When a person endures <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/mental-health-and-conditions/trauma/">trauma</a>, whether from a singular, intense event or repeated or prolonged trauma, their body experiences physiological changes. These changes can affect their reactions and responses in situations throughout their lives. For instance, some people will interpret uncertainty in their environment as danger, leading to the activation of their fight, flight, or freeze responses. Polyvagal theory exercises attempt to restructure the mind-body reactions that occur due to this trauma.

Polyvagal Theory Exercises: Benefits and Examples

Polyvagal theory exercises seek to optimize the regulation of the body’s physiological state. They employ social interactions and evoke safety to disrupt and repair the physiological state and promote resilience.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Polyvagal Theory Exercises: Benefits and Examples - The Human Condition

MDMA (Extasy) is usually associated with loud music, partying etc. But taken as a couple, Katie Anderson shows, it has some very beneficial long term effects:<ul><li>It offers a clean state for the relationship. The warmth of the experience and the honest discussions clears up all the emotional build-up and refreshes the relationship.</li><li>It makes partners (especially men) more emotionally open. Which is quote meaningful, considering male emotional opaqueness is one of the major reasons for divorce.</li></ul>

Couples & MDMA

You feel like you are floating in warm goo. You feel totally protected and you can say anything. And no matter what she says, it makes me love her even more. It's the deepest level of connection you will ever have with someone.

Most of the research on MDMA is on PTSD. But it can be a powerful emotional lubricant for couples. 

MDMA (‘ecstasy’) is well-known for its pro-social effects including heightened empathy and openness. These effects seem to facilitate closeness yet there has been limited research looking at MDMA’s impact on romantic relationships. Research question: How do shared MDMA experiences influence a romantic relationship? Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 couples using a pluralistic approach. Results: Couples’ emotional environments were transformed: communication changed from knowing something on a rational, cognitive level to a deep, felt understanding; a protective bubble was formed around the couple: free from existing fears/judgments and an emotional sense of self was brought to the fore. Conclusion: The study opens up new understandings of the role of MDMA in romantic relationships through an appreciation of how emotional experience can be transformed by MDMA. It also points to a reconsideration of the therapeutic use of MDMA for couples. Biography Katie Anderson is a PhD student researching couples who take MDMA together and how they feel these ecstasy experiences have influenced their relationship. The research is qualitative and supervised by Professor Paula Reavey and Dr Zoë Boden. She completed her MSc Psychology at the University of East London in 2013, where her dissertation explored the meaning of MDMA experiences to users, and has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

MDMA (‘ecstasy’) is well-known for its pro-social effects including heightened empathy and openness. These effects seem to facilitate closeness yet there has been limited research looking at MDMA’s impact on romantic relationships. Research question: How do shared MDMA experiences influence a romantic relationship? Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 couples using a pluralistic approach. Results: Couples’ emotional environments were transformed: communication changed from knowing something on a rational, cognitive level to a deep, felt understanding; a protective bubble was formed around the couple: free from existing fears/judgments and an emotional sense of self was brought to the fore. Conclusion: The study opens up new understandings of the role of MDMA in romantic relationships through an appreciation of how emotional experience can be transformed by MDMA. It also points to a reconsideration of the therapeutic use of MDMA for couples.

Biography

Katie Anderson is a Ph.D. student researching couples who take MDMA together and how they feel these ecstasy experiences have influenced their relationship. The research is qualitative and supervised by Professor Paula Reavey and Dr. Zoë Boden. She completed her MSc in Psychology at the University of East London in 2013, where her dissertation explored the meaning of MDMA experiences to users, and has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. ***********
To keep yourself up to date with psychedelic research, come celebrate the latest discoveries in our next in-person ICPR conference organized by the OPEN Foundation: 

https://icpr-conference.com/

See you there!

OPEN Foundation

MDMA’s impact on romantic relationships - Katie Anderson

MDMA for Couples

For people with borderline personality disorder socializing can be hard. People can say hurtful things so we can feel safer alone.

BPD And Solitude

When you feel safe consistently, you are able to focus on yourself. You can read about your issues, meditate, learn about all sorts of things. You can work on yourself, do DBT ( Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, the most evidence based therapy for personality disorders) and get to a point where you are more open to socializeagain.

Solitude Can Be Healing

When you are alone, you can be yourself. Do whatever you want, watch whatever you want. Embrace this freedom.

There Is Freedom In Solitude

Just because you are lonely today, it doesn't mean that you will feel this way forever. As you connect with yourself, loneliness can turn into content solitude. I lost myself in loneliness and found myself in solitude. Maybe it can happen to you too.

Loneliness Today Can Mean Solitude Tomorrow

As someone with BPD, solitude has been a big part of my healing. I went from being lonely to feeling content in my solitude.

Solitude and BPD go hand in hand, many times. It feels safer. No one can see me cry or be upset. No one can say hurtful things. Our house or our room is our cocoon where hopefully we can heal. It's hard to understand how sensitive we are. It can be hard to understand us.…

"...the pain of our anger preserves the very integrity of our self."

the pain of our anger preserves the very integrity of our self

Venting anger may serve to maintain, and even rigidify, the old rules and patterns in a relationship, thus ensuring that change does not occur.

Rather, I speak here of “response-ability”—that is, the ability to observe ourselves and others in interaction and to respond to a familiar situation in a new and different way.

Many of our problems with anger occur when we choose between having a relationship and having a self.

Making a long-term relationship work is a difﬁcult business because it requires the capacity to strike a balance between individualism (the “I”) and togetherness (the “we”).

empty-shell marriage

The Dance of Anger is a book any woman should read to change the patterns of their toxic relationship.

The renowned classic and New York Times bestseller Anger is something we feel. It exists for a reason and always deserves our respect and attention. We all have a right to everything we feel—and certainly our anger is no exception. "Anger is a signal and one worth listening to," writes Dr. Harriet Lerner in her renowned classic that has transformed the lives of millions of readers. While anger deserves our attention and respect, women still learn to silence our anger, to deny it entirely, or to vent it in a way that leaves us feeling helpless and powerless. In this engaging and eminently wise book, Dr. Lerner teaches both women and men to identify the true sources of anger and to use it as a powerful vehicle for creating lasting change. For decades, this book has helped millions of readers learn how to turn their anger into a constructive force for reshaping their lives. With a new introduction by the author, The Dance of Anger is ready to lead the next generation.

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

books

Books

The renowned classic and New York Times bestseller that has transformed the lives of millions of readers, dramatically changing how women and men view relationships. Anger is something we feel. It exists for a reason and always deserves our respect and attention. We all have a right to everything we feel—and certainly our anger is no exception."Anger is a signal and one worth listening to," writes Dr. Harriet Lerner in her renowned classic that has transformed the lives of millions of readers. While anger deserves our attention and respect, women still learn to silence our anger, to deny it entirely, or to vent it in a way that leaves us feeling helpless and powerless. In this engaging and eminently wise book, Dr. Lerner teaches both women and men to identify the true sources of anger and to use it as a powerful vehicle for creating lasting change.For decades, this book has helped millions of readers learn how to turn their anger into a constructive force for reshaping their lives. With a new introduction by the author, The Dance of Anger is ready to lead the next generation.

Harriet Lerner

Dance of Anger

If you login to Instagram right now and search for #depression, you’ll see a warning. It reads: “Posts with words you’re searching for often encourage behavior that can cause harm and even lead to death.”You can bypass this warning and see the tagged posts. Or you can click on a “Get Support” button that leads you to depression-focused resources or recommendations. The first of those recommendations is “Talk to a Friend.” It encourages you to call or text someone you trust.

Social media may be dangerous

According to reporting from CNET, Instagram and other social media sites first started to implement these warnings last year. They began by flagging content related to eating disorders and negative body image, and have since expanded the program to depression and other forms of psychological distress.The fact that social sites like Instagram are directing vulnerable people away from their platforms and toward real-world connections may not seem like a big deal. But it is a big admission.

The REPORT

For years, some researchers — notably Jean Twenge, PhD, at San Diego State University — have been trying to warn us that social media can be risky, perhaps especially for young people or those with mental health challenges. But social media’s defenders have often argued that these platforms allow vulnerable or marginalized people to connect with others like themselves, which is surely a good thing.This defense was always speculative. There is very little evidence indicating that social media-based support groups or communities are beneficial.

Advice From Experts

Also, researchers have found that members of vulnerable groups may feel better after spending time away from social media. For example, a 2020 study on LGBTQ youths who attended a social media-free summer camp found “across the board” reductions in depressive symptoms among those teens who’d spent the most time on social before attending the camp. “When we’re vulnerable we tend to reach out via social media, but those are also the times when social media may present the biggest challenges for us,” says Brian Primack, a professor of public health and medicine at the University of Arkansas.

Researches 

If you can’t stay away from social media, Primack recommends trying to limit your time on it as much as possible. If you’re a heavy user, trying to trim your habit to less than two hours a day may be beneficial, his research suggests.He also offers this advice: “Focus on small groups, including chat clusters with one or a few people at a time. This can help you focus on the people you feel closest to.” In other words, try to make your time on social media more like a real-world gathering with friends.

Overcoming Addiction

Social Media Addiction could be dangerous🤯

If you login to Instagram right now and search for #depression, you’ll see a warning. It reads: “Posts with words you’re searching for often encourage behavior that can cause harm and even lead to…

parenting

Parenting

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Social Media, Like Alcohol, May Be Riskier When You’re Vulnerable

Lol. This is like elementary school all over again. We need to make friends because we need friends. While old friends are , nothing stays the same forever. They move away or have their time taken up by child-rearing or their careers. Without friends, loneliness can quietly grow around you and chronic loneliness <a href="https://theconversation.com/loneliness-on-its-way-to-becoming-britains-most-lethal-condition-94775">can be lethal </a>— the equivalent impact of 15 <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/61231-smoking-addiction-brain-cell-change">cigarettes </a>a day on mortality rates.

Why Do We Need To Make Friends

1. The Lack of TrustResearch shows people found it harder to put their trust in someone new and fully invest in them as a friend compared to when they were younger. Especially the women. As adults, we have greater self-awareness than children. While that is often positive, it also means we’re more aware of the risks of being judged, of being rejected and of other people not having the purest of intentions. We've all seen and heard of the nasty things people could do with what little informafion they get from you.

Why Is It Hard To Make Friends

For most of us, obligations increase with age: demanding work schedules, involved family lives and so on; with these obligations it can be hard to carve out time to invest in a promising new friend-- to really get to know them and to share a part of you with them.

Lack Of Time

So how long does it take for people to become friends? US researchers have tried to quantify this: roughly 50 hrs of shared contact for acquaintances to become casual friends. More than 200 hrs to become close friends? Even longer in Asian countries where personal connection is important, professional interactions with colleagues don't count and casual check-ins and joking around are just as important.

How Long Does It Take For People To Become Friends

There are many other barriers stopping us from having the friendships we want. <ul><li>Having an introverted personality</li><li>health barriers</li><li>personal insecurities</li><li>maintaining a formal facade and not allowing potential friends in (fornfear of rejection)</li><li>Illness and disability (Older people) </li></ul>

Other barriers Preventing Us From Forming Friendships 

1. BUILD FRIENDSHIPS FOR TEN MINUTES A DAYTen min a day may be all you need to maintain existing friendships and build new ones. Send a text, forward a meme, add to the group chat or give someone a quick call. 2. MAKE THE MOST OF ANY TIME SPENT WITH POTENTIAL FRIENDSWhen you do get the chance to properly spend time with a friend or acquaintance, make the most of it and be present. Avoid distractions if possible, keep social media for the couch at home.

How Can We Get Better At Making Friends

Yes, there is a risk in being vulnerable – but there is also the potential to connect on a meaningful level with another person who may very well become a good friend. You are in control of how much you trust and how much you open up. If you struggle with trust, share personal information slowly. A friend who truly likes you wouldn't pry.

3. LEAN INTO YOUR VULNERABILITY

Research suggests chronic loneliness can be lethal-the equivalent impact of 15 cigarettes a day on mortality rates

Many people try to keep their circle of old friends as long as possible, given the trust they may have built up over many years.

communication

Communication

How to make friends as an adult: 3 psychology-backed tips

Do you ever heard about "Sandwich Generation"? It must sound novel. Sandwich generation is designation given to people who must fulfill the needs of a large family. Like a sandwich, it has many layers. Themselves, parents, and children. They have to take care of their elderly parents. At the same time, there are children who must be raised to adulthood. Sandwich generation is often found in developing countries, where a person's relationship with their family is so thick.

Definition of Sandwich Generation

A married person has a great tendency to become the sandwich generation. They will become parents, it means their daily needs will increase.They have to buy milk, vitamins, nutritious food for their children. They must provide a decent home to live in and also a good school. If they still have parents, they have to make sure their parents are always in good condition, have regular health check-ups, and pay for treatment.

Who can be "Sandwich Generation"?

The "Sandwich Generation" will feel a lot of pressure that triggers problems. Starting from work, social relationship, personality, to mental health. They feel tired quickly, offended, difficult to talk to, but don't know why their emotions go up and down. They just feel tired.

Pressure

As the sandwich generation, you need to change the mindset that life isn't always difficult. You still have time to do what you want to do. You can take your time as much as you can. Having a lot of burdens is not easy, but it can be done by managing income as well as possible, living a simple lifestyle to allocating funds for saving and investing.When you need a vacation to recharge, spend time with family, of course you can with a simple vacation plan. It doesn't spend a lot of money. This condition will make you smarter in managing finances, but still have quality time.

As a Sandwich Generation

"Sandwich Generation"

The terms “mental health” and “mental well-being” are often used interchangeably, but they are different concepts that should be addressed using different approaches.<ul><li>Mental health is a term to describe a clinical assessment of a person’s mental state of health and often involves a specific diagnosis to help identify an appropriate treatment plan.</li><li>Mental well-being is more comprehensive and preventative, requiring a fundamentally proactive approach that can be actively cultivated in daily life.</li></ul>

Mental health vs mental well-being

Anxiety, stress, and burnout in the workplace are frequently cited as major contributors to the Great Resignation, during which more and more employees have been voluntarily leaving their jobs. To retain talent and future-proof organizations, leaders must nurture an environment where employees feel valued and are offered resources that help them feel good in all aspects of their lives.

The major contributors to the Great Resignation

People need more than just reactive access to a therapist in times of mental health distress. What about all the other areas that positively impact the mind, body, and spirit?Thus, employers should now turn to more holistic employee benefits that address areas such as positive thinking, burnout prevention, sleep improvement, and even weight loss, as well as other factors related to family (dealing with parents, kids, significant others, and so on).

Reimagine employee benefits

Rather than unrealistically drawing boundaries between work time and personal time, professionals can handle work tasks at times that best suit them. It’s more about harmony than balance.Modern approaches to employee support allow employees to be authentic to their own lives within this new environment. They recognize that mental well-being is a set of interconnected building blocks, one influencing the other, all adding to a holistic state of being in a changed world.

Embrace the concept of "work-life integration"

We shouldn’t look at the pandemic as a crisis demanding better attention to employee mental well-being (eventually subsiding after the pandemic), but as a signal of what companies should be doing. A stronger focus on emotional well-being is both a moral imperative and critical strategy to deliver business results. It is simply the right thing to do, now and later.

Wellness is more than a trend

Without mentally healthy people, your business will not thrive.


corporateculture

Corporate Culture

mindfulness

Mindfulness

humanresources

Human Resources

4 better ways to think about wellness at work

Osteopathic medicine highlights the belief that the body has an inborn ability to heal itself.Combining this belief with evidence and modern therapeutic practices such as <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/mindfulness/">mindfulness</a>, <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/somatic-psychotherapy-an-overview/">somatic psychology</a>, and <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/energy-therapy/">energy psychology</a>, therapists can utilize the body’s natural responses to promote greater health and well-being. This ideology is the essence of biodynamic craniosacral therapy.

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy: Overview, Process, Benefits

Biodynamic craniosacral therapy, a non-invasive treatment using light touch, utilizes the energy flow present in all beings to alleviate the symptoms of blockages in the primary respiration of a person to promote holistic wellness.

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy: Overview, Process, Benefits - The Human Condition

Confidence is the best thing someone can wear. It is so difficult to build and yet, so easy to lose. Self-confidence represents the attitude about your skills and competencies. It means that you trust your judgement and you have a good understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. Also, it means that you accept yourself just the way you are.

What Is Confidence In A Nutshell

Self-esteem and self-acceptance derive from confidence, yet they’re not the same. Self-esteem can vary; it can be inflated, low or high, and an indicator of a person’s self-worth or value. When self-esteem is low, people don’t trust their abilities, don’t value themselves as individuals, and don’t consider themselves worthy. As a result, they have poor relationships, and they can suffer from depression and anxiety which could lead them to fail in life.

The difference Between Self-esteem And Self-acceptance

<ul><li>Confidence that they can overcome challenges;</li><li>Ability to be themselves without the fear of being judged or seeking external validation all the time;</li><li>Readiness to learn new things even and accept corrective feedback;</li><li>They are a pleasant company to be around because of their positive attitude.</li></ul>

Healthy Self-esteem = Self-acceptance

Check out the original article for the tips.<a href="https://medium.com/p/7534c1ec82b7">Read more.</a>

4 Tips To Build Up Confidence

Confidence is the best thing someone can wear. It is so difficult to build and yet, so easy to lose. Self-confidence represents the attitude about your skills and competencies. It means that you…

How to Tell If You’re Confident.

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