Self Development

Is Our Aversion To Pain Killing Us?

The sad and untimely loss of Whitney Houston is yet another highly publicized death that called into question the abuse of prescription drugs. Tragic episodes like this may be making the news because of their high-profile victims, but they also direct our attention to a growing epidemic in the United States. A 2011 report from… Read more »

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Thy Food Shall Be Thy Medicine

Anyone who has worked with people with addictions and particularly challenging mental health issues, such as eating disorders – if he or she is being honest – will tell you that frustration is a familiar companion on the journey to recovery…or relapse, as the case may often be. This frustration arises when you and your… Read more »

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Mental Health Professionals React to U.S. Abuse of Prescription Drugs

With a 2011 Centers for Disease Control report showing U.S. overdoses of prescription painkillers to have more than tripled in the past 20 years, mental health non-profit The Glendon Association is encouraging Americans to face their emotions drug-free The tragic loss of Whitney Houston was yet another highly publicized death resulting from prescription drug overdose…. Read more »

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A New Slant on Vulnerability: Courage Not Conformity

This blog contains excerpts from an interview with Dr. Robert Firestone by Fred Branfman, political activist and author of Voices from the Plain of Jars. Part II Fred Branfman: When most people think of the word “courage,” they think of people who fight wars, jump out of airplanes, do cross-country skiing, extreme sports. What do… Read more »

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On Being Vulnerable: Part I

[This blog contains excerpts from an interview with Dr. Robert Firestone by Fred Branfman, political activist and author of Voices from the Plain of Jars] Vulnerable: “A weak position, defenseless, helpless, exposed, at risk, in danger” Fred Branfman: In our culture the idea of being vulnerable is associated with being fearful, anxious, and weak. For… Read more »

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7 Important Milestones in the History of Psychiatry

By today’s standards, psychiatry is a relatively new science with much left to be explored. But did you know that its origins can be traced back to thousands of years ago? To prove it, we have collected seven important milestones in the history of psychiatry. 1 . Aristotle – The famous Greek philosopher was well… Read more »

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Changing Your Body Image Once and for All

I recently took my 10-year-old niece and her cousin shopping for new dresses. As they tried on clothes, my niece commented, “Nothing looks good on me; Sabrina looks good in everything.” It surprised me to observe such a young girl expressing such a poor body image and comparing herself unfavorably to her cousin. And yet,… Read more »

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Silence the Inner Voice That’s Stressing You Out

Millions of Americans struggle with unhealthy levels of stress. Stress isn’t just destructive to our mental health but to our physical health as well. It weakens our immune systems and contributes to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and other illnesses. These facts are important, but reading about them, or even relaying them, admittedly makes… Read more »

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How to Begin Again: From Wounds to Wisdom

We love the New Year because it gives a clean slate on which we can rewrite our future, if not our past. Our commitment to resolutions for change is often lofty, and filled with unreasonable expectations, and we have little understanding for our defeat when we fall off our new vision for ourselves. We often… Read more »

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The Unselfish Gift of Going on a Retreat

As any of you still shopping for that perfect present for that certain someone knows, this time of year is designed for thinking about others. Thoughts of getting away or doing something for yourself seem, at best, foreign and, at worst, selfish. Odd as it may seem, taking real, quality time to “escape” from your… Read more »

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