part D, the law championed by President George W. Bush to extend Medicare coverage to medications. Recent polls belie these predictions, however, as support for health care reform has... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626872 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:01:42 +0100 4626872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610848&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F18%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-march-1-2011-2%2F I have been reading a book called The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo. It is basically daily reflections on life written in a way that is so heartbreakingly honest and beautiful that it reads like poetry. I am a bit behind on my daily reading so I am only on, “February 19: Instead of Breaking.” But the daily awakening was so moving that I thought I’d share a snippet with you here: “Instead of breaking the bone of our stubbornness, we can nourish the marrow of our feeling unheard. Instead of breaking the bone of our fear, we can cleanse the blood of our feeling unsafe. Instead of counting the scars from being hurt in the world, we can find and re-kiss the very spot in our soul where we began to withhold o... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610848 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:22:28 +0100 4610848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600801&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Faggression-and-hostility-in-recovered-alcoholics-2%2F This study was designed to examine aggression in a group of socially well-adapted recovering alcoholics. The question addressed was whether the treatment, together with long-term abstinence from alcohol, could reduce aggression and hostility in recovered alcoholics. Sixty four male stable alcoholics with at least 3 years sobriety were compared with 69 non-alcoholics. Neither group had any other psychological problems.Both groups were given a questionnaire on general characteristics as well as aggressive and hostility traits.After a 3-year abstinence, men from the recovering alcoholics group displayed greater signs of hostility and covert aggression.  They were different from non-alcoholics on measures for indirect aggression, irritability, negativism, suspicion, resentment, and guilt.... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600801 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:33:23 +0100 4600801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575249&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fweeding-out-toxic-relationships%2F Keep in mind that I’m not discussing all difficult relationships; some challenging relationships are well worth keeping. I’m specifically discussing toxic relationships, which are characterized by the following.Toxic relationships; take heavily from us without giving anything back. sap our joy as well as our mental and emotional energy. represent people who are hateful, hurtful, critical and discouraging the vast majority of the time you are around them. constantly leave you feeling empty, guilty, incompetent and ashamed represent people who are verbally and emotionally abusive to you. bring out the absolute worst in you.Weeding out Toxic Relationships. Share, print or e-mail this articleStress ReliefWHAT IS ANXIETY?Alcohol Awareness for Loved OnesReleasing ResentmentThe Dark Side of G... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575249 Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:05:40 +0100 4575249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575250&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fsexual-dysfunction-causes-and-effects%2F Definition of Sexual problemsSexual problems are defined as difficulty during any stage (desire, arousal, orgasm, and resolution) of the sexual act, which prevents the individual or couple from enjoying sexual activity. These apply equally to heterosexual, gay, lesbian and bisexual people.Development of sexual disorders:Sexual difficulties may begin early in a person’s life, or they may develop after an individual has previously experienced enjoyable and satisfying sex.A problem may develop gradually over time, or may occur suddenly as a total or partial inability to participate in one or more stages of the sexual act. The causes of sexual difficulties can be physical, psychological, or both.Emotional factors affecting sex include both interpersonal problems and psychological problem... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575250 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:22:05 +0100 4575250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560354&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F08%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-march-8-2011%2F My first year of grad school was one of the most relaxing years of my life. Sounds crazy right? But the reason for my surprising sense of peace and tranquility, despite the stress of moving to a new city and all the papers and presentations that come with getting your masters, was due to one simple word. Meditation. My first course in the semester was, “Stress Management 101.” My daily homework assignment consisted of an hour’s worth of meditation on my own time and than 3 hours of talking about and practicing mindfulness meditation in class at night. Basically, on top of sleeping better, I was spending a good part of my day focused on being relaxed. Boy do I miss those times. But then I wondered what the difference was between now and then? Why do I need a homework assig... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560354 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:46:36 +0100 4560354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4554810&cid=t_100881_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FoGQQgfP7UNc%2F Who would have thought that two little letters like ‘un’ could have such power? An innocuous little word, no, a prefix in fact but when added to words to make uncomfortable, unknown, unfamiliar – it has the power to make grown men cringe with fear. Perhaps it’s magic. As Sigmund Freud said “Words were once considered magic…do not despise the use of words” [specifically in psychotherapy in his case]. Or maybe it’s not magic. Perhaps it’s something more visceral. The founder of the field of General Semantics Alfred Korzybski would call a bad physical-emotional reaction to a word or concept – a semantic reaction. Do people really have bad reactions to words or concepts? I think you know you do (grin). Just complete the sentence “Don’t talk to me about…?” or “I ha... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4554810 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:44:32 +0100 4554810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549941&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fstress-relief%2F Guide to Stress Relief.Many people in recovery from alcoholism, addiction, gambling and co-dependency have diminished or lost ability to cope with stress. Due to the anethetising effects of alcohol and drugs many people also do not recognise that they are under stress – they just feel uncomfortable, angry, or sad.Untreated stress can lead to relapse.Stress is bad, right? Or is it good? Well, if you talk to the experts, they’ll say both are true. You need some stress to just get out of bed in the morning. And when you drive to work in your car, you need stress to stay alert and respond to what is in front of you. So stress has its place.  But what if a high level of stress goes on and on? The doctors tell us that ongoing stress becomes Chronic Stress. Chronic Stress is bad news. It... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549941 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:30:56 +0100 4549941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549779&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F04%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-march-4-2011%2F Life is a work in progress. When I think about who I was 10 years ago, that girl was barely distinguishable from who stands before me today. Ever read an old journal and feel astonished by who you were? I feel the same way. I was lost, confused and did not know who I was or who I wanted to be. I was a slave to my emotions and my experiences. I let others create the road in front of me and define my worth. While I have grown a lot since then, I am still a work in progress. I don’t know where you are on your journey, but if you are struggling to get to where you want to be in your life, I hope a few of these top posts this week will bring you solace. It takes a lot to get to your goals. You may be dealing with depression, body image issues or struggling with your own self-identity. If ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549779 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:44:20 +0100 4549779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4545015&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F24754315%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7ECreepy-Robot-Babies-Plastic-Receptionists.htm Here’s more evidence that inanimate objects can spark human emotions… In Japan, testing of a robot baby called “Babyloid” has been completed and commercial production is set to begin. The purpose of the baby-bots is to engage the emotions of senior citizens, and in particular those with depression who would most benefit from “human” interaction: [...] CommentsHmmm, maybe Windows needs to lose the hourglass and rotating ... by Roger DooleyI watched a really great video on all of this recently. Let me ... by JenniferRelated StoriesWhen Loyalty Points Beat Price DifferencesWhen Are Consumers Most Receptive?Border Bias: How to Beat It (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4545015 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:16:06 +0100 4545015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532256&cid=t_100881_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=4528016&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fnarcissism-in-a-bottle%2F : The Self Centerdness of Addiction | RecoveryView.com.Over the years I have listened to a sort of running monologue from clients who grew up with an addicted parent. It goes something like this: “I felt like it was all about them, like what was going on inside of me was sort of invisible, like what they wanted or needed always came first.” They go on and on describing a family dynamic that circulated around the immediate needs of the addict. They talk about how they often found themselves staying quiet and well behaved so as not to disturb a drunk or hung-over parent or bring a torrent of anger down on them. They also describe a world in which their other parent was constantly over-burdened; hiding the extent of the problem and working double time to make the family seem “normal”.... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4528016 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 07:52:36 +0100 4528016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4525168&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Flifes-lessons%2F To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the list once more:1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.5. Pay off your credit cards every month.6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.1... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4525168 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:45:00 +0100 4525168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512621&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F9-problems-that-affect-sexual-satisfaction%2F While alcoholics, addicts and co-dependents may know of the effects of alcohol and drugs on their sexuality, in recovery there may be other conditions affecting their sex lives.Here’s the good news, the bad news, and some more good news about sexual health: Most (64 percent of people, according to one recent study) are satisfied with their sex lives. But many health issues can get in the way of having a good sex life, from prescription medication side effects to depression to sexually transmitted diseases.In many cases, physicians can work with their patients to improve the situation, whether by changing the dosage of a medication, helping to treat depression or other medical conditions, or by providing sound medical advice for people who have STDs."For people who are not satisf... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512621 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:13:00 +0100 4512621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507587&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FhjYF8cI3ZEA%2F Depression symptoms increase over time for addiction-prone womenWhile alcohol problems and antisocial behavior tend to decrease in women as they age, depression does not, U-M study findsUnlike alcohol problems and antisocial behavior, depression doesn’t decline with age in addiction-prone women in their 30s and 40s – it continues to increase, a new study led by University of Michigan Health System researchers found.The analysis examined the influences of the women’s histories, family life and neighborhood instability on their alcoholism symptoms, antisocial behavior and depression over a 12-year period covering the earlier years of marriage and motherhood.The research, published in Development and Psychopathology, is part of an ongoing project focusing on families at high risk for su... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507587 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:20:00 +0100 4507587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501638&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F21%2Fare-you-happy-why-its-difficult-to-tell%2F This article is about why. Bottling it Up At the same time as being interested in other people’s sadness, we are keen to hide our own.  Psychologists regularly find that people avoid telling others when they’re sad, down or depressed, but will shout their happiness from the rooftops. The upshot is that people generally show their positive emotions in public while hiding their negative emotions, no matter how they really feel inside. We know this is true because various studies have asked participants to report their emotions every hour or so. What they find is that we tend to experience and display more positive emotions in public and more negative emotions in private. All this is important because the human mind is a relative instrument. We judge our own happiness with refer... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501638 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:35:08 +0100 4501638 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507589&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FtZqs8WnWM8k%2F Famous for helping couples discover how sex can be playful, erotic, passionate, exhilarating, and most of all, pleasurable.The Joy of Sex revolutionized how we experience our sexuality. An international bestseller since it was first published in 1972, Dr. Alex Comfort’s classic work dared to celebrate the joy of human physical intimacy with such authority and candor that a whole generation felt empowered to enjoy sex.Now fully updated, revised, and reillustrated, The Joy of Sex once again sets the standard as the world’s most trusted sex manual. Substantial revisions from sex expert and relationship psychologist Susan Quilliam include new information on:Key scientific discoveries in the fields of psychology, physiology, and sexologyThe Internet and couple-friendly pornographyTh... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507589 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:45:00 +0100 4507589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489906&cid=t_100881_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2FUd6xYrgF8wY%2Fmy-dad.php Earlier today I came across a blog entry by my friend Kim about the connection she felt with her grandfather, the only other type 1 in her family, despite her never having had the opportunity to meet him. I have another type 2 in my family - my dad. And as I thought about Kim's post, I thought about my connection with my dad through our shared diabetes. And, as I thought, I suddenly felt a wave of emotional pain and shame wash over me, as if some sort of cyst had been punctured by a blunt lancet. My dad was diagnosed somewhere around twenty years ago. I remember he invited me over, talked to me about diabetes, and explained how my being overweight dramatically increased the risk of my getting it. Kim touched on how things were much different for diabetics when her grandfather was diagnose... Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489906 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 04:21:19 +0100 4489906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4498394&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-are-stages-of-sex-addiction%2F Addicted people often feel handcuffedProblems in controlling sexual behavior usually reveal themselves in four distinct stages:Preoccupation: The person continually fantasizes about sexual prospects or situations. Constant sexual focus results in a high level of arousal which can trigger an episode of sexual “acting-out.”Ritualization: A preferred sexual activity or situation is often stereotyped and repetitive, and may include a wide variety of activities intended to keep arousal at a high pitch, rather than being aimed at sexual release.Compulsion: The person continues to engage in sexual activity despite negative consequences and a sincere desire to stop. A sex addict can feel as powerless as an alcoholic or drug addict over his or her addiction.Despair: Sex addicts experien... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4498394 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:23:02 +0100 4498394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482833&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F16%2Fthe-criminals-that-other-criminals-punish%2F This week, inmates in Sao Paulo broke into a cell block where prisoners convicted of rape and pedophilia were held and killed six people, including a man, Jose Agostinho Pereira, convicted of imprisoning his daughter for twelve years and having seven children with her, two of whom he also sexually abused.  Using makeshift knives, the attacking inmates, decapitated Pereira and three of the other prisoners. Extreme overcrowding in the prison seemed to be one cause of the violence – a number of inmates, unhappy with their poor conditions, attempted to escape, which precipitated a riot.  However, the level of brutality and the focus of the harm seem to tell another story.  Indeed, it’s important to note that the men who were killed had been kept apart from the general population for the... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482833 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 04:01:43 +0100 4482833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489985&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FEsEBu0zngAk%2F These symptoms and characteristics of the thoughts and actions of a codependent are offered as a tool to aid in self-evaluation.Denial Symptoms: I have difficulty identifying what I am feeling.I minimize, alter or deny how I truly feel.I perceive myself as completely unselfish and dedicated to the well being of others.Low Self Esteem Symptoms: I have difficulty making decisions.I judge everything I think, say or do harshly, as never “good enough.”I am embarrassed to receive recognition and praise or gifts.I do not ask others to meet my needs or desires.I value others approval of my thinking, feelings and behavior over my own.I do not perceive myself as a lovable or worthwhile person.Compliance Symptoms: I compromise my own values and integrity to avoid rejection or others anger... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489985 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:17:02 +0100 4489985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477815&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F15%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-february-15-2011%2F You can come out from your hiding place. Valentine’s Day is officially over! Yes, a surprising amount of our Facebook friends said they hated the holiday. Some found it to be too commercial. Others found it to be lonely for singles. There were also many who thought it was a good excuse to celebrate love. In general, while everyone had their own reasons for loving or hating the holiday, I thought it was a great discussion about love and an opportunity to reflect on the four letter word itself. Our bloggers were no exception. Everyone had their own take on love. One blogger talked about how Valentine’s Day can bring up unexpected pain and sorrow in our lives. Another discussed the various stages of a romantic relationship (a perfect post for couples). A third mentioned the import... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477815 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:53:34 +0100 4477815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477817&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F14%2Fvalentines-day-for-the-realistic-romantic%2F At the beginning of a new love relationship, we may find ourselves in a beautiful fantasyland. Finally, the struggle to find peace and happiness is over… ‘I am saved. I am safe. I am lovable. I am desirable. I am acceptable. I belong. I am overflowing with love to give and joy to share. I am so incredibly alive. We are a perfect match.’ And then reality sets in… ‘He leaves his wet towel on the bed.’ ‘She is constantly texting.’ ‘He is always late.’ ‘She is always working.’ ‘He drinks too much.’ You may wonder, ‘Who is this person I thought I knew?’ ‘She’s changed.’ ‘He’s different.’ ‘You complete me’ spirals down into ‘You deplete me.’ Despite our hopes for perfection, romantic love relationships, like every aspect of life, ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477817 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:00:03 +0100 4477817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4472984&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F14%2Fdavid-vitter-eliot-spitzer-john-edwards-jon-ensign-mark-sanford-and-now-chris-lee-the-disposition-is-weaker-than-the-situation%2F During the summer of 2007, we published the post below in response to the sex scandal du jour involving U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA). We republished it in the wake of former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s (D) “indiscretions.”  Feormer U.S. Senator and Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee John Edwards’ confession had us dusting off this post yet again.  We published it again when Senator Jon Ensign (R-NV)–who in 1998 urged President Clinton to resign following the Monica Lewinsky scandal–was added to the list and then again in response to the Mark Sanford scandal.  For Chris Lee’s Craig’s List shenanigans (video below), we’ve decided to republish the post yet again.  (We have omitted many smaller scandals from our list... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4472984 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:01:57 +0100 4472984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464708&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdefence-denial-mechanisms%2F Denial is Hazy ThinkingAlcoholics, addicts and co-dependents use many and varied combinations of these. Identify yours and work to eliminate them.When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us – Alexander Graham BellDefence and denial mechanisms are used by all human beings and may be necessary for survival in some situations.We’ve all used defences and denial to distance ourselves from distressing feelings and maintain a sense of emotional stability. Our defence and denial patterns began in childhood when they prevented us from becoming overwhelmed with anxiety. However, as an adult we outgrow their usefulness. If we continue to use outgrown defences or denial, we are more... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464708 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:56:01 +0100 4464708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460187&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fpoor-emotional-recognition-by-addicts-alcoholics%2F Drug-abusers Have Difficulty in Recognizing Negative Emotions such as Wrath, Fear and SadnessUniversity of Granada scientists have been the first to analyze the relation between drug abuse and recognition of basic emotions (happiness, surprise, wrath, fear, sadness and disgust) by drug-abusers. Thus, the study revealed that drug-abusers have difficulty to identify negative emotions by their facial expression: wrath, disgust, fear and sadness.Further, regular abuse of alcohol, cannabis and cocaine usually affects abusers’ fluency and decision-making. Consuming cannabis and cocaine negatively affects working memory and reasoning. Similarly, cocaine abuse is associated to alterations in inhibition.For the purpose of this study, researchers carried out a psychological evaluation (with thinki... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460187 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:56:00 +0100 4460187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455304&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F09%2Fa-general-theory-of-love-part-1%2F Love is all you need — The Beatles Love is a serious mental disease — Plato In honor of the month of Valentines Day, I wanted to introduce a collection of articles about what love is, the theory behind it, and the research that supports it.  Poets, painters, musicians, sculptures, photographers and writers need not worry that science is muscling in on their territory.  We just want to add our voice to the chorus. In the book, A General Theory of Love, authors, Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini & Richard Lannon, review what we know about attraction and neuroscience.  They generate an interesting framework from which to launch this series.  They begin with something that provides a foundation upon which the theory and practice of love can be built:  “Because it is part of the physical ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455304 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:43:19 +0100 4455304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450334&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F08%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-february-8-2011%2F From where I am sitting, the view is great. The sun is shining. It is 70 degrees. There is a light breeze and a warm summer vibe in the air. Yet regardless of what the weather is outside, when mental illness is an issue, what is going on inside carries more weight. Did you ever get exciting news — you got the job you wanted, your boyfriend proposed, or you found out you were having a baby — and felt wonderful despite the rain pelting on the windowsill? Or in contrast, have you ever felt horrible even when it was warm and summery outside? If you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), then the weather outside can dictate your mood. But for those who don’t experience SAD, there are moments, experiences and hardship that impact us regardless of our external sit... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450334 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:05:40 +0100 4450334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450460&cid=t_100881_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F02%2F07%2Fthe-other-side-of-the-mirror.aspx My mother always told me I was a very emotional girl. She told me this, however, from the lens of someone who had spent her entire life feeling ashamed of emotions, in general. Generations of women in my family have seen blatant expressions of emotion...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450460 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:00:00 +0100 4450460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4446039&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwomens-sexual-problems%2F Recovery may uncover sexuality issuesMany women in recovery find some problems with their sexuality have emerged from the haze of alcoholism or addiction. This may be true for heterosexual and lesbian women.These notes may help. Talk to your doctor if there is any signs apparent.There are four recognised disorders of Female Sexual Dysfunction as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Medical Disorders. These are:Sexual desire disorders – A lack of sex drive or low libido. This is the most common type of sexual disorder among womenSexual arousal disorder – An inability to become aroused or maintain arousal during sexual activityOrgasmic disorder – A persistent or recurrent difficulty in achieving orgasm after sufficient sexual arousal and ongoing stimulationSexual pain di... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4446039 Sun, 06 Feb 2011 15:57:01 +0100 4446039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419210&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F01%2Fcan-meditation-make-us-more-compassionate%2F Last Friday, Sindya Bhanoo had an interesting little post on one of the New York Times blogs concerning recent research on the impact of meditation on the brain. As is often the case in these mainstream media reports, I was left wanting more about the studies and less about the personal interest hook (in this case, the story of Sindya’s husband’s experiences meditating), but that was remedied easily enough by utilizing the wonders of the internet. To me, the most interesting referenced article was a 2008 study by Antoine Lutz, Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Tom Johnstone, and Richard Davidson on the regulation of our emotional neural circuitry through compassion meditation. Here is the abstract: Recent brain imaging studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have impl... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419210 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:01:59 +0100 4419210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405824&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F26%2Fdont-fall-for-infidelity%2F I’m annoyed by infidelity. What’s gotten me so annoyed to write about it are radio advertisements I hear for a website that encourages people to cheat on their spouse or significant other, acting as though it were a common or even normal experience. Infidelity — or cheating, as people often refer to it — is neither common nor normal. If you’ve come to the fork in the road where you’ve cheated or are considering cheating on your partner, it’s time to acknowledge another reality — your primary romantic relationship is in trouble. Serious trouble. You can go down the easy road and cheat — because, after all, somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of people in relationships do. Or you can acknowledge something is going on with your relationshi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405824 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:23:36 +0100 4405824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394536&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F25%2Fphillippe-golden-on-emotions%2F From Google Tech Talks: The ability to recognize and work with different emotions is fundamental to psychological flexibility and well-being. Neuroscience has contributed to the understanding of the neural bases of emotion, emotion regulation, and emotional intelligence, and has begun to elucidate the brain mechanisms involved in emotion processing. Of great interest is the degree to which these mechanisms demonstrate neuroplasticity in both anatomical and functional levels of the brain. * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Joseph LeDoux on the Neural Situation of Emotion and Memory,” “The Interior Situation of Complex Human Feelings,” “The Situation of Memory,” “The Interior Situation of Complex Human Feelings,” “Accidentally ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394536 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:01:43 +0100 4394536 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382799&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F21%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-january-21-2011%2F I often wonder how much of the world’s problems can be solved with a little bit of empathy. If you think about your own life and the mini-village it takes to run it, how much would it change if we learned to bring more compassion to ourselves and those in it? Would accepting our own mishaps help heal our own wounds and would listening, really listening to those around us, help them as well? It’s a question worth reflecting on. As we get more busy with stuff (our digital toys, job, family, our own problems), are we missing out on the opportunity to connect with those we love? It’s Friday, the end of another week. As we wind down with another list of our popular posts this week, I hope you take the time to think about compassion, presence, and empathy. Then, I hope you will... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382799 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:57:40 +0100 4382799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4372251&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fabusive-relationships%2F Image via WikipediaAn alcoholic or addictive relationship may be marred by abuse. This symptom list may raise ones awareness of the problem.There are many signs of an abusive relationship. The primary sign is fear of your partner. Other signs include a partner who belittles you or tries to control you, and feelings of self-loathing, numbness, helplessness, and desperation.To determine whether or not you’re in an abusive relationship, answer the questions in the table below. The more questions to which you answer “yes,” the more likely your relationship is abusive.Signs of an Abusive RelationshipYour Inner Feelings and ThoughtsDo you :fear your partner a large percentage of the time?avoid certain topics out of fear of angering your partner?feel that you can’t do anything right for y... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4372251 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:01:00 +0100 4372251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361068&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F18%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-january-18-2011%2F No matter who we are, where we live, how much money we have or what we do for a living, we all essentially want the same thing. We want to feel validated that our worries, feelings and emotions are justified. We want to be seen, heard and felt valued for who we are. We want to know that how we feel and what we think is normal. And most important, we want to be both loved and understood. Knowing these things, can we change the way we perceive our relationships? Can we change the way we treat ourselves and others? That’s a hope I have and a realistic resolution you could have for 2011. A simple change to gain a worthy result. Recently, my great aunt was snappy on the phone with my dad, I took the chance and spoke to her, validating her concerns, calming her fears, and noticed an instan... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361068 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:52:11 +0100 4361068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343345&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fsexual-abstinence-in-recovery%2F What is sexual abstinence?Can it benefit my recovery?Relationships and sexual activities are controversial in recovery from alcoholism, addiction and co-dependency. But there are benefits to sexual abstinence. These apply equally to heterosexual, gays and lesbian.Sexual abstinence is a choice to refrain from sexual activity. This choice is usually made for a specific reason. The reason may be moral, religious, legal, or for health and safety.It may only be short-term celibacy. It’s fine to go through periods of your life in which you choose to abstain – the decision to have sex is yours to make, each and every time.Abstaining does not mean you are frigid or destined for life as a monk or a nun – it may just be a temporary decision. Taking some time out for your body, mind... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343345 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:22:07 +0100 4343345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343208&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvideos.videopress.com%2Fpn0rNzqV%2Fsarah-palin-responds-to-tucson-shooting_hd.mp4 Situationist Contributors Adam Benforado and Jon Hanson have written extensively about a dynamic they call “naive cynicism.” Their work explores how dispositionism maintains its dominance despite the fact that it misses so much of what actually moves us. It argues that the answer lies in a subordinate dynamic and discourse, naive cynicism: the basic subconscious mechanism by which dispositionists discredit and dismiss situationist insights and their proponents. Without it, the dominant person schema – dispositionism – would be far more vulnerable to challenge and change, and the more accurate person schema – situationism – less easily and effectively attacked. Naive cynicism is thus critically important to explaining how and why certain legal policies manage to carry the da... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343208 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:34:30 +0100 4343208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338035&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F12%2Fthe-power-of-suggestion%2F In the wake of the massacre in Tucson one of the debates has been over whether a toxic environment might have contributed to the assailant’s behavior.  Social psychology has demonstrated countless times the power of seemingly trivial situatonal forces to encourage hostility and violence.  One of the classics is a 1975 study of the effects of dehumanization. Here is a 1999 summary of that study by Situationist Contributor Phil Zimbardo. * * * My colleague, Albert Bandura, and his students contnued this line of research by extending the basic paradigm here to study the minimal conditions necessary to create dehumanization (Bandura, Underwood, & Fromson, 1975). What they manipulated was only the actors’ perceptioin of their victims–no authority pressures, no induced an... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338035 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:17:15 +0100 4338035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318371&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F06%2Fthe-story-of-your-life-in-six-words%2F Many people think their lives aren’t interesting enough or worthy enough of being committed to paper, even in journals or on scraps of napkins (my preferred writing materials). Whenever I tell people about the importance of journaling or leaving behind some sort of written record of their lives for their families, they usually say the same thing: “Oh, who’d want to read that?” or “My life isn’t that exciting” or “I don’t have much to say.” But just like creativity is in our bones, writing down our lives isn’t just worthwhile. It is within us and it’s a wonderful thing to do to process our world. It’s even good for us. For instance, journaling provides a variety of health and wellness benefits. One way to write our stori... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318371 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 20:04:12 +0100 4318371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309666&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F04%2Fwhy-doctors-oversell-benefits-undersell-risks-and-side-effects%2F Virtually across the board of medicine and psychiatry, doctors will constantly and consistently oversell the benefits of a given treatment, and undersell the risks and side effects of it. This may not be as surprising when you look at some of the key factors into how medical and psychiatric treatment is learned and then conducted on patients. Why do doctors often oversell the benefits of a given treatment, and minimize the risks and side effects of it? 1. Treatment is rarely experienced first-hand. While you don’t need to undergo surgery to understand the benefits of surgery or how to do surgery, you will surely have a great appreciation to the patient’s perspective if every surgeon was required to get an appendectomy before being allowed to practice. Surgeons know, in most ca... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309666 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:24:09 +0100 4309666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4305109&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fbeing-of-freedom%2F Image via WikipediaBeing of Freedom We do not regret the past, nor wish to shut the door on it.  We comprehend the word serenity and we know peace.  We live a life of balance by taming the many voices within so that they may serve their individual purpose without taking over and destroying the perfect harmony of our being. We give up the mastermind of our own self-will to follow the light of our spirit and live a humbled existence.  We know the gift of life comes from deep within by experiencing the gratitude of this very moment.  We accept that Thy will leads us to true freedom.Being of Freedom « The Hazelden Blog.Related articlesHeart of Serenity (recoveryissexy.com)Two Wolves (recoveryissexy.com)Disturbing Denial (recoveryissexy.com) Share, print or e-mail this articleStepping Ston... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4305109 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 10:07:13 +0100 4305109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302165&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-situation-of-healthy-aging%2F An informative, scholarly collection of presentations about recent research on the situation of healthy aging. For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Inequality and the Unequal Situation of Mental and Physical Health,” “The Situation of Racial Health Disparities,” “The Stressful Situation of Disease,” “The Situation of Depression,” “The Stressful Situation of Religious Zealotry,” “The Situational Consequences of Poverty on Brain,” “The Interior Situation of Intergenerational Poverty,” “The Situation of Mental Illness,” “The Disturbing Mental Health Situation of Returning Soldiers,” “The Toll of Discrimination on Black Women,” “The Physical Pains of Discrimination,” “The Depressing Effects of Ra... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302165 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 04:01:52 +0100 4302165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294904&cid=t_100881_134_f&fid=34847&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsixuntilme.com%2Fblog2%2F2010%2F12%2Fthe_importance_of_being_honest.html I have been writing on this blog about life with diabetes for five and a half years, and I am always proud to share the successes.  But it's easy to share the good stuff.  It felt good to tell everyone about being pregnant, and having really solid A1Cs throughout my pregnancy.  It felt good to keep those numbers steady while I was breastfeeding.  I felt like I was in control, at least to a certain extent.  And I felt proud to share that control.But the past three months haven't felt good in any diabetes-related way.  I don't feel like I'm in control of my diabetes.  Honestly, I don't feel like I'm in control of anything.  And I'm not proud to share this.  I'm embarrassed and feeling sloppy and burnt out and a little sad.Last week, I was at Josli... Six Until Me. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294904 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:09:07 +0100 4294904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281311&cid=t_100881_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-a-doctor-is-spent%2F2010.12.22 “I need you to do me a favor,” my nurse asked me at the end of our day on Friday. “Sure,” I answered. “What do you want?” “Please have a better week next week,” she said with a pained expression. “I don’t think I can handle another one like this week.” It was a bad week. There was cancer, there was anxiety, there were family fights, there were very sick children. It’s not that it’s unusual to see tough things (I am a doctor), but the grouping of them had all of us trudging home drained of energy. Spent. I think this is one of the toughest thing about being a doctor (and nurse, by my nurse’s question): The spending of emotional reserves. I’m not physically active at work, yet I come home tired. I don’t have to be busy to feel drained. It’s not the pati... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281311 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:00:40 +0100 4281311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4287587&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FhDfPTM_iT2c%2F The “Good-Enough Sex” model for couple sexual satisfaction “Then we have the voices who cry for sex and more sex; who bewail the institution of marriage; who think that most of the troubles of the race are traceable to sex causes. They think we do not have enough of it, or that it isn’t the right kind. They see its significance everywhere. One school would allow man or woman no flavour for their fare and the other would have us all on a straight pepper diet. We want to stay out of this controversy. We do not want to be the arbiter of anyone’s sex conduct. We all have sex problems. We’d hardly be human if we didn’t. What can we do about them?Whatever our ideal turns out to be, we must be willing to grow toward it.” Alcoholics Anonymous, pp 69. The Goo... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4287587 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:19:01 +0100 4287587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265641&cid=t_100881_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007754.html Fearlessness comes from an underactive amygdala. A new study, published online on December 16 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offers new insight into the emotional life of a unique individual who completely lacks the function of an almond-shaped structure in the brain known as the amygdala. Studies over the last 50 years have shown that the amygdala plays a central role in generating fear reactions in animals from rats to monkeys. Based on the detailed case study of the woman identified only as SM, it now appears that the same is true of humans. She knows no fear. To explore this role of the amygdala, Feinstein and his Univeristy of Iowa team observed and recorded SM's responses in... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265641 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4265641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4259201&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Ftroubled-background-of-male-steroid-abusers%2F In conclusion, this study shows that abusers of anabolic-androgenic steroids often have a troubled social background.Research report; Kurt Skarberg & Ingemar Engstrom. Troubled social background of male anabolic-androgenic steroid abusers in treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2007, 2:20.See alsoAlcoholic Family RolesAre there Patterns to Denial Behavior?Self-Help BooksInspirational BooksThe Guy in the MirrorOriginally posted 2010-03-14 09:41:00. Share, print or e-mail this article1st Sexual ExperiencesSweden Likes AA Too (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4259201 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:31:06 +0100 4259201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241835&cid=t_100881_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FXtT5veL6888%2F My interest in the brain stems from wanting to better understand both how to make school more palatable for students, and professional development more meaningful for faculty. To that end, I began my Neurons Firing blog in April, 2007, have been doing a lot of reading, and been attending workshops and conferences, including Learning & the Brain. If you agree that our brains are designed for learning, then as educators it is incumbent upon us to be looking for ways to maximize the learning process for each of our students, as well as for ourselves. Some of what follows is simply common sense, but I’ve learned that all of it has a scientific basis in our brains. 1. Review and 2. Reflection are two means for thinking about what is being learned. Review can be done in the moments after ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241835 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:25:24 +0100 4241835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253456&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FZoViqCqG69Q%2F The Big Book of “Alcoholics Anonymous” includes the story of a woman whose drinking landed her in jail twice and nearly ruined her third marriage. Her final drunk, she recalls, lasted 60 days around the clock. “It was my intention, literally, to drink myself to death,” she said. Joining AA saved her life, largely because it helped her overcome the habit of resentment.This woman wrote that “self-pity and resentment were my constant companions … for I seemed to have a resentment against everybody I had ever known.” Moreover, “the only people who would support this attitude or whom I felt understood me at all were the people I met in bars and the ones who drank as I did.”AA recognizes that resentment is toxic to our inner lives. The case i... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253456 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 03:37:37 +0100 4253456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4229194&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F04%2F6-steps-to-manage-anger%2F I don’t really think of myself as having a hot temper. But I do have trouble speaking up when something starts to bother me. Thus, the irritant builds and builds, and instead of becoming a pearl, like a grain of stand does in an oyster, it explodes … usually on the person whose behavior I don’t care for and is responsible for making me look and act like a monster. I’ve been talking about this with my therapist. Because I can remember nothing more horrifying as a kid as those time my dad totally lost it and threw every four-letter word at my mom, or at me or one of my sisters, or all of us, like the time we were making fun of the people in the booth next to us in Dairy Queen. Still can’t get a Buster Bar today without that memory, spanking and all. So I went ba... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4229194 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:48:08 +0100 4229194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225451&cid=t_100881_122_f&fid=34756&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainethics.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F03%2Fsex-and-money-common-or-different-currencies%2F How are values computed in the brain? Rewards can be as many things: the expectation when having just ordered your favourite dish; the child’s joy at Christmas Eve; the enjoyment of good music or the wonderful taste of strawberries. But how does the brain process these many different kinds of rewards? Does it treat all types of rewards equally or does the brain distinguish between different kinds of rewards? Rewards can come in many different forms: from sex, social recognition, food when you’re hungry, or money. But it is still an open question whether the brain processes such rewards in different ways, or whether there is a “common currency” in the brain for all types of rewards. Guillaume Sescousse and his colleagues in Lyon recently reported a study on how t... BRAINETHICS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225451 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 07:48:52 +0100 4225451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4220466&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fhappiness-is%2F Happiness Is… A Recovery Book In this highly entertaining and literate book, Shawn Christopher Shea takes us on a provocative journey into the world of practical philosophy, applied spirituality and everyday psychology. Calling upon more than twenty years of clinical experience, fifty years of navigating life’s ups and downs, and an array of thinkers and pop icons – from Alan Watts to Albert Einstein, Billy Graham to Bob Dylan, the Dalai Lama to the English mystic Julian of Norwich – he weaves a gentle compassion and a tart wit into this compelling look at human nature and our never-ending quest for happiness. Not content with traditional stereotypes of happiness, Shea is on a search for a tougher happiness that is present and revitalizing even during times o... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4220466 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:00:00 +0100 4220466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214411&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdoes-pain-equal-cancer-spread-a-recurring-theme%2F Black Friday shopping is something I learned about only when I moved to the United States; it is a traditional part of the Thanksgiving holiday, but this aspect of the celebration never caught on with me. The second Thanksgiving that I was here, a friend coerced me into getting up at 3:00 a.m. to be in line at 4:00 a.m. to shop at a local store. I still haven’t recovered. This past Friday, my oldest son — I call this one the Wise Guy — was visiting from Toronto and we decided to simply cruise the mall in the afternoon. Still, it was a lot of walking and people to navigate, so I don’t call that a great shopping excursion. In fact, I ended up feeling worn and broken by the time I got home. Waking up for the next few days proved to be a painful experience. The pain in my right hip has... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214411 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:34:17 +0100 4214411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4203329&cid=t_100881_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FC8N2N2l5bbU%2F Warning: this post may irritate you into thinking. I will say this short and sweet: Emotions are not God. Stop listening to them like they are. Your emotions, and visceral bodily feelings are not designed to carry the burden of proof you put upon them. Yes, you! Stop looking around like you don’t know what I’m talking about.  Emotions were never and are still not infallible guidance systems like certain gurus (who are usually quite bright) stupidly say. You actually need to think, not just feel. Despite what the shopping channel says. Use your emotions as your major decision making tool and you are sunk. Now, do you want to know why? Let me set the scene. As we grow we experience bodily and mental ‘feelings’ as we experience current or think about past events. We win a race, every... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4203329 Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:40:26 +0100 4203329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214496&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fheart-of-serenity%2F Serenity Serenity Prayer gets to the heart of recovery In the concentration camp, Viktor Frankl was prisoner No. 119,104. He spent most of his time in forced labour, laying tracks for Nazi railway lines. At one point, his job was to dig a tunnel for an underground water main. He worked alone. His reward was a coupon worth 12 cigarettes. Instead, he exchanged the token for 12 bowls of soup so he could avoid starving. Many people assume that the only response to this situation would be misery or insanity. Yet, even in the concentration camp, Frankl felt free. In Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy (Beacon Press, ed. 4), Frankl concluded that everything can be taken from us except one thing: the last of human freedoms — to choose one’s own attitude in any given ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214496 Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:19:03 +0100 4214496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4203319&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fsobrietyattitudes%2F Who has attitude? “I am convinced that attitude is the key to success or failure in almost any of life’s endeavours. Your attitude – your perspective, your outlook, how you feel about yourself, how you feel about other people – determines your priorities, your actions, your values. Your attitude determines how you interact with other people and how you interact with yourself.” – Carolyn Warner - The greatest change that I experienced in recovery is my attitudes to all of life’s situations. One of the best books I read and reread in early sobriety was Sobriety and Beyond. I get it out about once a year and brush up on my attitudes. Sobriety and Beyond Sobriety Without End Recovery Promises to … Does AA Work? The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book Unpl... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4203319 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:40:01 +0100 4203319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197370&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Frecovery-from-anxiety-and-shame%2F Transforming Anxiety Transcending Shame A Recovery BookDiscover the True Source of Excessive Anxiety And How You Can Stop It!Do new situations give you heart palpitations, knots in your stomach and shortness of breath? Are you so worried about what others think that you avoid new activities for fear of looking foolish? Do you agonize about making the right decision and then second-guess the ones you make? Do you have a pervasive feeling that “something’s” just not right? If so, then noted author, therapist and former anxiety sufferer Rex Briggs can help free you from your fears with this step-by-step program. You’ll discover:why anxiety is not a disease to be controlled, but a mes­senger to be heeded;how normal anxiety differs from excessive anxiety;why unresolv... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197370 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:40:00 +0100 4197370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197143&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F22298113%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7ELove-Branding.htm Review – Love Branding: How to make people fall in love with your brand by Carolin Dahlman Carolin Dahlman has two professions: branding expert and “love coach.” While these two callings seem unrelated at first glance, Dahlman thinks they fit together perfectly. In her book, Love Branding, she shows how marketers can achieve branding success [...] CommentsDear Roger when you say 'it is quite possible for someone to ... by Michel HoetmerMichel, I do think it is quite possible for someone to have an ... by Roger DooleyPlus 8 more...Related StoriesSix Selling Secrets From MagiciansSubliminal MotivationAvoid the Corner of Death! (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197143 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:10:20 +0100 4197143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4187058&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Faccepting-our-feelings%2F Why do we struggle so with our feelings? Why do we work so hard to deny our emotions, especially concerning other people? They are only feelings! In the course of a day, we may deny we feel frustrated in reaction to someone who is selling us a service. We may deny that we feel frustrated, angry, or hurt in reaction to a friend. We may deny feelings of fear, or anger, toward our children. We may deny a whole range of feelings toward our spouse or the person with whom we’re in a love relationship. We may deny feelings provoked by people we work for, or by people who work for us. Sometimes the feelings are a direct reaction to others. Sometimes people trigger something deeper – an old sadness or frustration. Regardless of the source of our feelings, they are still our feelings. We... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4187058 Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:31:48 +0100 4187058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183348&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34958&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.counsellingresource.com%2F%7Er%2Fpsychology-philosophy%2F%7E3%2Fh6lF7YKWZJA%2F Making major changes can be a time when we experience intense emotion. It is a thoroughly emotional business, from the desire we feel for change to what we feel when making the change.Tags: emotions, empathy, motivation, relationships (Source: Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life) Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183348 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:54:42 +0100 4183348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183350&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F11%2F19%2Fjust-deserts%2F Over the last several months, I have been conducting some experiments on retribution with cognitive psychologist Geoff Goodwin.  I’ll be presenting some of our results next month at a workshop at Vanderbilt and hope to do some posts on the Situationist concerning our findings soon after.  Thinking a lot about the motivation to deliver just deserts has had a strange and unexpected effect on me.  I’ve found myself hyperaware of my own desire to punish when I read newspaper articles describing criminal acts or when I see movies where offenses are committed.  I’ve also noticed myself recasting events that would seem to have little to do with retributive motives. Today, I came across a video of a man running onto the field during last week’s Fresno State versus Nevada football game.... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183350 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 04:00:50 +0100 4183350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168150&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdont-let-stress-accumulate-during-breast-cancer-treatment%2F Stress is a real outcome of battling breast cancer. It is amazing to me that the medical community hasn’t taken the psychological component that affects women who are diagnosed more seriously. When a woman is diagnosed and her world is shaken, that’s one thing — when a breast is removed and she feels her body has been mutilated, that is another. Either of these has a huge psychological impact; both of them combined feel like you’re dealing with another illness. Throughout treatment, I was able to maintain a very positive, upbeat attitude toward the diagnoses and my hope for the outcome. I was also fortunate in that I had the opportunity to have supplemental help from a chaplain at the hospital, who met with me several times during treatment to direct meditation and relieve anxiety.... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168150 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:13:06 +0100 4168150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168012&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34958&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.counsellingresource.com%2F%7Er%2Fpsychology-philosophy%2F%7E3%2FQrRZYLwrd2w%2F Are emotions like a cold? Can you be caught by others' emotions? I think so. Just like we have some immunity to colds, and we won't get one every time we are exposed, we can develop some immunity to others' emotions.Tags: communication, emotions, empathy, Freud, relationships (Source: Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life) Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168012 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:02:48 +0100 4168012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4163060&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Femotional-bankruptcy-or-alexthymia%2F Emotional bankruptcy refers to the emotional condition experienced by most early recovering people. Emotional bankruptcy usually means that a person has used up every emotion in attempts to support their alcoholism / addiction and has no emotion left to manipulate themselves or others. Alexithymia refers to a condition that is characterised by; a difficulty in identifying and communicating feelings, a difficulty in distinguishing between feelings and bodily sensations impaired symbolization, as evidenced by paucity of fantasies and other imaginative activity, and a preference for focusing on external events rather than inner experiences. The term was coined from the Greek a- (prefix meaning "lack"), lexis ("word") and thymos ("feelings"), and hence can... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4163060 Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:24:00 +0100 4163060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159517&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fx7Dh6Pwo_HY%2F Image via Wikipedia What is emotional abuse or verbal abuse of a spouse or intimate partner? Mental, psychological, or emotional abuse can be verbal or nonverbal. Verbal or nonverbal abuse of a spouse or intimate partner consists of more subtle actions or behaviors than physical abuse. While physical abuse might seem worse, the scars of verbal and emotional abuse are deep. Studies show that verbal or nonverbal abuse can be much more emotionally damaging than physical abuse. Verbal or nonverbal abuse of a spouse or intimate partner may include: Threatening or intimidating to gain compliance. Destruction of the victim’s personal property and possessions, or threats to do so. Violence to an animal or object (such as a wall or piece of furniture) in the presence of their partner, as a ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159517 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:48:00 +0100 4159517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4143021&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-is-acoa-co-dependency-2%2F You can talk to a dozen experts, read a dozen books and get a dozen different interpretations of ACOA co-dependency.   Many accept it as a disease in as much as it has an onset, is progressive, predictable and in time potentially fatal, although other causes of death are generally cited.   It is assumed that all Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA’s) are co-dependents, but we each act out this illness in a different way.  Basically, there are two general concepts: As children growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home environment, we learned to hide or divorce our feelings, our true selves (also knows as the "Inner Child") and we adopted a survival role in order to cope with the stresses.   The experts in the field of alcoholism have ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4143021 Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:37:06 +0100 4143021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133833&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F03%2Fcan-your-creative-brain-ease-negative-moods%2F Your moods and emotions color the way you see the world, yourself, and your future. Negative mood states, such as anxiety, sadness, and anger, are part of the normal ebb and flow of human emotions. They provide a necessary counterpoint to the joyful and happy occasions of life, and they add depth to the “rich tapestry of human experience.” Of course, that doesn’t make them any more pleasant or easy to get through at the time you’re experiencing them. We have negative moods and emotions, however, for a reason. They are a way of alerting us that all is not right with our world and that we may need to take some sort of action. Rather than trying to escape these negative feelings — with pills, liquor, or thrills of some sort — we are better off exploring them and trying to ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133833 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:40:23 +0100 4133833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133838&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F21795814%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EEmotional-Contagion-and-Beyond.htm Toxic bosses. Debbie Downers. Our language reflects the idea that some people have a real emotional effect on their fellow workers. Now, interesting research not only confirms this idea but adds to it in several important ways: – It’s not just a few people who infect others with their moods; everyone has a measurable impact [...] CommentsThat guy has a sad expression on his face. It's a negative ... by Darius cel TulbureRelated StoriesSome Learn From Mistakes, Others Don’tHire Happy People!Singing for Sales (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133838 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:07:16 +0100 4133838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125233&cid=t_100881_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fcaregivers-have-feelings-too.html I have been pondering this one for a few days. A woman who has had breast cancer twice and had one mastectomy followed by another wrote into an advice column. She was writing about how her husband wouldn't have sex with her since her last surgery 3 years ago. The advice column said she was right in going to counseling because her husband was probably still upset about her second round of breast cancer and surgery and it wasn't about her loss of breasts. Readers also commented on it. One said said he's having an affair. Two said counseling. But overall the answer was he was too scared of losing her and traumatized by it. I have been on both sides of the cancer diagnosis. It is traumatic. If you are the patient, its mostly focused on you. Very little is focused on the caregiver. Once the phy... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125233 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:16:00 +0100 4125233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119729&cid=t_100881_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F10-passive-aggressive-cut-outs%2F 10 Common Passive Aggressive Phrases to Avoid Is there someone in your life who consistently makes you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster? Do you know a person who is friendly one day but sulks and withdraws the next? Does a family member or friend consistently procrastinate, postpone, stall, and shut down any emotionally-laden conversations? Are you sometimes that person? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, chances are you may be interacting with a passive aggressive person or showing signs of passive-aggressive behavior yourself. Passive aggression is a deliberate and masked way of expressing covert feelings of anger. It involves a range of behaviors designed to get back at another person without him recognizing the underlying anger. These ten common... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119729 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:46:00 +0100 4119729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119730&cid=t_100881_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=4105768&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F21563806%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EHire-Happy-People.htm Want your customers to have a better experience? Instead of trying to train your employees to smile, just hire happy people. Apparently, you don’t have to be an expert in reading faces to tell the difference between a real smile and a “social smile.” The latter is what facial coding experts call the smile we [...] CommentsAnyone who deals with customers must be a happy person in our ... by Pablo EdwardsThat's interesting, Denise – I guess a “social smile” ... by Roger DooleyPlus 8 more...Related StoriesMore Senses, Higher SalesBit Pickles & Fuzzy OlivesNeuro-Politics: Chinese Professor Ad (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105768 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:57:42 +0100 4105768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098320&cid=t_100881_134_f&fid=35162&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FLemonadeLife%2F%7E3%2F6Vb8fZdnDqM%2F For weeks this year, and also last year, I spent Thursday writing up things that make me happy. I managed to write an entire list filled with things that make me happy, totaling 101 items. Honestly, I would have to say that #102 would be “Reading my list of things that make me happy.” When my Things That Make Me Happy list was completed, I received several comments and notes that folks were sad that it was over because my list inspired them and made them feel happy, which was certainly a nice little side benefit to the whole project. Since then, I have been thinking about if I would continue to keep some sort of list, and if so, what would I write. Inspiration found me instead: Earlier this week, one of the many people with diabetes passed away suddenly from a diabetes complica... Lemonade Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098320 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:57:02 +0100 4098320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082140&cid=t_100881_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F19%2Fjoseph-ledoux-nyu-neuroscience-professor-big-think%2F Joseph LeDoux is a professor and a member of the Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology at NYU. His work is focused on the brain mechanisms of emotion and memory. In addition to articles in scholarly journals, he is author of “The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life” and “Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are.” He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the New York Academy of Science, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science, and the recipient of the 2005 Fyssen International Prize in Cognitive Science. LeDoux is also a singer and songwriter in the rock band, The Amygdaloids. * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “The Situation of Neur... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082140 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:01:09 +0100 4082140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077636&cid=t_100881_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2Fdfthlqr_H6g%2F Emotions are a natural and basic part of life. They signal how we feel about a certain situation or occurrence, so we can take the necessary action to deal with the situation. Emotions in this sense aren’t positive or negative, but are more along the lines of constructive or destructive, depending on how they are utilized. Emotions can become destructive and cause serious distress when they become overwhelming and take over how we act, what we say, and what we do. This emotional high-jacking is where many problems emerge. The high-road and low-road Taking a closer look at the human brain and how it relates to emotions, we can examine two overall parts of the brain; the high-road and low-road. Both parts communicate with each other and help us navigate through the world. The low-road i... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077636 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 06:02:20 +0100 4077636