People who are easily distressed and have more negative emotions are more likely to develop memory problems than more easygoing people, according to a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center published in the June 12 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

In the study, those who most often experience negative emotions such as depression and anxiety were 40 percent more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who were least prone to negative emotions. Mild cognitive impairment is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia. People with mild cognitive impairment have mild memory or cognitive problems, but have no significant disability.

Read the rest of this entry »

The best resolution to guilt is ACTION – some kind of action that mitigates or helps redeem us from our transgression.

I have always felt that guilt, far from being the “bad guy” of the new age, plays a vital role in the regulation of social behavior. That feeling in your gut often serves as the impetus for a stab at redemption.

Psychologists have trouble agreeing on the function of this complex emotion. On one hand, the punitive feeling of guilt may keep you from repeating the same transgressive behavior in the future, which psychologists call “withdrawal motivation.” Conversely, some researchers view the function of guilt in a societal context, in that it keeps people’s behavior in line with the moral standards of their community. This view emphasizes a more positive emotional experience and is associated with “approach motivation.”

In a study appearing in Psychological Science, published by the Association for Psychological Science, New York University psychologist, David M. Amodio, and his colleagues, Patricia G. Devine, and Eddie Harmon-Jones, sought to bring some understanding to this complex issue. The researchers believe that guilt is initially associated with withdrawal motivation, which then transforms into approach-motivated behavior when an opportunity for reparation presents itself. Furthermore, the researchers sought to test these questions about the functions guilt plays in the context of reducing racial prejudice.

Read the rest of this entry »

The space around our bodies is simply made for communication and perception.

Scientists Tamar R. Makin, Meytal Wilf, and Ehud Zohary from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem along with Isabella Schwartz from Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem wanted to investigate how hand amputations affect visuospatial perception in near space. Through a series of ingenious experiments, they discovered, “…that the possibility for action in near space shapes our perception – the space near our hands is really special, and our ability to move in that space affects how we perceive it.”

Another study, this time by researchers from Colgate University and Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands) revealed something NLP practitioners have known for some time: that congruent action and verbiage communicates messages far better than when there is incongruent action or speech.

The space around our bodies is simply made for communication and perception. When we move our hands, especially, in this space we affect perception – our own and others’. Science is just now showing us that the intuition and understanding of many NLP practitioners and teachers has some validity in fact.

When you shake your head and answer yes, your perception as well as the perception of others you are attempting to communicate with will feel confused and your message will probably be missed or at least be misunderstood.

Sources:
Article “Two Sides of the Same Coin: Speech and Gesture Mutually Interact to Enhance Comprehension” Psychological Science.
Barbara Isanski – Association for Psychological Science

Are you good enough for transformation? How do you know?

Why do you want to transform your life? Just what is it you think is going to be better than what you are experiencing now? Why do you think transformation is what you want? Why do you think that transformation is the answer? And what is the question that you feel transformation will answer? And where did you get your question – did you come up with it yourself or did you inherit it from someone else – an authority perhaps?

What do you intend to transform into? Will you be richer? Taller? Shorter? Have a slimmer body? A better job? Will you look like a super model? Maybe you will have that “perfect” relationship? What is your standard you feel you don’t meet? Is it your standard or did you inherit it from someone else – an authority perhaps?

Read the rest of this entry »

The American Heritage Dictionary defines ritual as “a detailed method or procedure faithfully or regularly followed.” We all have rituals, or set patterns, to take care of procedures we wish to have done faithfully regularly, such as tying our shoes or brushing our teeth. The more complex and potentially dangerous the procedure, the more important such proceedure is ritualized to assure quality and safety.

Rituals are essential to being able to use some of the most powerful RET techniques in a responsible and controlled manner. The more powerful and potent the change technique (i.e., RET), the more important safeguards become. In RET these safeguards are kept in place with ritual to assure quality and safety when using them.

Let’s explore some of the reasons we RET technicians strive to keep the RET “ritual” pure.

Read the rest of this entry »