The Psychotherapy of The Unconscious Mind and Extroverted Psychological Types

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Carl Jung discovered that all human beings belong to a certain psychological type, which is defined by an introverted or extroverted attitude. Each psychological type works based on only one psychological function completely developed, and on another one half-developed.

Our four psychological functions are: thoughts, feelings, sensations, and intuition.

All psychological types are absurd and must be corrected. They must develop both attitudes; introverted and extroverted. They also have to learn how use their four psychological functions at the same time.

Extroverted types are very superficial and materialistic. They don't easily become mentally ill like the introverted psychological types, but they are ridiculously materialistic in all matters. They cannot understand that there is also a spiritual reality, and that there are more important issues in life than the material ones.

Extroverted psychological types based on feelings simply follow the opinion of the world. They are people without a clear personality. They are unable to make logical conclusions independently of their feelings.

Extroverted types based on thoughts are true guardians of the laws already pre-established by the knowledge of the world.

You simply have to agree with them because there is no way you may ever make them agree with you. In case you have a different opinion, a different knowledge, or another vision of the world, you have no chances to ever convince someone who belongs to the extroverted psychological type based on thoughts that you could be right and he/she could be wrong.

The extroverted psychological type based on sensations is a predominant one in our world. Those who belong to this psychological type care only about having material pleasures. They are immoral and indifferent.

Their indifference to justice is disgusting. They are unable to understand the meaning of spirituality or abstraction. Everything for them has a material and obvious explanation. Those who belong to this psychological type rule our world, along with those who belong to the extroverted psychological type based on thoughts.

The extroverted psychological type based on intuition is a constant pursuer of new opportunities. Those who belong to this psychological type cannot work long in the same project. They have to constantly look for something else.

This is why they don't reap the benefits they could have from their initial effort. For example, they build a successful new business, but they have no patience to keep working on it. They are always looking for better opportunities, and never developing their initial projects.

Those who are extroverted seem to be balanced according to the judgment of the absurd modern civilization, which works based on selfishness. However, the truth is that extroverts are too far from sound mental health.

The fact that they don't become neurotic as easier as those who are introverts doesn't mean that they are more balanced. It means that they their immune system is more resistant to craziness than the immune system of the introverted types.

However, since everyone inherits craziness in their brain, as I could discover after continuing Carl Jung's research, all psychological types are absurd. In a few words, everyone needs psychotherapy. This is why the divine unconscious mind that produces our dreams and possesses undoubtable wisdom sends us information and guidance in our dreams.

If you want to acquire sound mental health and also protect the mental health of those who are around you, you must pass through a process of psychotherapy through dream translation. You only have to write down your dreams in a dream journal and translate their meaning according to the scientific method of dream interpretation. Carl Jung discovered the only right method of dream interpretation as I prove with my work, and I simplified his method for you.

Now you can understand how to triumph over life's challenges without making mistakes and suffering. The unconscious guidance in your own dreams will help you understand how to successfully transform your personality and achieve your goals. The unconscious psychotherapy is safe because it is based on sanctity. You are cured by eliminating your wild nature and learning how to be wise.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com/

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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Can Science Explain Human Consciousness?

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With advances in brain scanning equipment, neuroscientists can now observe what the brain is doing when the person is aware of remembering, imagining, feeling, thinking and even making choices.

Before the invention of this technology, it had been well known that when a brain is damaged, then the mind doesn't work so well. In one case example, after a patient had a stroke, he could still speak fluently, but not in a way that made sense: nor could he understand spoken or written language. This unfortunate individual had damage in the area where the left parietal and temporal lobes meet, known as Wernickes's area.

There is now a growing body of research evidence for a close relationship between brain activity and mind activity. And scientists are now wondering whether our thoughts and feelings are nothing more than a side-product of a hard-wired biological thinking machine.

If it is only the electrical and chemical activity of the brain that gives rise to consciousness, then all deep human thought, ethical concern, and mystical experience would appear to be no more than physical phenomena.

Brains have been compared with computers. But could you accept that a computer's processor and memory chips have consciousness? Likewise, how could you imagine the brain's neurones and synapses having a private subjective experience? It seems counter-intuitive to argue that physical entities have human awareness.

Can philosophy help us with this issue? In addition to an account of reality provided by scientific materialism, there are actually three other major traditional views that are relevant - that of idealism, dualism and Eastern world monism.

Idealism, as a philosophical view, holds that physical entities like brains cannot have human awareness because only what we are conscious of can be real. The trouble with this view is that it amounts to claiming the brain - being part of a physical dimension to life - is something of an illusion.

Dualism holds that both brain and consciousness are equally real but exist in different parallel realms of reality - occupying physical space and not occupying physical space - that have nothing to do with each other. However, dualism doesn't make much sense when we remember that it is a feature of everyday experience that the two do interact - one's conscious experience is affected by physical things seen in space and it in turn influences one's speech and actions.

Eastern world monism is a viewpoint claiming that both conscious mind and brain are real and there is no difference between them. (Some monists argue this sameness is because both have been created out of Infinite Source which alone is real.) But guess what, there is a problem too with this view, the difficulty being in differentiating categories within the one divine creation.

Emanuel Swedenborg, was no stranger to this topic. Before becoming a spiritual philosopher, he had been a theoretical scientist, reviewing the anatomical studies of researchers who studied the brain in the laboratory. Although his groundbreaking insights into the brain were to remain generally unrecognised, they included the importance of the endocrine system in emotional life and the localisation of cognitive activity in the cerebral cortex.

Swedenborg's ideas suggest there is something right and something wrong in all the four

major philosophical views so far mentioned. For him the conscious mind is real for it is part of the reality he calls the spiritual world in which we are aware of after bodily death, where he says ideas, feelings, values all have a substantial reality. But according to his view, it is also right to say the brain is real for it is part of the natural degree of creation which is a crucial physical base for spiritual life.

It is his position that the conscious mind and brain are not disconnected as the dualists

thought but rather form a coherent whole. So for him the brain is an embodiment of mind where neural patterns and chemical processes within the brain mirror the private subjective experience and intentions of mind. So when neuroscientists observe neural pathways lit up on their scanning images this would be the physical manifestation of the working of the mind. And just as the mind affects the body so the body affects the mind - suffer concussion with a bang on the head and your conscious mind goes away for a while.

He also says that space, time, matter, and person are all real - as the monists think - but not in the same undifferentiated way. Instead, reality for him consists of a series of discrete degrees, the lowest being that of physical matter and the highest being a heavenly reception of divine love and wisdom. The conscious mind is discretely different from the material brain, but inside every brain there is something of mind.

Swedenborg was not denying the importance of the physical side of mental life. He used the term correspondence to say that the working of the brain corresponds to the working of the mind. In other words for him brain and mind are two essential aspects of mental life.

This is a holistic view that can accommodate the objective findings of modern neuroscience without devaluing the importance of our private intentions and the spiritual dimension. Our sense of free personal choice is not an illusion even if it is constrained by factors that can be studied by science.

Copyright 2012 Stephen Russell-Lacy

As a clinical psychologist, Stephen Russell-Lacy has specialised in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, working for many years with adults suffering distress and disturbance.

He edits Spiritual Questions a free eZine that explores links between spiritual philosophy and the comments and questions of spiritual seekers. You can share your views and find out more about making sense of life.

His book Heart, Head and Hands draws links between the psycho-spiritual teachings of the eighteenth century spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg and current ideas in therapy and psychology.

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The Psychology of Healthy Families

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Leo Tolstoy wrote one of the most memorable opening sentences of any novel in Anna Karenina: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." If we alter the word "happy" to "healthy," we will have a pretty good description of the psychology of families. If all healthy families are alike, it may be useful to get an idea of what healthy looks like. Let's concentrate on the ABC's of families, where the letters in this case stand for Attachment, Boundaries and Communication. As a subheading we'll talk about the three R's, in this case, Rules, Roles, and Resulting Relationships. (I am using the word "role" not to signify a part in a drama from in its second dictionary definition, "the characteristic and expected social behavior of an individual." The last two R's refers to what happens when the children in each situation grow up to become adults.)

The ABC's of a healthy family consist of secure attachment, good boundaries, and open communication. Let's see what that looks like in detail in terms of our three R's. The rules for producing secure attachment in a child shouldn't come as any surprise: react to a child's needs; play with the child; and engage in contingent communication, in which the quality, intensity and timing of the parent's response reflect the signals actually sent by the child. In other words, the communication between parent and child is truly a two-way street. What is the role of a securely attached child? Such children are outgoing, empathic and confident, knowing that if they communicate their needs, the world will provide them with a way to get their needs met. The resulting relationships when the child becomes an adult display a high level of self-esteem, shared feelings, and intimacy.

A boundary, for our purposes, represents the limit that defines you as separate from others. The rules for good boundaries include the right to say no and the freedom to say yes. With healthy boundaries, we choose what to let in and what to keep out. Healthy boundaries apply not only to individuals within the family but also to subsystems. For example, a healthy family draws a boundary which protects the couple from intrusion by the children. The role of someone with good boundaries includes a healthy self-image and a strong sense of self that allows the individual a healthy balance between separateness and belonging. The resulting relationships display true intimacy, which requires the participation of two separate individuals. (Symbiosis is not the same as intimacy.)

The C in our ABC's of healthy families stands for open communication. The rule in this case represents an absence of rigid rules or roles. In a healthy family there are no family secrets. The role allows for personal privacy that permits both emotional bonding and individual autonomy. The healthy family allows outsiders into the system. The resulting relationships when the child becomes an adult provide an open communication of both thoughts and feelings and display a strong sense of empathy--the ability to comprehend another person's emotions.

The functional family is balanced and flexible; it can adapt to the situation. Usually this represents a middle ground, but that depends on the circumstances. If you were defending a child against an abductor, you would want to be abusive, angry and intrusive. If, on the other hand, you were a bystander at a bank robbery, you would want to be passive, silent and unattached, even though we would not think of these characteristics as healthy in normal circumstances.

A healthy family may not display every single one of these traits, but this picture generally describes family health.

Arthur Wenk, a psychotherapist practicing in Oakville, Ontario, combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (discovering techniques for producing immediate changes) with a psychodynamic approach that helps make changes permanent by addressing the root causes of mental health problems. Art is certified by OACCPP (the Ontario organization for psychotherapists) and EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association). Art's website, http://www.arthurwenk.com/text, contains one-page summaries of recommended books on personal growth, brief explanations of common mental health issues, and lectures on parenting, the psychology of families, and the functioning of the brain.

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Information About All Matters in Dreams

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The unconscious mind that produces your dreams works like a psychotherapist, and also like a spiritual guide. Your psychological transformation through dream therapy is also a spiritual purification.

The unconscious mind gives you true information about all matters in order to help you preserve your mental stability. You also have trustful information in order to understand your reality or predict your future.

For example, when you have dreams about traveling in a ship, this means that you have to pass through a long period of studies and research. A dream about traveling by ship is preparing you for a long journey. You have a lot to learn.

The meaning of the trip by airplane is totally different. It doesn't mean that you will faster attain your goals. When you are traveling by plane in dreams this means that you have attained a higher level of knowledge, after abandoning your old ideas. The airplane reflects your psychological evolution.

You have to learn the meaning of the most important dream symbols in order to translate the meaning of dreams. These symbols were discovered by Carl Jung and by me, who continued his research and completed his mission. You also have to learn the dream logic.

After learning the basic lessons about the meaning of dreams and about how to use this knowledge in your daily life, you will have a powerful tool guiding you all the time. Your own dreams will give you fresh and trustful information about everything that is important for you.

Through dream translation you will learn how to deal with life. The unconscious mind will prepare you to face all life challenges with wisdom and at the same time, positively transform your personality.

This means that your dreams are more important than the false news you read in newspapers. All dreams contain important messages that protect your peace of mind and your mental health.

The unconscious lessons help you achieve your goals based on the laws that predetermine the functioning of our planet. You have to learn how to find solutions based on real situations. This is why the unconscious mind shows you many truths you ignore in dream messages.

Therefore, even though most people believe that dreams are unimportant and that you must make your decisions based on your conscience, the truth is the opposite. The unconscious mind possesses undoubtable wisdom, while you are an under-developed primate who is constantly influenced by your wild nature. Your dreams are more important than your ignorant conclusions.

You need guidance if you want to avoid repeating common mistakes made by the human race. You need information about everything that you ignore.

If you want to really understand the meaning of life, you must be humble and admit your ignorance.

If you are proud of yourself and you believe that you already know the most important aspects of the human life, you are very far from wisdom. I advise you to study the dream language for a while. I greatly simplified the complicated method of dream interpretation discovered by Carl Jung, clarifying all the obscure points in his work.

You will be surprised with all the knowledge you'll acquire thanks to dream translation. You will understand that this knowledge is real because it will fit with various aspects of your reality. You will observe that the unconscious mind knows things about you that you have never told anyone, even to your best friends. Thus, you will be convinced of the fact that your dreams really show you everything you need to know about all matters.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.
Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com/

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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A Different Dimension Behind Dreams

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Through dream translation according to the scientific method you find explanations for the meaning of life and for the meaning of death. You also understand how to cure a mental illness, or how to prevent a mental illness before becoming mentally ill. You also understand that evilness and craziness are synonyms.

Therefore, the religious mystery of all religions is scientifically explained in dreams. The unconscious mind that produces your dreams is God's mind. God is saintly and wise as described by all religions of the world. Now that Jung's discoveries and my discoveries help you completely decipher the symbolic meaning of all dream images, you can have a direct communication with God.

Today you can have a special knowledge that various past civilizations that believed in the importance of our spiritual reality had. At the same time, you can have many scientific explanations about the functioning of your brain. The interpretation of the meaning of dreams gives you numerous alternatives.

You are probably impressed with the technological progress of our civilization. You certainly believe that our knowledge surpasses the knowledge of previous civilizations. However, the truth is that the wisdom of ancient civilizations that paid attention to the meaning of dreams could help them more than the technological progress of our historical time can help us today.

The knowledge of the world is related to your material reality, while the most important matters of the human life don't belong to the material dimension. You must pay special attention to the different dimension existent in dreams.

Your dreams are not only images and scenes that work like psychotherapy. They give you information about things that you could never learn otherwise.

For example, dreams about dead people give you information about the people you lost, especially if you loved them and you cannot accept their death. However, you have objective information about dead people in dreams only when these people are very important for you.

Dead people in dreams usually have a symbolic meaning. They represent parts of your own personality that have a negative or positive meaning, depending on the characteristics of the personality of the dead person who appears in a dream.

Dead people in your dreams cannot serve as an example to be avoided or to be followed. Your behavior already is like their behavior.

In other words, they are not dead parts of your personality, but parts that characterize your behavior because you didn't pay attention to their mistakes, in case they are negative. The example of the dead people couldn't help you avoid repeating their mistakes. If they are positive, this means that you are imitating their positive behavior because you admire their qualities.

This double dimension in dreams gives them a power that you cannot find in any technological creation. Your dreams create a bridge that unites you with God, and at the same time, they cure your mental disorders and physical diseases. Dream therapy works like alternative medicine, the same way it works like psychotherapy.

Your physical health depends on your mental health. Everything in your life is related to your mental health because your psychological and spiritual transformation is your mission in life. You also have the moral obligation to help the world find peace and happiness. Your sensibility and your sensitivity must help the world find solutions to all problems.

Today you can understand the scientific explanations to all mysteries related to the functioning of the human brain thanks to dream translation. These explanations prove that sound mental health depends on sensitivity and goodness. The same scientific explanations help you find explanations for all the mysteries contained in the religions of the world.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com/

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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Is Violence Really Declining?

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Our daily newspapers continually carry stories of wars in distant lands: we read of armed conflicts in Afghanistan, Colombia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. We are reminded of ongoing struggles in Israel and the Congo and hear about the effects of the Mexican drug war. At home we hear about murders, abductions, domestic violence, break-ins and muggings. Surely we live a most dangerous age. But Stephen Pinker would beg to differ.

In his recent book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. (New York: Viking, 2011), Pinker insists that we take a longer view, and in many cases a much longer view. Much as we may deplore the amount of violence in our contemporary world, in ages past the situation was far, far worse.

We think about the number of contemporary wars because they are constantly brought to our attention on radio, television and newspapers. But to measure current violence against that of earlier ages we need to compare actual numbers. When we examine the number of conflicts in Europe over a 600-year period, the duration and frequency of wars in Europe over a 500-year period, as well as the number of deaths brought about by those wars, the number of territorial wars resulting in the redistribution of land: all of these cases show an overall decline.

What about personal violence? Once again, a study of the numbers tells the story. When we look at homicide rates in England over an 800-year period, homicide rates in the northeastern United States (for which records exist over a long period), or rape and homicide rates in the United States over all over a recent 30-year period: all of these numbers show a decline.

Similar trends can be observed in the way society as a whole treats individuals. We see an overall decline in number of executions in the U.S., the number of lynchings, and instances of corporal punishment. The approval of spanking has also gone down. Acceptance of segregation, intolerance of interracial marriage, intolerance of homosexuality all show reductions.

One may inquire why these changes have come about. Historical forces have had major impact on our behavior: we no longer tolerate bear-baiting or public hangings; the process of globalization has enabled us to take the perspective of peoples unlike ourselves and expand our circle of sympathy to embrace them.

Pinker also points out changes in our human psychology over the ages that have extended our sense of empathy from family to tribe to nation and eventually to all humans. Our moral sense has expanded in ways that lead us away from violence and toward cooperation.

No one would portray the current world as utopian, but a long historical view reveals trends away from violence and toward altruism.

Arthur Wenk, a psychotherapist practicing in Oakville, Ontario, combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (discovering techniques for producing immediate changes) with a psychodynamic approach that helps make changes permanent by addressing the root causes of mental health problems. Art is certified by OACCPP (the Ontario organization for psychotherapists) and EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association). Art's website, http://www.arthurwenk.com/, contains one-page summaries of recommended books on personal growth, brief explanations of common mental health issues, and lectures on parenting, the psychology of families, and the functioning of the brain.

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Defense And Adaptive Mechanisms Of The Dissociation

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Dissociative protection, like other defenses is the best possible adaptation of the immature organism to the particular situation. Then in later circumstances, they become automatic and therefore maladaptive (by influencing the formation of a neurosis or depression). Some dissociative individuals, according to psychology and psychotherapy, and adulthood keep dissociation forever - after the initial injury, the other in the event of termination abuse, reach for a long time or a fine collaboration of different personalities, and their dominance in the subjective world of one's own "I "("host personality").

The typical (for a psychologist) is to stop the apparent dissociation (dissociative neurosis) when the patient leaves his family, which was brought up, and display it again when their son or daughter reaches the age at which parent is the first time subjected to violence. (This connection is not recognized.) Another common trigger of dissociation in adults is the meeting with any circumstances that enliven children's trauma. Carefully gathering a history, a psychologist can find a lot of small examples of dissociation throughout adult life of the patient. But in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis he is usually led to some dramatic and maladaptive dissociative reactions - the loss of significant periods of time, the stories of others on matters about which the patient does not remember anything, and so on. Phenomena such as these allow the psychologist-psychoanalyst Klaft to talk about "windows that contribute to the diagnosis" (on the advice of a psychologist) in the dissociative states.

Dissociation - a strange "invisible" protection. When one "I" or other system of "I" speak in a gentle way, none of those around the patient notices the dissociative process. Many therapists believe that they have never come across "multiple" personalities, as they expect a client psychological counseling he will announce its multiplicity, or show a dramatic alien to the other part. Sometimes it happens (in fact, it happens more often as the demystification of dissociation), but usually indicate the multiplicity is much thinner. Even when therapy appears quite another part of the identifiable person (such as a frightened child), the therapist ignorant, honestly trying to provide psychological support, will tend to read the changes in a patient not in terms of dissociation (as, for example, as a transitory phenomenon of regression).

The exact assessment of dissociation hinders its discretion. Psychoanalysts have to advise the spouses of people with dissociative psychology, who, with full awareness of the diagnosis of his partner, made comments like: "Yesterday, she said the opposite". Knowing the fact that the last person said, as she was someone else completely pales against the backdrop of her own perception, both yesterday and today I spoke with the same individual. If even an intimate partner does not notice signs of dissociation in humans with recognized, diagnosed disorder in the form of multiple personality, it is easy to understand how blind can be ignorant professionals. Dissociate people know how to "cover up" their standard deviation. Even in childhood, they develop a technique of evasion and fraud, and are constantly accused of "lying" - there are things that they do not remember. They suffer from the terrible violence (causing stress and depression) at the hands of people who would have to defend them, and therefore do not trust the authorities and do not come to the office of a psychologist with the expectation that full disclosure will only benefit them.

The assessment of the circumstances depends on the method of determination of dissociation. In addition to the "classical" multiple personality, a condition called now "DDNOS" (dissociative disorders, nowhere else does not differentiate, DSM), in which the other person is, but does not grab control of the body. There are also other dissociative phenomena - depersonalization, the third frequency of psychiatric symptoms after the depression and anxiety (fear). Depersonalization or presumably can be quite frequent and lengthy to be characteristic.

Therapist B. Brown offered an useful conceptualization - BASK (an abbreviation of the English words: Behavior, Affect, Sensation, Knowledge - behavior, affect, sensation, knowledge). With it, Brown has given the status of the concept of dissociation rather super ordinary category than the peripheral protection, as it is conceived by Freud. His model includes many of the processes, which often occur together, but not always treated as family. According to Brown, the dissociation occurs at the level of behavior - as in paralysis or self-inflicted in a trance, at the level of passion - as in the action "with a charming indifference," or when you save the memory of the trauma, without any feelings, at the level of experience - both in the conversion of anesthesia and "body memory" of the abuse or at the level of knowledge - as in the states 'fugues' or amnesia (cf. Freud's ideas about early childhood amnesia).

BASK model considers repression auxiliary to dissociation, and places a number of phenomena that were considered particularly hysterical (as did Freud), the dissociative domain (level). It also binds to the historical trauma, many problems that were considered exclusively an expression of intrapsychic conflict. Therapists engaged in counseling with patients with dissociative character, these formulations are very useful clinically, and those who work with other people, believe that they increase their sensitivity to dissociative processes occurring to each of them.

Psychology of Everyday Life
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Three Steps to a Perfect Dream Interpretation

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Carl Jung couldn't clearly and immediately translate the meaning of dreams, even though he discovered the right method for a perfect dream interpretation. Thanks to his discoveries we can understand the wise unconscious guidance in the dream images. However, his work is obscure and incomplete.

I could simplify the dream interpretation process mainly because I discovered that we can completely trust the unconscious mind that produces our dreams due to its saintly nature. Thanks to my obedience to the unconscious mind, I could discover the existence of our wild conscience (anti-conscience) that generates mental illnesses within our conscience. Therefore, I understood exactly why we dream, while Jung couldn't understand the real importance of the unconscious psychotherapy.

The unconscious mind works like a psychiatrist and psychologist because we have inherited too much absurdity into the biggest part of our brain. Our animal and absurd anti-conscience keeps trying to destroy our human conscience and control our behavior.

Since I could discover this basic truth, I could clarify Carl Jung's method and help you immediately understand the meaning of dreams. Now you don't need to wait for more information in your next dreams, the same way that you don't need to compare this dream to your previous dreams like Jung used to do. You can instantly understand the meaning of any dream without analyzing other dreams of the same dreamer.

* I discovered that we can easily translate a series of dreams if we'll translate only the meaning of the most important dream symbols that appear in each dream, and we'll relate this information to the dreamer's life.

I also discovered that long dreams without many dream symbols can be translated into only a few words, while the translation of short dreams with many dream symbols is quite long.

I understood that I had to define the meaning of the most important dream symbols in a few words, since they are so important for the comprehension of the meaning of a dream. Carl Jung wrote many pages about the meaning of each important dream symbol.

This was a big complication. If I had to tell an entire story in order to explain the meaning of just one dream symbol to a dreamer, what would happen with the rest of the dream? When would we have time to talk about the importance of this dream in the dreamer's life?

Thus, I simplified the definition of each dream symbol, besides discovering the meaning of numerous dream symbols that Jung couldn't understand. I learned how to make fast dream translations without paying attention to all the details of each dream because I had to translate many dreams for the same dreamer in a short period of time.

However, many times the details of each dream are revealing. These details are very important. Thus, I had to find a way to easily identify the important details of a dream, besides translating the meaning of the dream symbols. 

I discovered that the important details of each dream are the ones that appear in many dreams, in similar forms.

I will give you a real example by analyzing three dream scenes from a series of dreams of one of my patients.

In one dream the dreamer was very sleepy; she hardly could open her eyes.

In the next dream the dreamer was afraid of darkness.

In the third dream, a part of her personality was blind (The dreamer dreamt that she was helping a blind girl walk. This blind girl was a part of her personality that was not able to see many things).

Therefore, the fact that the dreamer cannot see her reality is a detail that appears in three dreams, in a different form. This is an important detail.

Here is the meaning of each dream image:

Being sleepy = She was not fighting her absurd anti-conscience; she was resting accommodated instead of paying attention to the dangerous truth. Her anti-conscience was taking advantage of her indifference and destroying her human conscience while she was resting.

Being in the dark = There are many things that the dreamer ignores about herself and her reality.

Since this dreamer was afraid of darkness in the dream, this means that she was afraid of the truth she ignores about herself and her reality. This truth has a painful effect on her psyche.

Being blind = She was not seeing many things. She was acting without understanding what she was doing.

The dreamer of my example is neurotic, but I cannot give you more details about her case. I'm only using the dream images that appeared in her dreams in order to give you a practical lesson.

Therefore, when you'll perceive that a certain detail repeatedly appears in your dreams, this means that this detail is very important, even though it is not a dream symbol.

* After understanding the importance of certain details I made a research about this matter, looking for all the important details found in each series of dreams of the same dreamers. I discovered that the important details in a dream are the ones that indicate danger.

This information should help you in your dream translations. You can easily translate the meaning of your dreams if you'll learn the meaning of the most important dream symbols and you pay attention to the important details of a dream.

However, you must also follow the dream logic. This is a very complicated matter that I could clearly understand only after fighting craziness and winning the battle thanks to the unconscious guidance.

The anti-conscience uses craziness in order to destroy our human conscience. Craziness is evilness, but in a camouflaged form. The unconscious mind tries to help us preserve our sanity and show resistance to our anti-conscience's attacks with a logic based on sanctity. This comprehension helped me understand what to look for when translating the meaning of dreams. 

The fight between our evil anti-conscience and our human conscience (which needs the guidance of the saintly unconscious mind) is the fight between Satan and the human being. This is why most dreams present dangerous situations to the dreamers, they are nightmares, or they are bad dreams not as scary as nightmares, but that make the dreamer feel uncomfortable and sad.

* The unconscious words are the words of a spiritual guide for our human conscience. When we fight absurdity, we are basically fighting evilness.

This knowledge helps you directly understand the unconscious intention when you look at a dream. Therefore, you don't waste your time with suppositions that are far from the truth.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com/

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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Practical Counselling: Focus on Fixing the Broken

psychology studies

Although all of the 'Schools of Psychological Thought' grew out of a wish to understand how the human mind and emotions work and, whilst some shared common threads (for example, the Humanistic and Transpersonal schools have a number of common themes related to belief in the concept of a true and authentic self) they mostly focused on helping individuals deal with psychological problems.

When people enter therapy they do not do so because they feel happy with life. People normally seek out a therapist because they are experiencing emotional or psychological issues that are causing some kind of problem in everyday life - for example, not being able to form relationships, lacking confidence or finding that painful past experiences are stopping them achieving their goals or ambitions. In this sense, psychological therapies and the schools of thought they originate from are aimed at fixing a problem.

Much emphasis is now placed on what is called 'evidence based practice' which simply means that therapies are called upon to evidence the fact that they work. It is now common, in some countries more than others, to provide a 'diagnosis' relating to the type of distress a client presents with. For example, someone involved in a road traffic accident finds that following this they cannot drive their car, experiences panic attacks and become depressed and is then diagnosed as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Alternatively, someone who cannot stop crying feels there is no point to life, cannot face food and feels tired all the time may be diagnosed with Depression.

These 'labels' are commonly used to describe many types of emotional suffering. Some of the therapies resist these kinds of diagnosis as they believe that they label an individual in an unhelpful manner whilst others welcome them and model their interventions around them.

Mental Health is a growing area of concern in many countries and specialist Psychiatric Manuals are used to list a range of symptoms associated with a particular condition. The concepts of capturing diagnostic criteria to assist practitioners identify psychological problems date back as far as the early 1700's. Referrals for therapy from doctors and psychiatrists will usually be made to a therapist containing a diagnosis of one sort or another based on these two well known and globally used manuals. The success of the therapy is measured in terms of whether the individual recovers from whatever condition has been diagnosed.

Many health care systems now use evidence based practice as the criteria for recommending and funding a particular type of therapy for a particular type of psychological problem.

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your free E-Course "How to Develop your Counselling Practice" available at http://www.counsellingpracticematters.com/

Gladeana McMahon is listed as one of the UK's Top Twenty Therapists by the Evening Standard. An innovator, Gladeana is also one of the UK founders of Cognitive Behavioural Coaching and an internationally published author with over 20 books of a popular and academic nature on coaching and counselling to her name.

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Are We An Empathic Civilization?

psychology studies

The story of civilization can be told in a number of ways. An economic history of mankind treats human interaction in terms of commercial transactions. A military history focuses on wars and battles won and lost, and their causes and consequences. One can undertake a history of culture, beginning perhaps with the earliest cave paintings. Political histories focus on aggregates ranging from city-states to nations.

We tend to use the word "empathy" to describe the capacity of an individual person so to identify with the situation of another as almost to share that person's feelings. We are less accustomed to use the word in a context beyond the individual and the personal.

Yet Jeremy Rifkin uses the word in a much broader perspective in The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2009, 674 pp.) You have probably never seen a history book like this. Rifkin traces the story from the dawn of civilization to the present, but from an unfamiliar point of view. The author writes, "Much of history that is written is about the pathology of power. The everyday world is quite different, lived out in hundreds of small acts of kindness and generosity."

Rifkin's book covers familiar territory-the gathering of human beings into ever larger groups; the importance of agriculture; the Roman Empire; life in the Middle Ages; feudalism, humanism, the Enlightenment, and so forth. But in examining civilization, era by era, he calls attention to information we probably haven't encountered before. Around the fourth century, for example, the Roman Empire came to view the hitherto common practice of infanticide as murder, and outlawed it. The Renaissance invented the idea of companionate marriage, a relationship that we take for granted but which had not existed up to that point. Physical affection toward children became common only in the Enlightenment. The notion of self-fulfillment did not exist before the Romantic era. The nineteenth century saw the outlawing of the slave trade, which had been accepted practice in previous times.

Rifkin places into historical context a number of phenomena that have contributed to our greater connectivity as a species: global travel, the domination of the English language, the use of resources to materially improve quality of life, the trend toward gender equality, the new view of other species as having inherent worth beyond their utility for human beings.

The extension of empathy, however, has come at great cost. Every advance in transportation and communication tending to unify humanity has demanded every greater expenditures of natural resources. "We have now colonized virtually every square inch of the planet and established the scaffolding for a truly global civilization that is connecting the human race in a single embrace, but at the expense of an entropic bill that is threatening our extinction."

Whether the extension of empathy to include all peoples and all species arrives before a cataclysm produced by the reckless consumption of resources remains to be seen.

Arthur Wenk, a psychotherapist practicing in Oakville, Ontario, combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (discovering techniques for producing immediate changes) with a psychodynamic approach that helps make changes permanent by addressing the root causes of mental health problems. Art is certified by OACCPP (the Ontario organization for psychotherapists) and EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association). Art's website, http://www.arthurwenk.com/, contains one-page summaries of recommended books on personal growth, brief explanations of common mental health issues, and lectures on parenting, the psychology of families, and the functioning of the brain. You can read Dr. Wenk's lectures on western culture at http://arthurwenk.ca/speaker.html

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Abnormal Psychology: Definition and Treatments

psychology studies

The behavior of people can be fascinating. Psychology is the branch of science that aims to understand how the mind and human behavior works. Throughout the course of time, patterns have been detected and psychologists are able to determine what normal human behavior is and what is deemed to be abnormal. The branch of psychology that deals with this unusual pattern of though, behavior or emotion is termed as abnormal psychology.

When dealing with something that is abnormal, we should first define what this means so that we can have a better understanding of this concept. Abnormal usually indicates something that falls outside the norm. Norms can still be further separated into particular groups such as gender or age. Human behaviors can then be calculated statistically and those that fall under the middle of a bell-shaped curve are known as the average, and this is what is referred to as normal. Those that fall at the ends of the curve are those that are considered to be abnormal.

Now just because something does not fall under the normal, it doesn't automatically mean that it is bad. Those that fall under the more positive side of the curve, such as people with very high IQ are considered abnormal but it is not really a bad thing as these people are considered as geniuses. But when dealing with abnormal psychology, this refers more on behavior that is distressing and can cause disruption in one's functioning. Such troubling behavior may require intervention and this is where psychologists and psychiatrists are needed to help restore functionality. Another reason why there may be a reason to intervene is when people start violating social norms. This is when a person violates what is commonly deemed as acceptable in a particular society. Behavior that may be incomprehensible, or make other people feel uncomfortable or threatened may fall under this category.

There are different approaches that you can use in abnormal psychology, and it is usually best to make use of all types of approach when it comes to treating patients. The first is the behavioral approach which focuses on reinforcing positive behavior while discouraging maladaptive behavior. Another approach is the medical approach which focuses on the biological cause of the illness. This involves understanding the cause of the disorder, possibly related to genetic reasons, chemical imbalances in the body, infections and physical causes. Treatment for this approach tends to use drugs to control the patient's symptoms and combined with psychotherapy. The last approach is the cognitive approach which tries to understand how thoughts and perceptions are towards psychological disorders. This method focuses on trying to change the patient's thoughts and this is done by using behavioral cognitive therapy.

There are a lot of other disorders that you will encounter if you study psychology. You will come across disorders such as mood disorders, adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders and many more. If you are interested in this topic, taking up a course in abnormal psychology may help you understand more about these disorders and how you may be able to help and treat these people.

Lifestyle Learning Direct provides the complete distance education solution by offering online and correspondence courses from The Sackville Academy, The Writing School and Lifestyle Learning Online

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Are You A Good Enough Parent?

psychology studies

The term 'Good Enough Parent' was coined many years ago by a psycho-analyst and pioneer in child development called Donald Winnicott (1896-1971)

You cannot be a 'perfect' parent, as there is really no such thing; so 'good-enough' is good enough!

How you parent your child(ren) has a profound effect upon other people too, because your child's personality and behaviour has a 'ripple effect' to everyone else they encounter in later life.

This weeks news stories (06/03/12) gave us more shocking evidence of the lack of adequate parenting within our society. Children becoming overly-sexualised, and exposed to inappropriate images on TV, internet, and in teen magazines; charities having to be set up to help feed children a breakfast before they start school; schools being expected, by neglectful parents, to instil basic moral values into their pupils; children left indefinitely with relatives who torture and murder them in the name of 'casting out evil spirits'; young children who's whereabouts are unknown during the evening hours; parents not making time to read to, or talk with, their children.

Parenting is THE most important job in the world - so how and why do we get it so wrong?

This is not a new phenomenon. When I worked in the Civil Service in the early 1980's I regularly encountered school leavers who could not even sign their name, and instead could only sign with a 'X' on their claim form. They had no use-able skills, no future hopes and aims, little education and poor verbal skills. They will now be the parents, or even grandparents, of today! Poor parenting has been around for a very long time.

Although nowadays we have TV programmes dedicated to educating parents about how to better raise their children - these programmes will not even be watched by the very people who need them most, and they would be too little, too late, anyway.

The present British government is now piloting a project to improve parenting skills in the hope of avoiding future riots like those seen recently in many cities in the UK.

It will take time to put right the deep rooted and multi-generational problems of bad parenting.

We can only pass on to our offspring what we know, and have, for ourselves.

The ways in which we think, feel, eat and drink, and take care of our bodies, all affect the expression of our unique set of genes. (see Bruce Lipton's work on Epi-genetics for more information).

People generally do the best they can with what they have; and only the small minority are deliberately cruel and negligent towards children.

There are brain scans (called Single Photon Emission Computerised Tomography - see the work of Dr Daniel Amen for more information) available which show which areas of the brain are underdeveloped, under-working or damaged.

If children's brains were routinely scanned, say at birth and aged 3 years, six years and 13 years; then treatment protocols could be implemented to correct these deficits and give that child a much better start in life. Such protocols would include - vital nutritional supplements, which would enable the development of a better functioning brain; adequate and appropriate stimulation; and emotional attachment to a reliable and consistent parental figure.

The way a child is handled, spoken to, soothed and cared for all significantly affect the child's developing brain.

Clearly, a parent's own dysfunctional childhood will get in the way of them being able to adequately do any of these things for their own child. This is why it is so important for the emotional and psychological damage of the past to be cleaned up and removed as far as possible.

If parents-to-be were helped to process their own unresolved traumas, abuse, neglect and lack of self-esteem, then they could become better parents. This would then ripple through to the future generations, and bring significant improvements to our society.

Schools can be a place of both positive and negative learning too. We are taught many facts, dates, and rules; but we also learn how to be verbally and emotionally abused by teachers and peers.

So, what does constitute good parenting?

In one of the modules - entitled Understanding Yourself - which is part of a programme of psycho-emotional education for adults - I have listed what I call 'Optimum Parenting Outcomes'. These are:

Bonding with your child.

Being attuned to the needs of your child - even before they are expressed.

Mirroring the infant's behaviour by using associated facial expressions and verbal sounds.

Being someone the child can 'idealise' and want to emulate as they grow older.

Having a secure attachment to the child, who in turn feels 'securely attached' to someone.

Assisting the child to develop a positive self-concept, sense of competency and self-esteem.

Encouraging positive relational skills.

Modelling good emotional self-regulation.

The child is then able to grow up to become a good-enough parent themselves in the future.

(The excellent work of Allan Schore the eminent American neuroscientist will further enlighten you about such aspects of good emotionally-attuned parenting).

In an ideal world every child would be 'WAVED AT'.....

Wanted by their parents and family

Accepted for who they are, and their uniqueness

Valued and treasured as the perfect gift that they are

Encouraged to be all they can be

Disciplined - with fairness, compassion and empathy

Attuned to - and their basic needs for love, boundaries, and guidance met

Time-worthy - parents spending time talking with and reading to their child(ren) and having fun!

Having a child can be a great healer, as well as a remarkable gift. When society finally realises this and emphasises good-enough parenting then we will really see the differences we all want to see in society in general. This would bring enormous financial savings in the longer term too.

It's never too late to 'fill in the gaps' and make up for the deficits in our emotional and psychological education.

Better parents create better members of the next generation and the whole of society!

Article written by Maxine Harley Msc Integrative Psychotherapy - Psychotherapist and creator of 'The Ripple Effect' Process and Quantum Psyche Process see http://www.qpp.uk.com/

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Dream Interpretation - Walking and Leaping in Dreams

psychology studies

You dream because your mental stability is constantly threatened by the craziness contained into your wild conscience (anti-conscience). The unconscious mind that produces your dreams tries to protect you mental stability from the attacks of your wild side, which is constantly trying to invade your human conscience and generate a mental illness.

Even if you'll never completely lose your mind, you are still influenced by the absurdity of your anti-conscience in many ways. You have to understand what is happening in your brain and psyche so that you may be able to control your behavior.

The unconscious mind gives you behavioral lessons, and logical lessons.

For example, if instead of normally walking in a dream you are leaping like a frog, this means that you are not making a research the way you should. When you are walking in dreams this means that you are trying to discover something important. You are looking for the truth. Walking in dreams means researching and discovering.

If you are leaping instead of normally walking, this means that you jump from one point to another. You want to get to the next point very fast.

This means that you are not a good researcher. You want to jump important lessons. You have to walk step by step all the difficult steps of your long path in order to discover what you are looking for. If you'll try to reach the end very fast, you won't learn all your lessons, and you'll miss important details.

This simple dream already was an important warning. You have to be patient and cautious in your research.

The continuation of Carl Jung's research proves that many past civilizations that gave importance to the meaning of dreams and respected the unconscious guidance could understand the dream language. Native Americans were completely guided by the unconscious wisdom in their dreams because they possessed a special virtue, which enabled them to have a spiritual communication with the unconscious mind.

My work creates a bridge between science and religion. Even though the atheistic and materialistic mindset of the current civilization tends to believe that science and religion are totally different matters, the truth is that they are closely related. All religions work like psychotherapy.

All dreams work like psychotherapy too. We need psychotherapy because we are absurd animals. Our tiny human conscience must evolve if we want to become really human.

We must learn how to eliminate our wild nature and find sound mental health. The unconscious mind sends us many dreams in order to help us eliminate our anti-conscience through consciousness.

Consciousness means wisdom and sensitivity at the same time. Consciousness means light. When you are a conscious human being you can see your reality as it is, without illusions. You can also feel your reality. You are not disconnected from your objective reality like you do when you are mentally ill.

Your sensitivity is as important as your reasoning.

You must walk carefully in a dream, and pay attention to all dangers. The process of consciousness is a serious matter. When you are walking in a dream you are trying to discover something. You are trying to understand the meaning of a mystery. This means that you will acquire consciousness of the importance of this mystery. You will understand what is behind its appearance. This is an important discovery.

If you are carefully walking in a dream this dream image has a positive meaning because it indicates that you are evolving and learning. You are researching and discovering more because you have the right attitude.

The unconscious mind teaches you that you must always be very careful and pay attention to all dangers. This is how you can avoid all misfortunes. Patience and caution are indispensable if you want to find peace and happiness in life.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com/

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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Dysfunctional Families: The Alcoholic Family

psychology studies

I have found it helpful to describe the psychology of families in terms of the ABC's, where the letters in this case stand for Attachment, Boundaries and Communication. Unhealthy, or dysfunctional, families generally include insecure attachment, poor boundaries, and closed communications. (Those interested in learning more about attachment may wish to consult Jeremy Holmes' book, The Search for the Secure Base: Attachment Theory and Psychotherapy. London: Routledge, 2010.) As a subheading one can talk about the three R's, in this case, Rules, Roles, and Resulting Relationships. Let us observe how these characteristics operate in the alcoholic family. Most alcoholic families maintain three basic rules:

The Rule of Silence forbids not only talking to people outside the family but also to talking to members of the family itself. Children raised in this system may experience difficulty expressing themselves for the rest of their lives.

The Rule of Denial requires children to ignore the behavior of the alcoholic and pretend that nothing is wrong. Children raised in these circumstances learn not to trust either themselves or others and never learn to honestly express emotion.

The Rule of Isolation separates the family from the community and isolates individual members from each other. Children raised in this environment have difficulty forming intimate relationships.

The Rule of Denial leads children to adopt various roles as a way of deflecting attention from the alcoholic. These roles may include:

The Golden Boy (or girl) who tries to make family look good by achieving success in school or work

The Scapegoat who diverts attention from the family by getting into trouble

The Peacemaker, or Placater, who tries to reduce conflict in the family by smoothing things over

Growing up in an alcoholic family can have devastating consequences. On an emotional level, resulting relationships tend to be marked by numbness, distrust, resentment, shame, and helplessness. The mental processes of an adult raised in these circumstances reflect confused thinking, hypervigilance and a tendency to think in absolutes. The actions of such an adult tend toward crisis-oriented living, manipulative behavior, and problems with intimacy.

If you have been raised in an alcoholic family, these observations may sound distressingly familiar. You may find guidance in Wayne Kritsberg's book, The Adult Children of Alcoholics Syndrome: A Step-by-Step Guide to Discovery and Recovery. New York: Bantam Books, 1985. Alcoholics Anonymous conducts various programs for children of alcoholics and you may find additional support there.

Arthur Wenk, a psychotherapist practicing in Oakville, Ontario, combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (discovering techniques for producing immediate changes) with a psychodynamic approach that helps make changes permanent by addressing the root causes of mental health problems. Art is certified by OACCPP (the Ontario organization for psychotherapists) and EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association). Art's website, http://www.arthurwenk.com/, contains one-page summaries of recommended books on personal growth, brief explanations of common mental health issues, and lectures on parenting, the psychology of families, and the functioning of the brain.

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Self Reliance

psychology studies

Self-reliance is an inner state of knowing that you are robust, resilient and resourceful enough to tackle the challenges and difficulties that life will inevitably throw at you.

It is formed from the meaning you have given to your own life experiences, which in turn then overlay your innate personality; as well as from what you have seen 'modelled' by the self-reliant people you have had contact with.

With the right circumstances and guidance we can gradually develop those all important characteristic traits of courage, competence, determination, persistence, tenacity, and resilience.

We must learn not to allow our setbacks, disappointments and failures to reinforce any negative beliefs we still hold from childhood. Instead we should rationally evaluate any negative experiences - free of their emotional components - and see what we can learn from them; and what we might want to change about ourselves to enable us to better handle such challenges in the future. If we find that our plan or strategy was flawed in some way - we can then create effective ways to change it!

It can be hard to overcome our early emotional wounds, but if we can see them as the learning opportunities they are meant to be, we can grow and become more of a robust, realistic and grounded Adult, who can 'take care of the business' of life.

Our new-found inner strength will then buffer us against future storms, as we accumulate more opportunities to become greater than we were.

Otherwise our old 'programming' and 'script' will just keep repeating themselves over and over again, and keep us stuck in the old drama of our life.

As we become more able to think, plan and take appropriate action for ourselves, we don't need to rely upon a 'life-coach' or 'cognitive-mentor' to do our common-sense functioning for us. With our own Ego-Strength we can take care of our own needs and carry out our plans, and reach our goals with persistent effort.

As we develop into a self-reliant adult we can, paradoxically, become a more reliable person for others too. We can also have better relationships, because we are not looking for the other person to validate us or prove their love for us. As we calm and soothe our own emotional state and choose to shift gear into our sensible reasoning and rational Adult, we can actually then loosen up to become more playful and intimate. This is because we dissolve the 'neurotic' neediness and game playing that is so common in many relationships.

As a parent we can greatly assist our child's sense of self-reliance - something which they are usually pushing to have from an very early age anyway! We can offer them graded challenges and opportunities to learn new skills and talents - which don't have to be expensive.

We can support and encourage their emerging sense of self-worth and esteem; by giving appropriate and well-timed praise in an honest and empathic way - without any sarcasm or back-handed compliments; and certainly not by using ridicule or any form of put-down to the sensitive soul of the child.

Negative behaviour should be called just that and separated from the positive goodness of the child themselves. Some bad behaviour should simply be ignored - as long as it isn't dangerous to anyone in any way. Smothering over-protective parenting, whilst well-meaning, robs a child of the ability to form and adhere to necessary boundaries in their life, or to tackle any challenges head-on.

Learning to delay gratification is also important, but it becomes harder in modern times when the media brainwashes us into thinking that to 'be somebody' you must 'have it and have it NOW!' The sense of personal achievement from working towards, and attaining, a goal can be lost by the premature satisfaction of a desire.

As a psychotherapist I have worked with many people who didn't have the chance to develop self-reliance because their early lives were dominated by chaos and fear; and they must then try to develop a sufficient sense of Adult self-reliance at a much later time in their life, in order to function better in the world.

Other clients had parents who's own narcissism meant that the client grew up with the expectation that they must succeed, perhaps academically or in sports/drama etc. so that their parent(s) could bolster their own fragile self-esteem with the glory of their 'perfect' offspring's achievements. Individual personality development in the child then becomes stifled, as does the ability to rely upon themselves and direct the path of their own life.

By contrast, other clients have reported having had a good/great/ideal childhood - which sadly had not prepared them for the trials and tribulations of life....they had no skills with which to regulate their emotions or deal with a later life crisis - such as redundancy, divorce, business failure, being burgled or defrauded etc. - and they were completely thrown of balance by circumstances that a more self-reliant and resilient person would be better equipped to deal with.

You are the only one who will never leave you, so you might as well be sure that you can at least rely upon yourself.

We live in a 'something for nothing culture' nowadays that relies upon the goodwill, duty, pity and support of other people, or the State. This dependence does not develop an individual's character or enhance their personality.

Believing in yourself and your ability to create your own Life of Choice prevents you from quitting.

Repeating your positive intentions, with heartfelt feeling, has been proven to bring about positive and tangible results.

It's never too late to learn how to change and to be better than you used to believe you ever could be!

Written By Maxine Harley Msc Integrative Psychotherapy - Psychotherapist in West Sussex and also creator of 'The Ripple Effect' Process and Quantum Psyche Process see http://www.qpp.uk.com/

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Perpetuating Dysfunctional Families

psychology studies

I have found it helpful to describe dysfunctional families in terms of the three R's: Rules, Roles and Resulting Relationships. As the last element in this model would suggest, a family's problems are apt to be transmitted to the next generation unless corrective measures are taken. To begin with, as adults we recreate our early experience: children leave home taking what they have learned with them. By the time we are five years old we have formed our core beliefs, our assumptions about the nature of ourselves, others, the world, and how we must behave in order to survive in it. Securely attached children are likely to have positive core beliefs such as: The world is a safe place, I am competent to explore it, others will look out for me, and so I can follow the path of my curiosity. Others have less happy core beliefs, such as a client of mine whose early experiences taught her that those who say they love me hurt me.

You've doubtless heard the phrase, "you marry your mother (or your father)." Indeed, we pick partners who embody the strongest traits (both positive and negative) of our parents. We should not be surprised that the woman I just cited has had a series of relationships with abusive partners, even as her rational mind tells her to avoid this pattern.

Furthermore, we parent as we've been parented. Or, if we're determined to avoid some particular trait, we tend to embody its opposite, which still contributes to a dysfunctional family by taking a particular characteristic to an extreme. Unresolved issues can get triggered in the parent-child relationship and impair our ability to think clearly and remain flexible. We become flooded by intense emotions that can lead us to knee-jerk reactions instead of thoughtful responses.

The perpetuation of destructive patterns can be clearly seen in the case of alcoholism. I have a client who has not had a drink in nearly two decades, and yet his family continues to embody the rules and roles established in his drinking days. The father of another client, having seen the destructive impact of alcohol, never took a drink, yet my client shows clear evidence of the pattern. How does that work? His grandfather, as an alcoholic, simply did not have the emotional resources to provide secure attachment, appropriate boundaries and open communication for his son, my client's father, who grew up emotionally stunted. His parenting of my client, in turn, lacked the qualities necessary for healthy intimacy. Even though my client never lived in an alcoholic household, he was clearly the victim of alcoholism.

Often psychotherapy is required in order to stop destructive cycles that run from generation to generation.

Arthur Wenk, a psychotherapist practicing in Oakville, Ontario, combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (discovering techniques for producing immediate changes) with a psychodynamic approach that helps make changes permanent by addressing the root causes of mental health problems. Art is certified by OACCPP (the Ontario organization for psychotherapists) and EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association). Art's website, http://www.arthurwenk.com/, contains one-page summaries of recommended books on personal growth, brief explanations of common mental health issues, and lectures on parenting, the psychology of families, and the functioning of the brain.

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What Is Forensic Psychology

psychology studies

When people are asked" what is forensic psychology?", they usually think of the criminal profilers seen on movies and television shows, when this is only a fraction of what happens in reality. In its most basic definition, forensic psychology is the application of the psychology practice within the law and the legal system. The word "forensic" originated from the Latin word "forensis" which means "of the forum" referring to the Imperial court in ancient Rome. This relatively new specialized branch of psychology was only given official recognition by the American Psychological Association in 2001.

The portrayal of forensic psychology in popular shows, books and movies caused a surge of interest in the field, especially for the past few years. However, these are glamorized depictions of the profession and are not entirely accurate. The people who practice forensic psychology aren't strictly "forensic psychologists." They could also be clinical psychologists or child psychologists, but their expertise or knowledge might be required to provide assessment, testimony and recommendations in legal cases. Some of their roles include determining an individual's competency to stand trial, mental health assessment in insanity plea cases, and specialized forensic assessment of an individual's personality. For instance, a clinical psychologist might be asked to assess the mental health of a suspect or a child psychologist will be asked to evaluate children subjected to abuse or prepare them for court testimony in criminal or child custody cases.

Forensic psychologists work in jails, police departments, law firms, rehabilitation centers or government agencies and deal directly with lawyers, defendants, victims, families or patients within these institutions. Their responsibilities within correctional institutions involve regular psychological assessments, individual and group therapy sessions, anger or crisis management and other court-ordered evaluations. The work of forensic psychology also includes working with the police departments, to evaluate law enforcement personnel and provide training on criminal profiling and other relevant courses. There are also those who prefer academic pursuits in universities to do further research on criminology, law and the human behavior. Analyzing crime trends, criminal profiling and effective mental health treatments are some of the topics covered by forensic psychology.

What separates this branch from other fields like clinical psychology is that forensic psychology is limited to specific duties in every individual case, such as providing advice on the suspect's mental capacity to face charges. Learning the answers to "what is forensic psychology?" means dealing with individuals who are getting evaluation and treatment not by choice, unlike in the usual clinical setting where clients volunteer to seek help.

They are also called to provide expert testimony but they must be knowledgeable enough of the legal system to be called as a credible witness for the case. Majority of their role is preparing and delivering their testimony and translating it to legal terms, which has been more challenging since lawyers know how to undermine or discredit psychological opinions. There have been cases of malingering or feigning illnesses so psychologists should know how to recognize the real symptoms as well as evaluate the consistency of information across different sources. A great part of understanding the answer to "what is forensic psychology" means being able to explain or reformulate psychological terms or principles within a legal framework.

For more great information about different branches of psychology, you will want to visit http://whatisforensicpsychology.org/

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Dream Interpretation - The Meaning of Garbage in Dreams

psychology studies

You'll perceive that the difference between the scientific method of dream interpretation and all the false methods of the world is mainly the fact that when you learn how to translate the meaning of reams according to the scientific method, you understand the words of the divine unconscious mind.

The wisdom contained in the dream images is extraordinary. You can perceive that the unconscious messages are superior because they are not the result of human suppositions. The unconscious words enlighten your existence. You understand what is happening to you. You understand what to do in order to solve your problems.

I will give you an example from a dream dreamt by one of my patients. She follows the unconscious guidance with gratitude. This is why she is evolving day by day.

I cannot publish her entire dream or tell you details about her case because my translations are private. I will publish only two sentences of one of her dreams in order to give you a practical lesson.

'My daughter and I are dressed-up and walking to a formal dinner. I realize I'm dragging a garbage can. I tell my daughter, "What am I doing with this garbage? I should have disposed of it before."'

Dream Translation:

'My daughter and I are dressed-up and walking to a formal dinner.'

Your daughter represents your moral image, and you represent your ego in dreams.

The fact that you were well dressed and walking to a formal dinner indicates that you are being prepared for a very important event, which will soon happen in your life.

The dinner represents food for your psyche. In other words, it represents psychical energy for all the parts of your personality. You will feel rewarded.

'I realize I'm dragging a garbage can. I tell my daughter, "What am I doing with this garbage? I should have disposed of it before."'

The garbage can represents what is immoral. This means that you are not getting prepared as you should. You are carrying your immoral tendencies with you.

Your ego understands that this immorality shouldn't follow you and that it goes against your serious moral image.

In order to understand the meaning of dreams you must follow the logic of the unconscious mind. You also have to understand that everything in a dream has a symbolic meaning.

For example, the dreamer's daughter represents her moral image. Her moral image is what she shows to the world about her personality.

She has a mature moral image because her daughter is a mature girl. The dreamer is also a responsible person. Her maturity is visible. Therefore, she has a positive moral image.

However, she is dragging a garbage can. Garbage represents immorality in dreams.

This immorality doesn't fit with her mature moral image. It is the result of the influence of her anti-conscience.

The anti-conscience is the main topic of most dreams. Through dream translation you learn how to eliminate the absurd wild conscience you have inherited.

The unconscious mind purifies your spirit the same way it helps you pass through a process of transformation that eliminates what is negative from your psyche. Purity and wisdom help you have a clean conscience.

The dreamer of my example must eliminate her immoral tendencies in order to get prepared for an important event in her life. The unconscious mind always eliminates our immoral tendencies because immorality leads to craziness.

If you are immoral and you accept to be evil in certain circumstances, you will lose your human conscience. Your anti-conscience will gradually destroy your capacity to think logically and your sensitivity. You'll become cruel and disconnected with the external reality.

Immorality is in fact an animal reaction; it is not a human reaction. Even though the irrational animals are not immoral because they don't know what morality means, immorality is an animal rational reaction in human beings.

The dreamer of my example has a mature moral image, but she is dragging the immoral tendencies she has inherited into her anti-conscience. This means that she must eliminate her absurd immoral tendencies because they are preventing her from getting properly prepared for an important event in her life. This event demands from her purity and wisdom.

There is a relationship between her behavior and the event she expects to see happening in her life.

In other words, the successful preparation for this important event defines her destiny. She cannot bring with her the immoral tendencies she has inherited into her anti-conscience and see this important event happening in her life. She has to pass through a process of psychotherapy and learn how to respect the human body. Only then will she finally see the important event she desires happening in her life.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.
Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com/
Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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Dysfunctional Families: The Abusive Family

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I have found it helpful to describe the psychology of families in terms of the ABC's, where the letters in this case stand for Attachment, Boundaries and Communication. Unhealthy, or dysfunctional, families generally include insecure attachment, poor boundaries, and closed communications. As a subheading one can talk about the three R's, in this case, Rules, Roles, and Resulting Relationships.

Abusive families generally display the same rules as alcoholic families, namely the rules of Silence, Denial, and Isolation.

The Rule of Silence forbids talking about the problem, not only outside the family but even with other family members.

The Rule of Denial requires children to act as if nothing is wrong, even when every part of their being insists that how they have been treated is dreadfully wrong.

The Rule of Isolation keeps family members apart and isolates the family from the rest of the community.

The roles found in alcoholic families also appear in abusive families but we should consider the special drama associated with this kind of dysfunctional family.

The Abuser often appears to have no boundaries at all, but may attribute the abusive behavior to alcohol, anger, or some other influence.

The Victim often accepts this role in order to protect her children, in the case of a mother, or younger siblings, in the case of a child.

The Bystander may be a passive spouse who denies the problem or who conspires to remain unaware of it.

The pattern of abuse tends to perpetuate itself in succeeding generations. We have all read how victims of abuse often become abusers in their turn, but the cycle may take a more insidious form. The son of an abusive father, for example, absolutely determined to avoid these bad traits, may become passive and unattached as an adult. As a consequence, his children may grow up to be spoiled, coddled or narcissistic, characteristics that may well contribute to their becoming abusers in the next generation. Children who have suffered abuse generally lack healthy self-esteem and the personal boundaries that go with good self-esteem. As adults they may find themselves unable to stand up to a family member who telephones every day, insisting that a lengthy monologue be heard.

I have recommended Anne Katherine's book, Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991) to a number of clients. Those who have grown up in an abusive family may find the book of particular interest.

Arthur Wenk, a psychotherapist practicing in Oakville, Ontario, combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (discovering techniques for producing immediate changes) with a psychodynamic approach that helps make changes permanent by addressing the root causes of mental health problems. Art is certified by OACCPP (the Ontario organization for psychotherapists) and EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association). Art's website, http://www.arthurwenk.com/, contains one-page summaries of recommended books on personal growth, brief explanations of common mental health issues, and lectures on parenting, the psychology of families, and the functioning of the brain.

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Dreams About A Ship and An Anchor

psychology studies

The anchor is a rare dream symbol, which appears in a dream only when the dreamer follows dream therapy for a certain period of time. The anchor has two different meanings depending on the dream story.

The ship in dreams represents a long journey of studies and preparation.

The sea represents craziness. There are numerous invisible dangers hidden in the vast ocean, the same way that there are numerous invisible dangers hidden into your anti-conscience.

Your anti-conscience is your primitive conscience, which didn't evolve like your human conscience. It occupies the biggest part of your brain the same way that the sea occupies the biggest part of our planet. You ignore how dangerous the anti-conscience's content is, the same way you ignore how many dangers are hidden into the dark region of the sea.

When the anchor is near the beach it has two different meanings in a dream. It represents salvation when you have arrived from a long trip. It also represents safety because the anchor doesn't let you get lost in the ocean. In other words, the safety given to you by the protection of an anchor represents your salvation from craziness. Therefore, when you'll see an anchor in a dream after making a long research about an important matter, the anchor has a positive meaning.

It means that now you know that you are absurd and that you must tame your anti-conscience. You are not indifferent to its existence.

You are the human being concentrated into the human side of your conscience. You have to tame your huge anti-conscience and transform it into a human being by obeying the unconscious guidance in your dreams.

A dream about an anchor before your journey of self-discovery through dream interpretation indicates that you are not accepting your mission. The anchor is holding you at the beach. You have to travel.

You have a lot to discover about yourself. The anti-conscience is your evil, immoral, violent, absurd, cruel, and indifferent personality. It has an animal and dangerous nature. Your anti-conscience is your worst self. Carl Jung named it 'shadow' when he discovered the existence of a negative content inside the human psyche.

I changed the description of this negative content because I continued Jung's research, discovering that the anti-conscience that is our huge wild conscience, which is still alive in our brain. It is a lot more than merely a shadow.

Our anti-conscience works against our conscience. It is constantly trying to destroy our human conscience and imprison us, the human beings concentrated into the human side of our conscience, into the labyrinth of craziness.

The word 'anti' in Greek means against, contrary. I used this definition because my description is psychiatric. The anti-conscience is our satanic conscience, which is schizophrenic because it couldn't find peace. It refuses learning and changing its behavior. This is why it remains in a demoniac condition, without any evolution.

You, the human being concentrated into your human conscience must oblige this monster to change its behavior.

You live in order to transform the satanic content you have inherited into your brain into a positive content that will respect human rules. This is how you'll get rid of all mental illnesses and physical diseases, you'll find sound mental health, peace and happiness, and you'll help the world find salvation with your work and your example.

You have to accept learning the truth and you have to accept transforming your personality.

The anchor can be a positive dream symbol only if you'll accept the challenge and study the human mind through dream translation. You must face craziness and fight the demon. You cannot be a passive observer of the destruction of your human conscience by your wild side.

You should follow dream therapy. The unconscious mind will show you the way out of this situation. The unconscious mind that produces your dreams has a divine origin and works like a psychotherapist and spiritual guide. This means that you are protected by the unconscious sanctity. In other words, you can completely trust the dream messages.

You must learn what exists inside you and fight all the absurdity you have inherited before being a victim of your terrible anti-conscience. Don't refuse to make a long journey inside your psyche and discover who you really are.

You'll understand if the anchor has a positive or negative meaning if the anchor will appear before or after the ship in a dream. When the anchor appears before the ship, it has a negative meaning. It means that you refuse to pass through a process of transformation. You don't want to learn anything and tame your wild side.

You are irresponsible and inconsequential. You must make this trip because it is your salvation from despair.

If you'll have a dream about an anchor after having a dream (or a series of dreams) about the ship, the anchor has a positive meaning. For now on your life will be totally different. Now you know how to control your behavior.

However, if the anchor will appear in a dream while you are in an island and your ship or boat is near the beach, this means that you are in a dangerous position. If the anchor will appear in the middle of the ocean it indicates great danger because you are never protected in the sea. Remember that the sea means craziness. The sea always has a negative meaning in dreams.

The anchor can be a positive dream symbol only if you'll carefully analyze the content of your psyche and transform your personality before having a dream about it. The anchor has a positive meaning when it represents the end of your long studies about a certain matter; which is always related to your evolution.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.
Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com/
Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

online psychology course degree in psychology

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