In the last two decades Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) research has scientifically bridged the gap between brain and body. We now know that both animals and humans exposed to physical and/or psychological stress changes the mechanisms that regulate our body’s immunity to disease and therefore leads to an increase in susceptibility to a variety of illnesses; heart disease, cancer, auto-immune disorders, depression, and others (Kendall-Tackett, 2009; Kemeny, 2009). Read post
When was the last time you heard a psychologist tell a couple they’re giving each other cancer? Well, you might begin to hear this in the near future. Recent research has found that improved communication within couples lowers the amount of cancer causing proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). [read post]
I have loved music of all kinds as long as I can remember. My children learned the tunes and words to blues, rock, country, and pop songs along with their nursery rhymes and Disney movie soundtracks. Imagine my surprise when, as my children entered their teens, music became a source of conflict between us. I had to stop and evaluate my reaction the day the clichéd parental lament passed through my lips: “Why do you insist on listening to that awful music?!?!?” [read post]
My husband and I own not one but three thirteen-year-old dogs. All have slowed down and faded in color since their puppy days, but they still make us laugh daily with their antics. Because we think of them as family members, I guess one could say they are our surrogate children. It will be a sad day around here when one, then the next, then the next, dies. Coping with the emptiness in our everyday lives will, for sure, prove challenging. [read post]
In my interactions with other therapists, I have often heard them remark on the superficiality and temporality of self-help books. There is a definite belief in the therapy world that the “real” therapy is done by and in the presence of a therapist. Scholars believe that the lack of regulation in the self-help industry is concerning and that caution should be taken. They profess that self-help books should be written to follow professional standards and guidelines and not because someone wants to make a buck. It is disturbing that these scholars believe that they are above the need to secure a profit, and that the intent of research is always, or routinely, purely academic. Even more disturbing is the idea that we—people who read self-help books—are idiots who cannot discern a good book from a bad book. [read post]
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines as interventions “employ[ing] a variety of techniques to facilitate the mind’s capacity to affect bodily functions and symptoms.” Research has shown that MBT is effective for healing various health disorders. It reduces the risk of heart disease and it helps people be physically active and quit smoking. [read post]
I’ve had ample opportunity over years in the service industry to observe dating practices and to overhear what the happy hour crowd says about each other when they think no one else is listening. The older “Cougar” involved in or pursuing a relationship with a younger man always draws strong opinions. Some find it Oedipal and inappropriate, viewing the youthful male as hapless prey. Others assert that the feminist movement has made woman-older relationships at least as socially acceptable as those in which an older man chooses a younger mate. [read post]
To the bride: Run… run for your life!! Your groom may be heart-broken, but according to researchers, you are better off single. Should there be conflict in your marriage, and trust me, there will be, it is YOU, not your groom, who will suffer. You, my dear, are about to walk down the aisle to a place of high stress, which will set you on a path for cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, neuro-sensory problems and physiological issues. He may be a little depressed, but this marriage may kill you! Now turn around and RUN!! [read post]
The word Psychotherapy comes from the Ancient Greek words psychē, meaning breath, spirit, or soul and therapeia or therapeuein, to nurse or cure. It is defined as “the relief of distress or disability in one person by another, using an approach based on a particular theory or paradigm, and that the agent performing the therapy has had some form of training in delivering this” (Jerome, 1988). It is these latter two points which distinguish psychotherapy from most other forms of counseling. [read post]
Exposure to stressful situations can result in negative psychological consequences such as PTSD, anxiety disorders, physical illness, and depression, but more and more research is focusing on the potential positive effects of the process of recovery. The literature points to a number of areas of measurable personal growth achieved by those who have successfully worked through trauma from bereavement, natural disasters, war, abuse, and illness. [read post]
