Monthly Archives: November 2011

The Neuroscience of

It scares us to feel disconnected from those we love; yet it also scares us when the other does not see, and value, who we are and the unique contributions we yearn to bring to life and key relationships. Upsetting emotions, when not regulated, release high levels of stress hormones in the body.

Like other parts of the nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system operates through a series of interconnected neurons. Fortunately, it works in complementary fashion, as a team and not opposition, with the parasympathetic nervous system.

Whereas the sympathetic is an instant response that prepares you to have extraordinary strength to fight or flee, and the parasympathetic nervous system, in contrast, is a gradual response that restores a relative balance to the energies of your body and mind. We can learn to regular anger and fear in ways that we calm our mind and body.

The gift of listening to one another for understanding, when applied skillfully, is one of the most powerful regulators of fear.

via blogs.psychcentral.com

For more information about counseling and psychology, check out my site at RMarcAndrews.com

Posted via email from rmarcandrews’s posterous

5 Ways Positive Psychology Can Improve the Workplace | Adventures in Positive Psychology

There are many organizations and small businesses out there that recognize the value of multiple bottom lines beyond simply profit. Building an inspiring work culture and investing in the health and development of their people is an additional priority for long-term business success.

Research supports that certain positive psychological outcomes relate to greater organizational outcomes. Positive emotions and related processes can lead to greater motivation, fulfillment with work, and the ability to cope with stress and uncertainty.

via blogs.psychcentral.com

Take a look at how there tools may help you
1) Strengths, virtues, and self-determination
2) Emotional intelligence
3) Psychological capital and positive organizational behavior
4) Level of innovation and change
5) The virtuous organization

For more information about counseling and psychology, check out my site at RMarcAndrews.com

Posted via email from rmarcandrews’s posterous

Unlocking the Beneficial Components of Mindfulness Meditation | Psych Central News

mindfulness has four key components that may account for its effects: attention regulation, body awareness, emotion regulation, and sense of self.

Together, these components help us attend to and deal with the mental and physiological effects of stress in ways that are non-judgmental, researchers said. Although the components are unique, they are closely intertwined.

For example, improvement in attention regulation may help us be aware of our physiological state while body awareness, in turn, helps us to recognize the emotions we are experiencing.

A better understanding of the relationships between these components, and the brain mechanisms that underlie them, will allow clinicians to better prescribe mindfulness interventions for their patients.

H

Seasonal Depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder) Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

There are two seasonal patterns with SAD. One starts in the fall and continues through the winter, and the other starts in late spring or early summer. The fall-onset type of SAD, often referred to as “winter depression,” is better known and easier to recognize — and we know more about it than we know about its counterpart.

via webmd.com

The fall is a great time of year in Portland. We begin to move from the sometimes frantic pace of summer