Multiple Personality Disorder

by: devika

Multiple personality disorder (MPD), is a condition in which a patient displays numerous distinct identities or personalities. Each of the personalities, also known as alters, has its own way of perceiving, interacting and reacting with the environment. Patients diagnosed with MPD exhibit a wide array of symptoms that fluctuate with time. The severity of the condition also varies from patient to patient. Apart from the symptoms mentioned below, patients also experience other symptoms, such as those seen in epilepsy, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, personality disorders and eating disorders. Listed below are the signs and symptoms of multiple personality disorder.

Causes:

The precise cause is not known though DID is highly correlated with physical or sexual abuse in children, and many use dissociation as a defense. They seek to slip into a different state of mind where they are not being abused, and the abuse is occurring to someone else. Other evidence has linked DID with a history of brain injury and epilepsy. Onset is usually during childhood and most patients are female. DID may run in families; however, the genetic transmission question is unresolved.

Signs And Symptoms Of Multiple Personality Disorder:

Common Symptoms:

Amnesia:
Amnesia is one of the most common symptoms of multiple pers

Be Healthier and More Productive with Positive Habits

Be Healthier and More Productive with Positive Habits

by: Dan Robey

Copyright 2005 Dan Robey

Did you know that habits are incredibly powerful tools for personal growth and success?

Think about the habits you have now and how they affect virtually every aspect of your life. Your weight and health are determined by your eating habits. Your relationships with people are determined by your social habits. Your success at work is determined by your work habits. You have sleeping habits that dictate how well you sleep. You have sexual habits. You even have buying habits; just take a look around your house and you will quickly see them. Our character, health and virtually every aspect of our lives are indeed determined by our habits.

If you ask ten people on the street what the word habit means, nine out of ten will tell you that a habit is a negative action that people do over and over again, like smoking, or procrastinating, or eating too much. Bad habits get all the press. Let’s look at the results of just one bad habit: smoking. Every year, over 400,000 people lose their
lives to smoking-related illnesses in the United States. Imagine then, the negative power that exists in just that one bad habit. It is staggering.

Now I want you think about an even greater power, a power that can bring you success, health and happiness; a power for positive, permanent, and automatic personal growth: the power of positive habits. Let’s look a little closer at the meaning of the word habit. Random House dictionary defines habit in this way:


Habit: An acquired behavior pattern regularly
followed until it has become almost involuntary.


The important words in this definition are acquired and almost involuntary. Let me ask you a question. When is the last time you sat down and said to yourself, “Today I am going to add a new habit to my life?� I would venture to guess that you have probably never said those words. As you read this article, you will see how easy it is to add positive habits to your life and the great power they have to change it. Think about the words almost involuntary. This means the habit is so powerful in your mind that it is almost unstoppable! With respect to bad habits like smoking, procrastination, and overeating, this is very bad. But with positive habits, this is very, very good.

What is a positive habit? A positive habit is simply a habit that produces positive benefits, actions and attitudes you want to acquire and make a part of your life. Why is there such great power in positive habits to effect change? Because habits, by their very nature, are automatic. After a period of time they can become permanent.


So how do we go about adding new positive habits to our life? It’s really quite easy. You simply begin repeating an action, attitude or thought process every day for at least 21 days. Research has shown that an action that is repeated for a minimum of 21 days is likely to become a permanent habit. Remember that positive habits have positive benefits and you will reap those benefits for as long as you maintain that habit. So now that we know what positive habits are, and how to acquire them, let’s look at a couple of simple positive habits that will make you healthier and more productive.

Positive Habit #1 - Take Flax Every Day for a Healthy, Trim Body
and Lower Cholesterol!


What is flax?

Flax is a blue-flowering plant known for its oil-rich seed. People have been eating flaxseed since ancient times, it has a pleasant, nutty flavor. The health benefits of flaxseed and flaxseed oil are significant and for that reason this habit is recommended as a primary habit for health and a trim and fit body. Here are some of the benefits of flaxseed and flaxseed oil:

Flaxseed contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. Several studies have shown that flaxseed can help to lower cholesterol in the same way that other soluble fiber foods like oat bran and fruit pectin do. A study at the University of Toronto showed that total cholesterol levels dropped 9% and LDL (the “bad� cholesterol) decreased 18% among a group of women who ate milled flaxseed cooked into bread every day for a period of 4 weeks.

Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of lignans and alpha-linolenic acid. Studies suggest that lignans may help to prevent certain cancers. Flaxseed is one of the few plants in the plant kingdom that provide a high ratio of alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) to linoleic (omega-6 fatty acids), it is an excellent source of healthy polyunsaturated fat.

A new study has confirmed that the positive habit of taking flax seed daily can help you get a trim and fit body. I interviewed Dr. Sam Bhathena, a researcher at the Phytonutrients Laboratory of the US department of Agriculture, he said, “we have observed that flax seed meal is much more effective in lowering cholesterol then soy. Several other studies have shown that in general, omega-3 fatty acids,lower lipid deposition, and help in reducing body weight.�

Omega-3 fatty acids — More than half the fat contained in flaxseed is omega-3 fatty acid type, an essential fatty acid. There have been numerous studies reporting the health benefits of consuming omega-3 fats. Recent studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids which are abundant in flax seed can help protect you from coronary artery disease, stroke, high blood pressure, autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Studies on the effects of flax seed on breast cancer are now under way. Omega-3s can also help boost your metabolism, helping your body to burn calories faster. You can purchase raw flax seed, ground flax seed and flax seed oil at most health food stores.

Positive Habits #2 Be More Productive With the 4-D Habit

Many of us are stressed out by the negative effects of work overload in our careers. The 4-D habit is a very simple positive habit that will help you to prevent work overload and be more productive. Every time you are faced with a new task to perform, apply the 4 D’s as listed below. You will find that your workload will be reduced as you apply this screening and decision making tool to each task you are confronted with. Decide on the most appropriate choice – and take action.

Do It Now – take immediate action, do the task right away, don’t procrastinate.

Dump It Now – make a quick decision and dump the task.

Delegate It – give the task to someone else. This is a very critical aspect of time management. Your time is valuable; make it a habit to work on tasks that you do best and delegate the tasks that can be performed by someone else.

Defer the Task – make an immediate decision to postpone the task to a later time. Make sure to schedule a time to complete it.

Dan Robey is the author of the Best-Selling book "The Power of Positive Habits" now published in 22 countries worldwide. There are dozens and dozens of scientifically researched postive habits that can change your life in Dan's book. To learn more and subscribe to a complementary e-course on Positive Habits go to: http://www.thepowerofpositivehabits.com

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Cognitive Skills Determine Learning Ability

by: Susan du Plessis

Research has shown that cognitive skills are a determining factor of an individual's learning ability. Cognitive skills are mental skills that are used in the process of acquiring knowledge; according to Oxfordlearning.com the skills that "separate the good learners from the so-so learners." In essence, when cognitive skills are strong, learning is fast and easy. When cognitive skills are weak, learning becomes a struggle.

Many children become frustrated and find schoolwork difficult because they do not have the cognitive skills required to process information properly. Many employees find themselves stuck in dead-end jobs that do not tap into their true vocational potential due to weak cognitive skills. In the later years of life, a lack of cognitive skills -- poor concentration, the inability to focus, and memory loss -- is a common problem that accompanies us.

It should be noted that, irrespective of age, cognitive skills can be improved with the right training. Weak cognitive skills can be strengthened, and normal cognitive skills can be enhanced to increase ease and performance in learning.

The following cognitive skills are the most important:

CONCENTRATION

Concentration is the ability to focus the attention on one single thought or subject, excluding everything else from the field of awareness. It is one of the most important abilities one should possess, as nothing great can be achieved without it.

Students need to concentrate and focus on completing a homework assignment, a project, or review for a test in order to excel in school, learn the subject, and get good grades. Athletes need to concentrate on performance, execution, and strategy in order to do their best and overcome their opponent. Entrepreneurs need to concentrate on all the factors involved in starting a new business and promoting their product or service. They need to do this in order to get their idea off the ground and make their enterprise into a profitable entity. Business leaders need to concentrate on their company mission, vision, and strategies, as well as the work at hand, in order to stay ahead of their competitors. Workers need to concentrate on their jobs and fulfilling their supervisor's goals, in order to complete projects and advance in their careers.

Improving the ability to concentrate allows a person to avoid the problems, embarrassment, and difficulties that occur when the mind wanders. Better concentration makes studying easier and speeds up comprehension. It enables one to take advantage of the social and business opportunities that arise when individuals are fully attuned to the world around them. It helps one to focus on one's goals and achieve them more easily.

PERCEPTION

Sensation is the pickup of information by our sensory receptors, for example the eyes, ears, skin, nostrils, and tongue. In vision, sensation occurs as rays of light are collected by the two eyes and focused on the retina. In hearing, sensation occurs as waves of pulsating air are collected by the outer ear and transmitted through the bones of the middle ear to the cochlear nerve.

Perception, on the other hand, is the interpretation of what is sensed. The physical events transmitted to the retina may be interpreted as a particular color, pattern, or shape. The physical events picked up by the ear may be interpreted as musical sounds, a human voice, noise, and so forth.

Lack of experience may cause a person to misinterpret what he has sensed. In other words, perception represents our apprehension of a present situation in terms of our past experiences, or, as stated by the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): "We see things not as they are but as we are."

Deficits in visual perception can hinder a person's ability to make sense of information received through the eyes, while deficits in auditory perception interferes with an individual's ability to analyze or make sense of information received through the ears.

A classic example of a deficit in visual perception is the child who confuses letters such as b, d, p and q. Many adults find their reading speed to be inadequate as a result of underlying perceptual deficits.

By improving accuracy and speed of perception, one is able to absorb and process information accurately and quickly. Reading speed will also improve and reading problems can be overcome.

MEMORY

Memory is probably the most important of all cognitive functions.

Roughly speaking, the sensory register concerns memories that last no more than about a second or two. If a line of print were flashed at you very rapidly, say, for one-tenth of a second, all the letters you can visualize for a brief moment after that presentation constitute the sensory register.

When you are trying to recall a telephone number that was heard a few seconds earlier, the name of a person who has just been introduced, or the substance of the remarks just made by a teacher in class, you are calling on short-term memory, or working memory. This lasts from a few seconds to a minute; the exact amount of time may vary somewhat. You need this kind of memory to retain ideas and thoughts as you work on problems. In writing a letter, for example, you must be able to keep the last sentence in mind as you compose the next. To solve an arithmetic problem like (3 X 3) + (4 X 2) in your head, you need to keep the intermediate results in mind (i.e., 3 X 3 = 9) to be able to solve the entire problem.

A poor short-term memory may lead to difficulties in processing, understanding and organization. By improving one's short-term memory, one is better able to process, understand and organize incoming information.

Long-term memory is the ability to store information and later retrieve it, and lasts from a minute or so to weeks or even years. From long-term memory you can recall general information about the world that you learned on previous occasions, memory for specific past experiences, specific rules previously learned, and the like.

Research has shown that, on average, within 24 hours one forgets 80% of what one has learned. By improving long-term memory schoolchildren and students are able to store and retrieve information more effectively.

Visual memory is a person's ability to remember what he has seen, while auditory memory is a person's ability to remember what he has heard. Various researchers have stated that as much as eighty percent of all learning takes place through the eye. Needless to say, improving visual memory will have a tremendous effect on a person's learning ability. The same is true of improving auditory memory.

LOGICAL THINKING

Logical thinking is a learned process in which one uses reasoning consistently to arrive at a conclusion. Problems or situations that involve logical thinking call for structure, for relationships between facts, and for chains of reasoning that "make sense."

According to Dr. Albrecht, author of "Brain Building", the basis of all logical thinking is sequential thought. This process involves taking the important ideas, facts, and conclusions involved in a problem and arranging them in a chain-like progression that takes on a meaning in and of itself. To think logically is to think in steps.

The ability to think logically allows a person to reject quick and easy answers, such as "I don't know," or "this is too difficult," by empowering him to delve deeper into his thinking processes and understand better the methods used to arrive at a solution. It has been shown that training in logical thinking processes makes a person brighter.

Visit Susan's website A 2 Z of Learning for information on Audiblox and Compublox, two cognitive enhancement programs, designed to improve concentration, perception, memory, and logical thinking. This article can be freely used as long as a link to "A 2 Z of Learning" (http://www.learninginfo.org) is provided.

A Simple Strategy for Managing ADD

by:ADD Management Coach Jennifer Koretsky

As an ADD Coach, I usually begin my conversations with new
and potential clients by saying, “Tell me about yourself and
why you’re looking for coaching.” Most people answer with a
long list of their ADD challenges. Very few people answer
that they are looking to discover, enhance, or utilize their
strengths. This is a big part of coaching, and a part that
many people need a lot of help with.

Unfortunately, many ADDers spend too much of their time
focusing on what they think they do wrong. This is
understandable; as most of us have spent a lifetime learning
how to deal with attention inconsistency, impulsivity,
hyperactivity, emotional reactivity, and other challenges
that our ADD has presented. However, few of us actually
take time to appreciate our ability to manage these
challenges and bounce back from the difficult times. And
when we don’t balance the good stuff with the not-so-good
stuff, we can become frustrated, unmotivated, and unhappy.


Every single person in this world has strengths and
interests – things we do well and things we like to do.
Learning to focus some time on those strengths and interests
can help lift the spirits – and self-esteem – of ADDers.
Here are some ways in which you can increase the time you
spend thinking about your strengths and interests:

* Make a list of all your accomplishments in life –
both large and small – and post this list where you’ll see
it often
* Make a list of all the things you do well, and all
the things you like to do – and post this list, too
* Keep a journal or notebook in which you detail all
your daily successes
* Accept every compliment you receive with a smile
and a “thank you”

After you have spent some time thinking about your strengths
and accomplishments, you can take this knowledge and
self-awareness a step further by setting some small goals
for yourself that involve your strengths and interests. If
you’re good with people, maybe you’d like to try
volunteering at a homeless shelter or senior center. If you
like dancing, perhaps you can take a class every week.

We all deserve to spend time doing what we like to do, and
not just what we have to do. So allow yourself to
appreciate your strengths and interests, and treat yourself
to the luxury of enjoying them! Chances are, it will make
you a much happier person.


Jennifer Koretsky is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of the ADD Management Group, LLC. Jennifer and her team work with ADD adults who are overwhelmed with everyday life in order to help them simplify, focus, and succeed. For free resources and more information, visit http://www.ADDmanagement.com.

10 Ways to Increase Your Multicultural Intelligence

by: Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach

1. Learn to pronounce people’s names correctly.

A name is a very personal thing. Pay attention, listen, have them repeat and do whatever it takes to get it right.

2. Learn a second language.

We are shaped by the language we speak and it’s the vessel of our culture. Only when you learn another language and culture will you understand your own. The cornerstone of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. The cornerstone of global EQ is culture-awareness.

3. Stretch enough to explore your own prejudices and biases.

One way to work with your own “judgments” is to do The Work. Go HERE for an online worksheet. As Byron says, “let your judging mind have its life on paper” and see what you discover about yourself.

4. Test your prejudices in the light of reality.

Before you relate to a person from another culture, make a list of the things you’re expecting. Then open up your mind and process what you experience.

5. Travel, if even just to the next county.

When you travel, ask people what they think about people where you come from. You’ll hear all sorts of ridiculous and preposterous things, which should open you up to the possibility that stereotypes are rarely true of the individual sitting in front of you.

6. Be willing to grow and change.

If you don’t keep learning and changing at the same rate as the world around you (which is currently very fast), you’ll become a dinosaur in the age of mammals. Failing to adapt, you’ll lose the context of the people around you. And I mean adapt, not adjust. You adjust to a change in the temperature. You adapt when you’re a tadpole and, in order to survive, you give up gills and a tail and grow lungs and limbs. Big difference!

7. Take teleclasses.

As all coaches know, the telephone is the great equalizer. You have nothing visual to go by. You’ll find teleclasses at www.teleclass.com, google it, or email me for suggestions. Many are free, and some are multicultural. (Many of my EQ teleclasses are multicultural.) This will help you discipline yourself to ‘see’ each person as a unique individual regardless of their gender, sexual preference, the color of their skin, their beauty or perceived lack of it, or any other physical characteristic or external attribute. On teleclasses there are no indications of wealth or academic degrees, and you can’t tell if someone is fat or old, two of the greatest prejudices in the US.

8. Learn emotional intelligence. It’s the universal language.

We all have feelings, and we all speak the same language in our dreams. Training EQ coaches all over the world, I’ve learned when we enter the realm of feelings, there is great commonality, and there’s interest in EQ everywhere BTW. People have the same problems and concerns the world over. We have far more in common than not, but you won’t learn this until you get out there and experience it.

9. Take personal responsibility before looking for fault elsewhere.

Assume you’re part of any problem, if there is one, simply because you’re there, and investigate what you can do differently.

10. Own your role as a social activist.

Whatever your job or position in your society, you have power and responsibility. The more lives you touch, the more opportunity you have to be an ambassador, a diplomat, an educator, and a peacemaker.

Here are two resources you will enjoy. Multicultural Workshop and A href=http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/EPS/PES-Yearbook/94_docs/BLIZEK.HTM>“The Gaze of Multiculturalism,” by Blizek.

Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach. Offering coaching, Internet courses and ebooks around emotional intelligence for your personal and professional success. Susan is the author of Multiculturalism and EQ and the founder of EQ Alive! coach certification program available worldwide. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for information on this fast, affordable, no-residency program.

Anti-Bullying Skills and Techniques for Children

Anti-Bullying Skills and Techniques for Children

Mark Lakewood, Relationship Specialist, Author, and Motivational Speaker

Bullying is a big problem in our schools today. However, bullying has always been a problem. The main differences between bullying today from the past are the nature of the bullying and the violence that occurs in the aftermath. Cyberbullying is becoming a popular and more destructive form of bullying than traditional bullying. More children today are bringing guns to school to seek revenge on others. Bullying has been around and will probably remain for years to come. Not only was I bullied as a child, but I continue to get bullied today as an adult. I do not believe that we have the power to rid the world of bullying. I believe the answer to the issue of bullying rests with all of us, especially the victims of bullying. I am not suggesting that victims of bullying are responsible for bullying. On the contrary, what I am suggesting is that victims of bullying have the power in themselves to think, behave, and react in ways that limits or eradicates bullying. As a society, we spend too much of our energy identifying and punishing the bully that we fail to spend enough time empowering the victims of bullying. We should spend more of our energy on the things that we can control rather than the things we have limited or no control over. We need to teach children about the power that they already possess. Let me elaborate on a few issues that parents should teach their children regarding the issue of bullying.

Let's first talk about the characteristics of bullying. Typically, bullies and their victims share the same characteristic - low self-esteem. It just depends on whether they internalize or externalize their feelings that will determine if they will become a bully or a victim of bullying. Typically, negative situations and events in the child's life can trigger low self-esteem. Externalizing feelings can cause some children to become bullies as they attempt to control their environment to compensate for their lack of control in their family. For instance, if a child's parents are divorcing and the child is very upset about the divorce, he or she might feel powerless in their ability to keep their parents together. As a result, the child might take out his or her rage on others for purposes of seeking control to compensate for his or her lack of control over their parents' impending divorce.

Given the same scenario (parental divorce), some children internalize their feelings by not talking or acting out how they feel. Instead, they become depressed and withdrawn feeling like a failure. Often, they develop a negative image of themselves and their physical appearance. They look at others and the world around them with shaded lens. When a bully validates this child's feelings about themselves, this child often reacts negatively to the validation because he or she feels the bully is correct in their interpretation.

Often times, children with high self-esteem do not respond negatively to bullies because they already know that whatever the bully says negatively about them is untrue and therefore they do not feel the need to defend themselves against the foolishness of others.

As human beings, our behavior, thoughts, and feelings are never dictated or controlled by others, situations, and events unless we allow this to occur. Simply said, others, situations, and events can trigger a reaction based on what we are thinking. In other words, if I really didn't want to go to work today and my car has a flat tire, I might experience happiness because I didn't want to go to work. On the other hand given the same event (flat tire), I might want to go to work today to take care of some undone business. Because the flat tire might delay or eliminate my chances of getting to work, this situation might cause me anger. How could the same event in both situations cause two different feelings? It wasn't the event at all that triggered the feelings. It was what I was thinking about the event that triggered my feelings. Therefore, manipulating the way we think can alter how we feel. We all have the ability to take ownership and control over our thoughts. We however have limited or no control over specific events, situations, and the behavior of others. Sometimes, we attempt to control events, situations, and others but become frustrated when our attempts fail.

Now, how does the paragraph above apply to the issue of bullying? The main goal of bullies is to attempt to get their victims to experience fear, anger, or sadness. Once their victim demonstrates signs of these emotions via the words he or she uses and/or their body language, the bully has complete and total control over them. The bully will continue to bully their victim until the victim no longer verbally and/or physically displays fear, anger, or sadness in response to the bullying. The bullying will end once the victim responds the opposite of what the bully expects.

How do we get children to react the opposite of what the bully expects? This is where role-playing comes in handy. Parents should regularly sit down with their children helping them learn to react the opposite of what bullies expect. Often times, this task is much easier when the parent knows what hurtful words or phrases bullies say that makes their children feel fearful, angry, or sad. Using these hurtful words and/or phrases in role-plays will emotionally prepare children when they are approached by bullies.

It is also important to teach children that they have the power to change or affect the agenda of bullies by the words they use. For instance, if a bully calls a child 'stupid', the child could defuse the bullying by stating to the bully, “That's nice�, “How about that�, “Oh, well�, and so forth. The worst thing that the child could do is respond by telling the bully that he or she is stupid or make any other negative statement. A negative response will only inflame the situation encouraging further bullying.

In addition, parents should teach and role-play with their children specified forms of body language that reflects a child with high self-esteem from a child with low self-esteem. Body language communicates feelings more so than spoken words. If a child yells at a bully that he or she is not bothered by their behavior, the bully knows that the child is bothered because of the yelling. Lack of eye contact, looking down, slouched posture, lack of hygiene, and low tone of voice can be viewed as symptoms of low self-esteem.

Parents need to teach their children that bullies rarely get angry with them. Bullies are typically angry at themselves and/or events that are or have occurred in their own life for which they have limited or no control. Bullies indirectly take out their anger on the ones they could easily control.

Parents should never teach their children to physically fight back when approached by a bully. The problem with fighting back is that children will get themselves into trouble for engaging in physically assaultive behavior. Think of it this way - bullies rarely ever throw the first punch. They always entice their victim into throwing the first punch. This way, when they are asked who started the fight, the bully could easily and truthfully state that their victim started it. In addition, there are significant legal ramifications that can arise as a result of physically assaultive behavior.

It is important to remember that physical violence typically occurs after a negative verbal interaction. Violence typically is provoked and rarely unprovoked. Therefore to avoid violence, the conflict can and should be defused during the verbal exchange. This is why the words victims say and their body language are so significant and detrimental to the outcome of bullying. Recent school shootings suggest that the shooters were bullied by their classmates. The bullying subsequently provoked the school violence.

Parents should be cautious when teaching their children to ignore bullies. The problem with ignoring is that the bully knows that their behavior is irritating, annoying, and controlling their victim. Therefore, the bullying will continue.

Parents should be cautious when teaching their children to constantly report bullying to an adult. Parents should encourage their children to first attempt to resolve the bullying on their own with the skills taught above. If their children are unsuccessful resolving these issues on their own, they should be encouraged to report the bullying. If their children automatically report the bullying without attempting to defuse the situation on their own, they will be perceived and labeled as a tattle-tale which will encourage more bullying.

Parents need to teach their children the correct definition of the word 'tattling'. Some children feel that reporting misbehavior to adults is considered tattling. Parents need to teach their children that reporting on others just to see them get into trouble is considered tattling. A child that reports to his or her parents that their brother is picking his nose is tattling. Children always need to report to an adult if they were physically, sexually, or verbally harmed by others or if they witnessed others engaging in destructive or illegal behaviors.

It is very easy to feel sorry and sympathy toward victims of bullying. However, it would be more helpful to the victim if we are more empathic to their needs by empowering them to diffuse bullying on their own. As a result, their ability to defuse the bullying would ultimately raise their level of self-esteem and self-worth.

If you would like additional tips and suggestions regarding bullying prevention skills or if you would like to attend an online educational seminar, please feel free to log onto the Building Strong Families National Seminar's website.

In 1986, Mr. Lakewood earned his Bachelors degree in Social Work at George Williams College, Downers Grove, Illinois. In 1987, he earned his Masters degree in Social Work at Aurora University, Aurora, Illinois while enrolled in the advanced standing program.

After graduating with his Master's degree, Mr. Lakewood obtained employment at medical clinics and hospitals providing counseling services to patients. He also obtained employment at a variety of family preservation and mental health facilities. Mr. Lakewood developed and facilitated a parenting program for parents of strong-willed children that gained local recognition. This program was designed to teach parents strategies and techniques to help them effectively manage their children\'s behavior. In addition, Mr. Lakewood developed and facilitated many seminars and workshops that focused on parenting and family issues. He was featured and interviewed on television/radio programs and in newspaper articles. In 2002, Mr. Lakewood opened his own private practice where he provided individual, family, marital, couples, and group therapy outpatient mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults.

As a Motivational and Professional Speaker, Mr. Lakewood facilitates seminars on family-related issues. He uses humor and practical skills to help others overcome life obstacles. Mr. Lakewood is easy going, an excellent communicator, entertainer, inspiring, provides a relaxed and safe environment, and promotes awareness and understanding to help others obtain the necessary skills to resolve their conflicts. With his enthusiasm, uniqueness, and high energy level, Mr. Lakewood's speaking style keeps his audiences attentive.

In 2006, Mr. Lakewood authored and video-taped his first parenting DVD/downloadable video series entitled "The Sudden Compliance" program. This program is designed to help children significantly and swiftly improve their behavior at home, school, and within the community without relying on medication, psychological or psychiatric services.

Also in 2006, Mr. Lakewood authored the "Standing Up To Bullying" program. This project first was designed as a seminar for the general community and now has blossomed into a comprehensive school-based bullying prevention program that addresses educators, parents, and students in three different training presentations. Each training presentation covers a comprehensive list of topics designed to reduce or eradicate bullying within schools, homes, and the community. Mr. Lakewood not only authored this program but is presently touring the country with it.

Mr. Lakewood subscribes to three therapeutic models: 1) Ecological/Systems, 2) Cognitive, and 3) Behavioral. The Ecological/Systems model focuses on how we are affected by our environment. The Cognitive model focuses on how we are affected by our thoughts and beliefs. The Behavioral model focuses on how we are affected by our behavior. Mr. Lakewood believes that all three models are very effective in reducing or eliminating emotional and behavioral problems in children, adolescents, and adults.

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Strokes And Dementia

Strokes And Dementia

by: Christian Goodman

Dementia can create a mental picture that it means to talk about the ones suffering from the Alzheimer's disease who find it very difficult to remember things and their close relationships and thereby causing character collapse leading to an outburst of fury and irritations. Reasons that cause Dementia are both curable and permanent and depending upon this the disease can be treated.

The major cause of Dementia is the failure of the cerebral cortex which functions in taking care of the thinking abilities, remembering and character. Once the cells corresponding to the brain in the cerebral cortex deteriorate it can be found that the perception and reasoning will diminish in people who face this illness. They will feel it difficult to manage and align simple things like routine management and cooking .

One out of the causes of Dementia is Alzheimer's disease and maybe a very annoying problem nowadays.Vascular Dementia is also supposed to the very main reason in this deteriorating problem. A group of simple strokes making the brain malfunction is called Vascular Dementia. When one happens to face these two conditions at the same time and these can worsen the start of Alzheimer's Disease.

Strokes can be characterized by blocking of blood to the brain. It can be a result of the bulging of the arterial walls or stone formation in the walls of the artery leading to the brain. Oxygen is supplied through blood to the brain and when stopped for a period of time the cells deteriorate. simple strokes erase memories and thereby make making senses of time, direction, and recognition difficult to distinguish.

Irritation may be the result of Failure in achieving targets of daily schedule and memory loss. Character transformation is very important in case of lowering the occurrences of strokes while major reasons cannot be avoided. Streamlining the Food habits and following a routine of physical activities are the key reasons to enhance the flow of blood and reducing the blood pressure. Stone Formation in walls of the artery are due to the bad cholesterol also termed as LDL.

Dementia is unbearable and its always safe to prevent it by following a healthy routine of Exercise and diet.This can lower the occurrences of strokes to a great extent and Dementia too. When our dear ones are affected by strokes its difficult to digest though simple or complex.

Know more on preventing dementia naturally by trying the natural dementia treatment program.Naturally treating Dementia is widely chosen rather than the importance induced on the other medications.

Blue Heron Health News is a leading publishing firm in the area of natural health. Their natural health publications include an all natural dementia remedy

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Anxiety and Panic Help, Understanding Feelings Of Unreality/depersonalisation

Anxiety and Panic Help, Understanding Feelings Of Unreality/depersonalisation

by: Paul David

Depersonalisation

In the process of writing this book I covered the feeling of detachment from oneself, otherwise known as depersonalisation: an emotional disorder in which there is loss of contact with your own personal reality accompanied by feelings of unreality and strangeness, also a sensation of ones environment looking or feeling ‘strange’ and unusual.

This one question kept coming up more and more as I was writing this book, so I decided to add an extra chapter on this annoying, yet harmless, symptom.

D.P., as I will refer to it, is a common and understandable offshoot of the anxiety condition. I can also tell you that it is in no way a mental illness. It is not serious or harmful in any way and has a totally logical explanation. It is temporary and, with patience and understanding, eventually passes like any other symptom.

The key to recovering from this feeling of detachment is to surrender to this strange feeling, to pay it no respect and realise it is just the product of an over-tired mind, fatigued by your constant worrying thoughts and the constant checking in to how you feel. This symptom relies on your fear of it to keep it alive.

When people are caught up in the worry cycle, they begin to think deeply and constantly. They study themselves from deep within, checking in and focusing on their symptoms. They may even wake in the morning only to continue this habit, “How do I feel this morning? “I wonder if I will be able to get through today". What’s this new sensation I feel?" This may go on all day, exhausting their already tired mind further. This constant checking in and constant assessing of their symptoms then becomes a habit, but like all other habits this one can also be changed.

All this worry is bound to make your mind feel dull and unresponsive. Is it any wonder you have come to feel so distanced from your surroundings? Is it any wonder you find it so hard to concentrate? Some people, when studying for exams for hours on end, get to the point where they can no longer take information in, so they take a break and carry on the day after. For you, there are no breaks and no time outs.

As I have already mentioned earlier, your body has a safety mechanism that protects it from all this worry and slows the mind down to safeguard itself. It takes a step back from this onslaught, which can then produce your feelings of detachment and the world around you may become hazy or out of focus.

Once you understand this symptom as being caused by an over-tired mind, exhausted through worry, that you are not going mad and these feelings can’t harm you in any way, it makes sense. With the fear factor taken out of this symptom, it can start to hold less power over you and affect you less than it did before. Although still annoying, you now know why you feel these feelings. Once you learn to accept them and stop adding worrying thoughts to the mix, this is another symptom that you will be able to overcome in time. Taking a step back and giving up the worrying thoughts, gives your mind the chance to rest, rejuvenate and refresh.

When it happened to me, I recognised and understood what was causing it. I realised that I was checking in and worrying about it and I did fear this sensation, so I just stopped doing it. I also learnt to get busier and stop brooding on this and other symptoms. Being active gives you another focus. Having too much time on your hands can open the door to too much needless thinking. With less worry and fear of this harmless but upsetting symptom, I was eventually able to overcome it. It merely became a nuisance and because I knew the reason for its existence, it no longer held any power over me.

When a worry or fear loses its importance, it loses its power and that is why it is essential to realise these symptoms are neither harmful nor serious. Gradually, without all the checking in and worrying, this symptom that so dominated my life began to diminish and eventually disappeared completely.

This symptom is like any other all symptoms are still being fuelled by your fear of them. As long as the fear continues, so will the symptoms. When we start to understand why we feel like we do, we automatically fear them less and they start to lose their edge and importance, this is when symptoms gradually start to fade.

Paul David spent years after his own recovery studying the whole subject in full so he could go on to dedicate his life to helping others. He then went on to write a book entitled ‘At Last a Life’ telling his own story of recovery and what took him there. For more information and better understanding of the subject visit his website at: www.anxietynomore.co.uk