Month: April 2013

Stress Proof Your Brain

Rick Hanson makes it easy to understand how neuroplasticity works and how we can use simple exercises to help heal our brains, minds, bodies and lives. Hanson will: Make clear the neuroscience of stress Offer practical and proven methods for feeling less irritable, sad, and defensive Present simple daily exercises to reprogram the brain to handle stress better Explain how cultivating love and compassion for self and others combats anxiety Share simple, brain-savvy ways to build resilience and inner strength

Chronic illness: legacy effect from psych meds

multicolored abstract wall art for Chronic illness: legacy effect from psych meds: "benefits" become crippling illness.

"Aside from dead bodies,we know that many of those who “benefit” will have enduring problems from physical dependence and other legacy effects from treatment. This is not effectiveness as the 1962 regulations envisaged. We have ended up instead in a world in which hints of an effect are used to gain market entry for drugs and when we use these drugs mindlessly on the basis that they are effective, if the RCT evidence is to be believed, we produce greater disability in the long run than if we never had them. The effects may turn out to be worse than if we had encouraged chronic alcohol intake."

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Metta meditation: really beautiful animated video and directions for practice

Today I'm sharing a lovely little video a friend shared with me showing a simple metta (lovingkindness) meditation and then directions for the same featuring Jack Kornfield's work. The video is new to the blog, the directions from Jack are something I've shared before. I'm sharing it again as lovingkindess meditation can be very powerful and healing both. The video is really beautiful as well. The directions by Jack Kornfield go deeper into ways of expanding the practice. … [click on title to read the rest]

The Great Porn Experiment

You know the concept of neuroplasticity?…it applies to EVERYTHING we do…habits of all kinds will change the brain. Good and bad. Choose your habits wisely and help our developing young people learn to choose wisely too. "Not that surprising: Brains of the first generation of young men that grew up with unlimited access to Internet pornography are different from older generations. Very surprising: Their bodies are fighting back in a bizarrely ironic fashion." … [click on title to read the rest]

This is what it’s like to be chronically ill: Ken Wilber shares his experience

This sort of illness tends to be an up and down sort of thing. It can be very difficult to deal with and unaffected people rarely understand. I lately had a serious setback and I've learned it's not very pleasant to even talk about because people want you better so badly that they will invalidate the very real difficulties that we face all the time. … [click on title to read the rest]

Today is earth day. Love your mother.

Recycle, re-use, buy local, walk, ride a bike, take public transport. Save our planet. It’s up to you and me people. There are no other causes as important as this one because without the earth, well, we won’t have to bother fighting for the rights of human beings anymore, will we? This is it. This... Continue Reading →

How Life Organizes

Open systems not only maintain their balance amidst the flux, but also evolve in complexity. When challenges from their environment persist, they can fall apart or adapt by reorganizing themselves around new, more responsive norms. This, too, is a function of feedback--positive or deviation-amplifying feedback (also called "cybernetics two"). It is how we learn and how we evolved from the amoeba. But if our changing behaviors are not compatible with the challenges we face, and do not achieve a new balance with them, the positive feedback loop gets out of control and goes into "runaway," leading eventually to systems breakdown. … [click on title to read the rest]

Forced treatment does not work (Lancet reports on a study)

Conclusion:

In well coordinated mental health services the imposition of compulsory supervision does not reduce the rate of readmission of psychotic patients. We found no support in terms of any reduction in overall hospital admission to justify the significant curtailment of patients' personal liberty. … [click on title to read the rest]

Ever so Lonely (Saturday Mellow)

Beautiful...In a musical world that seems constantly to be striving towards the lowest common denominator, the true artist stands out. … [click on title to read the rest]

Eating real whole food is important to our mental and physical wellbeing #foodie Friday

Many people who withdraw from psychiatric drugs discover excessive food sensitivities...we're forced to change the way we eat. It seems that it may be wise for everyone to think about what they're putting in their bodies. More and more people are also discovering this the hard way (by getting sick one way or another...psychiatric drugs just seem to be an extra catalyst). … [click on title for the rest of the post]

What do you need right now?

Being asked what you need for the very first time by someone who really wants to know and then finding yourself coming up blank is, I think, a common experience for many men. In the very first men’s group I ever attended, virtually every man (including me) was unable to answer the first time the facilitator asked him, “What do you need right now?”… [click on title for the rest of the post]

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