MIND & BODY AFTER 50
Childhood Maltreatment
Recently I’ve noticed that many women scientists are investigating children's neglect & maltreatment. These scientists seem motivated by compassion, and they openly call for better prevention and treatment. They’re inviting us to fully understand the problem so that it can be changed. That motivation inspires their science.
Here’s more of their research findings:
About the Children
In science, child abuse/neglect is termed “adverse childhood experiences” [ACE], or “childhood maltreatment”. …
Continuing Effects of Childhood Maltreatment
Here's more from the science investigating childhood maltreatment. I respect all the feedback you've sent. This is a most important problem.
Some have written, recalling early abuse, loneliness. You say, “I just want to forget.”
Some wonder about recovery. “It was so long ago, what can I do now?”
Note: Scientists & clinicians use various labels/definitions: child ‘abuse’, ’trauma’, ‘childhood maltreatment’, ’childhood adverse experiences’, etc. For practical purposes, such labels are int…
Self-Care for Recovery from Childhood Trauma
As a human being, you have a remarkable capacity to heal and rebalance after trauma. This is your biological heritage, and it's also your psychological heritage.
You can intentionally 'cultivate' this healing -- you can decide to grow and recover from past injury.
Self-Care
In this message, we look at a lifestyle attitude that psychologists call 'self-care'. [Definition below.]
Self-care is part of psychological health -- when people are psychologically healthy, they just naturally practi…
Professional Help for Recovery from Childhood Trauma
Here's more practical information about childhood trauma. How professional help might contribute to recovery.
Over past decades, psychiatry and psychology have developed various ways to help people heal from the effects of earlier trauma. Research continues. Fortunately, the field of trauma recovery includes many sincere, dedicated professionals who have insight into the suffering of others. Many of them have recovered from trauma too!
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy, sometimes call…
Mindfulness & Positive States of Mind
Thank you for telling me about your experience of optimism. I'm smiling with you in this. We all appreciate our positive states of mind, don't we? It's such an important question. How can we support our happiness?
Even though outer problems may continue (they often do!), we want practical, realistic ways to develop positive states of mind from within. Self-care for our inner world.
But is that really possible? What is truly effective? How can we support our natural capacity for positive st…
Mindfulness is linked to Optimism!
Optimism has an important role in ‘mind-body’ medicine. Research shows optimism is a mind-state that can directly affect both physical and psychological well-being. For example, a doctor could rightly encourage her patient to develop a more optimistic attitude to protect the health of her heart -- or to extend her longevity.
Here’s a 2021 study that has more good news about optimism. It also shows that optimism is linked to mindfulness!
In 2020/21, psychologists from a Dutch university inte…
Too old to learn mindfulness?
Are you wondering if it's too late for you to learn mindfulness? I've been asked that many times during my years teaching MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction). Here's what I've seen.
Age is not an obstacle to mindfulness. In fact, some wise teachers say that happiness in ageing increases with mindfulness!
Curious? Please check out the video (4:40 min).
And see below a summary of research described in the video.
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“This article examines mental and physical …
Is poor sleep a cause for mental health problems?
Here's surprising new research published recently in 2021. It shows that poor sleep can be the cause of mental health problems!
This is a new perspective. Until recently, medical science usually considered a person’s poor sleep to be a part of their mental health problem. Poor sleep was a symptom, caused by the mental health problem.
But this study considers that poor sleep can sometimes be the cause of a mental health problem, not just a symptom.
That's extra significant because sleep an…
Your Amazing Brain!
Maiken Nedergaard is a charming Danish neuroscientist who has changed sleep science forever — and she has helped explain why Alzheimer’s disease is connected to poor sleep!
Your brain’s ‘glymphatic system’
In 2013, Dr. Nedergaard revealed her discovery of the ‘glymphatic system’ — your brain’s amazing system to cleanse itself during sleep.
Every night, during deepest sleep, the ‘astroglial’ cells of your brain actively shrink in size and arrange to form special channels that open wide. T…
How's Your Sleep?
Do you have sleep problems? If you’re saying ‘yes’, you’re certainly not alone!
Women often experience disturbed sleep during the perimenopausal years, and, by the age of 60, almost half say their sleep is a problem, at least from time to time.
Usually, this is just occasional sleeplessness — maybe caused by a work deadline, or a noisy neighbour, or a headache, or too much coffee, etc. etc. The woman feels tired, but, eventually her mind-body rebalances, and she’s back to regular restorati…