Psychology

Mindfulness Skills Useful in Addressing ADHD
Mindfulness meditation for people with ADHD? It may seem like a stretch, since difficulty with mindfulness is the very challenge for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And yet recent research shows that mindfulness training can be adapted for this condition and that it can improve concentration. Various clinicians and educators are already teaching mindfulness [...]
Disturbances of the Mind
Disturbances of the Mind by Douwe Draaisma is a book regarding various illnesses ranging from Bonnet Syndrome to Alzheimer’s, with an entire range of brain diseases in between. It provides an interesting narrative about how each disease came to be identified, by whom, the disease’s symptoms, and how it came to be named. This book [...]
Memory and Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic devices are techniques a person can use to help them improve their ability to remember something. In other words, it’s a memory technique to help your brain better encode and recall important information. It’s a simple shortcut that helps us associate the information we want to remember with an image, a sentence, or a [...]
When You’re Not in the Path of a Hurricane
Even if you were not directly affected by the hurricanes, you may experience a sense of vulnerability from witnessing the results of the disaster. This can be especially acute if a relative or friend was affected by the disasters, particularly if you have been unable to get news on their welfare. Here are some tips to [...]
Managing Stress After a Hurricane
It is common for people to experience very strong emotional reactions with the arrival of a hurricane and its accompanying damage to homes and community infrastructures. If you are experiencing distress in the wake of the recent hurricanes, you are not alone. Understanding common responses to extreme events can help you to cope effectively with [...]
Emotionally Prepare for a Hurricane
Preparing for and anticipating the arrival of a large-scale hurricane can be distressing for people living in the hurricane’s path. There may be uncertainty ahead about your living arrangements, work and other important life factors, especially if you have been evacuated. You may also be concerned about storm damage to your home, neighborhood and community. The [...]
The Skinny on Networking: Maximizing the Power of Numbers
Jim Randel’s The Skinny on Networking: Maximizing the Power of Numbers, is just what it promises, a very concise and entertaining little book that can be read in under an hour. It utilizes a simplified comic strip style with stick figures to illustrate the really important sections of other books and concepts. It is chock [...]
Mistake Phobia
Mistake phobia: No, it’s not a real diagnosis, although maybe it ought to be. I came up with the idea while listening to a mom talk about her 9-year-old son: “My son, Theo, can never seem to finish anything,” she said. “He starts all kinds of projects but gets easily frustrated when they don’t look exactly [...]
Understanding the Effects of Trauma: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The essential psychological effect of trauma is a shattering of innocence. Trauma creates a loss of faith that there is any safety, predictability, or meaning in the world, or any safe place in which to retreat. It involves utter disillusionment. Because traumatic events are often unable to be processed by the mind and body as [...]
Approaching Neverland: A Memoir of Epic Tragedy & Happily Ever After
In the 1960s, when author Peggy Kennedy grew up, mental illness was a family secret. It was whispered about, handed off to hospitals, restrained, subjected to electroshock therapy and slews of sedatives and sent back home, when appropriate. Peggy Kennedy knows this all too well because her mother suffered from schizophrenia (her diagnosis was later [...]
Edward Cullen and the Allure of Depression
It’s fairly clear at this point that Twilight’s leading vampire, Edward Cullen, is the heartthrob of the generation. Millions of teen and tween girls (along with a not inconsiderable number of women, boys, and men) are obsessed with this brooding, tortured, self-loathing boy, enamored of his darkness. Edward Cullen is in many ways [...]
Depression Myths and Facts Demystified
Almost 15 million Americans suffer from clinical depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Depression is also the leading cause of disability among 15- to 44-year-olds. Still, even though depression is so common, there are many misconceptions about its symptoms, causes and treatment. The problem is that misinformation gives rise to stigma and [...]
Three Faces of Depression
Is depression a single thing? It seems to me that depression has many faces. One of the fascinating segments of my job as a private tutor is my role as home school teacher. I take on referrals of students who can’t attend school. Sometimes the causes are physical (for example, a student with cancer undergoing radiation [...]
Replacing Your Negative Thoughts
Negative thought replacement is a method for reducing the amount of depressive thoughts in a person’s mind. In the first article of this series, you learned about becoming more aware of your negative thought patterns. In the next article, you learned about letting go of these negative thoughts as they came to you. [...]
Depression and Letting Go of Negative Thoughts
When negative thoughts hit your brain, it’s tempting to struggle with them and try to shove a more positive thought in there. In the day-to-day reality of someone’s thinking, this doesn’t really work. Your emotions have a tough grip on these negative thoughts, so you’ll have the best results if you imagine yourself [...]