A person with a gun to their head, we put in a hospital.
A person with a cigarette to their lips, we put 20 feet away from our building entrances.
Just because it's slower, doesn't mean it's not as bad.
Showing posts with label psyc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psyc. Show all posts
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, November 16, 2009
Chauvinism much?
So, my prof in developmental psyc showed us this book today. It's one of those things that it's so bad, it's funny.
Here's the book online.
You should go read it. It won't even take 5 minutes.
Here's the book online.
You should go read it. It won't even take 5 minutes.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A paradox...
Dungeons and Dragons. I've never played it, and honestly don't know much about it. To the best of my knowledge it's an RPG board game. I know people who've played it, I know it's popular, and that most people like it.
I also know that it DID (and perhaps still does in some small circles) have a cult-like following. People, teens especially, I suppose were getting sucked into the game, spending all their time, energy, and money on it. Then if their character died, that which they had built their identity on died as well. And it wouldn't be much of a stretch that several committed suicide over the death of their character.
What's inherently bad: the idolatry of it. If your life cannot go on once a fictional game character has died, it was your functional savior. If you can't see your life without D & D then that's idolatry. And that's a sin.
Fine. Relatively straight-forward.
But then there are other's who take it further than that... Jack Chick for instance. Here he has a tract, in typical Jack Chick fashion, on the "evils" of D & D. He goes so far to say that they actually promote witchcraft, sorcery, and the like.
It that true? Some would say yes. Others would say no.
And then I read a blog post on Challies talking about how Al Mohler, CJ Mahaney, Mark Dever, and John Piper...the head-dudes for Together for the Gospel...play D & D.
And then I get confused...
Especially when at work today I came across a paper for clients to reflect on their histories, to see perhaps why they might be having troubles like they are.
Most of the options were pretty standard: have you or anyone up to 2 generations removed from you...
-participated in the occult?
-been molested? raped? a victim of incest?
-practiced divination? palm reading? Ouija boards?
-attempted suicide? inflicted harm upon yourself?
-been a member of a cult (whole big long list)?
....you know. Pretty standard stuff.
But then there was some other things that threw me off....
-played D & D?
-played Magic-The Gathering?
-played with a magic 8 ball?
It's interesting. B/c at least as far as something like D & D is concerned, it's a big ol' paradox:
-People who like the game say there's no witchcraft/evil inherent in the game
-People against the game will say that there is. (And they either "escaped" from it, in which case they're probably pushing some sort of agenda. Or they've never played it b/c they think it's evil, and therefore will never know.)
-Both sides will think their opponents are blind liars.
I also know that it DID (and perhaps still does in some small circles) have a cult-like following. People, teens especially, I suppose were getting sucked into the game, spending all their time, energy, and money on it. Then if their character died, that which they had built their identity on died as well. And it wouldn't be much of a stretch that several committed suicide over the death of their character.
What's inherently bad: the idolatry of it. If your life cannot go on once a fictional game character has died, it was your functional savior. If you can't see your life without D & D then that's idolatry. And that's a sin.
Fine. Relatively straight-forward.
But then there are other's who take it further than that... Jack Chick for instance. Here he has a tract, in typical Jack Chick fashion, on the "evils" of D & D. He goes so far to say that they actually promote witchcraft, sorcery, and the like.
It that true? Some would say yes. Others would say no.
And then I read a blog post on Challies talking about how Al Mohler, CJ Mahaney, Mark Dever, and John Piper...the head-dudes for Together for the Gospel...play D & D.
And then I get confused...
Especially when at work today I came across a paper for clients to reflect on their histories, to see perhaps why they might be having troubles like they are.
Most of the options were pretty standard: have you or anyone up to 2 generations removed from you...
-participated in the occult?
-been molested? raped? a victim of incest?
-practiced divination? palm reading? Ouija boards?
-attempted suicide? inflicted harm upon yourself?
-been a member of a cult (whole big long list)?
....you know. Pretty standard stuff.
But then there was some other things that threw me off....
-played D & D?
-played Magic-The Gathering?
-played with a magic 8 ball?
It's interesting. B/c at least as far as something like D & D is concerned, it's a big ol' paradox:
-People who like the game say there's no witchcraft/evil inherent in the game
-People against the game will say that there is. (And they either "escaped" from it, in which case they're probably pushing some sort of agenda. Or they've never played it b/c they think it's evil, and therefore will never know.)
-Both sides will think their opponents are blind liars.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
What a fallen, fallen world...
A friend of mine, a 6th grader, asked my advice on what to do with a friend who talks about suicide and cuts himself with a pencil...
It breaks my heart to even think that a 12 year old would face such problems.
There's a grief that can't be spoken
It breaks my heart to even think that a 12 year old would face such problems.
There's a grief that can't be spoken
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Schizophrenia
If I had to pick one mental disorder that would most likely be caused by demonic possession, it'd have to be schizophrenia. (Which I can now spell without needing spell check!)
But seriously, this is an evil disorder. Most people confuse it with Dissociative Personality Disorder (AKA Multiple Personality Disorder), but they're nothing alike. Schizophrenia literally means "a splitting from reality." Which is sadly and horrifyingly true.
We've spent about 2 weeks on it in class so far. But all the lecture in the world couldn't prepare me for some virtual simulation videos that I found online.
The first isn't bad. It's just really kinda weird. (You only have to watch to 2:30 ish). The second man to go through the simulation is a schizophrenic who with the help of medication has not been suffering these delusions. But you can tell from his reaction that the simulation is pretty much dead on with what he's seen.
The second I ask that you *please* don't watch if you're having a bad day. Or just thinking negatively at present about yourself/your life. Because it will NOT help in the slightest. This simulation is a little more realistic, and shows some of the distortion that schizophrenics deal with (changing normal things to scary/ self-deprecating things...the posters, the TV, the painting) as well as the barrage of negative thoughts.
Horrifying. And there's no good treatment for it. We have medications, but they've got horrendous side effects (Parkinson's-like symptoms, constant facial twitching, depression...). The new meds are better but are horrible for your health. Did you notice the size of the man in the first movie? The one who was schizophrenic? I can almost guarantee you that he wasn't that large before the meds. They're known to cause you to gain weight at ridiculous rates: 50-100 lbs in a year...with normal eating. Which leads to diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks...
And the scary thing is that it doesn't set in some years after puberty. Early 20s for men, late 20s for women. You're just cruising right along living a nice life. You're normally pretty smart, you get good grades, and then you just fall off the world.
If this isn't demonic possession....at least in some cases....then I don't know what is.
But seriously, this is an evil disorder. Most people confuse it with Dissociative Personality Disorder (AKA Multiple Personality Disorder), but they're nothing alike. Schizophrenia literally means "a splitting from reality." Which is sadly and horrifyingly true.
We've spent about 2 weeks on it in class so far. But all the lecture in the world couldn't prepare me for some virtual simulation videos that I found online.
The first isn't bad. It's just really kinda weird. (You only have to watch to 2:30 ish). The second man to go through the simulation is a schizophrenic who with the help of medication has not been suffering these delusions. But you can tell from his reaction that the simulation is pretty much dead on with what he's seen.
The second I ask that you *please* don't watch if you're having a bad day. Or just thinking negatively at present about yourself/your life. Because it will NOT help in the slightest. This simulation is a little more realistic, and shows some of the distortion that schizophrenics deal with (changing normal things to scary/ self-deprecating things...the posters, the TV, the painting) as well as the barrage of negative thoughts.
Horrifying. And there's no good treatment for it. We have medications, but they've got horrendous side effects (Parkinson's-like symptoms, constant facial twitching, depression...). The new meds are better but are horrible for your health. Did you notice the size of the man in the first movie? The one who was schizophrenic? I can almost guarantee you that he wasn't that large before the meds. They're known to cause you to gain weight at ridiculous rates: 50-100 lbs in a year...with normal eating. Which leads to diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks...
And the scary thing is that it doesn't set in some years after puberty. Early 20s for men, late 20s for women. You're just cruising right along living a nice life. You're normally pretty smart, you get good grades, and then you just fall off the world.
If this isn't demonic possession....at least in some cases....then I don't know what is.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Old Testament Therapy
Depression isn't a new thing, by any means. And how did God treat it?
Sleep, food, sleep, food.
It's Biblical!
Sleep, food, sleep, food.
It's Biblical!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Things of today...
Today I lost the last tiny bit of respect that I might have had for Emily Dickinson. This poem is part of a song we're singing in choir, and once I got past the trippy wording, I realized what it said...hence ruining her for good in my mind.
Gah! This kind of theology is so upsetting. I mean it's right there in Hebrews!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had an interesting announcement in choir tonight. CAS (the creative arts society) was have a free pizza and condoms night. Yes, and it's everything that it's name would indicate. They give you free pizza as a draw (though it's hardly necessary...which is the lamentable bit) and they have someone [presumably...i never went, but know people who have] talk about safe sex and the like and then pass around a bag of assorted condoms and you take as many as you like.
I just breaks my heart, quite honestly. To think that one of the most precious things God gave us....and that He said was "very good".....is being so terribly abused.
Sex is for marriage! And for nothing else. You know what it is outside of marriage? Fornication. Once again. Pick up a Bible- it's in almost every single list of sins that are made.
Gah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a happier note- God is awesome. And turns little-to-no practice time into worship that praises Him mightily. 'Tis good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I learned something very interesting in pscy class today: so....basic psyc 101 lecture- there are pleasure centers in your brain, to which a molecule called dopamine binds when you experience something enjoyable. (There's a reason why "dope" is derived from dopamine. When you smoke it, it creates more of this molecule which binds to the pleasure centers making you happy/ high.)
People who are easily addicted to things (drugs, alcohol, and most anything you can get addicted to) have more pleasure centers in their brains than the "average" person. So when they ________ (fill in the blank...say, have a drink) they enjoy it more than a "normal" person would. The dopamine has more places to bind to, and you feel happier.
So if you've been addicted to something in the past, you're predisposed to becoming addicted to something else (or the same thing) again.
It's just a matter of psychology.
And we wouldn't be able to overcome any such obstacles without His love, mercy and grace.
It's just the Truth.
Gah! This kind of theology is so upsetting. I mean it's right there in Hebrews!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had an interesting announcement in choir tonight. CAS (the creative arts society) was have a free pizza and condoms night. Yes, and it's everything that it's name would indicate. They give you free pizza as a draw (though it's hardly necessary...which is the lamentable bit) and they have someone [presumably...i never went, but know people who have] talk about safe sex and the like and then pass around a bag of assorted condoms and you take as many as you like.
I just breaks my heart, quite honestly. To think that one of the most precious things God gave us....and that He said was "very good".....is being so terribly abused.
Sex is for marriage! And for nothing else. You know what it is outside of marriage? Fornication. Once again. Pick up a Bible- it's in almost every single list of sins that are made.
Gah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a happier note- God is awesome. And turns little-to-no practice time into worship that praises Him mightily. 'Tis good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I learned something very interesting in pscy class today: so....basic psyc 101 lecture- there are pleasure centers in your brain, to which a molecule called dopamine binds when you experience something enjoyable. (There's a reason why "dope" is derived from dopamine. When you smoke it, it creates more of this molecule which binds to the pleasure centers making you happy/ high.)
People who are easily addicted to things (drugs, alcohol, and most anything you can get addicted to) have more pleasure centers in their brains than the "average" person. So when they ________ (fill in the blank...say, have a drink) they enjoy it more than a "normal" person would. The dopamine has more places to bind to, and you feel happier.
So if you've been addicted to something in the past, you're predisposed to becoming addicted to something else (or the same thing) again.
It's just a matter of psychology.
And we wouldn't be able to overcome any such obstacles without His love, mercy and grace.
It's just the Truth.
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