From The Atlantic: Science says lasting relationships come down to—you guessed it—kindness and generosity.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/happily-ever-after/372573/?utm_source=atlfb
Epigenetics: Can Trauma be Passed on Through Genes? →
A research team at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York has shown that Holocaust survivors are capable of passing down genetic changes stemming from the trauma they've suffered to their children. This could have big implications for what kind of temperament we inherit from our ancestors, and what our children inherit from us. Read the story
What truly makes us happy?
In this TED talk, psychiatrist Robert Waldinger describes the results of a study he directs at Harvard where they have tracked over 700 men for 75 years to find out what actually makes us happy. Not surprisingly, what they found is that good relationships keep us happy, and healthier. People who are more socially connected, they have found, are happier, physically healthier, and live longer. People who are more isolated than they want to be find they are less happy and their health declines earlier. Also, Waldinger says, it's not just the number of relationships, but the quality of relationships that matter. He reminds us that while we would all like a quick fix for happiness, relationships can be messy and take work, but it's that work that can make for a rewarding life.
Wedding Support!
Planning a wedding and preparing to get married can be an incredibly special and exciting time in an individual's and a couple's life. And if you're engaged and you pay attention to social media, Pinterest, wedding blogs, etc. (as it's hard not to), then it might look like everyone else who has ever been engaged or planned a wedding had an incredible time, the perfect celebration and loads of support. And perhaps some people really do have that experience for the most part.
The truth is, though, that planning a wedding and getting married is a time of major transition, and can easily highlight relationship difficulties, body image problems, family disappointments, and financial stresses. Navigating some of those issues would be difficult enough in and of themselves, but they greatly intensify when one or more of those things gets triggered while you're trying to plan and pay for a wedding, look and feel your best, please the important people around you, maintain the integrity of the relationship you have with your partner and perhaps even plan a honeymoon. Not to mention, sometimes the people you expect to support you are not able to give you what you need, creating a sense of disappointment and loss during a very important time. I often hear people say, "this was supposed to be the most exciting time in my life" or "I just thought I would be a lot happier." It's not unusual to have that experience, even if you are beyond excited to marry your partner.
In therapy, we talk about how to obtain support, how to set boundaries, prioritizing what's most important to you, and processing the many complicated feelings that one experiences during this important life transition. We might also look for ways to find joy and meaning throughout this wonderful, intense, emotional process.
Written by Lauren Harb, Psy.D.
Dear Google, Is There A Shrink For That? →
Dr. Shubert was quoted in this recent New York Times article on niche therapies talking about the importance of the relationship in psychotherapy. While specializations are important, ultimately it's the therapeutic relationship that heals.
Transference
Here's a cute and clear video explaining the concept of transference - the idea that we transfer what we learned from our past relationships on to our current ones. "Working through" transference is a major part of psychotherapy because it helps us make decisions based on what's actually happening now, rather than what might have happened in the past.
A New History of Autism
While awareness of Autism and its broad spectrum has increased in the past decade, the road to understanding this diagnosis has been long and bumpy for clinicians and most importantly those directly impacted. There is now a general consensus that autism is rooted in neurological and chemical processes in addition to a possible genetic component. In this New Yorker article, Steven Shapin provides a history of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) from it's highly controversial causes to the development of ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) therapy. Ultimately, Shapin challenges the reader to think beyond the "spectrum" labels, pathology, and disability.
What is social anxiety?
Social anxiety is one of the most common disorders in our country - at some point in their lives, 13 out of 100 people will meet the criteria for social anxiety disorder. But what is it?
While most of us get a bit anxious walking in to a full room, social anxiety becomes problematic when our normal need to be accepted goes a bit haywire and our fear of rejection takes over, causing panic and reclusion.
Here is a link to an interview with Stefan G. Hofmann, the director of the Social Anxiety Program at Boston University, in which Hofmann describes more about the disorder and how to treat it:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/what-is-social-anxiety/411556/
Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates' latest book, Between the World and Me, National Book Award winner, is a raw, beautiful, and powerful letter from Coates to his fifteen year old son. Coates' narrative offers a profound description of what its like to be a black man in America today; he describes feelings of powerless and rage that all of us can relate to, but that some of us have to contend with more than others on an every day basis. His honestly about his experience as a man and as a father is refreshing; yet in the truths he exposes so plainly, we are put in touch with a system in America that has been and is still painfully unjust. The humanity and art with which he describes all of this to us is touching.
We also recommend the audiobook, which he reads himself. Here is a link to an article from Slate which describes the book well:
Dan Siegel's Hand Model, for children and parents!
Dan Siegel, Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, describes his "hand" model of the brain - an easy way for parents and children to understand how the emotional hind brain sometimes loses it's ally in the rational front brain when we get "triggered." Just noticing it when it happens can help restore our emotional balance.
Source: http://drdansiegel.com/
You Can Grow New Brain Cells. Here's How. →
Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? In this TED talk, Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis—improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.
Attachment Theory →
Attachment Theory is one of the most researched psychological theories. Here is a basic overview of the attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant) that most people seem to fall in to. Interestingly, there's a strong correlation between our style as children and as adults. Keep in mind that while humans love to categorize, in real life these styles are more complex than they're laid out here, and they can change from relationship to relationship..
What Emotions Are (And Aren't) →
It seems intuitive in a way, but Lisa Feldman Barrett, a psychology professor at Northwestern, explains in this New York Times article why emotions are a lot more complex than we thought:
