Psychology

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Depression As Genetic and Evolutionary Beneficial

If someone were to ask me about depression, or why it even exists in our society, I would have to state that it is probably has to do with human nature, and in that regard there must be some sort of genetic component, or reason why it came into existence. After all, I highly doubt that people wish to be depressed, or that depressed folks would have had the advantage of survival of the fittest to produce offspring, if feeling bad about yourself was the only reason for it. Okay so, let's talk about this for a moment because apparently there is scientific evidence now which would confirm such thinking.

There was an interesting article on the subject of depression in "Medical News Today" entitled; " Depression: Evolutionary Byproduct Of The Ability To Fight Infection?" The piece describes research done by Emory University and others (a video is available on YouTube). Specifically, these researchers have semi-concluded that inflammation is a key component in depression. They have lots of evidence for this, and it is an interesting finding, although it isn't completely proven as of yet.

Even though, I am one with a perpetual happy attitude, I've always been intrigued by the challenges that folks who are depressed face each and every day. I've noted that people who live in climates without much sunshine have a tendency to be more depressed than others and the suicide rates are higher too.

In my studies, I noted that raising the brain temperature 1-degree seems to cure feelings of depression. This would also correlate to the findings here, elevated temperatures, slightly help in reducing inflammation in the human bio-system, is that correct?

Now that we know this information how can we use it to our vantage? Okay so, how do we induce simulated inflammation to create stress in athletes and war fighters to have them kick-butt on the enemy? And also shouldn't we also then be treating criminals with anti-imflammatories to change behavior? And if we give anti-inflammatories to depressed artists, will we lose the creative side of their manic episodes, thus, losing their creative talents, or can we rather cause a new change in the person, creating a hypomanic superstar of humanity, many thoughts, intriguing.

If you are someone who suffers from depression, and you have noted when you are depressed, and those periods which you were not, I'd sure like to have you send me an e-mail so we can talk about it, and see if your episodes of depression could be explained away by these researchers findings. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Self Help Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

Saturday, June 9, 2012

The Meaning of Your Clothes in Dreams

The seriousness of the scientific dream translations and the importance of your dreams are proved by the fact that all mental illnesses can be cured through dream translation. The unconscious mind that produces your dreams works like a psychiatrist and psychologist. This means that the unconscious mind is a font of trustful information.

The unconscious words in dreams seem to be incomprehensible to your eyes because you ignore the unconscious logic, and you ignore the meaning of the most important dream symbols. When you'll learn the dream logic and the meaning of the basic dream symbols, you'll be able to understand the basic meaning of any dream.

The possibility to have lessons directly from the wise unconscious mind is an advantage that surpasses all the advantages you could have in life. The unconscious mind is God's mind. This is a scientific and religious truth that the under-developed modern civilization has to accept.

However, our civilization is atheistic and materialistic. Now that we can easily understand the meaning of dreams and have a direct communication with God through dream translation, the absurd modern civilization will come to an end because it is totally contrary to the truth. The formation of a new civilization will mark the human history.

Of course, this transformation will take time.

If you want to save time and surpass your historical time right now, you have to study the scientific method of dream interpretation for a while, or submit your dreams for a professional dream translation. Dream therapy is a magical solution that is not based on the mindset of the hypocritical world. You enter into contact with God. You learn the bitter truth. Then, you are transformed, and you become really superior; you become a wise human being.

The unconscious mind criticizes your attitude, giving you many clues, and helping you understand your mistakes. The poetical and philosophical dream language speaks to your heart.

I will give you an example, so that you may see how the unconscious mind sends you important messages in dreams. Here is a paragraph of a dream dreamt by a divorced woman:

'I wanted to try on a beautiful dark blue dress, but I didn't dare to try it on because it was so beautiful. Then, the man from work encouraged me to try it on. While I was starting to put the dress on, my ex-mother in law was watching me with disapproval, so I decided not to try the dress on, but promised myself that I would wear the dress no matter what anybody said. I've had several other dreams about this man.'

Dream Translation

'I wanted to try on a beautiful dark blue dress, but I didn't dare to try it on because it was so beautiful.'

The clothes you wear in dreams represent your social image. They represent what you show to the world about yourself.

The blue color represents understanding in dreams. You wanted to seem to be a person who understands how the man you love feels, but you were afraid to do so.

If you would wear the blue dress, then you would show him that you are a comprehensive person. You would show him that you understand his interest and that you are interested on a having a relationship with him too.

However, you are afraid to show him that you understand what is happening between you. You are polite but you are distant, without being friendly.

'Then, the man from work encouraged me to try it on.'

You have to tell me how you characterize this man so that I may understand what part of your personality he represents. He seems to be a positive part of your personality, which understands that you must help the man you love feel confident by showing him that you love him too, and you understand how he feels.

'While I was starting to put the dress on, my ex-mother in law was watching me with disapproval, so I decided not to try the dress on, but promised myself that I would wear the dress no matter what anybody said. I've had several other dreams about this man.'

The mother in dreams represents the wild and primitive side of the human conscience, which is totally absurd. If this was your mother she would represent a negative part of your personality that belongs to your wild side. Your ex-mother-in-law has a similar meaning, with the exception that since she is the mother of your ex-husband, this means that she represents the negative side of your husband's personality.

In other words, you are still afraid to show to another man that you want to have a love relationship with him because you are still afraid of the negative side of your husband's personality. You are afraid to face the same problems again in another relationship.

This is why you don't wear the blue dress that represents comprehension and understanding. You are afraid to show to the man you love that you want to have a relationship with him and you understand how he feels.

The fact that you had many dreams about him indicates that the unconscious mind is giving you information about him in your dreams. He is a very important person for you; he could be your perfect match. Your next dreams will give you more information about him.

The unconscious mind is very generous and it sends us many dreams about the person we love, especially before we have a relationship with them. You can learn many things about the man you love only for translating the meaning of your dreams. You should keep a dream journal and write down all your dreams. This is an important period of time for you.

As you can see, in a simple dream scene the main problem of this dreamer is clearly visible: she is afraid to show to the man she loves that she loves him too because she had traumatic experiences in her first marriage. She is afraid to face similar problems again. So, she doesn't have the self-confident behavior she should have in order to encourage this man to approach her.

This is a part of a long dream, but I'm not allowed to publish the entire dream. I'm only giving you a lesson in order to show you how the unconscious mind opens the dreamer's eyes.

The unconscious mind speaks with images and scenes. This way, it shows many things at the same time to all dreamers.

The same way that the unconscious mind showed to this dreamer that she is not helping the man she loves in any way, the unconscious mind will help you learn how to successfully solve your problems.

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!).

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Dream Interpretation - The Meaning of Dreams About Children

All dreams basically work like psychotherapy because you have to transform your wild nature into human nature. This is why you have many behavioral lessons and numerous explanations about all matters.

The unconscious mind that produces your dreams helps you participate of your psychotherapy and understand what is happening to you. You understand how your brain works and what influences your behavior.

The scientific dream translations help you feel safe because you understand the wise messages of the unconscious mind. You have an internal vision of what is happening in your brain. You understand how you can control your behavior and become strong. You also understand that the information you have is true and fits with many other factors.

For example, when you have dreams about children you ignore or about children you know but who are not your own children, they represent various immature parts of your own personality. If you are an adult, a dream about children is a warning. The children who appeared in your dream are parts of your own personality that didn't evolve with time. This means that your behavior is immature in many ways.

After having a dream about children, you will understand your immaturity and pay attention to your reactions. You'll stop acting like a child.

Then, you'll have a positive dream about intelligent and sensitive people who have helped you in life. These people represent parts of your personality that are intelligent and sensitive like them.

If after having a dream with a negative meaning you have a dream about the same topic with a positive meaning, this means that you are evolving.

Your progress is visible because you see mature and positive people in your second dream. This means that you stopped being immature like you used to be when you had the dream about children. You understood that you have to be serious in order to be respected. You also understood that you must always be very careful and pay attention to all dangers. Now you are not a child.

The wise unconscious mind always shows you the truth in your dreams. You are cured from a mental illness, or you learn how to prevent a mental illness thanks to the unconscious guidance. You learn how to pay attention to all dangers, and how to avoid what is bad.

The unconscious mind is your natural protector. You also learn how to avoid diseases, accidents, and other misfortunes.

You verify that you are always protected thanks to the unconscious guidance because you are saved from trouble numerous times. You recognize your salvation when you see many unexpected problems happening in your reality, and you remember that you could avoid being in a bad situation only because you had a dream warning about this matter. The unconscious mind doesn't let you fall into hidden traps.

You can trust the information you have in dreams more than you can trust any information that comes from ignorant and selfish human minds. Your safety is guaranteed because the unconscious mind is your natural protector.

Now, let me tell you the meaning that your own children have in dreams. Your children represent your moral image.

Your moral image is the image you give to the world about who you are. This image shows to the world if you respect your moral principals or not; it reflects your attitude before life's challenges.

The people who appear in your dreams, as well as the animals and objects you see in a dream have a symbolic meaning. Unknown children represent immature parts of your personality. Your own children represent your moral image. Your house represents your psyche. Your car represents your life. You have to learn the meaning of the dream symbols and understand the dream logic in order to translate the meaning of a dream.

This is a simple matter now that I continued Jung's research, clarifying all the obscure points in his work. Today you have a road map with a big cross showing you exactly where you'll find the treasure of wisdom.

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

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

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Are You a Slave of Your Dangerous Ego?

You are always trying to please your ego, even though its desires are mainly absurd. You need an internal vision of your brain and psyche and many behavioral lessons in order to understand that your adored ego is in fact very dangerous. The unconscious mind produces your dreams in order to give you the vision you need, so that you may understand your reality.

Your ego is in fact your worst enemy.

Your ego controls your behavior when you have a strong human conscience. It is the central component of your personality. However, your personality is composed by numerous other parts. Your ego is only one important part of yourself. Your ego should be your best friend because it is the center of your human conscience.

However, your human conscience is one-sided and under-developed. It works based on only one psychological function and it has an attitude introverted or extroverted. Thus, your poor human conscience is idiotic. You must develop your human conscience by acquiring consciousness. This means that you must discover the existence of numerous different components of your personality, which you don't know, but belong to your personality.

Your psychological functions are: thoughts, feelings, sensations, and intuition. Only one of these four functions is completely developed in your human conscience. Another one is half-developed. However, the half-developed one cannot be totally opposite to your main psychological function.

Therefore, if your main psychological type (introverted or extroverted) is based on thoughts, your second half-developed psychological function cannot be your feelings, which are totally opposite of thoughts. The same way, if you belong to a psychological type based on feelings, your second half-developed psychological function cannot be your thoughts.

So, if you belong to a psychological type based on thoughts or based on feelings, your second half-developed psychological function can be your sensations, or your intuition.

If you belong to a psychological type based on sensations, your second half-developed psychological function cannot be your intuition, which is totally opposite from your sensations. The same way, if your main psychological function is intuition, your second half-developed psychological function cannot be based on sensations.

Therefore, if you belong to a psychological type based on sensations or intuition, your second half-developed psychological function will be based on thoughts or feelings.

The psychological functions that are not working in your human conscience, are working in your wild conscience, the anti-conscience, which is your animal personality. The anti-conscience is an evil animal like a shark. However, it can think and prepare many logical traps for your conscience.

Since you are idiotic because you work based on only one psychological function and you somehow use another psychological function only sometimes when you try to solve your problems, you are an easy victim for your terrible anti-conscience. It uses many tricks in order to imprison your conscience into the labyrinth of craziness.

Your anti-conscience is constantly trying to make you accept doing what is bad, showing you that this way you'll have many advantages. This is a trick. The anti-conscience pretends to be your helper, while it is in fact a murderer. It wants to kill your human conscience through craziness, and control your behavior in the place of your ego.

Your idiotic ego easily believes in the false promises of your anti-conscience, which pretends to be yourself.

Your anti-conscience gives you a second, wild personality, composed by many absurd tendencies. When your ego follows the absurd ideas of your anti-conscience, accepting its suggestions as if they could help you achieve your goals, you gradually lose your mind. This means that you become crazy, without understanding what is happening to you.

You cannot perceive your own absurdity. This way, your anti-conscience manages to generate a mental illness within your conscience, while you believe that you are a 'normal' person.

The absurd components of your personality keep pressuring your ego and demanding a superior position for its image. Your ego is an idol, or better saying, a puppet manipulated by your evil anti-conscience.

If you want to find safe freedom on Earth, you must get rid of your absurd ego and learn how to be humble, without letting your anti-conscience use your ego to destroy your human conscience. Humbleness means wisdom and balance. Your ego is merely a false idol.

Your personality must be controlled by the unconscious wisdom, and not by your evil anti-conscience, or by your one-sided and under-developed human conscience. When you'll manage to transform your anti-conscience into a positive component of your conscience through consciousness, you'll be able to make your decisions alone, without depending on the unconscious guidance. You'll become wise.

However, until you'll manage to completely develop all your psychological functions through dream therapy, you must eliminate your dangerous ego and obey the unconscious guidance. If you keep making mistakes because you are lazy and you don't think about the consequences of your actions you cannot be cured from a mental illness, or prevent a mental disorder.

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

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

Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Psychotherapy of The Unconscious Mind and Extroverted Psychological Types

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.

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

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

Friday, May 25, 2012

Information About All Matters in Dreams

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.

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

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

A Different Dimension Behind Dreams

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.

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

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

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Is Violence Really Declining?

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.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Defense And Adaptive Mechanisms Of The Dissociation

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
http://www.freud-sigmund.com/

Friday, May 18, 2012

Practical Counselling: Focus on Fixing the Broken

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.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Are We An Empathic Civilization?

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.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Abnormal Psychology: Definition and Treatments

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

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Dream Interpretation - Walking and Leaping in Dreams

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.

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

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

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Self Reliance

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/

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Dysfunctional Families: The Abusive Family

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.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Why Did You Have a Nightmare? Find Out The Truth

Nightmares are serious alarms that help you prevent sad situations or tragic events. If you had a nightmare, you must find out which mistake you are making and stop doing what could have a negative consequence. The unconscious mind helps you understand the truth and correct your mistakes.

Write down all your dreams in a dream journal and translate their meaning according to the scientific method of dream interpretation. The unconscious mind sends you dreams with explanations and solutions for your problems, the same way it sends you nightmares in order to open your eyes.

I can translate your dreams for you if you cannot study the dream language, even though I greatly simplified Carl Jung's method of dream interpretation. You can also become a professional dream translator by following my steps.

The scientific translations help you understand why you are in a dangerous situation and what you have to do in order to be safe. For example, if you have a nightmare about falling down very fast in an elevator this means that your actions are putting your mental stability in great danger.

Perhaps you have relationships with dishonest people, or you are accepting the absurdity of your wild tendencies. Therefore, you are going too fast to the region of the anti-conscience, which is your wild conscience that didn't evolve like your human conscience.

Going down by elevator in dreams indicates great danger, even when you are not going down too fast. Your absurd anti-conscience is at the bottom of your psyche and will imprison your ego into the labyrinth of craziness when you'll suddenly arrive there. You must go down very carefully in dreams; always by stairs and never by elevator.

Whenever you have dreams about going down by elevator this always means that you are in a dangerous situation.

If you are going up by elevator, this fact also has a negative meaning in dreams, even though going up is not as dangerous as going down. When you go up by elevator in a dream this means that the content of the bottom of your psyche goes to the surface of your conscience very fast. This means that this absurd content will unexpectedly control your behavior.

When you dream about people chasing you everywhere and various dangerous situations from which you have to escape, this means that you are running from your absurd anti-conscience, and trying to avoid its absurdity. Your anti-conscience is constantly attacking your human conscience.

You represent your ego in dreams. Your ego controls your behavior and is the center of your human conscience. It is an important component of your personality, but it is only a part. Many other components of your personality are influencing your behavior all the time.

The negative components of your personality that are not conscious and belong to your anti-conscience appear as enemies chasing you in your dreams. These parts of your personality are trying to take the place of your ego and control your behavior.

Dreams about a spider indicate that you must take action before having to face serious problems. If you won't do something now, you'll regret not having done something to change your destiny when you had the chance to prevent various negative consequences.

All nightmares are warnings. You must stop doing what is bad for you, or you have to do something important that you want to avoid. Many times you do what is dangerous and will put you in trouble because you listen to the absurd suggestions of your anti-conscience. Other times you have idiotic reactions before dangerous situations because you don't pay attention to the bad possibilities that are threatening your future.

A nightmare always shows you what your sneaky anti-conscience is doing against your human conscience to help you prevent a tragic situation that will put your mental health in great danger. It also shows you the bad intentions of those who are around you and many other invisible dangers.

This means that your nightmares naturally protect your safety. They help you understand that there is something wrong in your psychological system or in your daily life. You have to pay attention to their importance instead of thinking that 'dreams are just dreams'. All dreams contain very important messages that save your 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 accurately 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!).

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Job Outlook For Social Workers

Most areas of social work employment are predicted to increase significantly over the next five to seven years. Some geographical considerations also impact job projections. Current estimates are that for the years between 2008 and 2018 the field will enjoy a 16% expansion of employment. This expansion is considerably higher than that of most other occupations.

Growing Population Of The Elderly

The job outlook for social workers entering the field of gerontological social work is especially good since the population of aging baby boomers will mean a larger demand for social services and health related care. Both public and private demand for social workers dedicated to this population will increase as the population needing this service expands.

Mental Health And Substance Abuse

One of the largest areas of growth in the social work field is predicted to be in the area of mental health and substance abuse. Experts are predicting nearly a 20% expansion of employment in this area of social work. Workers choosing this specialty will see employment opportunities in correctional facilities and in treatment of those released from correctional facilities as conditions of either parole or probation. Private treatment programs are also forecast to see a significant upswing in employment.

Child And Family

Experts predict around a 12% increase in social work positions involving child, home and family services. These workers investigate child abuse cases and are tasked with keeping children safe and placing them in protective and foster care among other duties. Keep in mind, however, that these positions are almost exclusively government funded. A precarious economy and lack of funding could change this prediction of expanded growth.

Public Health And Medical

The job outlook for social workers in the field of medical and public health is excellent. An estimated 22% increase is expected. This area dovetails into the realm of the gerontological social workers since medical and health care services for the aging baby-boomer population is expected to increase dramatically. Both public and private sectors should show significant growth. Private and partially publicly funded assisted-living centers and senior communities will allow for ample employment in the years to come.

Geography

Although a healthy expansion of the social work market is expected, some areas will offer more opportunity than others. The job outlook for social workers in rural areas will be the highest due to lack of competition and the unavailability of training centers that are more common to high density urban areas.

Conclusion

Prospects look particularly good in the field of social work in the near future. All areas are predicted to expand so it's a safe bet heading into this field. Geographical areas and possible public funding cuts are wild cards to keep an eye on.

Monday, April 23, 2012

What Are Dissociative Disorders?

A dissociative disorder can manifest itself in many different ways, but is most often seen as an individual's interruption or dissociation with the routine of waking consciousness. Someone who suffers from this type of disorder may lose sight of his or her own identity and personal history, which in the most extreme cases was once known as "multiple personality disorder." People with dissociative disorders have typically gone through a trauma in their life that sparked the sudden and intermittent loss of identity or history. The brain may dissociate from reality as a coping mechanism to avoid integrating the memory of that experience with the person's conscious identity.

Symptoms of Dissociative Disorders

One very distinct type of dissociative disorder is dissociative amnesia, in which the brain blocks out specific information or memories, typically when an acutely traumatic event has occurred. It can be localized, in which case the individual has no recollection of the stressful event for a stretch of time, such as a person who doesn't remember a car accident until several days later. It can also be selective, in which case the individual doesn't recall certain events that took place during a given time period but remembers other events from the same time period. For example, a person who was abused may not remember the actual trauma but will recall the rest of his or her life from that time. It may be systemized, as well, in which case the individual loses all the information from a certain category, such as the memories of one friend, relative or partner. Dissociative amnesia can also be generalized, in which case the individual fails to recall his or her whole life.

Other types of dissociative disorder include dissociative fugue, which is a rare variety in which the individual suddenly becomes confused about his or her identity and takes off on a long journey. Depersonalization disorder is another variety, which manifests itself when the individual feels detached from his or her body, experiences and sense of self. And then there is dissociative identity disorder, which is sometimes called multiple personality disorder, and is marked by distinct identities that appear regularly.

Treatment

The symptoms of dissociative disorders may be similar to those of obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder or other types of mental illness, but there are certain traits that make this type of disorder unique. The treatments, however, may sometimes be similar. The individual who is experiencing dissociative disorder will typically need psychotherapy and/or a combination of prescription drugs and psychosocial treatment.

Search for top colleges for psychology? Visit PsychologySchoolsU.com to find out best psychology schools in your nearby locations in United States and Canada. Visit site and browse detailed information about various psychology programs offering by top colleges. Choose best college and program for you and start your path to a rewarding career.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Are We Headed Toward Win-Win?

The most commonly played games are described in terms of game-theory as "zero-sum." In other words, the game offers a finite reward and to the extent that one player benefits, the other player or players suffer. The reward may be regarded as a pie: if one person receives a bigger slice, all the others receive smaller.

In the past, human interaction has often been viewed as a zero-sum game. If you get the choicest pieces of a slain beast, I do not. If my tribe gains control of a watering hole, we gain and everyone else loses. Territorial wars on a global scale follow the same format: i

Yet human interaction does not have to be defined this way. Division of labor, for example, can produce a non-zero-sum result, whether it be in agriculture or in manufacturing. Individuals joined in a band can exert greater power than operating alone.

Robert Wright, in his book Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny (New York: Random House, 2000), studies the growth of "non-zero-ness" in human affairs and observes that "as history progresses, human beings find themselves playing non-zero-sum games with more and more other human beings."

The growth of technology contributes to the increase in non-zero-sum interactions. The invention of printing and the resulting dissemination of ideas greatly expanded the compass of an individual world-view. Improvements in transportation during the industrial revolution made possible commerce on a much broader scale. Today globalization has been accepted as a fact of life in every realm. "Improvement in the transport and processing of matter; improvement in the transport and processing of energy; improvement in the transport and processing of information: all foster the growth of non-zero-sumness."

The increasing complexity that characterizes human interaction can also be seen as a fundamental principle of biological evolution. When we look at the chain of life from the single-celled amoeba or paramecium to the simplest plant and animal forms to the primates we observe a constant increase in complexity.

Wright dares to pose the question of a purpose behind evolution and offers the tentative conclusion that "a strictly empirical analysis of both organic and cultural evolution reveals a world with direction-a direction suggestive of purpose, even (faintly) suggestive of benign purpose."

A simple view of human strife in today's world would portray it as a zero-sum game: either the rebels win or the dictatorship wins; every vote cast for one party in an election is a vote not received by the opposing party. Yet a larger perspective, taking in the entire history of human evolution, suggests an increase in non-zero-sumness and a resulting betterment of the human condition.

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 copies of the Wilson Counselling Associates newsletter, which deals with some of the topics that most commonly arise in psychotherapy.