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 – […]
Victims, Resentment and Toxic Relationships (New Video)
Regardless of education, experience, or intelligence, many struggle with relationships. Though the research is clear that healthy relationships can be immune enhancing, being (and staying) in a loving, intimate relationship is one of the most challenging things we do. All sorts of difficulties in relationships are related to resentment and identification as a victim. Far […]
Tired, Stressed, Fat and Depressed: What You Need to Know About Cortisol (New Video)
Most of us know that too much stress is harmful to health – but, do we know why? Cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” impacts the body in so many ways. Weight gain, fatigue, depression, sex drive, and overall mental function can be adversely affected by high levels of cortisol. Really makes you wonder, why […]
Thyroid: the Body’s Most Mysterious Gland (with New Video)
Got a question from a counselor recently, here is the gist of what she said, “I am not a physician and do not practice medicine, why do I need to know about thyroid disease? I’m interested in mindfulness meditation, hypnosis and guided imagery.” Good question really. (In case you didn’t know, the topic of the […]
McNamara and Mind/Body Medicine
Watching the retrospective analysis last night of Robert McNamara’s service as Secretary of Defense during the Viet Nam war was fascinating. One quote from his memoirs just stuck with me, “We were wrong, terribly wrong.” The conversation led to the lessons learned about what went so wrong with US strategy. This included discussion about McNamara, […]