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Showing posts from February, 2016

Mindfulness In Schools Is Giving Children The Vital Tools To Protect Their Mental Wellbeing

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http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/02/17/mindfulness-schools-good-mental-health-children-_n_9184916.html?utm_hp_ref=young-minds-matter&utm_content=bufferdf557&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Ancient Timekeeping - Efforts to make nature's schedule fit our own have been imperfect from the start. Some ancient calendars, dating to the Sumerians 5,000 years ago, simply divided the year into 12 months of 30 days each. Their 360-day year was nearly a week shorter than our annual journey around the sun.

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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160226-leap-year-science-time-world-cultures-february/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20160228news-leapyr&utm_campaign=Content&sf21644580=1

Michael Bader: How does psychotherapy work? Insight and the experience of new healthier behavior is the key to psychological change and can be found in most psychotherapies

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http://www.theunion.com/entertainment/activitiesandevents/20775391-113/michael-bader-how-does-psychotherapy-work

Intentional Acts of Kindness Mary Ann Christie Burnside teaches us how the kindness we offer ourselves and others affects what happens in the very next moment.

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http://www.mindful.org/intentional-acts-of-kindness/

Childhood, disrupted Adversity in childhood can create long-lasting scars, damaging our cells and our DNA, and making us sick as adults, in my case Fibromyalgia - Aghhhh, every joint feels swollen. I feel as though I have been through a tumble sander and although I find it hard to sleep it seems impossible as I can get little comfort. 22 years of pain has been exhausting. I am so lucky that I have tomorrow off and only a 3 day week ahead. I can't wait until the royal commission is over. These daily trauma triggers are getting too much to cope with.

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https://aeon.co/essays/how-bad-experiences-in-childhood-lead-to-adult-illness https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/fibromyalgia

Schools Should Recognize Trauma as a Disability - Compton Lawsuit Says, ‘You have to address trauma in order to do anything about the achievement gap.’ Anne Hudson-Price, attorney representing students

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http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2016/02/22/schools-should-recognize-trauma-as-a-disability-lawsuit-says/

How Do You Define Yourself?

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Memory In Trauma - ‘You do not need to remember or do not need to understand to heal trauma’. The goal is to overwrite the symbols in the amygdala with present time information. The body is a great source of good news that can bring you into now.

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https://painisreallystrange.wordpress.com/2015/10/30/memory-in-trauma/

Kyle Cease - Your Fears Are an Illusion. "I have a desire to get people out of the hypnotic state they have been put into since early childhood. I have a vision to show people what happens when they undo their subtle addictions and get their power back." -Kyle Cease

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Where Do Morals Come From? Phillip Gorski. "We understood that human beings are just blank slates on which cultural systems inscribe their moral codes. Or so Nietzsche and his acolytes tell us."

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http://www.publicbooks.org/nonfiction/where-do-morals-come-from

How People Learn to Become Resilient. By Maria Konnokova

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http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-secret-formula-for-resilience

Music - Gregory Alan Isakov - That Sea, the Gambler - 2007

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10 commonly abused psychology words — and what they really mean.James Harbeck. To truly suffer these conditions may be devastating to the lives of the individual and loved ones

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http://theweek.com/articles/603303/10-commonly-abused-psychology-words--what-really-mean

Well Ways, Australian Mental Health Program for Building a Future - ‘Self empowerment, self care, increased self-worth: the opportunity to put education into action’ - Well Ways Building a Future participant

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http://mifellowship.org/content/well-ways-family-education-programs Well Ways Building a Future is a 12-session peer education program designed and delivered by family members/friends of someone with a mental illness. It assists family members/carers to maintain their own wellness and support the recovery of their family member/friend with a mental illness. Facilitators are experienced carers and family members of a person with a mental illness who are trained and accredited to deliver the program. Building a Future gives participants: Up-to-date and accurate information about mental illnesses, treatment and support options New ideas, problem solving skills and confidence to cope with the impact of mental illness and support recovery An opportunity to share experiences with others who understand Broader ongoing sources of support and information

When We Judge a Person Harshly With a Label or Dismissal, We Kill the Human Being Inside of Them - Behind the labels, behind the words, behind the thin surface of differences, real or imagined, we share the same basic humanity, the same basic needs, aspirations, and dreams.

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http://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/when-we-judge-a-person-we-kill-the-human-being-inside-of-them/

How to Boost Your Creativity

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/berkeley-wellness/how-to-boost-your-creativity_b_9253724.html

When your mind works against you | Ted Powell - “Realizing that we can control our way of thinking in response to a seemingly chaotic world,” he argues, “is one of the most liberating and transformative human experiences we can have.”

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An Integrated Creative Arts Service at The Prince & Princess of Wale s Hospice - The Creative Arts Service has developed from a two year project in 2002, managed by Art in Hospital (2002 – 2014) and led by Marielle MacLeman as Artist Coordinator (2004 – 2011), into the service managed by the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice today.

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http://www.artsandhealth.ie/case-studies/an-integrated-creative-arts-service-at-the-prince-princess-of-wales-hospice/

10 Things That Help - Anxiety, stress, worry, low mood and depression are common experiences but are distressing. The good news is that most people can learn to manage their symptoms.

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https://mindspot.org.au/assets/pdf/10_Things_That_Help.pdf

There Is Such a Thing as Plant Intelligence - Plants are capable of solving problems and learning from past experiences.

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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160221-plant-science-botany-evolution-mabey-ngbooktalk/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20160222news-booktalkplants&utm_campaign=Content&sf21325480=1

Infographic: The Dos and Don'ts of Creativity

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http://mentalfloss.com/article/74884/infographic-dos-and-donts-creativity

The High Price of Pushing Kids Too Hard - Children need to know that love is rooted in who they are, not what they do.

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https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/once-upon-child/201601/the-high-price-pushing-kids-too-hard?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

Will there ever be an end to re-experiencing my childhood trauma? Mairead Ashcroft 19/2/16

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                        As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am told by some, (who have little understanding of what it is like to be a survivor of sexual abuse ) that, "I must be so happy that it's all over." I often don't bother to explain what it is like for me now that Hartman is in prison for his crimes against me and others. I really don't believe that people who make such a statement have given any thought at all about what I might be feeling. I didn't believe that many people were taking enough notice of the truths of how horrific such a journey is until now. Australian comedian, actor, musician and activist released the song "Come Home"Cardinal Pell on Wednesday evening and now all of Australia are talking about abuses committed by members of the Catholic church for many,  many years but particularly during  t he time in which Cardinal Pell held positionwithin the Catholic church hierarchy....

This is Australia's first picture book about married same-sex parents – why did it take so long? Mummy and Mumma Get Married follows a young girl who wants to surprise her parents with a wedding. The only thing stopping them is you-know-who

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http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/17/this-is-australias-first-picture-book-about-same-sex-parenting-why-did-it-take-so-long?utm_content=buffer32db3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Supporting someone with substance abuse and mental health issues

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https://www.sane.org/media-centre/the-sane-blog/1717-supporting-someone-with-substance-abuse-and-mental-health-issues

How should we talk about mental health?

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http://ideas.ted.com/how-should-we-talk-about-mental-health/

The Art of Autism - Why children on the spectrum benefit from Art Therapy as a required service

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http://the-art-of-autism.com/why-children-on-the-spectrum-benefit-from-art-therapy-as-a-required-service/

Ask Izzy - The A -Z of Homlessness Help in Australia, Please share. You never know who may be in need of assistance.

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https://askizzy.org.au/

Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation

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The Practical Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships - A teaching resource from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, with activities exploring relationships, sexual consent, equity and sexual and reproductive health. Funded by the Australian Government.

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http://www.lovesexrelationships.edu.au/

Music - Celtic Music | Ancient Forest | Celtic Lute & Guitar Music

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A Hauntingly Beautiful Short Film About Life and Death -The Life of Death is a touching hand drawn animation about the day Death fell in love with Life.

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http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/a-hauntingly-beautiful-short-film-about-life-and-death/

The Self's Brain :: The Hard Problem of Consciousness

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Mental Health: In Our Own Words

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What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell

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365 One Word Art Journal Prompts - I am excited to begin a brand new art journal tomorrow. I have my supplies ready and am inspired by my new career, connections and dreams. In the past many of my journals have reflected the pain that I have endured and my feelings of despair. New beginnings await me and I intend to celebrate.

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http://artjournalist.com/2013/04/one-word-art-journal-prompts/

Why society is making people with disabilities sick - Experiencing disability changed Anne Kavanagh’s perspective, and her career path

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https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/why-society-is-making-people-with-disabilities-sick

Music - Enzo Avitabile e Raiz - Aizamm' na Mana HD Testo Italiano - The music has entered my veins. I wish I paid more attention in Italian class

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Ready, Set, Draw :: A Free Printable Drawing Guide -

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       When working as an art therapist I am often confronted with the statement, "Art therapy isn't for me....I can't draw!" To this I share that Art Therapy is about the experience, not about the end product. When delving further into the statement, what we often discover is that the person can, in fact, draw but they may be finding difficulty in appreciating their creation because of self-judgement due to comparing their work to another person's work. This may be a hang over reaction from a negative comment made by someone in the past, a result of a self critical moment or any number of occurrences. Imagine if you never swam, ran, cooked, sang, loved or lived because someone from your past did it "better" than you. I believe that every one is capable of creativity and expression, particularly when that creation is for you and about you. I encourage you to throw away the encompassing thoughts from the past and give creativity another go. http://ar...

Sex, intimacy and mental illness

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https://www.sane.org/media-centre/the-sane-blog/1716-sex-intimacy-and-mental-illness

Caring Together Project - This Website was developed by a carer in 2009 to share stories and images to explore different view points in order to offer support and help for families and inspire change while coping with mental illness issues. It is not for profit so any donations will be welcomed.

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https://caringtogetherproject.com/home

3 tips to boost your confidence - TED-Ed

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An Untruth about Hartman - Not an intentional lie and possibly wishful thinking but hurtful all the same. Mairead Ashcroft 8/2/16

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          This morning I attended an event at which I recognized many familiar faces. These familiar faces are all aware that I was abused as a child but very few of them have outwardly offered me comfort or empathy. But it would seem that my story has become the centre of speculation and dare I say it, curious entertainment. It would seem that some one who knows some one ,who worked with someone. who once worked at St. Paul's College when Hartman was a teacher, has told someone else that Hartman is no longer in prison in Victoria but is back in America, a free man.         This is what I was confronted with this morning in a crowded room. Apparently this rumour has been going around since before Christmas but until today I was unaware of it. I am grateful to the person who informed me and I know that she genuinely cared for my well-being and felt that it was important for me to hear what was being said. She also wished to educate herself wi...

Understanding Dissociation - If you dissociate it is important to first understand this and honour it as the survival tactic it is. You survived things no one should have to face! That is good news.

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https://drkathleenyoung.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/understanding-dissociation/

Trying to make mental health first aid as familiar as CPR

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http://www.newsobserver.com/living/health-fitness/article57717748.html

37 Art Therapy Techniques For De-Stressing

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/art-therapy-techniques_us_56562017e4b072e9d1c19f9b?section=australia

Parenting is full of challenging moments. This page features information for parents and caregivers, and visual resources such as stories that can be useful for children with additional needs and for typically developing children too. All resources are free to download and will be updated regularly. Please remember that while teaching children to listen to adult directed behaviours that at it is equally important to teach a child when they need to say no and inform another adult about an adults inappropriate requests or behaviours.

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http://okey-dokey.com.au/resources

Secrets of the ADHD Brain Most people are neurologically equipped to determine what's important and get motivated to do it, even when it doesn't interest them. Then there are the rest of us, who have attention deficit. by William Dodson, M.D.

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http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/10117.html

Why You Should Stop Using the Phrase ‘the Mentally Ill’ - "Counselors also showed the largest differences in how intolerant they were based on the language, which boosted the researchers’ belief that simply changing language is important in not only understanding people who suffer from mental illness but also helping them adjust and cope. "

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http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/02/stop-using-the-phrase-the-mentally-ill.html?mid=huffpost_lifestyle-pubexchange_facebook

How Stress Affects Your Brain

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John Lloyd on Knowledge - Above all....be kind

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Michael Jr. Comedy - Michael's comedy is about making the world a better place.

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https://www.facebook.com/MichaelJrComedy/videos/10156093604010253/?fref=nf

The role of music therapy in reducing post meal related anxiety for patients with anorexia nervosa

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http://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-015-0088-5