What exactly happens when the food we eat hits the stomach and begins the break-down process? Just how does the body get the nutrients it needs? In truth, digestion should work like clockwork. We should never have to give it a thought. But in a quick survey conducted by the CDC, two-thirds of the adult […]
Are Your Friends Making You Fat?
This is the cover story that sure caught my attention in a recent New York Times Magazine edition (9/13). And it continued with: “Is Happiness Catching? Your friends and even your friends’ friends can make you quit smoking, eat too much or get happy…a look at the emerging science of social contagion.” OK, leaving aside […]
The Dual Nature of Inflammation
How can inflammation signal healing yet at the same time, be the culprit in undermining our good health? We’ve all had the experience of inflammation – we trip or fall, our ankle or knee swells. We get a surface cut, it bleeds. We get blisters or hotspots, there’s redness and warmth. These signs of inflammation […]
Why Self-Compassion is Becoming a Psychotherapist’s Best Between Session Tool
Psychotherapy can be incredibly effective – we all know this. It is truly amazing how much can be accomplished between a patient and a therapist in each session. But the world outside the therapist’s door can often be cold, harsh, and lonely to vulnerable patients. Regression can occur while patients are still days or weeks […]
Ericksonian Hypnosis
Remember “You are getting sleepy” after the hypnotist urges his patient to stare at a swinging pocket watch? Popularized on TV and in the movies for years, this became the lay person’s image of hypnosis. Filled with a good deal of mystery and magic, audiences held their breath until the suspense of trance released itself […]
The Paradox of Sleep
How’d you sleep last night? Surely you got your 8 hours, and woke up refreshed, recharged, and ready to tackle the day head-on. No? Well you’re far from alone. Studies show that many people aren’t getting a healthy level of sleep. Sleep deficiency is exacerbated by the busy, stressful lives that are becoming commonplace in […]
Survivors of Trauma and How They Heal
Who would have thought that an iPod could hold the treatment for sufferers of post traumatic stress? I certainly didn’t, but research conducted at Duke University and the Durham, NC Medical Center suggests that guided imagery on an MP3 player can successfully treat symptoms resulting from military sexual trauma. No pharmaceuticals, no therapy, just a […]
Is Mindfulness Becoming a Mainstream Health Strategy?
“Live in the moment”… how often we’ve heard it . . . even said it ourselves, but how often do we really do it? For most of us, “live in the moment” is a catchy, bumper-sticker line, but there’s a lot more to it…especially to those who are practitioners of mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation has […]
Trauma Recovery with Tibetan Monks
How would you treat a Tibetan monk who experiences flashbacks of imprisonment and torture whenever he meditates? That can be a monumental challenge. Often practitioners overlook the less-than-obvious manifestations of trauma if they lack the tools to understand trauma across cultures. And the Tibetan monks, for one, present symptoms that might go under the radar […]
The Neuroscience of Human Relationships
Traditional neurology views the brain as a system by itself—the body’s control center. While this is true, the human brain cannot be understood in a vacuum. It’s a social organ that might best be studied through its connection with others. Our brains are linked socially in obvious ways, of course. Take blushing, for instance – […]