TARANTULA NEBULA

The coloured photo of the tarantula nebula, on account of what seems to be spider legs. Man has this tendency to recognize shapes already known. So many worlds out there and here we stay put and try to discover familiar shapes in spatial images. Melanie Klein used to say that the small baby started to build a geography of his world based on his mother's body.


(photo: NASA)

THE ORIGINS OF MARRIAGE

An interesting and provocative article on the origins of marriage. The author teaches anthropology.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/the-origin-of-marriage-and-the-evolution-of-divorce?utm_source=Big+Think+Weekly+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=cd0bfeda32-You_Are_Not_Your_Brain4_27_2012&utm_medium=email

PHOTO

Talking about creativity, I've been struggling with the lack of subjects to take photos of where I stay the weekends. Then I decided to take what I have at hand and make the most of it. This was the result, a BW photo with a weird light coming in.

WHY DO WE LOOSE CREATIVITY?

Picasso once famously said that every child is an artist. This article in BigThink explores the reasons you loose creativity when you grow up.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/killing-creativity-why-kids-draw-pictures-of-monsters-and-adults-dont?page=2

'Alone time'

Some people like to spend time alone, some people don't...it appears to be very healthy though!
Gregory Feist (San Jose State University, California) found out that when being alone, our brains get some space to organize and settle our thoughts. This brings us solutions or new ideas. This relates to the fact that people are more creative when they are alone. As Picasso once said: “Without great solitude, no serious work is possible”.

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

Dr. Sue Johnson is one of the leading couple therapists in the world. She wrote the book 'Hold me Tight', in which she explains the 3 different types of 'demon dialogues' that couples can use when trying to communicate or reach each other: find the bad guy, freeze and flee, and the protest polka.
Since I read about these 3 types of dialogues, I can never look at a relationship differently anymore. They are quite easy to recognize, and once we do recognize them: we can tackle them and fight them together, as a couple!

Read more about this at http://www.holdmetight.com/hold_me_tight.php

WHAT IS COACHING

Coaching is a tool designed to bring out a person's potential. It's aim is development, specially professional development.
A coach differs from a psychotherapist not only by education and training but also by using a different tool.
Although there are similarities, the tool the coach uses is made of observation ad questions.
The coach and the client have to reach an agreement about the wanted goals. Observable results are quite important and so is feedback.
In psychotherapy the issue(s) are more about the patient's problems and his personal history. It goes deeper and it takes of course longer.
Coaching is well suited when one wants a quick and showable result, focused on a specific target.

POETRY: INVICTUS by William E Henley

The poem Invictus is a high moment in poetry. Listen to Sir Alan Bates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pJcwnS1c0I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Clara Pracana Ph.D.
http://www.lisboncpc.org/
http://pt.linkedin.com/in/clarapracana

Food for thought

Odewire is a great website with many interesting subjects: from food to business, from energy to technology, to health and back! There is something for everyone's taste and it's nice to get lost here.

http://odewire.com/

Christophe Andre

Another French psychiatrist that wrote inspiring books about happiness: Christophe Andre.
In his opinion, human beings are unhappy by nature. The cause is evolutionary: in the past we always had to be alert for and worried about threats. According to him, it takes hard work to be happy. Two important things to achieve happiness, besides food and a home, are social bonds and contact with nature. And last but not least: to be able to enjoy the small things in life and to live in the moment because we never know what tomorrow brings...

See his website for more information (albeit in French): http://christopheandre.com/

COACHING: WHO CAN BENEFIT

Lately I've been pretty interested in this new tool. Coaching is for someone who wants to learn, grow and maximize his/her performance.
It may be done with individuals or teams and the aim may be personal improvement or organizational change. Many clients are time-pressured executives who want to maximize their performance or the team's.
The book in the picture is one of the basic readings.

Music and memory

 

See in which way music can make people revive....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKDXuCE7LeQ

In other nursing homes they also use dolls, teddy bears, softly dimmed light, fluffy blankets or pillows, and other attributes in so called 'toy rooms' or 'cuddle rooms' to enliven their residents.

Alcohol strategies and policies

While the UK government just announced their 'alcohol strategy' (consisting of, amongst others, plans for a ban on the sale of multi-buy alcohol discounting, read more at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/alcohol-drugs/alcohol/alcohol-strategy), Holland also has some plans. These exist of raising the excise duty on alcohol with 50%. On a yearly basis, this will generate 350 million euros for the Dutch government. Besides, less alcohol would be used (-5%) which will lower healthcare expenses.
I'm curious about other government's plans!

Alcohol in Europe

(map created by: GunnMap, http://gunn.co.nz/map/)

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently wrote a report about the use of alcohol in Europe. In this continent, alcohol is the 3rd leading risk factor for disease and death (after tobacco and high blood pressure).

Apparently, people living in Europe are consuming two times more alcohol than people living in other parts of the world. On a yearly basis, Europeans drink 12,5 liters of pure alcohol, which is 3 alcoholic drinks a day.  In their report, the WHO gives information about effective alcohol policies.

Read more here:
http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/disease-prevention/alcohol-use/publications/2012/alcohol-in-the-european-union.-consumption,-harm-and-policy-approaches

THE FREUDIAN UNCONSCIOUS

New brain images confirm Freud's concept of the unconscious.
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/the-importance-of-magical-thinking

Chocolate dreams

Hmmm...this should be nice for Easter!

A chocolate hotel room!

http://www.london24.com/news/quirky-london/the_cavendish_london_hotel_opens_edible_chocolate_room_1_1332015

DREAMS AND BEDROOMS

It may be a bit voyeuristic but who doesn't wonder about the intimate life of one's favourite writers?
The photo shows Emily Dickinson's spartan bedroom - she's a wonderful poet.
Clicking on the link below you may also see Ernest Hemingway's bedroom, surprisingly formal.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/literary-style-15-writers-bedrooms-168023