Posted in brain and mind on Nov 4th, 2010
Most of us remember dreaming, but few of us may remember full dreams, or even bother writing them down. At first sight they seem bizarre, confusing, nonsensical and irrational. We may tend to dismiss them as they don’t fit our idea of a narrative with a logical development that has a beginning, a middle and [...]
Posted in brain and mind, stress management on Sep 23rd, 2010
A lot of new studies have been published recently about the value of exercise for physical and mental health.
We had known for some time about the value of endorphins, hormone-like substances that are released in the body when we exercise. Endorphins are natural opiates that give us a feeling of euphoria and well being. This [...]
Posted in brain and mind on Aug 10th, 2010
The sixth of August marked the 65th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped by the Americans on the city of Hiroshima, in Japan. Yesterday, August ninth, was the 65th anniversary of the second atomic bomb dropped by the Americans in Japan, this time on the city of Nagasaki.
Without getting into a political or moral discussion [...]
Posted in brain and mind, stress management on Aug 3rd, 2010
Who doesn’t like vacations? We all love and look forward to them with eagerness and excitement. Planning and anticipating them, seeing new places, going on new adventures, doing different things than what we do regularly are very appealing. Aside from the enjoyment, however, is there other value in taking time off from our regular schedules [...]
Posted in brain and mind, stress management on Jul 27th, 2010
In the previous blog post, I discussed the daily routines that anchor us to the present, making us feel alive and creating a sense of continuity in our lives. These routines, which make us feel good when we are in a healthy place, however, take on a completely different connotation when we are in distress.
When [...]
Posted in brain and mind, communication on Jul 8th, 2010
We tend to ignore or take for granted the little things we do every day, those familiar rituals like making coffee in the morning, taking a shower, listening to the sounds of the house as it wakes up with us, or opening the windows to let the new day in.
Our minds seem to be focused [...]
Posted in brain and mind, communication, intimacy, marital affair on Jul 3rd, 2010
It is important to remember that in most cases affairs are symptoms of something deeper that is going on in intimate relationships, of which couples may not have been aware. And here is where I can see the silver lining. The affair is such a shocking event in their lives that couples cannot ignore it, [...]
Posted in love relationship, marital affair on Jun 24th, 2010
We all know the evils of infidelity. In previous blogs I wrote about them, citing statistics, characteristics of who is most likely to cheat, and what can be done to address these issues.
Here I want to approach this subject from a different perspective: infidelity as an alarm system about the state of the relationship, and [...]
Posted in brain and mind on Jun 2nd, 2010
Boundaries define where we end and other people begin, both physically and emotionally. Psychologically, they define a space we see as our own, separate from other people. When we are in love or feel very close to another person through friendship, collaboration, or special circumstances, boundaries may get blurred, as we see ourselves not as [...]
Posted in brain and mind, stress management on May 21st, 2010
In previous blogs, the various consequences of the current economic recession were discussed: a few months ago I talked about how relationships are affected by this serious economic downturn, and how people are affected by losing their homes. Most recently I discussed the psychological impact of having to move back home and having to borrow [...]
