Monday, February 20, 2012

 
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -- Martin Luther King Jr.


 



FOX News Video
 
"Better a thousand guilty men go free than one innocent be imprisoned." -- loosely attributed to Maimonides
 

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Trailer for EMDR: a documentary film (2011)


Trailer for EMDR: a documentary film (2011)
Video clip courtesy of director Michael Burns.
Film's homepage can be found HERE.
More info on EMDR.
EMDR: a documentary film is "the most in-depth narrative investigation into this treatment, with exclusive interviews featuring the most influential personalities who coordinate EMDR development and training" (quote from emdrmovie.com). Interviews are conducted with Dr. Francine Shapiro (EMDR's originator), Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, patients who have undergone EMDR, and others. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have been a part of this groundbreaking film, through a featured interview with my former patient and me. As an educator, Jason drew courage to volunteer to share his heartfelt story as a way to enlighten others about the potential benefits of EMDR.
I truly like the manner within which Michael Burns uses his film's narrative to blend EMDR stories into compelling evidence for the use of this therapy as a powerful method to transform emotional pain. This transformation has the real potential to help prevent unanalyzed hurt from impacting its negative ripple effect throughout the lives of individuals, families, and society as a whole. As a psychologist, I have been using EMDR since 1995. I wholeheartedly agree that it remains a most remarkable approach for helping people to expedite the resolution of disturbing memories. The 2007 research of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk even demonstrates that EMDR is likely more effective than psychotropic medication for the sustained improvement of symptoms associated with clinical anxiety and depression. I highly recommend this remarkable documentary for graduate psychology students, health care providers, and anyone else who is interested in EMDR and how the mind works to heal itself.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Marketing of Madness: The Truth About Psychotropic Drugs

For those being treated for mental health issues, it is vital to be an informed consumer of treatment options. In light of this fact, I suggest that you consider the notion that according to a 2001 research study, psychotherapy is generally considered a complement to pharmacological interventions in the treatment of most mental illness. However, if the illness is an acute episode, psychotherapy approaches, like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), have demonstrated their efficacy as primary treatments. More recent research has demonstrated that a form of psychotherapy was superior to control conditions in the amelioration of both Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depression. Upon termination of therapy, the psychotherapy group using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) continued to improve while the fluoxetine (Prozac) participants again became symptomatic.

The following is a controversial 2010 documentary produced by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a nonprofit mental health watchdog group. The CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, M.D. Although this film appears to make some questionable and sensational claims, much of its information does appear to be substantiated within independent, reputable sources. If you choose to watch this documentary, please do so with an open mindedness. Always consult with your treating physician before making any changes to your mental health therapies.

The Marketing of Madness:
The Truth About Psychotropic Drugs
Video hosted by www.youtube.com.