Norman E. Rosenthal's Blog, page 9

There Goes Daylight Savings Time: What Can You Do About It?

The shift from Daylight Savings Time (DST) happens every year, and in 2011 it's scheduled for Sunday November 6. You put the hands of your clock back an hour as you remind yourself to "spring forward and fall back," and then ask yourself all over again, "Does that mean it becomes earlier or later and do I gain or lose an hour of sleep?"

You also ask yourself, "Why do we have to do this every year and confuse ourselves? And besides I like Daylight Savings Time." Well, the chief reason is that the days are getting shorter and the sun is rising later and that poses a risk to our children who are walking to school in the dark. If we move the clock back, that essentially means we're getting an extra hour of light in the morning and our children are more likely to get to school safely and less likely to be knocked over by someone in an SUV talking on a cell phone.

We get an extra hour of sleep at this time shift and ought to be more refreshed. So why is it that some of us (many of us) fall back along with the clock? The answer is that we pay for that extra hour of morning light with an extra hour of darkness in the late afternoon. I remember clearly the very first time I experienced that shift. I was a psychiatric resident in New York City, freshly arrived from South Africa where we never had Daylight Savings Time probably because there was so much daylight that nobody had to save any of it. After work that day I walked out of the hospital at the usual time, expecting to see the sun and instead was greeted by a dark sky over Manhattan and a cold breeze blowing off the Hudson.

Later I learned that I – and millions of other people – are very sensitive to a lack of light and that losing an hour of light all of a sudden is quite a shock to the system. We know now that we suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or its less severe form – the Winter Blues. The solution, quite simply, is to replace the missing sunlight with bright artificial light.

But why should you miss the extra light in the evening when you are getting it in the morning? Well, many of us are indoors during those morning hours and are not benefiting from the extra sunlight. On the other hand, if you are out and about in the morning, you might feel even better after the Daylight Savings Time shift because many people are most responsive to bright light in the morning hours. But whether you are a morning or an evening person, for daylight savings time 2011, I encourage you to replace the light whenever you miss it, and you will no longer need to dread the time shift. And we can all take comfort in knowing that our children are safer on the way to school.

Wishing you Light and Transcendence,

Norman

Traveling to the Sun: The Ultimate Rescue Cure for the Winter Blues

I had taken all my own advice to stave off my own winter blues – everything, that is, short of taking medications (which I would not hesitate to take if I needed them, though I gravitate to "natural" cures whenever possible). I had faithfully used my dawn simulator and light box – lots of light boxes really. I had exercised, meditated and done yoga regularly. Don't get me wrong – all these things helped; they helped a lot. But I had disobeyed a cardinal rule in my own guidebook for keeping Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) at bay. I had undertaken a writing project with a fall-winter deadline. And it was that stress that threatened to upset my whole tower of tricks and bring on the winter blues. I didn't have the syndrome yet – but I could see it looming on the horizon like a bank of thunderheads, making ready to unleash their fury upon the earth.

So, my deadline behind me, I took the ultimate cure. I headed for the sun – in this case, Paradise Island on the Bahamas. The moment I walked off the plane, I drank in the sun's rays. As the poet wrote many years ago, "Drink to me only with thine eyes and I will pledge with mine." My eyes drank in the photons, and my brain turned them into pure high-octane serotonin or some other mood-sustaining chemical. Even my skin contributed to this heady brew of chemicals, converting the sun's rays into beta-endorphin despite being smeared with a generous coat of sunblock.

You may think I'm kidding about the chemical fix I was enjoying. But researchers in Australia published an article in the prestigious British journal The Lancet, in which they showed that the amount of serotonin pouring out of the brains of normal volunteers was directly proportional to the amount of sunlight on that particular day. Also, ultraviolet light causes certain skin cells to manufacture beta-endorphin, one of the body's very own opiates.

Another type of quick fix for those needing a serotonin boost is to gobble down some high carbohydrate foods. In the days before my trip, I knew I was in trouble when I began to have fantasies of Krispy Kreme donuts with chocolate sprinkles. Luckily I made it to the plane before caving in. As I wandered around the Marina Village on Paradise Island, I was able to walk right past a store, aptly named "Oh, Sugar," for its high caloric products. Well, I stopped in front of it long enough to take this picture.

Instead of gorging on cake and candy, I fulfilled a long-standing dream of cavorting with dolphins at Dolphin Cay at the Atlantis resort. I felt a special kinship with these sentient creatures when I learned that they lose all their hair at three months of age! Here's a picture of me hugging one of my bald friends.

And what has happened to my Seasonal Affective Disorder? "What SAD?" is my first thought – though I know it will be waiting for me on my return. And I will dutifully get back to my program – dawn simulator, light boxes, exercise, yoga and meditation. But no more writing deadlines for me until after the spring equinox!

Living with Transcendence Interview: Lessons I've Learned on the Road

Living with Transcendence is a live interview that will take place on November 9th at 8pm EST. During this interview I will discuss the lessons I've learned on the road, as well as insights and patterns shown from case studies and research during my 3o plus years in the clinical setting. The "Living with Transcendence" interview is the result of a growing response from the public, as well as a deep desire on my part to connect with the audience that is drawn to my latest book Transcendence. Furthermore, I will be taking questions about Transcendence and my book Winter Blues– Everything you need to beat Seasonal Affective Disorder.

I will be interviewed by Ms. Heather Hartnett. Heather is a writer, producer, and a specialist in marketing for web-based start-ups and an array of new media. She also serves as the Director of Communications for David Lynch Foundation Television (DLF.TV), the online TV channel which showcases the good works of the David Lynch Foundation.

Heather has interviewed, on and off camera, dozens of supporters and participants of the Foundation's programs and has hosted live benefit concerts and events.

This is an interactive event, and an opportunity to get your questions answered in real time. You can post questions to my facebook page, as well as by using the hastag #AskDrNorm on Twitter.

You can view the Livestream Interview below at 8pm EST on November 9th:

Watch live streaming video from davidlynch at livestream.com

Falling with the Autumn Leaves – and How to Cushion the Impact

Autumn leaves evoke different things for different people – such as a trip to look at the foliage, a romance that started (or ended) in autumn, or a jigsaw puzzle with a thousand pieces. But for some, the association is to . . . . falling – or panic at the idea of falling. These include people with the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder. (SAD).

The other day I visited Seattle and my host asked the audience who had heard of seasonal affective disorder. Everyone laughed and raised their hands. I guess you would expect that in Seattle, one of the rainiest cities in the country. But I remember a time when my colleagues laughed at me – and the quaint idea that some people actually became depressed because of a lack of light. What a strange notion it seemed back then!

When my colleagues and I first suspected there might be a condition we called SAD (and a lesser version, the winter blues), we recruited a group of people who claimed that they felt fine in summer but became gloomy and sluggish each autumn, which worsened as winter deepened. We brought them into our research unit in the summer when they were full of vitality. That lasted for some months. What would happen, one colleague asked if they stayed well all winter long? Wouldn't I look foolish? Well, part of being a researcher is being willing to risk being wrong – and to learn from it.

But I had nothing to fear. Our recruits had been true in their predictions. In October and November, as the days began to get shorter, their energy and mood began to fall like autumn leaves. Here are the symptoms they reported, which we described in our first report about Seasonal Affective Disorder in 1984 – and they remain the key symptoms of SAD to this day.

Key Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

• Reduced energy

• Difficulty waking up in the morning

• A greater need for sleep

• Increased appetite, especially for sweets and starches

• Weight gain

• Difficulty concentrating

• Fatigue during the day

• Withdrawal from friends and family

• Sadness and depression

I have listed sadness and depression last because they are often late symptoms. The key to proper care for Seasonal Affective Disorder is to catch it early.

8 Tips for preventing your energy level and mood from falling like the autumn leaves

• Put your bedside lamp on a timer programmed to go on half an hour before your planned wake-up time (a dawn simulator is a fancy version of this)

• Don't linger in bed under the covers

• Get out for an early morning walk as soon as the sun is up

• Put lots of light at the breakfast table or, better still, invest in a therapeutic light box

• Make sure you have a solid exercise program in place

• Avoid high impact carbohydrates, such as pure sugars and white flour.

• Schedule things that you know you will enjoy

• Plan a trip to the south in the depth of winter (which will give you something to look forward to)

For more advice on this topic, you may want to consult my book Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat SAD (Guilford, 2006)

To stay tuned on events and updates please subscribe to my newsletter below.

Wishing you Light and Transcendence,

Norman

How to Become an Emotional Detective: Methods Used to Uncover Basic Emotions

Detecting emotions in yourself and others is an important element of Emotional Intelligence.  In my recent post, "10 Ways to Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence," I offered a list of suggestions to help you tune in to your emotional landscape. In this post, I want to discuss two methods used to uncover basic emotions in others: interpreting facial expressions and reading body language.

An old professor of mine used to say, you cannot see the unconscious – it's like the wind.  You can detect unconscious emotions by their impact on others, just as you can tell which way the wind is blowing by examining the movement of the trees and clouds.

Each of the major emotions can be detected by observing a combination of facial and bodily expressions. Although some people no doubt have a greater aptitude for this skill than others, most of us can improve our ability to detect emotions in others with effort and practice.

Two Major Methods Used to Uncover Basic Emotions

Facial Expressions

People have dozens of different muscles devoted to facial expressions. By using them in different combinations, we communicate nuances of feeling. Consider, for example, the many different types of smiles there are, and how easily most people can tell a social smile from one of pure joy. That's because a joyful smile involves both the mouth and the eyes, but while the mouth is under voluntary control, the eye muscles are not. When we force a smile, it looks fake because the widening mouth is not accompanied by changes in the eyes. The ability to produce a radiant smile on demand is one of the great assets of such highly paid actresses as Julia Roberts.

A slight curl of the lip will detract from the joyful quality of a smile, making it look sardonic or contemptuous. A slight droop in the corners of the mouth, on the other hand, will imbue a smile with a bittersweet, slightly sad, or mysterious quality (Think Mona Lisa!)

Even highly intelligent people misread faces, thereby misinterpreting the feelings of others. One young patient of mine, a boy who had been caught in a flagrant lie, came to see me together with his father. Although his father was clearly both hurt and embarrassed by his behavior, the son was unable to read the pain in his face. Once I showed him how to see it, however, he understood the hurt he had caused, became remorseful, and promised to be honest in the future.

Reading Body Language

Reading body language is another valuable skill. In fact, some studies show that people communicate more effectively through body language than through actual words. And many times, we're not even aware that we're reading these clues.

When someone is ashamed, for example, he may lower his head and hunch his shoulders, as though trying to look smaller. A gracious person, reading these cues, might then go easy on the person, even without any conscious thought. Reading her husband's angry demeanor, a prudent wife might wait for another occasion to raise a contentious issue. Detecting a wife's tense posture and clenched knuckles whenever he drives fast, a wise husband will slow down.

There are many books and websites that teach tactics necessary for reading facial and bodily expressions, but the main thing is this: pay attention. When you're talking to someone, look at their eyes and lips, analyze how they're sitting or leaning, notice if they're fidgeting, etc. By practicing the art of observation, you will also probably become more aware of what you are communicating to others with your body language.

It is important to remember that the range of most human talents, including reading others, can probably be described as a bell-shaped curve. Talent is only part of the ability. Many of us can improve our ability to decipher body language and facial expressions with effort and practice.

For more information on the many facets to emotional intelligence, including perceiving emotions in yourself and others, check out my book, " The Emotional Revolution: Harnessing the Power of Your Emotions for a More Positive Life."

If you would like to stay updated on special news and current events please feel free to subscribe to my Newsletter below.

Wishing you Light and Transcendence.

Norman

————————–

Resources:

Psychology Today—Articles on Reading Body Language:

Lie to Me—A television drama inspired by a real-life behavioral scientist:

 

Additional Links:

10 Ways to Enhance Emotional Intelligence – Article

books

websites- Basics body language

Julia Roberts- Julia Roberts Smile

Muscles devoted to facial expressions

Diagnosing your own Depression: Signs and Symptoms

People often confuse clinical depression with sadness.  That's a mistake.  You can be sad without being depressed and vice versa.  Sadness is a normal reaction to many life circumstances, such as bereavement, loss of a job, or a financial setback.  When these things happen, sadness is to be expected.

Depression is a different type of beast, a "black dog," as Winston Churchill often used when describing his own signs and symptoms.  How do you know if you're depressed and not just sad?  Here are seven telltale signs, which may exist even in the absence of sadness.

Seven Telltale Signs when Diagnosing your own Depression:

Running on empty
Nothing seems like fun anymore; life seems dreary
Putting yourself down
Failure – at work and in relationships
The future looks bleak
Life seems not worth living
Biological disturbances – in sleeping, eating, weight and sex drive

If you diagnose yourself as having one or more of these symptoms, especially feelings that life is not worth living, you would certainly be well advised to consult a qualified professional.

The last symptoms are particularly suggestive of a real clinical depression, and are often called vegetative symptoms of depression.

Vegetative Symptoms of Depression often cluster into two different types of depression:

In one type, people tend to eat less, sleep less and lose weight. The other type is just the reverse.  People tend to eat more (often craving sweets and starches), sleep more and gain weight. The first type of person may be more likely to be agitated, while the second type may be more likely to be lethargic.

The good news is that both types tend to respond to antidepressant medications and psychotherapy (especially cognitive behavior therapy), as well as healthy habits such as exercise and reaching out to friends and family.

To stay tuned on updates and current events please subscribe to my Free Newsletter below!

Wishing you Light and Transcendence,

Norman

Photo Recap of My Pacific Northwest Tour

As many of you may, or may not know last week I spent the week touring the Pacific Northwest! It was a very fulfilling trip in many regards. I wanted to take the time and post some pictures from the trip.

On arriving in Seattle, I spoke to a gathering at the University of Washington about the medical and psychological benefits of Transcendental Meditation. The first picture shows two very long-standing and dear psychiatrist friends (David Avery on the far left and Carla Hellekson on the far right), who did some of the earliest studies on Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Second from the left is David's wife Victoria, a renowned clown, who made sure that we psychiatrists did not take ourselves too seriously.  The same friends are shown below as well, along with psychiatrist Michael Norden and his wife.

After my visit to Seattle, Mike dusted off his mantra and started meditating again — A happy development. Also along the railing, just above the picture of my psychiatrist friends is the TM team from Seattle, which is headed up by the indefatigable Annie Skipper (far left), who organized the U of Washington event and was a great hostess.  We had lunch together at Anthony's Pier 66 — Bell Street Diner, which I recommend to all visitors to Seattle.

After the talk, I signed copies of Transcendence. Altogether, it was great fun and hopefully informative…

October 3rd Lecture at the University of Washington, Photos:

The University of Washington photos below are compliments of Ed Frey Photography.

On October 4th I spent some time at Madigan Hospital

One of the highlights of my trip to the Pacific Northwest was my visit to Madigan Hospital, located on the Joint Base Lewis McCord near Tacoma, Washington.  I spoke to the faculty there about the problem of PTSD among our returning veterans, and our research in treating PTSD with Transcendental Meditation (TM), which they are beginning to use there as a treatment option.  Another treatment approach is the use of service dogs, such as the black Lab named Bella, shown in this picture.  The serviceman in the picture is explaining how dogs like Bella are trained to respond to anxiety in their owners.  When the owner becomes anxious, the dog will lick him or comfort him in some other way.  If the dog perceives that the owner is too agitated, she will lead him out of the room until he is able to calm down.  In the background is Ellen Bloom, the social worker in charge of the program for wounded warriors on the base.

Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Oct 5

The photos below are from the Tahoma Unitarian Congregation, where I had an informal conversation about TM. My gracious host in Tacoma was Ron Pero, a TM teacher shown below. What I enjoyed most about the visit to the Unitarian Congregation  were the questions.  One therapist in the audience asked how I might compare TM with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for anger management.  I told him I work a lot with CBT, but it's sometimes very laborious to go after one symptom at a time, trying to tease out the triggers for the anger, the distorted thoughts we have when angry, and the behaviors that follow, which need to be corrected.  I am always reminded when I think of these two treatments of Maharishi's famous image of a sick tree whose leaves are turning brown.  You can go after the tree leaf by leaf, but it's a losing battle — or you can water it at the root.  Sometimes CBT with its symptom by symptom approach feels like trying to heal the tree leaf by leaf.  Transcendental Meditation, on the other hand, often leads to feelings of calm self-nurturance.  Maharishi used to say: "Water the root and enjoy the fruit."

Thank you very much for taking the time to view this post on my Pacific Northwest . For more updates on current events such as this please subscribe to my newsletter below.

Yours in Health,

Norman

Norman Rosenthal: Pacific Northwest Tour

Well, the time has come… I am off to tour the Pacific Northwest, and am very much looking forward to spending time with you all. I wanted to quickly touch bases here on my blog to spread the word, and personally invite all who can, to join me. I will be speaking on the topics of  mind, body, and emotions, as well as addressing steps we can all take to maximize optimal functioning.

Here are the details of my tour in the Pacific Northwest:
Monday, October 3, 2011

Seattle, Washington

University of Washington, Kane Hall, today (Oct 3rd) at 7pm

Open to the public. Cost for Seattle event is $15.

Click here to register: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/199451

There will be a book signing immediately following the lecture at Kane Hall.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tacoma, Washington

In the afternoon I will be speaking at a military hospital, and am told this is not open to the public. Please comment below if you are interested in attending and would like me to request specific permissions.

Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, October 4, 7:00 pm

New Renaissance Bookshop

1338 NW 23rd Ave. in Portland, Oregon

The cost for the event in Portland is $12 per person. The seating is limited, it is recommended that you sign up online in advance.

Click here to register: http://www.newrenbooks.com/events/oct_reg.html#rose.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Tacoma, Washington

Wednesday, October 5, 6:30 pm

Tacoma Unitarian Universalist Church

1115 South 56th Street, Tacoma, WA 98408

Open to the public. No charge.

Book signing. Books available at the event.

_____________________

The above will conclude my brief tour of the Pacific Northwest. As always please feel free to pass this information on to any friends or family in this area that you think would enjoy this information.

It will be great to see you all and connect with you very soon!

Yours in Health,

Norman Rosenthal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meditation and Stress Relief

Every time your heart beats, it sends blood filled with oxygen and nutrition through the arteries to reach your entire body. By the time you reach age 80, your heart will have done this more than three billion times. Your entire cardiovascular system, which includes the heart and blood vessels, works in harmony to send blood to every part of your body. When stress occurs, your body releases hormones (ephinephrine and norepinephrine) which causes your heart to pump faster, your arteries to constrict, and raise your blood pressure. Prolonged periods of stress can cause permanent damage to the cardiovascular system.

Researchers have suggested at least six different ways that psychological stress can kill you, all of which involve some sort of damage to the heart of arteries. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurs when damaged arteries impact the amount of blood reaching the heart, making it so the heart itself is not getting enough blood. One common cause of CVD is stress.

The American Heart Association and other professional organization recommend non-drug lifestyle changes as the first line of treatment for people with high blood pressure and as part of treatment for cardiovascular diseases. Transcendental Meditation has been proven in a variety of studies to help reduce blood pressure, hypertension, and other symptoms of psychological stressors.

In "Transcendence" I present many of these studies, but I'd like to close with this one from the University of Kentucky. Jim Anderson and his colleagues from the University of Kentucky published a meta-analysis in which they pooled data from nine published, well-controlled trials that involved 711 people. Each person started with some baseline measurements: hypertensive, borderline hypertensive, or normotensive (normal blood pressure). Overall, in the study of these 711 people, blood pressure had dropped significantly in all of the groups that were practicing Transcendental Meditation compared to the control group that was not practicing TM.

Beyond the emotional and mental benefits, it's clear that Transcendental Meditation can have an extraordinary impact on your physical-well being as well. It could even be said to help save your life!

If you enjoyed this post please press the "like" button, and or leave a comment below.

 

Additional info.: Stress test for the heart – Harvard University

Emotional Intelligence: 10 Ways to Enhance Yours

Everyone's always talking about Emotional Intelligence (EI) but what exactly is it? One important aspect of emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions – in oneself and others – and to use that information appropriately. For example, recognizing emotional intelligence in oneself can help you regulate and manage your emotions, while recognizing emotions in others can lead to empathy and success in your relationships, both personal and professional.

Given the importance of emotional intelligence, I thought it might be helpful to give a very brief overview of the topic, as well as 10 ways to enhance your emotional intelligence, originally published in my book "The Emotional Revolution."

In 1990, Yale psychologists John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey originally coined the term emotional intelligence, which some researchers claim that is an inborn characteristic, while others suggest that you can improve it with proper guidance and practice. I agree with both schools and obviously with the latter – or I wouldn't be giving you tips as to what you can do to improve your EI.

It may not be possible for everyone to have a psychotherapist. But you can become your own therapist. (After all, Freud analyzed himself.) It all starts with learning how to listen to your feelings. While it may not always be easy, developing the ability to tune in to your own emotions is the first and perhaps most important step.

Here are 10 Ways to Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence:

1. Don't interrupt or change the subject. If feelings are uncomfortable, we may want to avoid them by interrupting or distracting ourselves. Sit down at least twice a day and ask, "How am I feeling?" It may take a little time for the feelings to arise. Allow yourself that small space of time, uninterrupted.

2. Don't judge or edit your feelings too quickly. Try not to dismiss your feelings before you have a chance to think them through. Healthy emotions often rise and fall in a wave, rising, peaking, and fading naturally. Your aim should be not to cut off the wave before it peaks.

3. See if you can find connections between your feelings and other times you have felt the same way. When a difficult feeling arises, ask yourself, "When have I felt this feeling before?" Doing this may help you to realize if you're current emotional state is reflective of the current situation, or of another time in your past.

4. Connect your feelings with your thoughts. When you feel something that strikes you as out of the ordinary, it is always useful to ask, "What do I think about that?" Often times, one of our feelings will contradict others. That's normal. Listening to your feelings is like listening to all the witnesses in a court case. Only by admitting all the evidence will you be able to reach the best verdict.

5. Listen to your body. A knot in your stomach while driving to work may be a clue that your job is a source of stress. A flutter of the heart when you pick up a girl you have just started to date may be a clue that this could be "the real thing." Listening to these sensations and the underlying feelings that they signal will allow you to process with your powers of reason.

6. If you don't know how you're feeling, ask someone else. People seldom realize that others are able to judge how they are feeling. Ask someone who knows you (and whom you trust) how you are coming across. You may find the answer both surprising and illuminating.

7. Tune in to your unconscious feelings. How can you become more aware of your unconscious feelings? Try free association. While in a relaxed state, allow your thoughts to roam freely and watch where they go. Analyze your dreams. Keep a notebook and pen at the side of your bed and jot down your dreams as soon as you wake up. Pay special attention to dreams that repeat or are charged with powerful emotion.

8. Ask yourself: How do I feel today? Start by rating your overall sense of well-being on a scale of 0 and 100 and write the scores down in a daily log book. If your feelings seem extreme one day, take a minute or two to think about any ideas or associations that seem to be connected with the feeling.

9. Write thoughts and feelings down. Research has shown that writing down your thoughts and feelings can help profoundly. A simple exercise like this could take only a few hours per week.

10. Know when enough is enough. There comes a time to stop looking inward; learn when its time to shift your focus outward. Studies have shown that encouraging people to dwell upon negative feelings can amplify these feelings. Emotional intelligence involves not only the ability to look within, but also to be present in the world around you.

Chapter 5 in my book, The Emotional Revolution: Harnessing the Power of Your Emotions for a More Positive Life, goes into greater detail on emotional intelligence.