The Mind Body Connection – What Is It Really?
A war has been silently raging on now for hundreds of years. Do you know the one I mean? Rene Descartes inadvertently started it, early in the Seventeenth Century, when he proclaimed that the body and mind are separate. Even today then, this war continues, as knighted warriors dressed in alphabet soup armor and traditional deference do all they can to ruin the careers and lives of the unknighted, less deferential warriors all the while claiming they are doing this to protect the lives of innocent people.Doesn’t sound familiar to you yet? Not sure who is fighting? It’s simple really. Main stream science is out to discredit anyone they pejoratively designate, “new agers.” And while these designations; the main streamers and the new agers, are not really official, the war itself is beyond official. It’s been going on for almost four hundred years.What have these two factions been arguing about? Main stream science believes it is imperative to stop anyone who makes helping people more important than explaining how they help people. Incredible really. Central to this belief is the idea that if you cannot see something, it does not exist. Granted, science has finally progressed past the point wherein it limits this proof to what we can see with the naked eye. Still, if you cannot prove what you claim is happening with repeatable reliable data, then science sees your ideas as nonsense and you as a charlatan or worse; as a madman or a thief.What amazes me here is that even when the methods in question help people, science still does not consider this to be proof. No numbers. No proof.Where does Rene Descartes come in?Rene Descartes spent much of his adult life doing all he could to learn about what to him was his most amazing discovery; that the experiences of the body and the experiences of the mind are two totally separate yet interactive experiences. And he was right. They are. The thing is, these two separate experiences are at the same time also the experiences of one individual. Which makes them also two parts of a single experience. The experience of being alive.That both of these experiences (the two separate and the one whole) are equally valid and true is easily tested. Unfortunately what Descartes inadvertently did is he logically dissected the experiences of the mind and body but never got around to holistically reassembling them. At least in science’s eyes. And when I say inadvertently, I say this because I am sure he never intended to destroy the credibility of everything other than physically logical, visible evidence. Unfortunately, other than the numerous philosophical arguments ongoing since then, for the most part, this is exactly what his ideas have accomplished. Until the late twentieth century that is, at which point a few of the less deferential scientists and M.D.s began to openly challenge Descartes and his love of this separateness. Some of them even going so far as to say that the mind body connection is the whole key to understanding heath, healing, and human nature.So is it?Before I answer, I want to make it clear to you that I can see the value in science’s point of view here; that if you cannot understand a device then you should not trust what it is doing. At the same time I can also see the value in the so called New Age mind set wherein helping people matters more than measurements and math. In effect, if it works, then who cares how? Right? After all, isn’t helping people the main point?Who is right then? And why bring up this war in a book about talk therapy?I bring it up because talk therapists fall squarely in the midst of this battlefield. Partly because insurance companies demand that therapists prove their progress; efficiently and with nice neat numbers no less. Partly because science has a point about how some new age folks can be way off base. And partly because the main stream, good old deferential science boys continue to punish and berate anyone who does not kneel in deference to the god of linearity.Where do I stand?I am a talk therapist. Thus I too stand smack in the midst of this battlefield. Fortunately for me though I am also a personality theorist, and during my searches, I made a discovery which for me at least puts this conflict to rest. I discovered what Rene Descartes somehow missed seeing, and what his fellow philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz later hinted at. I discovered the actual mechanism which connects our separate experiences of the body and the mind.Not sure what I am saying? I am saying that despite the preponderance of people who believe a mind body connection exists, no one ever says what this connection is. The actual mechanism. They argue only that this connection does or does not exist, along with what it does and does not affect. In fact, if you do an online search for the mind body connection, while you will find hundreds of references to that it exists, I doubt you will find a single person, scientist or new ager, who even mentions the existence of such a mechanism let alone how it works. They argue only whether a mind body connection does or does not exist. This includes even the fascinating new work of the social neuroscientists who claim that neurology and social science is the connection. Yes. Of course. Neurology and social science are connected. But how? What is the mechanism?Ironically, the one person who did mention this mechanism is the one who started the whole thing; Descartes himself. Thus, in addition to his theories on the causal nature of mind body interactionism, he also hypothesized that these interactions occurred within the only organ in the brain that does not exist bilaterally; the pineal gland.My point? It seems that while many folks believe a mind body connection exists, no one seems to say what it is, scientifically or otherwise. And while helping people is and should be the talk therapist’s first concern, helping people should not have to rely solely on something as nebulous as intuition. Granted, no therapist can or should ignore his or her intuition. But therapists should also want to know what happens in the moments wherein they help someone. What was it your gut sensed that your mind could not see?How then are the mind and body connected? It’s simple really. It turns out that the body and the mind each have their own sense of time. Their own sort of internal clocks so to speak. Moreover, when these two internal clocks are not running in sync, problems occur. Things like the troubles folks with ADD have with mentally focusing on the topic at hand. Or the troubles folks who over eat have with being aware their stomachs are full.What is going on in these conditions? The best clue we have lies in how these conditions are being treated. And in what affects the symptoms the most. How are they being treated? With medications which either speed up or slow down the body or mind’s sense of how fast life is going. To wit, folks who have trouble focusing mentally get medications which speed up their minds. Ritalin. Strattera. Adderall and such. And folks who have trouble sensing their bodies get medicines which speed up their bodies. Ephedrasil. Myoffeine. And the now banned prescription drug Phen-Fen.Know that when I say, “speed up” their minds or bodies, I am not saying this happens separately, as in just the mind speeds up or just the body. What I am saying is that, whenever you take a medication which speeds up your sense of time, you will sense the change more in whichever of the two clocks is slower.In effect what happens is, people perceive a larger change in whichever of the two clocks was slower. Why? Because this change is actually bigger when measured percentage wise. Which makes the previously less noticed clock the more noticed clock and visa versa. In effect, the bigger we perceive the change in a clock’s speed, the larger we perceive the effect.At this point, most folks would want to know what I am basing all this on. What am I basing it on? For one thing, on the easily observed and measured differences between these two clocks, reliably and empirically obtained. You can in fact test for these differences in people within minutes. Moreover, once people learn to see and monitor these differences in an ongoing way, their need for medication can decrease markedly, perhaps even to the point wherein they may no longer need it.Does all this sound crazy? Well consider this. What I have just said about the meds we use to treat ADD and over eating is a fact. Nothing to argue about here. And yes, how these drugs alter peoples’ perceptions of mind and body time differs. But that they both do this does not. This implies that the key to understanding at least a significant portion of the problem underlying ADD, and the key to understanding at least a sizable portion of the problem underlying over eating, lies in exploring how we perceive time. Descartes style. More on this to come.[to read the rest of The Mind Body Connection - What Is It Really? click here]
Is Outsourcing Mortgage Telemarketing Un-American?
The unemployment line in America seems to be getting longer as the price of Real Estate keeps dropping. What is the impact of this shift on our economy and is it Un-American to outsource?Well I got news for you, Outsourcing is nothing new. The Fortune 500, along with all the other big dogs have been doing it for several years now. It’s hard to find any big to mid-sized company that doesn’t engage in some form of outsourcing. Most own call centers and factories that employ 1000′s of workers at a fraction of the cost. Now mortgage telemarketing companies are following suit.The overall impact of mortgage telemarketing has actually been positive by increasing profits that get passed down to shareholders, getting a return on the investment dollar and even helping some companies like Countrywide avoid greater layoffs. These benefits are clearly more noticeable with Mortgage Telemarketing. Countrywide, HSBC and others have reported steady losses from the mortgage sector since the sub prime market started to tank in 2006. Over two years later, we are finally starting to see things pick back up, mostly due to the cost saving brought in by outsourcing mortgage telemarketing process like telemarketing mortgage lead generation and even back end processing. If a product cost far less to produce then the American consumer, or in this case the American mortgage broker can reap the benefits. This has provided a more cost effective way of mortgage telemarketing to help Americans obtain mortgages which in turn helps to stimulate Real Estate sales and maintain property values. When people can’t get loans then houses sit on the market for too long pulling prices down, the rapid increase of foreclosures in America have had the same effect. Telemarketing mortgage leads can change this. It’s very important that we use every resource available and this means off-shore mortgage telemarketing.Outsourcing mortgage telemarketing has helped hundreds mortgage companies nationwide using mortgage telemarketing to prequalify potential borrowers for home loans. The process of telemarketing mortgage leads for these companies has been moved overseas to the Philippines and India as is the story with most US based mortgage telemarketing companies. They now have call centers that employ hundreds telemarketers in these countries. For the first time many of these small brokerage firms are able to use resources that before were only available to the Fortune 500. The outcome has helped 1000′s of Americans find more suitable loans and avoid foreclosure while at the same time keeping loan officers out of the unemployment line.The over all impact generates a return on investment for every dollar sent over seas as well as a positive impact to the macro economics of our country. The funds spent in mortgage telemarketing pales in comparison to the BILLIONS of American dollars sent over seas from donations and non-profit organizations that do not offer a return on the American investment dollar and resulting in complete loss to our economy. This being said there’s nothing Un-American about outsourcing. Just make sure you are working with an American owned and operated call center and never send your money overseas. There are no repercaussions especially in the third-world. More about Mortgage Telemarketing.
Bankruptcy Instead of Debtor’s Prison
Bankruptcy is a law provided for those who are unable to pay their debts and this law is utilized to provide them with a way of paying their creditors. Since there is no debtor’s prison any more, no one has to worry about going to prison because of not being able to pay. Instead, bankruptcy consolidates the debts and sets up a schedule by which the debts can be paid.In 1800, the first federal bankruptcy law was enacted in the United States. Then in 1803, this law was repealed and it wasn’t until 1841 that new bankruptcy laws were passed. The economic panic of 1837 required these new bankruptcy laws. From this date forward, there have been many laws repealed and new ones enacted. The result of these enacted laws have been to protect the debtor and provide rehabilitation to him so that this time of his loss will not affect him for the rest of his life.In 1933 and 1934 due to the Great Depression, it was necessary to enact a law that was wider in scope to allow companies a chance to reorganize their debt and protect their assets from their creditors. Then in 1978, the Bankruptcy Reform Act was put into law, which expanded on the law of the 1930s in that it provided a stronger reorganization procedure. This law is called Chapter 11 and it replaced Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy law of the 1930s. Chapter 11 made it easier for companies and individuals to file for bankruptcy and be granted protection from their creditors. However, the 1978 law did not cover any tax related situations.Thus, in 1980 Bankruptcy Tax Act was enacted, providing for some various taxation rules. In 1982, the bankruptcy court was ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court, opening the way for the Bankruptcy Amendment Act of 1984, which took away some powers of the bankruptcy judges. Chapter 12 bankruptcy was created in 1986 to include farmers.In October 1994, the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994 was signed into law overturning and changing much of the law under the 1978 act. It affected both business and individual bankruptcy laws. It made Chapter 13 more attractive to individuals instead of using Chapter 7 for consolidating and scheduling payment on their debt. It provided creditors more help in securing debt owed them by bankrupt estates.Economic and social changes have prompted the need for reform on the bankruptcy laws through the years. The past couple of decades have seen changes in the financial world as well as social upheaval. With credit flooding the nation the past several decades, consumer debt has sky rocketed and the rate of default on credit cards has caused many to seek bankruptcy protection. Medical problems, divorce and job losses have caused most of the Chapter 7 bankruptcies.A record number of bankruptcies were filed in the 1980s and early 1990s. Job losses and business losses accounted for this record number of bankruptcies. Many small businesses (the mom and pops) closed during this period, but also large companies such as Texaco, Continental Airlines, Greyhound and Pan Am also filed for bankruptcy. This large number of bankruptcy filings put the bankruptcy courts in a bind to handle all of them; thus, they utilized the assistance of bankruptcy professionals to speed up the court procedure. These professionals were approved by the court to act as examiners and mediators.In 2005, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act went into effect under heavy criticism. It places new restrictions both on individuals and companies as to how their debt will be reorganized to be paid. In effect, it tends to make it harder for everyone to file for bankruptcy protection.
Relax, Relate, Meditate
Meditation has become trendy and popular by so many boasting about the serenity and peacefulness you feel when meditating effectively. The benefits of this thousand year old practice are truly limitless. Meditation originated eons ago from a need to deepen the understanding of the spiritual and unseen aspects of life.For this very reason meditation is a great tool for strengthening your natural psychic abilities. Meditation is a powerful grounding tool for empaths, psychics, and mediums. The more you practice the easier it becomes, all while strengthening your intuition and the gifts you experience weaknesses. For example, a strong medium has the ability to increase the psychic gifts through meditation. It is recommended that you meditate at least 20 minutes each day to strengthen metaphysical gifts.It is especially important for empaths and highly sensitive people to practice meditation daily. Absorbing the energy of others constantly can sometimes make it difficult to understand your own feelings and emotions; meditation can make your personal feelings easier to distinguish.Often students of the metaphysical world find it hard to meditate initially, struggling to release the worry and random thoughts of the day. However, it is normal. No one can sit down and instantly grasp that deep state of meditation. It can take years and years of practice for that to be achieved. That’s right, a meditation practice will require lots of practice!It is important to select a form of mediation that works for you. Sitting down in a quiet room does not work for everyone. Be careful not to limit yourself to one specific form. As an Air sign, being outdoors and moving mediation such as yoga tend to work best for me. If you have a creative gift, as all empaths do, you may be more drawn to that gift when you need to calm yourself and relax. A great way to meditate for a writer would be to put on some peaceful music and just let your words and writing flow without judgment.Guided meditation is a great way to get started with meditating as well. If you are utilizing meditation as a tool to increase your psychic ability be sure to limit this. It is important that you are able to focus and meditate alone, so that you can call on that focus during readings and when you are seeking guidance.Many enjoy taking meditative walks, runs, or just simply meditating during their exercise time. Meditation is an exercise in itself! Instead of striving to lose weight or burn calories, it is an exercise in getting to know you at the most intimate level. Meditation is a gentle acceptance of your personal reality. Most importantly, it is open conversation with your Source, and the key to all the answers you seek.Each day can be made easy with just a few minutes of meditation. Take time to understand what is in your heart today. You will be so glad you did!