The Safety Drug
From ScienceDaily: Drug Induces a Memory of Safety in Rat Brains.
Researchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training. The finding suggests possibilities for new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.
Kabat-Zinn at Google
Did some surfing around, found more free mindfulness mp3s, linked at the bottom of this site’s mindfulness page. Also came across this, mindfulness guru Jon Kabat-Zinn speaking at Google–first explaining, then demonstrating the practice. So, if you’ve got an hour-twelve to spare…
Meditation v. Pain
From PsychCentral: Habitual Meditation Reduces Pain Perception.
“…Meditation trains the brain to be more present-focused and therefore to spend less time anticipating future negative events. This may be why meditation is effective at reducing the recurrence of depression, which makes chronic pain considerably worse.”
Mindful Meditations
As posted by the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. Nice, quick, lo-fi doses of calm and awareness.
5 minute Breathing Meditation
12 minute Breath, Sound, Body Meditation
19 minute Complete Meditation Instructions
7 minute Meditation for Working with Difficulties
9:30 minute Loving Kindness Meditation
3 minute short Body and Sound meditation.
3 minute short Loving Kindness meditation.
Dating, Sex, and Herpes
Dating, Sex, and Herpes, a Q&A at the NYT with Dr. Peter Leone. Starts this way:
Can you have herpes but never even know it? Can the herpes simplex virus spread even if you don’t have symptoms? And how do you navigate the maze of sex and dating when you know you are infected with herpes?
Free CBT in L.A.
A free CBT clinic launches this Sunday at SCCC. The flyer:
FREE Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Consultation Clinic
The Southern California Counseling Center
5615 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 937-1344
Come receive a one-time FREE CBT consultation and education from experienced mental health counselors!
CBT is a highly effective type of mental health treatment that helps people who suffer from:
Depression, anxiety disorders (such as panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder), low self-esteem, family/marital/relationship problems, grief and loss, and many other issues.
CBT helps people develop hands-on therapeutic skills to improve the quality of their lives. It helps to elevate daily functioning by reducing stress, improving mood, assisting with communication skills, anger management skills and in raising self-esteem.
The CBT Clinic will offer one-time No-Cost Cognitive Behavioral Therapy consultations at the Southern California Counseling Center on the first Sunday of every month starting on:
Sunday, June 6th, 2010 from 2pm to 7pm.
The service is offered on a “first-come-first-serve” basis. No prior appointment is required. Simply come to the Southern California Counseling Center at the above address and sign up for a free consultation session. We hope to see you there.
Your Pets, Your Relationship
June 2, 2010 No CommentsCan Pets Improve Your Relationship? PsychCentral article, summed up at the Well Blog this way:
Do you greet each other with excitement, overlook each other’s flaws and easily forgive bad behavior? If it’s your pet, the answer is probably yes. But your spouse? Probably not.
How Acupuncture Works
June 2, 2010 No CommentsFor pain, it’s the adenosine:
Once scientists recognized adenosine’s role, the team explored the effects of a cancer drug called deoxycoformycin, which makes it harder for the tissue to remove adenosine. The compound boosted the effects of acupuncture treatment dramatically, nearly tripling the accumulation of adenosine in the muscles and more than tripling the length of time the treatment was effective.
Therapy Works, but…
June 1, 2010 No CommentsHeadlines (same survey) tell a story: Talk therapy as good as antidepressants. But Americans prefer drugs for depression. Go figure.
Take a Nap
June 1, 2010 No CommentsSara Mednick, PhD wants you to take a nap. She wrote a book about it (Take a Nap, Change Your Life). No, you don’t have to stop at 20 minutes:
Research shows longer naps help boost memory and enhance creativity. Slow-wave sleep — napping for approximately 30 to 60 minutes — is good for decision-making skills, such as memorizing vocabulary or recalling directions. Getting rapid eye movement or REM sleep, usually 60 to 90 minutes of napping, plays a key role in making new connections in the brain and solving creative problems.