#cognitive behaviour therapy Kitchener

[amindfulchange]

Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Guelph: A Mindful Change

Discover a transformative journey with our Cognitive Behavior Therapy Guelph, carefully crafted by A Mindful Change. Uncover evidence-based strategies, personalized to address your unique needs, fostering positive change and well-being. Embrace a mindful approach to therapy, where expert guidance meets your individual journey towards a healthier, more fulfilling life.

[avania1105]

"Thriving Together: Occupational Therapy’s Role in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals for a Better Tomorrow"

As occupational therapists, we stand at the crossroads of hope and action, equipped with the tools to change lives and uplift our communities. We can align our unique skills with the crucial Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve transformation within our communities by becoming catalysts for transformation and empowering our communities to become catalysts too. Looking at the SDGs through the lenses of an occupational therapy student working in a community grappling with poverty, hunger and inequality, I realize that there is so much more that we as OTs can do for the community.

SDG 1: No poverty

Poverty is an ongoing vicarious cycle in many communities in KZN. Poverty is not just limited to financial deprivation but encompasses a wide variety of socioeconomic factors like limited access to basic services such as water and sanitation, electricity, waste removal and healthcare services, employment and other equitable opportunities. As I walked through the streets of Cato Manor, there was a putrid smell that filled the air emanating from garbage lying on the side of the road thus highlighting the limitations of waste removal services in the community and this is in accordance with the 60,3% decline in people who had access to waste removal services from 2015 to 2023. (UNDP, 2015).

Poverty often leads to financial stress, which in turn can lead to an increase in crimes such as theft. Growing up in impoverished communities exposes individuals to crime as a normal part of life, significantly influencing their behaviours and choices. Additionally, poverty can result in substance abuse and mental health issues. So as OTs working in these communities, we can partner with local businesses to create mentorship programs to promote vocational skills to empower the youth with practical skills that open doors to employment and constructive use of time. Some of the projects in the Cato Manor Community such as “Mona Lisa” assist learners in developing prevocational skills that they can use to secure job prospects and earn a living to support themselves and their families. This can assist in breaking the cycle of poverty existing in our communities.    

SDG 2 – Zero Hunger

Food insecurity is a major challenge experienced by many households in our communities with limited access to nutritious food often resulting in malnutrition and crippling our communities. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as mentioned in (Stats sa, 2023) world hunger has almost sextupled from 150 million in 2019 to 828 million people in 2021. More than half a million households with children aged five years or younger reported experiencing hunger and 20,1% of these children were from KZN. (Stats sa, 2023). This places these children at a high risk of severe acute malnutrition. However, there are some existing programmes in the community such as Golden Future Preschool and Creche in Cato Crest which offer nutritious meals to the learners to prevent malnutrition which hampers physical and cognitive growth and the soup kitchen which provides meals to the community members. We can also inform our patients of this programme if we see that they are struggling with food security. We as OTs can assist the municipal workers at the soup kitchen by creating sustainable ways to maintain the soup kitchen by creating small gardens in which various vegetables can be grown and harvested to be used in the kitchen for meal preparation to improve the sustainability and longevity of the programme. We can also initiate community garden projects to improve food security in the community and have nutrition education workshops where we can educate families on healthy lifestyles and healthier food choices.

SDG 3 – Good health and well-being

Many people in the community often face limited access to healthcare due to various reasons which results in poor health outcomes. We as OTs can contribute towards this SDG by providing preventive healthcare services which are also in line with the UN’s new goal for worldwide good health (United Nations, 2022). Some of the ways in which we can provide preventive healthcare services include education, health promotion talks, early screening programmes, and the creation of support groups within the community to strengthen support systems and contribute to good overall health and well-being. An example of this is the Philantwana programme. As part of this programme, we screen the children for developmental delays, screen mothers for maternal mental health issues and conduct health promotion talks on various topics including developmental milestones with an overall aim of identifying red flags and providing swift early intervention by referring the children to the clinic for further assessments and treatment. We also do maternal health screening and paediatric screening at the Cato Manor Clinic to screen for any red flags and provide early intervention. Additionally, we are also planning to start a support group for mothers/caregivers of children with special needs to improve their support system and mental health to promote wellbeing.

SDG 4 – Quality education

Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and fostering resilience. When I started my OT journey, I always wanted to work in a school environment and be a school OT however I did not have much exposure to school-based OT, so getting more exposure to the schools in the community was something that I was looking forward to in my community block. In the Cato Crest community, we have been exposed to different schools including creches, primary and high schools and different learning environments. Something that I noticed especially in the primary school and with the learners we work with, is that they are unable to receive the individual support and help that they desperately need in the classroom due to the high student-to-teacher ratio in the classrooms often resulting in them falling behind in class and still being promoted to the next grade resulting in greater problems. A typical example of this is a grade 9 student not being able to read. As OTs, we can aim to support this SDG by working with the educators to identify red flags in the learners and even offer the educators a red flag checklist that they can use to assist them in identifying potential red flags and addressing them with parents to get the learner the help and support that they need.

SDG 5 – Gender equality

Gender equality is not only considered a fundamental human right but also the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Despite the progress made over the last decades, gender inequality is still persistent in many communities and stagnates social progress. Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office, all remain huge barriers to achieving gender equality (United Nations, 2022b). OTs can support this SDG by advocating for policy changes that promote gender equality in the healthcare, education, and employment sectors to ensure that men and women are treated fairly and equally. We can create empowerment programs in the community to empower marginalized women and girls by enhancing their skills and providing access to education, employment, and social participation. We can also create support groups that connect women thus promoting solidarity and shared experiences, which can enhance community resilience.

In conclusion, as we reflect on the various SDGs, it is evident that we as OTs play a vital role in helping communities bridge gaps to meet these goals, one programme at a time, to build a better community.

References

Stats sa . (2023, April 11). Focus on food inadequacy and hunger in south africa in 2021. Statssa.gov.za. https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=16235

Sustainable Development Goals: Country Report 2023. (2023). https://www.statssa.gov.za/MDG/SDG_Country_report.pdf

UNDP. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Development Goals; United Nations. https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals

United Nations. (2022a). Goal 3: Good Health and well-being. The Global Goals. https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/3-good-health-and-well-being/

United Nations. (2022b). United Nations: Gender Equality and women’s Empowerment. Www.un.org; United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/#:~:text=Goal%205%3A%20Achieve%20gender%20equality%20and%20empower%20all%20women%20and%20girls&text=Gender%20equality%20is%20not%20only

[wheredafandomat]

Dr. Laufeyson

Chapter 2 ~ Morning stragglers

Warnings etc: Loki x female reader au where Lokis a therapist, therapy, swearing, mentions of past trauma later in the fic including abuse both physically and sexually - not explicit detail, 18+. PLEASE tell me if I ever leave anything out x

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Finally finished with all his clients for the day, Loki took the time to properly look through your file again after actually meeting you. You were nothing like he thought you’d be which was why he often scolded himself for making pre judgements about clients based on the information provided. He read through the notes from the answers to questionnaires you had completed before being paired with him for his specific skill set. Unlike other therapists who worked alongside him in the clinic, Loki specialised in cognitive behavioural therapy, mostly dealing with addicts of various different things ranging from substance abuse to sex. In his years of practicing, he had never come across someone like you. He knew it was wrong to make assumptions but he thought it was strange that someone who looked so well ‘put together’ would be spending thousands for therapy with him.

Before leaving the building, he spoke with Natasha who booked your appointment for next week. Making his way to his car, he thought back to your interaction. He felt a slight twinge of embarrassment wash over him for a second when he realised how easy it was for him to speak to you. Despite having gone to university and even studying a masters, Loki hadn’t ever met anyone he could playfully debate with like he did with you. No one had ever had a differing opinion to his and if they did, they kept it hidden often just agreeing with him. You were a breath of fresh air.

He got into his car before driving home, singing along to the the Beatles songs that were playing.

Pulling up on his driveway, Loki stopped the engine before opening the car door and exiting, reaching back in to grab his bag. Entering his house that was definitely too big for just him, he already felt himself growing tired. He showered before changing into some loose pyjamas and heading towards the large kitchen. He looked over the clean surfaces, seeing his own reflection looking back at him. He sighed at his solemn expression. Opening the fridge, he took out an apple and decided to eat that for dinner as opposed to cooking or ordering food. The task just seemed too strenuous for one person.

Walking back to his room, apple in hand, he looked down at the picture on the counter top of him and Thor as well as some of their friends. He missed it, the company.

Entering the en-suite, he brushed his teeth before taking his clothes off and going into bed, choosing to browse through his phone before he went to sleep. Remembering his earlier conversation with you, Loki smiled to himself as he went onto YouTube and watched a dickens vs Tolstoy debate.

“Perhaps you were right y/n.” He spoke aloud with a grin.

As the week went on, you found yourself counting the days until your next appointment with Dr Laufeyson. You convinced yourself to go out with Bucky one night, regretting it when you woke up with a hangover and a random guy who definitely wasn’t Bucky in your bed. You sighed to yourself, you didn’t even really remember the night. You hoped that the intoxicated you at least enjoyed herself. Getting up, you wrapped yourself in your duvet before using your foot to kick the man awake which only seemed to edge him further into a deep sleep as the sound of his snores rose. Taking a deep breath to try and fight your frustration, you thought you’d get yourself a glass of water before trying to wake him again. Dropping the duvet, you wrapped your dressing gown around yourself before stepping out of your bedroom.

Walking through the livingroom, you sighted Bucky crashed out on the sofa in only his boxers. You made your way towards him, laying down on the sofa next to him.

“Morning princess.” He spoke, eyes still closed as he quickly placed a kiss on your hairline.

“Morning Bucky. The guy from last nights still in my bed and he won’t wake up.” You told him, wrapping an arm around him as you snuggled into his side.

“Want me to get him out?” He asked, extending an arm for you to snuggle further into him.

“Not right now.” You said, closing your eyes as you revelled in the feeling of him holding you. Your lip began to tremble as you thought over all the things that had led you to this moment, seeking such comfort from something as simple as an arm around you. Leaning further into him, you placed a kiss on Bucky’s chest as you draped a leg across him. Your lips continued to roam his body as your hand found his slight bulge. Opening his eyes, Bucky turned to face you, taking your leg off of him in the process.

“Come here.” He said, pulling you towards him before you nuzzled into the crook of his neck. One of his hands soothingly rubbed circles over your back as he rested his chin on the hop of your head. These small moments of intimacy were intoxicating. You could have gotten lost in them. You found yourself wishing it was real, not just Bucky pitying you. That was the power of one night stands, they didn’t know your history or any information they could use against you, they just knew that they wanted to fuck you. Something about that was empowering. “Did you guys talk about him during therapy?” Bucky asked, probably knowing what you were thinking.

“No, we just introduced ourselves. I’m sure he’ll come up during the next session.” You answered, falling further into Bucky’s embrace. He didn’t answer, he just held you tighter.

After a while, Bucky got rid of the straggler for you before he himself left whilst you nursed your hangover hoping you’d be right as rain by tomorrow for your appointment with Dr Laufeyson. You knew that you’d end up having to talk about your past, of course, it was therapy, but it didn’t make it easier to open up. You never really did. Bucky knew most of what happened because he was your best friend and you confided in him but you hadn’t really gone into detail with any of your previous therapists. Something told you that you were safe with Dr Laufeyson, that you could finally open up. The thought scared you.

Bucky, your trusty fwb 😂

Tags:

@lokisprettygirl22

@michelleleewise

[sevasey51]

any headcanons for chris with a daughter who has adhd? if you don’t that’s fine :)

Just a little burnt out and I’ve got writers block so headcannons it is :)

Plus my eyes are sore since I learnt you can sunburn them like the actual eyeballs 🥲

eye drops 🤝glasses

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adhd sucks

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This is a request so thank you for this it was joy to write I hope you like it

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Summary: The reader has been struggling with her adhd and is forgetting everything from school work and chores. Chris notices and tries to help but she’s too overwhelmed because she’s forgetting so she’s really fidgety as a coping mechanism.

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Mentions of medication and CB Therapy

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Paring: Chris Evans x ADHD Teen Daughter! Reader

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- Usually y/n’s medication worked really well however it had its downfalls with the side effects, so Chris decided with your team to start cognitive behavioural therapy for you to cope more and it did work but somethings did fall though, like today was a bad day for your adhd.

- It started with the usual medication for the day but when it was a bit worse there was more ways that you could chill out and help a little bit because the meds with the anxiety meds you also were on. However that didn’t seem to work today, so Chris helped like he always did with you’re daily todo list to help with the forgetfulness.

- It was going well until it wasn’t, it started with fidgeting and whistling, which you’re dad heard from his office and he knew that meant you were struggling but trying.

- “Hey sweetpea, you doing okay with you’re work?” He asked walking in to side office that was connected to his study.

- I-I think so *whistle* it’s just hard I feel like I’ve done this already. I swear I’ve given it in.” Y/n expressed confused.

- “Okay, let’s check your school profile and todo list to see what we need to do.” He explained whilst giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

That was one of the many times it was rough with y/n and her adhd

- Y/n come do you’re chores I need them done by the time I’m back from picking up uncle Scott from the airport, okay.” He shouted from the bottom of the stairs

- “Yes dad I will try I promise.” She’d shouted in reply flopping back down on to her bed.

- We all know that didn’t happen, Chris did end up coming home with Scott even before she moved out of her room, waking downstairs she is met with a concerned but annoyed looking dad. However he was told with her CBT not to make it out to be worse than it is because it’s a side effect with the forgetfulness and everything under the sun.

- “Sweetheart why didn’t you do you’re chores like I asked whilst I was out getting Scott?” He asked firmly but concerned since this was happening more than usual.

- “Dad, I forgot I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to forget I know you said something but I couldn’t remember what and didn’t want to text you because I was scared that you’d call and shout at me for forgetting.” Y/n replied fidgeting in the doorway of the kitchen.

- Chris can see she’s getting overwhelmed as the fidgeting is more noticeable and she’s starting to twitch as a side effect of her anxiety which was anxious tics, so all he did was walk up to her and engulf her in a massive bear hug and whisper in her ear “it’s okay sweetpea, don’t worry it’s okay. I think we should talk to Amelia about getting things to help you cope with the forgetfulness and anxiety, okay love.” Pulling away so she’s at arms length.

- “Mhmh dad *twitch* I guess so, it’s just really annoying.” Y/n replied tears lining her eyes

The day basically ended with loads of hugs, after Chris called Amelia to schedule an appointment for the next day. Uncle Scott making his famous Mac & cheese with garlic sourdough bread on the side. This was just many different examples of how y/n copes and how Chris helps her cope.

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I won’t lie this was ment to be a headcannon along one at that, I was getting so distracted so I apologise for hoe long it took to write but I hope you enjoy ❤️

Please send in more headcannons and / or requests or just general questions about me that you want to know :))

[strawbeb]

i don’t have any human arch-nemeses but i do have non-human ones and they are (in no particular order):

histograms

iteration

anything in physics that doesn’t use speed = distance/time

cognitive behavioural therapy

seeded bread

the one strand of hair that i always miss when i do a ponytail

fake pockets. not the ones that are just sewn shut. ones that have no actual pocket

the top shelf of every cupboard in the kitchen

the economy. the whole economy. what even is money. who decided to create a currency. if i make my own currency will it be recognised because every currency is made up because money is fake someone just made it up and then rich people became a thing which led to rich people profiting off the labour of their underpaid workers

cornflakes

my shaky hands that shake even when i’m not nervous but then when i’m paying for something and i notice my hand shaking anyway i start overthinking which makes it worse

keyboards that don’t have a little light to indicate if caps lock is on

[glorifiedgpjfic]

Glorified G - Chapter 45

New Years Day 1992

Joanne stood staring down the man in front of her, she had pleaded with him not to do this, but he’d gone past the point of return. As she stood attempting to talk him down she noticed how his hand shook as it held the sharp blade, the next few moments happened in slow motion for Joanne. The blade swiped at his neck and the blood began spewing, Joanne leapt forward her hands reaching to apply pressure to the wound, as she moved towards him he seemed to move further away, 

“NO!” 

Eddie woke up to Joanne yelling, which happened to wake her up from her nightmare too- despite drinking copious amounts of alcohol before going to bed the images of what she had witnessed hours earlier still seemed to play in her mind on a loop, she had done what Dr Isles had suggested and tried to go to a happy place before but nothing seemed to work, the images she had seen that night were seared into her brain. A few beads of sweat were gathered on Jo’s forehead, she swiftly freed herself from Eddie’s embrace and rushed to the bathroom where she attempted to gather her thoughts. After what felt like hours Jo heard a timid knock at the door,

“Jo? Babe, are you okay?” Eddie’s voice was laced with concern and Jo wanted to smile at the man she loved, but she couldn’t muster the strength, she shuffled to the door and led Eddie back to the bedroom, “Do you want to talk about it?” Jo quickly shook her head, “okay, we don’t have to talk- is there anything I can do?” Jo shook her head again and let out a sigh, Eddie didn’t speak again instead he took her in his arms and began playing with her hair as she drifted off to sleep.

Joanne arrived at work early, she hadn’t fallen asleep as Eddie had thought she had, instead she’d pretended to sleep until Eddie had drifted off into a deep slumber, and then she’d snuck out of the bedroom and left for work. She made her way straight to the coffee machine when she arrived, filling the largest mug she could find with the bitter liquid. As she sat at her desk it dawned on her that she would have to write up her report on the events from the previous night, the thought made her queasy resulting in her sprinting to the toilets, much to her coworkers’ surprise. 

William Webster hadn’t slept that night, he hadn’t even gone home; he had no reason to go home, there was no one waiting for him. So he’d made a headstart on his paperwork before falling asleep on his desk. For one of the first times since she had started at working at the FBI Joanne was actually early to work, William knew why- she was processing a big trauma, most if not all of his agents had suffered something similar to Jo on the job - he’d lost some of his best agents to trauma, many quitting to go find a more normal job. He prayed to some sort of higher being that Jo would not be one of the agents he lost, there would be no replacing her. William watched as Joanne stood and rushed away from her desk, he briefly considered following her but decided best not to- he’d speak to her when she came back. 

As Joanne returned to her desk William called her to see him in his office, with a feeling of dread Jo made her way to him. 

“Agent Taylor, Joanne- what you went through last night was a trauma, and I just wanted to let you know that if you need to take some personal time you should do so.” What the director had not expected was for the young agent in front of him to scoff,

“Oh is that what you want to call it? A trauma? You know what sir, it was worse than a fucking truama! Finding your grandma dead that's a trauma! Being abandoned by your parents that's a trauma! Watching someone slit his fucking throat is more than a fucking truama, taking some personal time isn’t going to make it go away.” Joanne paused for a moment before muttering under her breath, “It should’ve been you.” William raised an eyebrow almost challenging her to repeat what she had just said, “It should’ve been you, I should’ve never been the one following him! It should’ve fucking been you!” Tears threatened to fall but Jo blinked them away before storming out of the office, she marched all the way to Dr Isles’ office. 

Joanne didn’t knock before entering the office. She didn’t care if there was someone else in there, it wasn’t like her. She always cared about everything, she always cared too much. Luckily for her Dr Isles wasn’t busy which meant Jo was able to vent like she desperately needed to, it was only when she calmed down that she realised how out of line she had been with her boss. 

Eddie was worried about Jo, he woke up and she had left, there wasn’t a note or anything- he’d assumed she’d gone to work. He sat in the kitchen armed with his notepad trying to find some sort of lyrics that the guys could use, but Jo was all he could think about so he decided to ditch the songwriting and start looking at houses. He felt guilty making a start on it without Jo, but he just wanted to get some ideas to make the whole process easier for Jo, a new house would take her mind off things. After a few hours he decided to give Chris a call, he wanted to chat to someone and out of all of his friends Chris was the one he was most likely to get a mature conversation out of, he just hoped Chris wouldn’t be too hungover.

Joanne was reduced to tears during her session with Dr Isles, she’d been forced to relive the night in great detail and Dr Isles had suggested that she was probably suffering with PTSD, or that the chances were she would need treatment to manage how she processed the trauma. Dr Isles had suggested that Joanne tried Cognitive Processing Therapy, a relatively new method for dealing with trauma that had come about in 1988 - it was supposed to help the patient to learn how to modify and challenge unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma, 

“Now in the time I’ve gotten to know you Jo I know you’re going to be apprehensive about this, but it’s been found to be really effective and I think it could help you. Would you be willing to give it a try? It’ll be twelve sessions, and after those we can have a meeting to discuss how you feel it’s gone and then we can re-evaluate where we’re at.” Dr Isles spoke in a way that always seemed to calm Jo, Joanne had lost her voice slightly from crying and ranting at the therapist, so she simply nodded in agreement, “Okay, we can schedule your first session for next week, shall we say same time as usual?” Jo nodded again and Dr Isles gave her a warm smile, 

“I uh- I should go and apologise to agent Webster.” Jo mumbled and her therapist gave a slight chuckle, 

“Don’t worry too much about it, I’m sure he’s had worse.” 

After apologising profusely for her behaviour to the director Jo finished up her paperwork with slightly less anxiety than she had before her session, the images were still vivid in her mind, but she felt assured knowing that she was going to get help. Once she managed to get her work finished she headed to William’s office to apologise one final time before leaving. She drove home in silence, mentally praying that Eddie wouldn’t mention any of it, she didn’t want to have to talk about it again- she just wanted to forget about it and move on. 

Eddie and Chris had spent a few hours wandering around Seattle before they’d gone back to Eddie and Jo’s apartment, Chris had managed to shed some of his infinite wisdom on Eddie’s dilemma which had helped the singer feel much calmer about things. They were sitting drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen when Eddie heard the sound of Jo’s car pulling into the driveway. She shuffled through door oblivious to Chris for a moment, 

“Cornell!!” She smiled when she finally noticed him, he was quick to give her a hug, “how hungover were you this morning on a scale of one to ten?” She quizzed and Chris pondered it for a moment before replying, 

“Probably like a twelve?” He groaned before downing the rest of his coffee, “well I should probably go and try to sleep off this hangover- I’ll catch you guys later!” He said pulling the couple into a brief hug before bounding out of the door, Jo sat down at the seat previously occupied by Chris before letting out a sigh, 

“I feel like I could sleep for a week.” She complained Eddie simply smiled moving to sit next to her, 

“Jo, I need to talk to you-” Jo could feel her anxiety spike as those words left him, “about you and your work, is that ok?” She nodded, afraid of where the conversation was going, “I was thinking- and well- I uh, I know how much you love your work- and I’d never ask you to um, change that- but, last night was so scary, not knowing if you were gonna come back and then when you came b-back covered in blood, it uh- well it scared me Jo, and I don’t like waking up everyday not k-knowing if you’ll come back.” Eddie’s voice was quiet and low, Jo could see he was nervous about her reaction, she didn’t speak for a few moments to allow herself to gather her thoughts. 

“I can see where you’re coming from, but being in the field is what I do- It’s the best part of the job, I-” Jo paused when she noticed that Eddie didn’t look happy with her response,

“Jo, please try and see where I’m coming from- how would you feel if you never knew if I’d be coming home, or if I came home from work covered in blood and broken?” Jo took his hand in hers, 

“I do, honestly I do- I just don’t know how to do anything else, this is all I’ve ever done. This is kinda who I am. I don’t know what else I could do, but if it’ll make you happy I’ll see if I can stay out of the field.” Eddie grinned at her, but it quickly faded,

“Promise me you won’t hate me though if you do come out of the field.” Jo let out a quiet chuckle,

“Eddie, I could never hate you.”

[brajeshupadhyay]

Emma Allenby was studying for A-levels when she developed a headache that just wouldn’t go away Emma Allenby was studying for A-levels when she developed a headache that just wouldn’t go away. Initially, she blamed the 30-second bursts of intense pain flashing through the top of her head — something she had never experienced before — on revision-related stress. But then one morning, three weeks after the first bout of pain, it became a debilitating, chronic headache. ‘The pain was so bad it woke me up,’ recalls Emma, now 24, from Loughborough, Leics, who works in sales and marketing. ‘It had moved from 30-second flashes of intense pain to constant pain — and it hasn’t gone away since.’ Six years on, Emma is still suffering, and despite numerous treatments, tests and investigations, no one can yet explain what is causing her headache. ‘I was 18 when it began and everything came to a halt,’ she says. ‘Constant debilitating pain interfered with every aspect of my life. ‘I didn’t take my A-levels, I stopped going out and I was miserable. I took it out on my parents, though I know they understood why. ‘I tried the usual treatments, including paracetamol and ibuprofen. And when they didn’t work I was prescribed stronger painkillers, such as co-codamol, but nothing touched the pain. ‘After 72 hours without sleep from the pain, I was catatonic. Mum took me back to the GP and I passed out after a blood test, going face down on the floor and smashing a tooth. I came round to a massive surge of pain in my head. ‘My tooth got fixed, but the headache continued as it is now; constant, seven-out-of-ten pain which doesn’t change with environment or food.’ Emma’s chronic or long-term headache is not too unusual, according to Dr Joe Guadagno, a consultant neurologist at Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust. ‘Permanent headaches are surprisingly common, both recurring and constant, and are often without diagnosis, which makes treating them challenging — especially since the constant use of painkillers can have side-effects such as overuse actually perpetuating the pain.’ The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said earlier this month that paracetamol and ibuprofen should not be prescribed for chronic pain because they can potentially ‘cause more harm than good’. Emma continued trying every possible treatment, including acupuncture, to try to relieve the pain, to no avail [File photo] Instead, it recommends exercise, therapy, acupuncture and antidepressants for the estimated half of the population who are affected by chronic pain — that is, pain that lasts for three to six months or more. After painkillers failed to alleviate Emma’s headache, she was sent for MRI and brain scans to see if there was a more sinister cause. Dr Guadagno recommends anyone who has a progressive or persistent headache to seek medical attention to rule out serious underlying health problems. ‘New headaches in anyone over 50, and sudden-onset headaches where the pain reaches maximum intensity within five minutes and is associated with symptoms such as sudden or progressively weak arms and legs, fever or confusion, should be checked out,’ he says. ‘There is no specific “brain tumour” headache, but at any age, any progressive or persistent headache, or headache that has changed dramatically over time, usually warrants a brain scan.’ When Emma’s scans came back clear, there was a sigh of relief — but doctors then suggested her headaches might be psychological.  ‘This left me questioning everything and whether my body was playing tricks on me,’ says Emma. ‘One of my biggest fears was that I wouldn’t be believed.’ Her parents, both pharmaceutical research scientists, were determined to get to the bottom of the problem and had Emma referred to a private neurologist in Birmingham. ‘We tried less widely known medicines and methods in an attempt to provide relief quickly so I could sit my A-levels, go to university and get back to a normal life,’ recalls Emma. ‘I was prescribed steroids to reduce inflammation, sodium valproate — which is usually used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, but can occasionally be used to prevent migraine headaches — as well as sleeping tablets, as exhaustion meant I didn’t know who or where I was. ‘But finally the consultant admitted defeat, with no idea what was causing my headaches. I was just left to live with the problem.’ By 2015, a year after the headache started, nothing had changed. A blood test with an endocrinologist — a hormone specialist — revealed that Emma’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can be a marker for pain, were ‘through the roof’, proving to doctors that her intense pain was real. Emma continued trying every possible treatment, including acupuncture, to try to relieve the pain, to no avail.  ‘It left me feeling hopeless,’ she says. Unable to sit her A-levels or continue with normal life, she could only watch as friends left home, headed for university and started new jobs — her younger brother Ben, now 22, among them. ‘There was an underlying jealousy that I don’t like to admit,’ she says. ‘Being an older sibling, I always thought I would experience those things first, but instead I spent most of my days at home on the sofa, unable to move. ‘The lack of sleep was almost harder to conquer than the headaches. Before, I’d been a social butterfly, but now I felt like a burden, going out for only an hour before I was exhausted. ‘Concentrating on anything rather than pain was difficult, and I often switched off. Even having conversations or the attention to watch a TV show was difficult, and I lost some friends. ‘I’d hear myself sounding fed up and miserable and think: “What happened to the bubbly, vibrant girl I used to be?” ’ A breakthrough came four years ago when Emma was referred for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a talking therapy to help manage problems by changing the way you think and behave, which is recommended by NICE for chronic pain. While she wasn’t able to offer Emma a ‘cure’, Dr Beverley David, a clinical psychologist, helped her to find coping strategies and deal with the depression that was exacerbating the pain. ‘Beverley helped me realise I could find a way through this,’ says Emma. ‘I was sad and angry, grieving for a life I’d lost but also so fed up with myself.’ Veg patch medicine: The health wonders that lie in your larder This week: Onions for hay fever and allergies Onions are rich in quercetin, a plant chemical that has been shown in laboratory and animal studies to dampen the production of histamine Onions are rich in quercetin, a plant chemical that has been shown in laboratory and animal studies to dampen the production of histamine — the chemical that produces allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes and a runny nose.  A couple of small human studies, including one in the journal Allergology International in 2009, showed that when people with hay fever were given quercetin in supplement form (100-300mg a day) they had reduced eye and nasal symptoms. A medium onion contains 22-52mg of quercetin. While more research is required, eating more onions can’t harm you if you have seasonal allergies.  Sautéeing and baking don’t reduce quercetin, but boiling leaches it into the surrounding water.  Possibly the biggest step was accepting that her headache might never go away and learning to live well with it. ‘Beverley taught me to change the way I think and behave, and tricks to reset my body clock which helped me sleep better,’ says Emma. ‘Sleep deprivation spoils everything. I hated what I’d become and felt I was letting people down. She showed me that I could let this illness strengthen my character.’ After a year under Dr David’s care, Emma decided she wanted to train to be a counsellor (while she continues to work in sales and marketing). ‘I wanted to help make a difference to other people, listening and believing anyone who has been judged over the years for battling with something that no one can see or understand,’ says Emma. Dr David, who now works in Ontario, Canada, says: ‘Working with unexplained physical symptoms can bring extra challenges. Our understanding around mental health is increasing, helping to better support holistic health. Cognitive behavioural therapy helps to reveal links between symptoms, worries and feelings and how to manage them.’ Despite six years of constant pain, Emma’s life is now moving on positively — she is thoroughly enjoying life with her boyfriend, Elliot, 24, a project manager for a bespoke kitchen company whom she met through a dating app, and with her family and friends. ‘If I woke up tomorrow and the headache was gone, I don’t know how long it would take me to believe it,’ she says.  ‘But I can’t put my life on hold waiting for that to happen. All the good things in my life now are more important to me than a sore head, even one that has lasted for six years. ‘I couldn’t be happier with how far I’ve come, but it certainly hasn’t been easy. Living with chronic pain isn’t the end — it’s what you make of it.’ The post Thought your headache was unbearable? Emma’s had one for six years appeared first on Shri Times News. from WordPress https://ift.tt/2Ycoqex

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/08/thought-your-headache-was-unbearable.html

[mymidnightaffairs-blog]

Which kinds of sexual issues can females have?

Around one half of all the females will have issues with sexual function. The primary issues females experience are: troubles with orgasm, low libido or maybe loss of motivation, and discomfort during sex.

For a lot of females, an orgasm isn't the objective to sex, and they'll like fulfilling sex lives and never have one each time they've sex. Other females base their sexual satisfaction around orgasm, and will thus think about the failure to get one being an issue.

There's no bodily reason a female shouldn't have the ability to achieve orgasm in case she's in excellent physical and mental well being, is conscious of her very own desires and body, and is adequately activated during sex (either by the partner of her or perhaps by herself).

Women which experience' orgasm problems' are split into secondary and primary types: major (when a female has never ever had an orgasm), as well as secondary (when a female has experienced orgasms in days gone by, but is not in the position to have one).

Decreased libido, is a damage of desire or maybe an absence of sex drive. This is able to be short-term (due to pregnancy or stress), though it may also impact females for much longer time periods. A lack of desire is able to have a selection of causes:

physical (hormone problems, menopause, diabetic issues, some medication types, fatigue, alcohol or perhaps drug use)

psychological (depression, relationship problems, stress, and previous traumatic sexual experience)

Uncomfortable sex, sometimes known as' dyspareunia', is soreness while in and subsequent to sex (usually subsequent to penetrative sex). Penetrative sex may be physically painful if there's a pre existing pain to the vagina, a medical problem (like thrush), or perhaps because of not enough arousal or lubrication.

Ladies might also experience painful sex as an outcome of' vaginismus', that happens when the muscles on the vagina tighten simply go into spasm, producing penetrative intercourse challenging.

Vaginismus usually happens if there's a bad mental association of sex with' bad' issues, or even discomfort. This's typical in women who:

haven't had sex before

don't know a lot about sex and are nervous

have received a traumatic sexual experience

are experiencing relationship problems

have another kind of vaginal pain or vulval (which could go undiagnosed)

have a condition recognized as' endometriosis'

have had unpleasant sex within the past

How you can cure sexual dysfunction in females Treatment for sexual dysfunction will rely on what leads to the problems of yours with sex. They'll also test for virtually any underlying physical or maybe mental problem.

What causes sexual dysfunction in females If the root cause of your dysfunction is tangible, then any underlying health conditions will likely be dealt with first. Following this, the following focus needs to be on sexual arousal and proper lubrication. You are able to purchase tubes of lubrication in all the pharmacies, over the kitchen counter, to help relieve dryness. Spending much more time on foreplay in an effort to develop arousal amounts before having penetrative sex might also help.

Which function does very low oestrogen play?

For females with lower oestrogen levels, the doctor of yours may recommend topical creams, as well as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), to assist you. If you've vaginismus, you will find vaginal' dilators' you are able to use to help teach the body of yours for sex.

How counselling helps In most instances, therapy or maybe psychosexual counselling is an incredibly valuable kind of therapy. Numerous kinds of sexual dysfunction (for females and males) are a sign of psychological elements , like depression or even previous sexual trauma. So, treating the psychological problem can often resolve some issues you're experiencing with sex. The doctor of yours may recommend:

psychosexual or perhaps relationship counselling

cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT)

practising deep breathing or perhaps mindful techniques

The physical health of yours is extremely strongly linked to your psychological and emotional well-being, which is the reason it's very essential to take care of your mental health almost as the body of yours.

Which sorts of sexual dysfunction can males experience?

The primary difficulties males experience with sex are doing with erection, libido and ejaculation. Problems with sex is able to affect all males, though they're more common in older males.

Erectile dysfunction happens when a male has trouble gaining or maintaining an erection when sexually aroused.

Decreased libido is a loss in sexual interest or desire in sex, which impacts as much as one in five males eventually in the lives of theirs.

How you can fight sexual issues in males First of many, you ought to talk to your someone or GP at your local sexual health and fitness centre if you're experiencing sexual problems. They are going to be ready to exercise whether these're being due to bodily elements, that could be addressed with drugs or maybe a lifestyle change, or even in case they've a root emotional cause, which may be treated with counselling.

Exactly how can sexual problems in males be treated?

There are many remedies for erectile problems. The most popular is sildenafil (Viagra), that operates in around nine out of ten instances of erectile dysfunction. Vacuum pumps for penile implants and the penis are included by other options. The doctor of yours could suggest making several lifestyle changes to help enhance your erectile dysfunction, like losing weight, quitting smoking and working out regularly.

What could cause sexual dysfunction in males?

Based upon the situation of yours, the GP of yours may advise relationship or maybe psychosexual counselling, CBT, or perhaps practising mindfulness. Sexual dysfunction is simply among the reasons that psychological issues are able to reveal themselves, therefore it's crucial to always think about your mental as well as the physical health of yours.

In case you really feel uncomfortable discussing your erectile issues with the GP of yours, you are able to reserve a telephone consultation with 1 of the doctors of ours or even use our free online session to determine whether erectile dysfunction medication might be ideal for you.

[londontherapy]

Find An Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Therapist In Richmond To Help You Deal With Your Fears

Do you constantly make sure your kitchen appliances or lights are turned off? Is your home or workplace extraordinarily neat and tidy and is your wardrobe arranged by colour? Do you wash your hands so frequently that they have become dry and cracked? If this sounds familiar, you may be suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder that involves the brain getting stuck on a particular thought or urge and unable to let it go. People who suffer from OCD react differently, but their behaviour typically involves a number of obsessions or compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive thoughts or images that people perceive as intrusive or inappropriate and can cause anxiety.

Experts, however, are not exactly sure what causes OCD, but research suggests there may be a problem with the way one part of the brain sends information to another part. Not having enough of a brain chemical called Serotonin, could also contribute to the problem.

According to an obsessive compulsive disorder therapist in Richmond, London, the most common characteristics of OCD are a fear of germs or infection, a need for symmetry, order and precision, religious or cultural obsessions, preoccupation with domestic appearance, concern for bodies waste and several others.

These obsessions or compulsions also usually take a lot of time – perhaps more than one hour a day and can even negatively affect your work routine, social activities and relationships. Sometimes people may understand that their obsessions and compulsions are not real, but others strongly believe in their fears.

However, it is important to understand that there are different forms of obsessive-compulsive behaviour among people and that professional treatment will differ from one individual to another, depending on the analysis or diagnosis that has been made by the therapist. 

The obsessive-compulsive disorder does not only occur in adults, and millions of many children have also been diagnosed with OCD. The good news is that OCD is a form of mental disorder that can be treated with the necessary professional treatment, control (and in some cases). Treatment includes medication and counselling with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder therapist. Using both types of treatment, often tends to work best.

Counselling for OCD usually includes a type of cognitive behavioural therapy called exposure and reactive prevention, which gradually increases your contact with the thing that is causing concern or false beliefs. With the help of an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder therapist, this therapy can reduce your symptoms over time.

Other cognitive therapies could also help change the false beliefs that lead to OCD. It is important to understand that treatment may alleviate your symptoms, but you may still present some minor symptoms after starting treatment. 

Some doctors may also prescribe long-term medication such as antidepressants. You may start to feel better within the first two to three weeks after taking the medicine for the first time, but the realistic expectancy for it to take full effect is around 12 weeks when you will see more improvement. For that reason, counselling with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder therapist is often recommended, along with the use of medication.

Any person's emotional well-being is important, not only for himself but also for his loved ones and work colleagues. There is no shame in seeking professional help when you realise you are suffering from a mental health problem. 

You can search the internet to find a suitable Obsessive Compulsive Disorder therapist in your area and if you are unable to leave your home, be sure to find a therapist that is available for online sessions. The most important thing is that you take control of the problem as soon as possible before it takes control over you!

About Us: London Therapy Foundation is the trading name of London Therapy Ltd which was established to provide the highest level of service to mental health in the London area. As a collective of specialists across the therapy spectrum, their mission is to provide peace of mind to all those mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in distress - at affordable prices, without long waiting times. They aim to provide a sense of community, both within the centre and online, for our member therapists, who also benefit from a range of professional services and very reasonable therapy room rates. To find out more, visit their website at https://londontherapyfoundation.com.

[icarehomehealth]

Dementia Care Services: Caring for Someone with Dementia at Home

Many seniors prefer to live at home in a familiar environment. The comforts of home can contribute to a positive mood as seniors age in place. Plus, staying at home helps maintain a sense of independence. For seniors with dementia, extra support may be needed. To live safely and comfortably at home, they may need some help.

If you are providing caregiving support to a family member with dementia, read on. Below are some helpful tips to provide dementia care at home.

Assess Your Loved One’s Needs

Dementia can cause cognitive and behavioural changes. Some of these may occur unexpectedly, and symptoms can increase over time. Paying attention to changes in your loved one’s mental state is important. Assessing their physical needs and abilities as part of dementia care services is equally as critical.

For example, can your loved ones continue to dress themselves? Do they have trouble eating or swallowing food? Paying attention to their communication skills is also important. Your loved one will benefit if you remain flexible and use alternate ways to communicate if needed.

Create a Safe Home Environment

In later stages of dementia care at home, you may need to look at the home environment. For example, in the bathroom, grab bars by the shower, tub, and toilet will offer more support. Safety stickers can add grip to slick surfaces.

In living spaces and halls, add night lights. Well-lit spaces will make it easier to walk in the dark. You may also choose to remove rugs, which can be a trip hazard. In the kitchen, remove chemicals and cleaning supplies from reach. You may also need to address safety when using appliances.

Learn About Dementia

Without a medical background, it may be difficult to understand dementia completely. You may find it worthwhile to learn more about its impacts. Speak with your loved one’s physician for insight. You may also choose to reach out to support groups specifically for caregivers.

Know When to Ask for Help

Caring for a loved one with dementia may become demanding. You may find it challenging to provide a high level of care while also managing your own daily tasks. Remember: if you need support, in-home dementia care service is available.

iCare Home Health in Oakville, ON, provides compassionate care for clients and peace of mind for families. Our care plans are customized for each client’s unique needs. We can assist with personal care services, recreational therapy, and help around the home. We serve clients in the Oakville, ON area, and across the GTA.

Providing in-home dementia care on your own can be overwhelming. You don’t have to go through it alone. Contact our home-care specialists for a free assessment.

Source: https://www.icarehomehealth.ca/dementia-care-services-caring-for-someone-with-dementia-at-home/

[zakihaider]

What is a Robot?

A robot is a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer. The idea of robot is ancient. Even in some of the earliest civilizations, there were signs of try to build automaton, a self-operating machine. Archytas built a self operating bird as early as 410 BC. In our discussion, we are considering the self operated machines, which can be termed as social robots on the basis of their usage in social purpose and more importantly their awareness and role playing as social beings.

What is Social Robot?

A social robot is an autonomous robot that interacts and communicates with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role. A social robot may or may not have a physical embodiment. For an example, the “Tamagochi” or “Lovable Egg” was a character on the LCD screen of a portable device but it followed social behaviors and rules attached to its role, in this case of a pet or a child’s. (Levy, 2005)

Sherry Turkle (2011) in her book Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other points out that in the company of social robots, people are alone, yet feel connected. People in real life have to be concerned with others’ attitudes while in virtual life there is no restriction. This can lead to a loss of trust in human beings, which provides incentive to find a robot one can control. Turkle completes fifteen years of interviews and observations by using an ethnographical approach. She pays more attention to the young adults and children who are considered “digital natives” and discusses human relationship with social robots.

Social robots can be both physically anthropomorphic (i.e. ASIMO or TOSY), and/or mentally anthropomorphic (i.e. Siri). In the later case they can be programs in computers. In our discussion we are considering both types of robots.

Different Dimensions of a Social Robot

In “A Space Odyssey” Bowman said, “A machine becomes human when you can’t tell the difference any more” (Bowman, 2001). The way we can tell the difference (other than by physical appearance) is by evaluating the intellect, creativity and emotions a being exudes in a social environment. These are the primary dimensions of a social robot.

In creating the “Turing test”, a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human, Alan Turing stated a view that a machine should be regarded as intelligent if it gives the appearance of being intelligent (Turing, 1950). It can be stated, that intelligence, albeit artificial, is one aspect of robots that we have come to accept facing sufficient proofs. An intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success (Russell & Norvig, 2003).

“Creativity is sometimes taken as to be an inexplicable aspect of human activity” (Buchanan, 2001). The first time machine creativity came into question was when Alan Turing asked “Can machines Think?”(Turing, 1950). Although Ada Lovelace, the mother of all artificial intelligence, argued that machines can not be creative, she was more specifically talking about the machine she and Charles Babbage has created (Lovelace, 1953). It was a computing machine. However, with advent in technology regarding artificial intelligence, we now see robots which can be categorized as creative in the field of poetry, writing fiction, painting and music. Kurzweil’s work in 1980s created a program RKCP which can analyze the writing style of famous poets and write endearing poems. The most advanced writing robot till date is BRUTUS. It can conceive the theme of “betrayal”. It uses its logic of story grammars and literacy grammar to produce stories, that is hard to distinguish from one written by a human. AARON a painting robot, paints exquisite masterpieces (Cohen, 1995). But the most enchanting art comes from a program in 1997, when more than 200 years after the “Jupiter” the 41st symphony of Mozart, a 42nd piece was composed by EMI a program developed by David Cope, a professor in the music department of UCSC. It had all the glorious features of a Mozart symphony. So there is sufficient proof that a robot/program can pass as creative.

However, the most difficult barrier to become a social robot is having emotions. According to Davis there are five characteristics, we look for in an object for it to pass as a being with emotions.

1. Its behaviour seems to arise from emotion

2. Fast primary emotional response to stimuli

3. Can generate emotions cognitively

4. Can have - emotional experiences, physiological awareness and subjective feelings

5. Its emotion can interact with other processes like memory, perception and learning

Studies show, modern social robots like AIBO and JIBO can successfully arouse emotions in a person and specially in children. They can simulate having emotions and feelings. They have physiological awareness and can pretend to feel pain. They have certain logic of emotions which vary on the scale of pleasure and range from ecstatic to thoroughly miserable.

In building robots proper social being, robots are not the only conren. To what extent a robot is social is also subject to the perception of humans surrounding it. Are we accepting of its presence as a valid member of the social system or not is very important. In the following part, we are going to discuss the different usage of social robots.

Robots as Support

Work Assistance

Siri is the most commonly used social robots in working settings. It is a virtual social robot application for Apple’s IOS which serves as a personal assistant and knowledge navigator. Siri can answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of web services. Siri’s voice sounds attractive and some users even chat with it to enjoy a moment of intimacy. Admittedly, not just social robots but all the robots being programmed can work as assistants. However, social robots are communicable that helps human-robot interaction experience similar to face to face communication.

Parental/Family Support

A young boy in Turkle’s study complained that even a robot would remember what he said, which was more than his father does when multitasking on his blackberry. MIT Professor Cynthia Breazeal and her colleagues developed a social robot called “Jibo”. According to the video advertisement of Jibo, this is a family social robot designed to be a partner in the family rather than a working tool that uses to be a cleaner. “Jibo can take photos or video, track movements for more dynamic video filming, perform stories for children, give verbal reminders, and generally hang out” (Newman, 2014). Jibo seems more communicable because it can even tell stories to children and chat with you as a friend. This arouse us attention that whether a family social robot could be a family member that change the inherent relational schemas in a certain family.

Health Support

Social robots have been widely used in healthcare support especially in mental health area. Paro, a robotic baby seal, began to serve therapeutic functions and were introduced into nursing homes. Designers claimed that the robotic baby seal had positive psychological effects on patients in nursing homes. Turkle once interviewed an old woman living in boston who suffers from depression. The woman seemed to find comfort in holding Paro in her lap while stoking its fur. Paro then responded with loving eye contact as it had been programmed to do. During the interaction, the old woman got relief and experienced a moment of intimacy which may lessen her sadness.

A robot called “Tug” has been used in University of California, San Francisco. Tug delivers drugs, clean linens and meals while carting away medical waste and soiled sheets and trash. Down in the kitchen, the cooks, who aren’t robots, would fire up food, load it onto a Tug, and use a touchscreen next to the docking stations to tell the robot where to go. Each robot travels an admirable average of 12 miles a day.

Education Support

Tico is a social robot developed by Adele Robots in promotional events and education as a helper for teachers. It features endearing, funny and innovative achieve a significant increase students’ attention. Han and Pea (2013) found strong social relationships were formed between children and robots after the introduction of robots to the classroom, however the children’s social degree towards the teacher showed little change. Social robots are especially important in educating, communicating and helping children with autism. They can be developed into useful tools for social skills and communication therapies, specifically by embedding social interaction into intrinsic reinforcers and motivators (Kim et al., 2013).

Robotic Toys/Pets

A ten-year-old girl would prefer a robot turtle because aliveness comes with aesthetic inconvenience: “Its water looks dirty. Gross.” (Turkle, 2011, p.4). Digital natives were trained to interact with social robots that demanded care. Turkle found that when children interact with sociable robots like Furbies, they move beyond a psychology of projection to a new psychology of engagement. They try to deal with the robot as they would deal with a pet or a person. For example, children would feed and love Tamagotchi, a little egg-shaped robot requires care from owner; otherwise, it will die. Hence children found companionship with robotic toys that seemed to project emotions like happiness and sadness. In addition, some social robots can serve as interactive entertainment media through which children especially young children can get a better game experience.

Love with Robots

Lewis Mumford said, “If you fall in love with a machine there is something wrong with your love life” (Mumford, 1952). Many seem to believe that, and to some extent it might be true. It poses two questions -

Is it possible to love a robot? and;

Why we should love a robot?

The idea of falling in love with an inanimate object is ancient. The Roman Poet Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, describes Pygmalion, the sculptor who carves the ivory statue of a perfect woman Galatea, and falls in love with it/her. He prays to Aphrodite so that the statue may come alive. One night Aphrodite grants him the wish, Pygmalion kisses his perfect creation and the simulacrum comes alive.

Love is a collection of different feelings and attitudes that ranges from interpersonal affection to pleasure. It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment. (Oxford Illustrated American Dictionary, 1998). It can also be a virtue representing kindness, compassion, and affection - "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". (Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2015). It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals. (Fromm, 1956)

We can systematically argue, there are different types of love regarding a social robot. A love ‘for’ a social robot and love ‘with’ social robot. According the the above definition by Fromm, it is evident that we can feel love for a social robot, even if its emotion is not comparable to our own emotional prowess. If we then discuss the love with social robot, it brings in two parties, a human and a robot. As we have concluded from the human’s side it is possible to feel love, we must now decide if a robot can feel love. To be very honest even researchers are divided on that. If we take Turing’s test of artificial intelligence and apply it on artificial love, we can deduce - artificial love, if imitated exactly and if unrecognizable from the human love, can be considered as love. So, if we can create social robots that can imitate love to the tiniest details (which seem impossible with the current stage of technology) it is possible to be in love ‘with’ a social robot.

The second question is “why would we fall in love with a robot?” The answer lies in the evolving nature of human civilization. With the advancement of urbanization and technology, humans are getting further apart from the perceived identity they were born with. They are taking up new identity, and creating their own social sphere. This is giving them independence but taking away the emotional bonds they had with other human beings. Once a person grows distant in his/her mind with the society they came from, it becomes increasingly harder to reintegrate in it to get emotional support. So, humans are becoming more dependent on the immediate partners for emotional reliefs. However, not everyone is lucky to find a perfect partner. So what if this retreat from the world to our immediate vicinity of friends and family and gradually to the closest partner is going to take us further into retreat in the future to our own self only? Just like a lonely child who confides in her doll about the harshness of the world and love it for being there to listen, would robots be considered as good partners for love in future?

Turkle describes, a young woman is willing to trade in her boyfriend for a sophisticated robot that could simulate caring behavior and offer her a no-risk relationship - a robot will never hurt you, lie to you, cheat on you, be jealous, be too tired to listen, get bored and have demands of its own. And as a sexual partner, a robot could easily be programmed. (Turkle, 2011) Which brings us to the next discussion, sex with robots.

Sex with Robots

Humans have the immense ability to perceive. From the early childhood development mechanism of role play, we can carry out conversations on our own with an imaginary person. Pictures, videos, writings have the ability to arouse humans. In that case, the human is not being attracted to the writing, but the perception of a person the literary work is describing. By the prevalence of the porn industry, it can be safely assumed that, we are content with the idea of sexual experience with a perception.

So what is different from sex with a sex toy, and sex with a robot? The difference is in emotions, and in love. But in our above argument we have discussed it is possible even if not prevalent to be in love with robots. It is definitely true as a physical conduct, robots can be better than humans in many aspects. They can sense the minute details and act to please the partner accordingly, they can be programmed to follow certain rules and manners and make the experience more intimate. Researchers say, sex with robots can go mainstream as near as in 2050 (Bates, 2012)

A Vision from the Future

Some people are worried about the future of social robots, who think that social robot is the largest existential threats for human beings. Turkle holds that humans cannot and should not be replaced by robots, because we humans have some wonderful quality, such as creativity, warmth, compassion and genuine understanding, that no robot could ever really provide. She believes that demanding these acts of intimacy from sociable robots means we demand less from each other. Like the case of an old woman above, she was actually being alone because Paro indeed is a robot that can not truly share intimacy with human beings. Tukle cautions that we may further retreat into our relationships with technology to avoid the “messiness” of our human relationships. She requires modern people to think critically about their relationship with robots and technologies that be vigilant to digital dependency and its impact on personal relationships.

Three months back, top tech persons including Bill Gates and Elon Musk voiced together with physicist Stephen Hawking and warned of threats artificial intelligence could pose. Along with a collection of intellectuals who signed a Future of Life Institute letter in January, the three leading innovators support development of AI to benefit society, but are wary of the potential dangers.

"They said this is one of the largest existential threats facing humanity. They worry that you're going to have robots that are more intelligent than humans, that will have their own volition and that will have hugely negative effects on society,"

Reference

Buchanan, B. (2001), AI Magazine, vol 22, no. 3, “Creativity at the Metalevel”

Fromm, E. (1956) The Art of Loving, Harper Perennial

Han, J. , & Pea, R. (2013). Will the robot breach the social network between children and teacher?. International Journal of Advancements In Computing Technology, 5(11), 188-197.

Kim, E., Berkovits, L., Bernier, E., Leyzberg, D., Shic, F., Paul, R., & Scassellati, B. (2013). Social robots as embedded reinforcers of social behavior in children with autism. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 43(5), 1038-1049.

Mumford, L. (1952) Art and Technics, Columbia University Press New York.

Newman. L. H. (2014). This social robot is adorable. But will families actually want one? Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/07/16/social_robotics_expert_cynthia_breazeal_debuts_jibo_a_family_robot.html

Russell, S. & Norvig, P (2003), Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach (2nd ed.), Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Turing, A. (1950), "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", Mind LIX (236): 433–460

Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together : Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York : Basic Books.

[amindfulchange]

Nurturing Transformation through A Mindful Change

Experience the power of mindfulness with Mindfulness Guelph, a sanctuary for personal growth and positive transformation. Guided by the principles of A Mindful Change, our programs inspire mindfulness, resilience, and well-being, fostering a journey towards a more balanced and mindful life. Join us on a transformative path of self-discovery and embrace the present moment with Mindfulness Guelph.

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Thought your headache was unbearable? Emma’s had one for six years

Emma Allenby was studying for A-levels when she developed a headache that just wouldn’t go away

Emma Allenby was studying for A-levels when she developed a headache that just wouldn’t go away.

Initially, she blamed the 30-second bursts of intense pain flashing through the top of her head — something she had never experienced before — on revision-related stress.

But then one morning, three weeks after the first bout of pain, it became a debilitating, chronic headache.

‘The pain was so bad it woke me up,’ recalls Emma, now 24, from Loughborough, Leics, who works in sales and marketing. ‘It had moved from 30-second flashes of intense pain to constant pain — and it hasn’t gone away since.’

Six years on, Emma is still suffering, and despite numerous treatments, tests and investigations, no one can yet explain what is causing her headache.

‘I was 18 when it began and everything came to a halt,’ she says. ‘Constant debilitating pain interfered with every aspect of my life.

‘I didn’t take my A-levels, I stopped going out and I was miserable. I took it out on my parents, though I know they understood why.

‘I tried the usual treatments, including paracetamol and ibuprofen. And when they didn’t work I was prescribed stronger painkillers, such as co-codamol, but nothing touched the pain.

‘After 72 hours without sleep from the pain, I was catatonic. Mum took me back to the GP and I passed out after a blood test, going face down on the floor and smashing a tooth. I came round to a massive surge of pain in my head.

‘My tooth got fixed, but the headache continued as it is now; constant, seven-out-of-ten pain which doesn’t change with environment or food.’

Emma’s chronic or long-term headache is not too unusual, according to Dr Joe Guadagno, a consultant neurologist at Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust.

‘Permanent headaches are surprisingly common, both recurring and constant, and are often without diagnosis, which makes treating them challenging — especially since the constant use of painkillers can have side-effects such as overuse actually perpetuating the pain.’

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said earlier this month that paracetamol and ibuprofen should not be prescribed for chronic pain because they can potentially ‘cause more harm than good’.

Emma continued trying every possible treatment, including acupuncture, to try to relieve the pain, to no avail [File photo]

Instead, it recommends exercise, therapy, acupuncture and antidepressants for the estimated half of the population who are affected by chronic pain — that is, pain that lasts for three to six months or more.

After painkillers failed to alleviate Emma’s headache, she was sent for MRI and brain scans to see if there was a more sinister cause.

Dr Guadagno recommends anyone who has a progressive or persistent headache to seek medical attention to rule out serious underlying health problems.

‘New headaches in anyone over 50, and sudden-onset headaches where the pain reaches maximum intensity within five minutes and is associated with symptoms such as sudden or progressively weak arms and legs, fever or confusion, should be checked out,’ he says.

‘There is no specific “brain tumour” headache, but at any age, any progressive or persistent headache, or headache that has changed dramatically over time, usually warrants a brain scan.’

When Emma’s scans came back clear, there was a sigh of relief — but doctors then suggested her headaches might be psychological. 

‘This left me questioning everything and whether my body was playing tricks on me,’ says Emma. ‘One of my biggest fears was that I wouldn’t be believed.’

Her parents, both pharmaceutical research scientists, were determined to get to the bottom of the problem and had Emma referred to a private neurologist in Birmingham.

‘We tried less widely known medicines and methods in an attempt to provide relief quickly so I could sit my A-levels, go to university and get back to a normal life,’ recalls Emma.

‘I was prescribed steroids to reduce inflammation, sodium valproate — which is usually used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, but can occasionally be used to prevent migraine headaches — as well as sleeping tablets, as exhaustion meant I didn’t know who or where I was.

‘But finally the consultant admitted defeat, with no idea what was causing my headaches. I was just left to live with the problem.’

By 2015, a year after the headache started, nothing had changed. A blood test with an endocrinologist — a hormone specialist — revealed that Emma’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can be a marker for pain, were ‘through the roof’, proving to doctors that her intense pain was real.

Emma continued trying every possible treatment, including acupuncture, to try to relieve the pain, to no avail. 

‘It left me feeling hopeless,’ she says. Unable to sit her A-levels or continue with normal life, she could only watch as friends left home, headed for university and started new jobs — her younger brother Ben, now 22, among them.

‘There was an underlying jealousy that I don’t like to admit,’ she says. ‘Being an older sibling, I always thought I would experience those things first, but instead I spent most of my days at home on the sofa, unable to move.

‘The lack of sleep was almost harder to conquer than the headaches. Before, I’d been a social butterfly, but now I felt like a burden, going out for only an hour before I was exhausted.

‘Concentrating on anything rather than pain was difficult, and I often switched off. Even having conversations or the attention to watch a TV show was difficult, and I lost some friends.

‘I’d hear myself sounding fed up and miserable and think: “What happened to the bubbly, vibrant girl I used to be?” ’

A breakthrough came four years ago when Emma was referred for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a talking therapy to help manage problems by changing the way you think and behave, which is recommended by NICE for chronic pain.

While she wasn’t able to offer Emma a ‘cure’, Dr Beverley David, a clinical psychologist, helped her to find coping strategies and deal with the depression that was exacerbating the pain.

‘Beverley helped me realise I could find a way through this,’ says Emma. ‘I was sad and angry, grieving for a life I’d lost but also so fed up with myself.’

Veg patch medicine: The health wonders that lie in your larder

This week: Onions for hay fever and allergies

Onions are rich in quercetin, a plant chemical that has been shown in laboratory and animal studies to dampen the production of histamine

Onions are rich in quercetin, a plant chemical that has been shown in laboratory and animal studies to dampen the production of histamine — the chemical that produces allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes and a runny nose. 

A couple of small human studies, including one in the journal Allergology International in 2009, showed that when people with hay fever were given quercetin in supplement form (100-300mg a day) they had reduced eye and nasal symptoms.

A medium onion contains 22-52mg of quercetin. While more research is required, eating more onions can’t harm you if you have seasonal allergies. 

Sautéeing and baking don’t reduce quercetin, but boiling leaches it into the surrounding water. 

Possibly the biggest step was accepting that her headache might never go away and learning to live well with it.

‘Beverley taught me to change the way I think and behave, and tricks to reset my body clock which helped me sleep better,’ says Emma.

‘Sleep deprivation spoils everything. I hated what I’d become and felt I was letting people down. She showed me that I could let this illness strengthen my character.’

After a year under Dr David’s care, Emma decided she wanted to train to be a counsellor (while she continues to work in sales and marketing).

‘I wanted to help make a difference to other people, listening and believing anyone who has been judged over the years for battling with something that no one can see or understand,’ says Emma.

Dr David, who now works in Ontario, Canada, says: ‘Working with unexplained physical symptoms can bring extra challenges. Our understanding around mental health is increasing, helping to better support holistic health. Cognitive behavioural therapy helps to reveal links between symptoms, worries and feelings and how to manage them.’

Despite six years of constant pain, Emma’s life is now moving on positively — she is thoroughly enjoying life with her boyfriend, Elliot, 24, a project manager for a bespoke kitchen company whom she met through a dating app, and with her family and friends.

‘If I woke up tomorrow and the headache was gone, I don’t know how long it would take me to believe it,’ she says. 

‘But I can’t put my life on hold waiting for that to happen. All the good things in my life now are more important to me than a sore head, even one that has lasted for six years.

‘I couldn’t be happier with how far I’ve come, but it certainly hasn’t been easy. Living with chronic pain isn’t the end — it’s what you make of it.’

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[nadiawrimos]

February 2019 Book Reviews

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga: A Practical Guide to Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit by Deepak Chopra (A) ⭐⭐

I thought this book was short and basic, nothing special.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler (A) ⭐⭐⭐

I thought this audiobook was pretty well done, actually. It was funny and honest and I do like Amy Poehler, though she’s friends with Louis and Aziz and praised them highly.

Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation by Aisha Tyler (A) ⭐

Yes another celebrity biography. My library tends to have a lot of them available as audiobooks and since I’m in a LDR and drive to work every day it gives me something to listen to. Unfortunately I did not like this one at all, really. Aisha over-wrote everything with excruciating detail and after the first half of the book, the stories all started to blend together and sound the same so I stopped reading.

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper (A) ⭐

ANOTHER celebrity biography? Ellie tried so hard to be quirky and in my opinion this didn’t translate into anything worth reading.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain ⭐⭐⭐

Okay, one last biography. This one was interesting, though, it’s a world I have no idea about and to be honest, I’m kind of scared of chefs with these personality types.

Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in 7 Weeks: A Workbook for Managing Depression and Anxiety by Seth J. Gillihan (A) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I feel like i *have* to give this book 5/5 stars because I’m actively using it as a plan for helping myself deal with depression. It’s quite helpful, and significantly cheaper than actual therapy which would cost me $225/hr. This book is a library book, and I got that shit for free!

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green (A) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now THIS was the best book I’ve read so far in 2019. Hank Green’s story was refreshing, completely engaging, and very similar to the novel I wrote in camp nanowrimo one year (in which social media influences humanity’s first contact with aliens. Except mine had more plants, and less mysterious robots)

[isabellelambert1975]

My escape from fear to a healing garden

Many people are now talking openly about their physical and mental challenges and how their garden or gardening has helped them.   I want to talk about my story of trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and the garden, and I hope my story may help other people.

I’ve also done a video on this, so if you prefer watching to reading a post, it’s here:

Going back to the beginning…

I was born in Gibraltar, but as my father worked for the British government we moved a lot in my childhood. After five safe and happy years living in South East England, my brothers and I found ourselves living in an unsettled and unhappy Caribbean country.

A Caribbean paradise?

Thirty-one years of an exceptionally brutal dictatorship had ended in the dictator’s assassination around a year earlier. It was also around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, so everything felt very unsafe.

A series of revolutions culminated in a civil war. Fearing ‘another Cuba’, the US Army intervened and we fled the country, briefly becoming refugees.

This notice, from an old family film, sums the sense of upheaval that lingers from that time.

Earthquakes and revolutions…

After we left the Caribbean island, we then lived in another South American country. It was a wonderful place to live, but it still had the occasional revolution, a higher level of violent crime than Britain and several earthquakes.

So I knew that the world could literally open up and swallow you at any moment. But I always believed that I would be safe if I got back to England. When I had nightmares, it was always about trying to escape to England to be safe.

But I thought England was safe…

I came to live in England permanently when I was 18. Eventually I began working in journalism and moved into a house with one of my brothers.

On the second night we were in the house, I woke up to find four men in my room, three with balaclavas concealing their faces. They attacked me with some kind of bat and also with a knife. We subsequently discovered the knife had been taken from our own kitchen.

I screamed and my brother came tearing down the stairs to help. Fortunately they ran away.

I have no idea how long it all took, because although I wasn’t concussed I seemed to have lost a small piece of memory. It took several hours before I realised that my arms and legs had knife cuts across them and that my back was bruised from the blows.

The immediate effects

I felt as if I had stepped into a strange, unknown world, where everything seemed very bright and loud and menacing, and where I could no longer assess whether a knock at the door was someone come to hurt me or just a delivery.

For the first ten days or so, I had to deal with considerable physical pain too, as the blows and some of the knife cuts were painful, although not ultimately serious. Were those footsteps behind me a threat? What was that noise in the middle of the night?

My brain no longer knew what the rules were or how to evaluate even the most ordinary event. My senses were on hyper-alert, so that every time I dropped asleep I was jerked awake as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over me.

Above all, it was exhausting and painful, as if someone had imprisoned and tortured me.

What is PTSD?

It was, of course, my own mind that had imprisoned me and for a while it seemed as if it refused to let me go. Friends were enormously supportive and I went to counselling, which had some limited help.

A psychiatrist friend of mine has since told me ‘Bad things happen, and when they do, it’s normal to feel terrible.

But I was still feeling many of the effects over a year later and that is post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Everyone said that time would help – and it does, but so slowly and in small increments.

Take on new challenges?

However, over the next four years, I got my dream job working on women’s magazines, met my husband and had twins, all of which was wonderful.

Taking on new challenges helped me, but the jumpiness, the sleepless nights and the inability to properly distinguish between a real and imagined threat – it was all still there. I began to get panic attacks in the London Underground and in shops.

Eventually I went to my GP who signed me off sick for two months.

Learn to ‘stop and stare’.

One of the counsellors advised me to do four twenty minute sessions of relaxation and meditation a day.

‘I couldn’t possibly find time for that,’ I said. ‘Well, do you want to get better or not?’ was the reply.

It was the first time I properly understood that unless I looked after myself, then I wasn’t going to be able to look after my family and do my job. There is a reason why you have to put your own oxygen mask on first.

One of the exercises I was asked to do – every day – was to lie down in a calm and comfortable place, with the door shut and away from all distractions. ‘Take yourself round somewhere beautiful,’ they said. ‘Imagine you’re on a Caribbean beach.’

Not relaxing memories….

Well, my memories of Caribbean beaches involved armed soldiers. Not relaxing.

A healing garden

So I chose a garden for my meditation. Not a famous garden, and not my own garden (we only had a small courtyard at the time).

It was the garden of a house for sale, which a friend had shown me once. The owners had already gone, so garden was slightly overgrown. But you could still walk up its lavender lined front path and go round the side to see the beautiful raised veg beds just outside the back door.

It was long and thin, a typical English town garden in many ways, and divided up into sections. There was a tiny lawn, rose borders, a wilder part with long meadow grass and fruit trees.

As this was over twenty years ago, that blend of cultivation and wildness was before its time. It was a revelation to me.

I don’t have any photographs of that first garden, but I do have memories of other peaceful gardens. I think this scene from the Agapanthe garden in Normandy sums up the sense of a journey to a healing garden, with somewhere to sit to enjoy the greenery.

Create your own healing garden

My meditation is a mental walk around this garden, imagining the sounds, feelings, scents and sights of each part of it. I’ve put together a meditation based on going round a garden in a separate video, which you can adapt for your own imaginary garden tour if you like.

I think one of the reasons I chose a garden was also because my favourite childhood book was The Secret Garden, a wonderful Edwardian children’s book about a boy in a wheelchair, a traumatised orphan girl and a farmer’s son coming together to heal by restoring a hidden garden.

Then I started to love real gardens

As I recovered from the panic attacks, I started to notice plants and flowers in the London streets around me.

It was a grey, windy February, but suddenly the brilliant yellow blaze of forsythia tumbled over a wall. A few snowdrops or anemones pushed shyly up in a front garden. The spicy floral scent of witch hazels wafted their elusive breath across the road. A friend’s winter flowering jasmine twined around her front railings.

There’s something very special about flowers like witch hazel which emerge in the bleakness of February.

I could see that even in a bare, cold winter there could be hope, joy and beauty.

A healing garden isn’t only the answer…

Of course, the meditation around the garden wasn’t the only thing that helped. I had Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which focused more on tips for managing panicky situations rather than examining either the trauma of the burglary or my time in South America.

No-one could promise me I would never be attacked again, but tips that helped me sleep a little better or shop without a panic attack, all reduced the stress.

At the time we had a tiny courtyard – around 15ft wide and 20ft long, but I longed for a garden of my own. When we moved out of London, I got my garden. But I discovered, with a shock that loving gardens wasn’t quite enough.

I had to discover the difference between weeds and flowers, though finding my own ‘gardening style’ was the most important part.

I had to learn about gardening – fast!

It takes time

Healing and gardening both take time to learn. And it also takes time to make your garden yours. Even if you find a house with a beautiful garden, we all have to discover our own gardening style.

It took us about six years to work out what we wanted. That was the beginning of a whole new adventure, which culminated in the Middlesized Garden blog and YouTube channel.

I don’t visit that secret imaginary garden so often now – but sometimes I still need to. If I wake with a start at 3am, I re-create my walk around that garden I only visited once. I usually I fall asleep again quite quickly.

Now I’m interested and excited to find out all the plants, ideas and strategies that gardening has to offer.

I’m still learning, so do join me on that gardening journey, and let me know if you’d like to hear more about gardens and stress relief as well as garden ideas and inspiration.

And if you have a story of stress and gardening, please do share it in the comments below. If you’ve blogged or vlogged it, then feel free to include a link – everyone’s approach is different and sharing stories can help us all. Thank you.

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