I usually don't write about politics. However, with the current presidential primary race it is hard to resist. While I have my opinions about the candidates, I write today about the larger systemic issue. As you may know I am a marriage and family therapist, and also an expert in multisystemic therapy. So, inevitably I look at large scale problems from a "zoomed out" systemic context. Here is what I just cannot get over.
In 1780 (just 3 years after the declaration of independence was signed) our population was 2,780,369. By 1860 when we started including Native Americans in the census, it was just under 31.5 million. In 1920 is was just over 106 million people. (Stats courtesy of Wikipedia). As of March 1st, 2016, the population clock at Census.gov has us at 323,086,798!! Now, having a 4 year term as president, with a limit of 2 terms, may have made sense when we had only a few million people. Now, however, I think it is nonsense. This becomes especially apparent when taking into account that senators get 6 year terms and members of the House get 2 year terms, but BOTH ARE UNLIMITED as long as they get re-elected!
Please take a moment and think about how long it may have taken you to make a personal change your life, whether it be your diet, spending habits, smoking cessation, etc. Or, for example, if you are a parent and you want to work with your teenager on meeting his/her curfew, or you're potty training your toddler. For many, this kind of individual change takes weeks or months. Now consider making a change in your family. Maybe you are working on communication with your spouse, or saving for a special vacation thereby altering your family budget. To do these things it takes months or more, and the support of other people in your life to make it happen. It may take time just to get everyone doing their part.
Now imagine making any kind of systemic change for millions off people. When we were a few million people or a couple of scores of millions it may have worked well to make change in a couple of years, with a political system involving change agents at many levels (President, Congress, legislators at state and town levels, etc.). Now, with 323 million people and counting in our country, no president should be expected to make any significant or measurable change in just 8 years, let alone 4. The Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935 and we just figured out a few years ago that it is not sustainable. It's an extreme example, I know. But hopefully you don't miss the point. Personally, for the reasons I write about above, I think it is just too soon to tell how well the Affordable Care Act is working. Just think about it for a minute. While you're at it, why are we giving so much credit to the president anyway? If members of congress (thank you big corporations) and supreme court justices can stick around for as long as they do, we should really be putting more responsibility on them as change agents, anyway.
We are not going to see any real change in this country as a result of whomever is president unless they can be re-elected for more than only 2 terms.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Sunday, November 2, 2014
The Body - A Gateway to Healthy Mind and Spirit
The Mind-Body-Spirit trifecta has become somewhat trendy in America and possibly world wide. I see this as a sign of progress as we continue towards a post-modern paradigm. This blog post focuses on what I have observed to be largely overlooked my many who struggle with mental health. That is, there are a few things we can do with our body which directly affect our mental state. Several authors have written about this, so I am not saying anything new here. Rather, it is my hope to simply call attention to these things and motivate people to take it from rhetoric to lifestyle.
EXERCISE
Exercising 20 minutes daily in a way that gets the heart rate up helps on many levels. One thing clients often discuss with me is that it helps to clear their mind. I see this working like a meditation. If you are focusing on your body, movement, etc., you are not thinking about the usual things that may stress you out. The result: a mental break! Also, endorphins are released, which helps elevate mood. Exercise burns excess energy which reduces stress and anxiety. I know more and more people who have successfully substituted daily exercise for the Xanax or Ativan prescribed as needed for anxiety. Lastly, most people sleep better when they exercise, which results in more energy. This brings me to my next point.
SLEEP HYGIENE
Humans thrive on routine, no matter how much we think we may be rule breakers or like to resist it. Having a regular pattern of sleep and awake times has shown to decrease symptoms associated with jet lag and many sleep problems. Better sleep means better mood in your waking life. Daily exercise to burn excess energy can be a part of this, but make sure it is not within a few hours of bedtime. Decrease stimulation in the hours before bed. TV and electronic screens are highly stimulating to the brain. Many of us find that if we abstain from screen time in the hours before going to sleep, we fall asleep faster and sleep better. Try a book, meditation, magazines, journaling, or a shower / bath instead.
DIET
Related to the last point, if you use tobacco or nicotine products, or ingest caffeinated or sugary foods / beverages, it is best to not have those in the evening hours before bed. It can cause poor sleep which can increase stress and dampen your mood. Too much sugar or stimulants in a daily diet can lead to roller coaster energy levels and mood swings. This is because stimulants and sugar can result in "crashing," which makes one want more of these to get their energy back up, which is how addictions are formed. Also, a diet very high in carbohydrates, especially refined carbs, can lead to higher stress levels. It is like running your car on high octane when you drive a civic. Unless you are an athlete (i.e. a Ferrari), this sort of fuel causes higher RPMs than you really need. If you have trouble with sleep, make sure you are eating foods high in tryptophan. Some tryptophan metabolizes (breaks down) into melatonin and can help keep your circadian rhythm tuned. These foods include turkey and other meats, and dairy, ( check with your physician especially if you on have high cholesterol before changing your diet). This is a natural way to increase melatonin levels. If it is not enough, you can buy melatonin over the counter at your local pharmacy. They even make a sustained release version to help sustain nightly sleep. I know more and more psychiatrists who will recommend sleep hygiene and melatonin supplement before prescribing any stronger hypnotic medications. (Again, alway a good idea to call your physician first, expecially if you are on any medications). If you are struggling with depressed mood, eating foods high in tryptophan can help because most of it metabolizes into 5-HTP and subsequently to seratonine, both of which have been known to help alleviate depressed mood. Many antidepressants work by increasing the amount of seratonine impacting the brain. DO NOT try to find or take actual tryptophan supplements, as it can cause serious problems and I believe pharmacies are not allowed to sell it in the US. It's better to just go with the foods that have it naturally.
In conclusion, making some changes to diet, exercise, and sleep hygiene can often help with addressing mental health issues such as stress, mood, and anxiety. I often have a discussion about this with my clients on the first day they come in. Please remember that before making any major changes to your diet or exercise routine, it is best to consult with your physician.
Wishing you wellness in mind, body, and spirit,
-Nate
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Monday, July 23, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Death Penalty and Buddha
Not too long ago I was reading a friend's online comments about the death penalty having been repealed in Connecticut. There were several viewpoints express by many who responded. I did not reply, but it got me thinking.
Without explicitly stating my position on the whole thing, I feel comfortable stating that I am OK with not penalizing folks who need to kill another in self-defense. But, what about when the damage is done? What about when someone does something terrible and someone needs to be held accountable?
I started thinking about the act of inflicting death...killing...etc. I thought about the horrible executions committed by the likes of Hitler, Manson, etc... Then I imagined that I was side by side with a total stranger and someone said one of us has to die, and I had to decide who it was. What would I do? I wasn't sure. At first I thought, "If it's me or him who has to go, it's him." Then I thought, "What would Jesus or Buddha do?" ...He probably wouldn't say "it's him." What would make this scenario more helpful? I thought about how maybe greater universal powers are really at play when it comes to life and death. Assuming that, then it would be more realistic to imagine that it was Buddha telling me that I or my neighbor has to die. And then it came like an epiphany. I remembered an old Zen Koan: "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!"
I laughed out loud. That Koan is designed to get Zen practitioners to understand that if one met Buddha (found enlightenment) on the road (in their practice), then one should kill him (disregard what they think is enlightenment because it is just an illusion that one will get attached to.) I had suddenly found a different use for it. The Koan reminded me that the problem is not whether or not the person needs to die; The problem is in whatever is making us decide to kill. Anyone who thinks that killing is the wise thing to do, may want to meditate on the koan to understand that killing is an illusion of the right or wise thing to do. And to the person who needs to kill in self defense - they are just killing the Buddha they meet on their path.
Without explicitly stating my position on the whole thing, I feel comfortable stating that I am OK with not penalizing folks who need to kill another in self-defense. But, what about when the damage is done? What about when someone does something terrible and someone needs to be held accountable?
I started thinking about the act of inflicting death...killing...etc. I thought about the horrible executions committed by the likes of Hitler, Manson, etc... Then I imagined that I was side by side with a total stranger and someone said one of us has to die, and I had to decide who it was. What would I do? I wasn't sure. At first I thought, "If it's me or him who has to go, it's him." Then I thought, "What would Jesus or Buddha do?" ...He probably wouldn't say "it's him." What would make this scenario more helpful? I thought about how maybe greater universal powers are really at play when it comes to life and death. Assuming that, then it would be more realistic to imagine that it was Buddha telling me that I or my neighbor has to die. And then it came like an epiphany. I remembered an old Zen Koan: "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!"
I laughed out loud. That Koan is designed to get Zen practitioners to understand that if one met Buddha (found enlightenment) on the road (in their practice), then one should kill him (disregard what they think is enlightenment because it is just an illusion that one will get attached to.) I had suddenly found a different use for it. The Koan reminded me that the problem is not whether or not the person needs to die; The problem is in whatever is making us decide to kill. Anyone who thinks that killing is the wise thing to do, may want to meditate on the koan to understand that killing is an illusion of the right or wise thing to do. And to the person who needs to kill in self defense - they are just killing the Buddha they meet on their path.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Catholic Jesus, Buddha, incense, and gold
Today I was in a Catholic Church...probably for the first time in over 8 years, and as I stood in the pew and took it all in, I began to realize why I was enjoying it so much. I was surrounded by hard-wood, red carpets, frankincense, and gold. It was quiet. The vibe was formal, sacred, (and also more patriarchal than I like to admit in this case). I asked myself, "where have I felt this before, recently?" ...And then it dawned on me. The reason it felt so familiar and proximal was that about a week and a half before today I visited the international Buddhist meditation center. There, too, I had found myself surrounded by tall statues, red carpets, quiet humble silence, gold... and Buddhist centers also often burn incense.
I have always been one of the first to find common denominators between religions. Just the same, I was amazed to find these striking similarities in these two very different (or maybe no so different) religious contexts.
How many other religious sanctuaries would provide the same effect?? ...You have to wonder.
Then I wondered about all the things that the two god-heads have in common. But this wasn't about Jesus and Buddha. Many protestant churches are different from this. This was specifically about the Catholic church and the most formal Buddhist places of worship.
Here are some of my thoughts about this...
...I have heard many refer to Buddha as the Jesus of the East. Historically speaking, however, it Jesus would be the Buddha of the West. That's because the first Buddha (Siddhartha Gotama) was actually born about 500 years before Jesus. Anyway, they were both highly evolved human beings who had profound spiritual revelations and were in some ways prophets in that they directly experienced the divine and shared their wisdom with others.
... Jesus and Siddhartha Gotama were both men, and the original followers of these prophets were primarily men, and the living god-heads (like the Pope, and Tibetan Buddhism's Dalai Lama and their respective Cardinals / archbishops / priests, and monks) ...are all men. ...making both of their religions highly patriarchal.
...Gold, red carpets, and incense: Gold is valuable, Red carpets are regal, and incense is smoke. It makes sense for us to place valuable things such as metals (like gold), around things that we value or worship. I think this is about the personification of divinity. I also think that this may tie back in some ways to patriarchy and power. (Money=Power=Control). Red carpets are not so valuable, but somehow got culturally ingrained as being associated with the sacred. We know that red is a symbol of passion, so maybe that has something to do with it, too. Lastly, in many modes of religion and spirituality, smoke is viewed as having the ability to send prayer and intention up to the gods or into the universe towards manifestation. Smell is also one of the most powerful ways that the brain makes associations. We associate the smell with the sacred. Once we smell it, we quirky become open and poised for spiritual growth. So functionally, the smell will bring you back and open you to the sacred. Speaking of association, the same goes for gold and red. All these factors form a beautifully self-reinforcing cycle that keeps them in place, and helps these two religions stay strong.
(I final caveat. There are many Buddhists and Christians who practice in the absence of these factors. I know and repeat this, I was focusing here on larger social and psychological trends)
...Any way you put it, it's amazing what some time in a spiritual place of worship can do for you!
I have always been one of the first to find common denominators between religions. Just the same, I was amazed to find these striking similarities in these two very different (or maybe no so different) religious contexts.
How many other religious sanctuaries would provide the same effect?? ...You have to wonder.
Then I wondered about all the things that the two god-heads have in common. But this wasn't about Jesus and Buddha. Many protestant churches are different from this. This was specifically about the Catholic church and the most formal Buddhist places of worship.
Here are some of my thoughts about this...
...I have heard many refer to Buddha as the Jesus of the East. Historically speaking, however, it Jesus would be the Buddha of the West. That's because the first Buddha (Siddhartha Gotama) was actually born about 500 years before Jesus. Anyway, they were both highly evolved human beings who had profound spiritual revelations and were in some ways prophets in that they directly experienced the divine and shared their wisdom with others.
... Jesus and Siddhartha Gotama were both men, and the original followers of these prophets were primarily men, and the living god-heads (like the Pope, and Tibetan Buddhism's Dalai Lama and their respective Cardinals / archbishops / priests, and monks) ...are all men. ...making both of their religions highly patriarchal.
...Gold, red carpets, and incense: Gold is valuable, Red carpets are regal, and incense is smoke. It makes sense for us to place valuable things such as metals (like gold), around things that we value or worship. I think this is about the personification of divinity. I also think that this may tie back in some ways to patriarchy and power. (Money=Power=Control). Red carpets are not so valuable, but somehow got culturally ingrained as being associated with the sacred. We know that red is a symbol of passion, so maybe that has something to do with it, too. Lastly, in many modes of religion and spirituality, smoke is viewed as having the ability to send prayer and intention up to the gods or into the universe towards manifestation. Smell is also one of the most powerful ways that the brain makes associations. We associate the smell with the sacred. Once we smell it, we quirky become open and poised for spiritual growth. So functionally, the smell will bring you back and open you to the sacred. Speaking of association, the same goes for gold and red. All these factors form a beautifully self-reinforcing cycle that keeps them in place, and helps these two religions stay strong.
(I final caveat. There are many Buddhists and Christians who practice in the absence of these factors. I know and repeat this, I was focusing here on larger social and psychological trends)
...Any way you put it, it's amazing what some time in a spiritual place of worship can do for you!
UPDATE: Modern Family Therapy and Pragmatic Spirit
Greetings!
As you may have noticed above above, I have made made some changes to the Title and Description of this blog so that it better represents what I initially set out to do with it. It just took me a little more time to transform it from an abstract thought to something more daily communicated with words...
If you know anything about me, you know that I strongly believe that total wellness is physical, mental and spiritual, and that I try to live from the pou stó in my personal, social, and professional lives. I wanted to have a space to write and share and learn with others about how people are living like this, or grappling with dilemmas related to this. I hope to connect with others who get as much meaning as I do from discussing these kinds of ideas.
Best Wishes,
-Nate
As you may have noticed above above, I have made made some changes to the Title and Description of this blog so that it better represents what I initially set out to do with it. It just took me a little more time to transform it from an abstract thought to something more daily communicated with words...
If you know anything about me, you know that I strongly believe that total wellness is physical, mental and spiritual, and that I try to live from the pou stó in my personal, social, and professional lives. I wanted to have a space to write and share and learn with others about how people are living like this, or grappling with dilemmas related to this. I hope to connect with others who get as much meaning as I do from discussing these kinds of ideas.
Best Wishes,
-Nate
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