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April 28, 2008

Limits of Memory

We just received an email from LiveScience.com regarding some interesting studies about the limits of memory. We suggest you get on their distribution list to be emailed each time new articles are published.

To read the article, CLICK HERE.


March 25, 2008

Gestures Convey Message: Learning in Progress

I was reading an old newspaper the other day and ran across the following article. I thought it might be of interest to NBCCHers, especially those therapists who work with students.

Ron Klein

The Washington Post

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007; Page A06

Susan Wagner Cook, a third grader, stands at the front of her classroom, with an unfinished equation printed neatly on the whiteboard.

4 + 3 + 6 = ____ + 6

"I want to make one side," she says, as her left hand sweeps under the left side of the equation, "equal to the other side," she continues, now sweeping her right hand under the right side of the equation.

Equations are something the call is just ready to learn: The total value on one side of an equation should equal that on the other.

Some of the kids learn it quickly. Others taklonger. But what none of them know is that they are subjects in an experiment that is helping scientists understand one of the most familiar and yet mysterious components of human behavior: the hand gestures and how they may impact on learning. To read the rest of the article,

CLICK HERE.

February 19, 2008

Priming the Subconscious Mind

By Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

"The subconscious brain is more active, independent and purposeful than once thought." That is the conclusion of Benedict Carey who wrote an article, "Who's Minding the Mind?" in the July 31, 2007 issue of The New York Times. Carey cites several recent research studies showing that our decisions and judgments are often influenced by cues in the environment. Everyday sights, smells, and sounds can selectively activate motives that people already have.

For example, participants in a study were asked to help a lab assistant, who was carrying textbooks, a clip board, papers and a cup of coffee. They were asked to hold the cup, which contained either hot coffee or iced coffee. Later, the students who had held the hot cup rated the assistant as a warm person, while the students who held the cold cup rated the assistant as cold.

Continue reading "Priming the Subconscious Mind" »

October 15, 2007

Did Your Microwave Nuke the Bacteria?

A recent article in the New York Times talks about the risk of microwave meals not reaching high enough temperatures to kill illness causing bacteria. To read the full article CLICK HERE

You might consider passing this information on to the people on your email lists, if you think it might be of interest to them.

Ron Klein
Editor

June 19, 2007

Sleight of Mouth (SOM)

For those of you who have attended the NLP training, the term "Sleight of Mouth" will be familiar. For those who don't recognize the phrase, you can go to http://www.nlpu.com, click on the ENCYCLOPEDIA, and then on the book labeled "S". Next scroll down to "Sleight of Mouth Book and Patterns", where you can read all about it. Robert Dilts has published a book by the same name.

One of the best practioners of Sleight of Mouth Patterns, was Milton H. Erickson, M.D. He used these powerful patterns to heal. Unfortuately, these same patterns can be uses for good and for ill.

I, Ron Klein, have been a NLP Certified Trainer for the past 25 years. When I teach Sleight of Mouth patterns, I point out that some of the best examples can be found in the rhetoric of local, state and national politicians. The June 19, 2007 Washington Post column of Ann Applebaum, is a case in point. I say, WAKE UP AMERICA!!!

To read her column, go to :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/18/AR2007061801364.html

April 10, 2007

Death By PowerPoint - ADVERTISEMENT From Ron Klein

Every time I teach my Public Speaking and Train the Trainer workshop, participants ask me if I recommend using PowerPoint. I tell them that the first time I heard the term "Death by PowerPoint" was when my wife came home from one of her graduate school classes. She used it to describe how boring it was to sit in a class reading bullet points on a screen while the instructor pretty much read the same material from his lecture notes. I told her that the term nailed the experience for me too.

Needless to say, I have suggested that my Public Speaking and Train the Trainer workshop trainees either use Power Point sparingly, or better still, avoid using it altogether. Recently, a friend emailed a link to an article published in Sidney Morning Herald (Australia) about some interesting research that makes the case for not using PowerPoint even stronger. To read the article CLICK HERE .

ADVERTISEMENT: Want more success building your practice or teaching workshops? If you answer yes -- you'll want to attend my Public Speaking and Train the Trainer workshop late in June this year. To find out about the workshop, CLICK HERE, or give Ron a call on my cell: 301-523-5659.

March 03, 2007

Jay Haley, 83, Died February 13, 2007

Washington Post, March 2, 2007. Jay Haley, 83, a psychologist recognized as a pioneer of family therapy and a co-founder of the Family Therapy Institute in Chevy Chase, died Feb. 13 of cardiopulmonary failure at his home in La Jolla, Calif. Read the full article, CLICK HERE .

February 26, 2007

Repressed Memory - Fact or Fiction

There is a pain --so utter

It swallows substance up

Then covers the Abyss with Trance

So Memory can step around -- across. . .

Emily Dickinson wrote those lovely words sometime in the middle of the 19th century. Ever since that same idea found its way into literature, the theater and movies -- the idea is that when a memory becomes too painful to bear, the mind finds a way to shut it out and seal it off, to "step around -- across."

Repressed memory has been studied by a team of researchers at the Harvard Medical School. Their findings may shed some light on the subject. It certainly is fruit for thought.

To read two articles about their study, click the links below:

Washington Post

New York Times


December 11, 2006

Subtle Cues, Stereotypes and Academic Performance

As reported in the Washington Post, December 8, 2006, tens of thousands of students throughout the country will receive grades for the fall semester. There might be more to the grades they get than whether they studied hard. A number of experiments indicate that subtle cues can alter the student's course preferences -- and their test performance -- without anyone being aware of it.

To read the article Click here

November 14, 2006

DSM 43?

It's normal to occasionally feel sad, happy, anxious, confused, forgetful or fearful, but when a person's emotions, thoughts or behavior disrupt their lives, they may be suffering from mental illness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioral problems at any given time.

However, determining that someone has a mental illness, and which one, is one of the challenges mental health professional face. One effort to catalogue these afflictions is the "psychiatrists' bible", the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - the latest edition fills nearly one thousand pages and lists over 400 disorders.... and counting.

DSM 43?

It's normal to occasionally feel sad, happy, anxious, confused, forgetful or fearful, but when a person's emotions, thoughts or behavior disrupt their lives, they may be suffering from mental illness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioral problems at any given time.

However, determining that someone has a mental illness, and which one, is one of the challenges mental health professional face. One effort to catalogue these afflictions is the "psychiatrists' bible", the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - the latest edition fills nearly one thousand pages and lists over 400 disorders.... and counting.

November 07, 2006

In the News-Tomatoes in Restaurants Linked to Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak

FDA Notifies Consumers that Tomatoes in Restaurants Linked to Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the results of an investigation by state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigators, which found consuming tomatoes in restaurants as the cause of illnesses in the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak. To date, 21 states have reported 183 cases of illnesses to the CDC.

Continue reading "In the News-Tomatoes in Restaurants Linked to Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak" »

October 31, 2006

An Evolutionary Theory of Right and Wrong

An interesting article in the New York Times, October 31, 2006

Who doesn't know the difference between right and wrong? Yet that essential knowledge, generally assumed to come from parental teaching or religious or legal instruction, could turn out to have a quite different origin.

READ the ARTICLE

October 26, 2006

Tame your brain to keep your cool

IT SEEMS that emotional self-control really does come from within.

Previous studies have shown that people can learn to control the activity levels of specific brain regions to alter, for example, pain levels, when shown real-time "neurofeedback" from fMRI brain images. Now a similar approach may help people increase their emotional fluency. Read More

October 06, 2006

Researchers urge study of statins as bird flu treatment

Let's hear it for Lipitor, not only does it decrease cholesterol, but it helps prevent/treat Avian flu!

Three leading drug researchers are urging statins be studied as a possible cheap way to treat and prevent a bird flu pandemic. Statins already are known to be effective in blocking the cytokine storm, an extreme response by the immune system and often the cause of death in patients with virulent forms of flu.

Read the article: The Times (London)

October 04, 2006

News: What is E.coli - Do You Need to Worry About It?

A current outbreak of E. coli infections from spinach has brought the food borne illness to national attention. Last week, an E. coli outbreak forced supermarkets and restaurants to pull spinach from shelves and menus, but it also opened our eyes to the dangers of this potentially deadly bacteria. What is E.coli, and when do you need to worry about it?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104112451.htm

September 15, 2006

A Little Good News on Global Warming

It is the biggest contributor to climate change. Now chemists are hoping to convert carbon dioxide into a useful fuel, with a little help from the sun. If they succeed, it will be possible to recycle the greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels.

To read more, CLICK HERE.

A Little Good News on Global Warming

It is the biggest contributor to climate change. Now chemists are hoping to convert carbon dioxide into a useful fuel, with a little help from the sun. If they succeed, it will be possible to recycle the greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels.

To read more, CLICK HERE.

July 11, 2006

Is Bigger Really Cheaper?

You do want the large size fries, don't you? Its only 55 cents more!

Ordering a "super-value" meal and drink seems like it makes a lot of sense because you're getting a lot more food for a little more money. Who can resist a bargain? But is it actually such a good deal?

A new study indicates while you get about 73 percent more food in these larger portions, the added calories and fat can translate into much higher costs for health care, extra food and even gasoline. "In essence," writes Rachel Close, study author from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, "the more a person overeats, the greater the financial cost."

Based on this study, every extra value meal adds up to 35 cents extra in overall food costs, since heavier people eat more calories as they gain weight. Additionally health care can cost up to $6.64, because of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Furthermore, for every extra value meal a person eats, they will end up paying more in fuel costs, because heavier people makes cars and planes less fuel efficient.

That larger size fries can end up costing people a lot more than the extra 55 cents the food server suggests.

Source: Science Daily

June 14, 2006

Emotions, Like Germs, Are Easily Transmissible. The Trick Is Passing and Receiving the Right Ones


By Stacey Colino
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, May 30, 2006

That Look -- It's Catching!

It takes only a sneeze, a cough or a handshake to spread cold or flu germs from one person to another. But emotions can be transmitted even more easily, faster than the blink of an eye. Read the full article by clicking the following link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900757.html?referrer=emailarticle

June 04, 2006

Brain and Machinery of Prejudice

By: Marc Kaufman

When people think about someone they believe is politically or socially similar to them, a particular region of the brain becomes active. But when they think about someone they see as significantly different, another part of the brain lights up, new research indicates.

Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers at Harvard University and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland identified two regions of the brain's medial prefrontal cortex that were stimulated differently by questions designed to reveal how similar, or dissimilar, another person might be.

To read the rest of this article published in the Washington Post Science Notebook, May 22, 2006, click the following link and scroll down to the third article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/21/AR2006052100726.html?referrer=emailarticle

This research may have implications for the therapist who is interested in the mechanisms for establishing rapport.