THE DEVELOPING BRAIN

As those of you who follow my blog know, I prefer to be holistic in my approach to just about everything, not least of all the mind-body connection combining the wisdom of the East with that of the West.

Having said that, I should also add that I have deep respect for the work and writings of Deepak Chopra. The voluminous number of books (more than 50) that he has penned as well as the various centers and projects that bear his name all speak for themselves; but, on a more personal note, I had the extreme pleasure of being Chopra’s guest in the late 1980’s at his center (which no longer exists, much to my regret) in Massachusetts. It was a time when he had read a chapter I had written in the N.L.P. casebook, LEAVES BEFORE THE WIND, and,I wrote specifically about the hands-on healing I was doing, using the Neurolinguistic Programming model.

Staying at his center for a long weekend (in a beautiful guest room that he made available to me and to my husband) was a life-altering experience. From the incredibly planted gardens that surrounded us to the Ayurvedic whole body massages which I received daily, I felt totally at peace. Also, the dinners served to the patients who came for healings (as well as to us, his guests) were all simple and healthy meals. Beautiful wild flowers on the table and the imposed quiet during meal-times helped everyone’s food to be properly digested. All in all, I felt truly gifted. I have taken that memory with me as one takes a still photo that never ages in the mind. So, yes, I have a bias in favor of the man and his philosophy.

Therefore, when I happened to turn on the television last week after a long day’s work and saw Chopra on the Larry King show along with Alex King (no relation to the TV host), I watched the entire program and was fascinated with the premise presented about the developing brain. I’d like to share it here, in turn, with those of you who may have missed it or who may not be familiar with the case.

Alex & Derek King are two brothers who were convicted of murdering their father, when they were children. Now, almost nine years later, Alex King appeared on the program with an update about life after prison, moving on, and his attempt to help other young people stop violence.

Alex is being helped to attend college in Florida, and he is helping Dr. Chopra reach young people throughout the world with Chopra's "I Take The Vow" campaign to eliminate violence from their thoughts, speech and actions.

Part of Chopra's mission is to help facilitate their transition from prison to lives of freedom and self-responsibility. They, in turn, are doing so through service to other young people with histories and situations similar to their own.

While there are many people, no doubt, who believe that these boys - and all children found guilty of murder - should never be given a second chance, I suggest that from all that we are learning from the research done on the developing brain, we follow Chopra's lead and likewise advocate for re-training the brain.

Along with Alex, Dr. Chopra is aiming to achieve a critical mass of 100 million people worldwide who will take a vow of nonviolence, and thereby, they believe, they will change the course of history.

Derek, too, is creating an adventure company in the mountains of Texas to provide camping and hiking gear and, in collaboration with other regional businesses, other adventure products and services. His company, WANDERVOGEL.com, is based on helping visitors to Big Bend—especially young people—experience freedom, self-responsibility & adventure.

How wonderful it would be if we as a society could understand that the developing brain of a child is just that - developing. It is not fully formed. And the studies, to date, prove that more than 90% of those children accused of horrific crimes have themselves been victims of violence and abuse which, in turn, has led them to mimic exactly how they had been treated or worse.

In an ideal world, of course, we would be able to protect all children from situations of extreme adversity/abuse and thereby prevent a myriad of heinous crimes. But, until such a time, we must follow carefully the lives of boys such as the King brothers and see if, in fact, it was not – as some would like to believe – that they were “bad” boys born with “bad” genes and not the opposite - that their environment caused the wiring in their brains to become twisted and forced them to perpetuate the evil that had become their norm.

Of course, I can’t know – nor do I suppose Chopra knows, for sure – what happened to the boys prior to the time when they admittedly murdered their father. Yet, it is worth noting the good they are attempting to accomplish as Chopra gives their lives meaning, dignity and honor and others are taking them under their wings unconditionally. With the opportunity to fulfill what indeed may be promising potentials, we will learn much from the choices they make and from how they live the remainder of their lives.

I, for one, am rooting for them. I totally support all those who are continuing to study the developing brain, attempting all the while to find out how we can best affect that development so that no child ever has to feel that his or her only option is to murder an oppressor, be it a parent or anyone else.

This must give us all pause for thought, if we are ever to have a society where sanity and safety prevail, especially for our children!

Do share your thoughts with me, even if you disagree.

Yours,
Linda

"THE MENTAL HEALTH IDEAS WE EXPORT TO THE WORLD ARE RARELY UNADULTERATED SCIENTIFIC FACTS AND NEVER CULTURALLY NEUTRAL ..."
Ethan WattersDuring my first placement at a mental health facility, I remember all too vividly the clinical director informing the staff that we must never make the mistake of mis-diagnosing immigrants. The specific example that was cited was that of an Asian woman who had been improperly diagnosed and treated for schizophrenia based on two factors: (1) her English was poor, so, in not fully understanding any of the questions asked, her responses were disjointed, her affect was that of someone staring into space – perhaps hearing voices - but definitely not being in the moment and totally unable to advocate for herself, except to make it clear that she was experiencing emotional distress and (2) because she never made eye contact with the treating therapist -and it was not understood that in her culture it was considered disrespectful to look into the eyes of a stranger - she was mis-diagnosed and treated for schizophrenic, when what she was suffering from was post partum depression.

Everyone in our class sat there in disbelief. And, that was only one story. Apparently, such diagnoses were occurring all too frequently to various people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

On a personal level, I remember feeling outraged upon hearing that trained clinicians were mis-diagnosing and therefore mis-treating persons from different countries and/or cultures, treating the wrong condition and/or disease with the wrong medication and or therapy. For me, this hit too close to home, since my mother had been one such immigrant years earlier, and I knew how victimized she had felt by a system that objectified her (and thereby dehumanized her), often –or so she felt – using her as a guinea pig.

So, in my own small corner of the world, I attempted to educate myself further so that I would never be guilty of such errors. But, the longer I remained in the field, the more I became aware of just how ignorant and, yes, arrogant we in the West truly are when it concerns the psychology of other cultures.

In fact, on the same subject, I have been thinking about an article I read some months ago in the New York Times and feel remiss in not having addressed it sooner.

The article, "The Americanization of Mental Illness," appeared as an essay from Ethan Watters’ then soon to be published book, Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche.
When I started to read the essay, I remembered my days as a graduate student and a book edited by Gloria McGoldrick and Joseph Giordano that addressed the need to treat differently those whose cultural heritage is not that of our own. That was nearly thirty years ago, and yet we still suffer – perhaps even more so – from the ignorance that propelled the authors to contribute to our field of knowledge by writing ETHNICITY AND FAMILY THERAPY (now in its 3rd edition).

To begin, I fully agreed with one of Watters opening remarks: “We have for many years been busily engaged in a project of Americanizing the world’s understanding of mental health and illness. We may indeed be far along in homogenizing the way the world goes mad.”
Because I feel so passionately about this problem, I am going to offer a synopsis of what Watters claims and ask that you take it to heart and do whatever you are able to do to make sure that no one you love who is suffering from a mental disorder has to suffer unnecessarily!

“In any given era,” Watters writes, “those who minister to the mentally ill –doctors or shamans or priests – inadvertently help to select which symptoms will be recognized as legitimate. Because the troubled mind has been influenced by healers of diverse religious and scientific persuasions, the forms of madness from one place and time often look remarkably different from the forms of madness in another ... We in the West have aggressively spread our modern knowledge of mental illness around the world. We have done this in the name of science, believing that our approaches reveal the biological basis of psychic suffering and dispel prescientific myths and harmful stigma. There is now good evidence to suggest that in the process of teaching the rest of the world to think like us, we’ve been exporting our Western ‘symptom repertoire’ as well.”

He goes on to conclude that “we’ve been changing not only the treatments but also the expression of mental illness in other countries, referring to depression, anorexia and post-traumatic stress disorder among others. Also, he concludes that “it now appears to be spreading across cultures with the speed of contagious diseases. ”

He cites Dr. Sin Lee, a psychiatrist and researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who documented a rare and culturally specific form of anorexia nervosa in Hong Kong. Unlike American anorexics, Dr. Lee's patients did not intentionally diet nor did they express a fears of becoming fat. Their description of their problem was specifically somatic, complaining mainly of feeling bloated, which made it painful for them to eat, and the cases he saw were rare, even at that. The public’s understanding only shifted when a teen-aged girl collapsed and died. Then, when the Chinese reporters “copied, the causes and meaning of what was referred to as her “disorder” directly from American diagnostic manuals” everything changed. Western ideas did not simply obscure the understanding of anorexia in Hong Kong; they absolutely changed the expression of the illness itself. For while Dr. Lee had at the time been seeing two to three anorexic patients per year, by the late 1990’s he was seeing that many cases and more each month. “New patients appeared to be conforming their experience of anorexia to the Western version of the disease.”

I don’t think that Watters or any of us would deny the value of many of the scientific advances that have been made in the past fifty years. Yet, I agree that our diagnostic manual cannot and must not be a guide for the world’s psyche.

“The assumption,” he continues, “is that remarkable scientific advances have allowed modern-day practitioners to avoid the blind spots and cultural biases .....”What is being missed - and what Lee cites very clearly - is a deeper understanding of "how the expectations and beliefs of the sufferer shape their suffering."  He states that professsionals and the media are all guilty of publicizing - and often glamorizing - not only eating disorders, but all disorders.  In doing so, a variety of pathologies are triggered (consciously or unconsciously) by volunerable people who then identify with those whom they read about.

In the end, what cross-cultural psychiatrists and anthropologists have to tell us is that "mental illnesses, including depression, P.T.S.D. and even schizophrenia, can be every bit as influenced by cultural beliefs and expectations today as hysterical-leg paralysis or the vapors ... or any other mental illness ever experienced in the history of human madness.  This does not mean that these illnesses and the pain associated with them are not real, or that sufferers deliberately shape their symptoms to fit a certain cultural niche. It means that a mental illness is an illness of the mind and cannot be understood without understanding the ideas, habits and predispositions – the idiosyncratic cultural trappings – of the mind that is its host.”

In short:  What we export to the world about our ideas of mental health ideas "are rarely unadulterated scientific facts and never culturally neutral. ... Some philosophers and psychiatrists have suggested that we are investing our great wealth in researching and treating mental illness – medicalizing ever larger swaths of human experience – because we have lost older belief systems that once gave meaning and context to mental suffering."

He is adamant about saying that : "Offering the latest Western mental health theories, treatments and categories in an attempt to ameliorate the psychological stress sparked by modernization and globalization is not a solution; it may be part of the problem. When we undermine local conceptions of the self and modes of healing, we may be speeding along the disorienting changes that are at the very heart of much of the world’s mental distress.”

Given the extreme stress created by the failing economy, the world’s ever increasing natural disasters and wars on every continent, we, in the West and others throughout the world must become sensitive and knowledgeable about how our traditions influence us in every aspect of our lives. Yes, we are all human, but our different beliefs, rituals and understanding of the human condition must be addressed, if we are not to rob one another of what makes us unique and if we are to promote better health for one and all.

The greatest good will come from our working together to create less chaos and to develop more resources for treating and, ultimately, eradicating debilitating/chronic physical and mental diseases.

Do let me know if you agree!

Yours,
Linda

IRONY and LINDSAY LOHAN'S LIFE

How ironic!  The talented, precocious young actress, Lindsay Lohan at twelve, was cast in the double role of twin daughters in the romantic, fairy tale re-make of the original 1961 film, THE PARENT TRAP. Ironic, because now at twenty-four, she is the one who is totally trapped!  If only she could magically produce a double of herself - a saner, non-addicted, non-law offending woman - not the one who is soon to serve time in jail, followed by months in rehab.

I doubt that any serious statistics are available comparing the percentage of the rich and famous who become addicts and those in the general population. However, it is certainly true that the price for fame is often that we see too much about the private lives of those who are famous; we read about them and become overly involved in their successes as well as their failures and tragedies.

Surely, there are many young talented artists in every genre who are not victims of addiction or of lives gone completely out of control. But their stories don’t sell papers or blanket our television screens.Addiction is a complex disease: Physiological, genetic, psychosocial, nutritional and environmental factors are often thought to lead to the development of this disorder.

In Lohan’s case, we have to wonder if being lauded at such a young age – starting to model at age three and acting not long thereafter – whether she even stood a chance of beating the odds. Even now, every lawyer, judge, addictions specialist, as well as the public, is left questioning whether this sentencing of jail time followed by months in a Rehab will make the difference that makes a difference!

In February when I wrote about my concerns for Tiger Woods and anyone who’s in the spotlight being able to “recover” in the fullest sense of the word, I say here, too, that I have the same – if not greater concern about Lindsey Lohan.  Why?  Because she’s younger, because her drugs of choice are many, and because in gaining fame at such a young age she never experienced a normal family life or the normal joys of being a child or overcoming the challenges of adolescence and young adulthood.  In short, she never has lived and still does not live in the same world as most of us do.  I accentuate “normal,” only to clarify that her normal was: a life seemingly filled with false impressions and the belief that whatever she wanted she could get and whatever she did would be acceptable and excused because, after all, she was Lindsey Lohan.  As with Tiger Woods and other celebrities, I truly believe that it’s harder rather than easier for them to free themselves of their demons, to take recovery seriously enough to realize that their very life is at stake (if not the lives of others). Again, I repeat what I said about Tiger Woods: staying focused while the entire world is watching – and while not everyone is truly rooting for you – is no small task.

We all know that life and growing up aren’t easy at best, but for those who aren’t grounded in reality, who are flying high because the world has objectified them and their personhood has gotten lost in the mix – they’re left to soar (with or without drugs!) and then to drop all the harder.

Watching Lohan in the courtroom this past week was nothing short of pathetic and painful.  A beautiful, young, talented woman who seemingly convinced herself that the judge would buy her story that she never expected special treatment and that she respected the court, when her contempt for the law has been evident as far back as in 2007 when she lied about possessing drugs and drinking during her DUI arrest.

That she has now been sentenced to ninety days in jail is something that the judge had to do, if she was to be law abiding.  However, statistically, serving time in jail (no matter how the number of days may or may not ultimately be reduced) will do little, if anything, to cleanse Lohan of her addictions.  First, she has to be treated for withdrawal and not all jails do that.  Even if the one she’s placed in does, we then have to hope that she survives being in jail.  She’s not a tough, street-smart junkie.  She’s rich, famous, and, like all addicts, terribly fragile.  Add to that, she has never had to live without the necessities – let alone the luxuries – of life.  Those who are less fortunate may find it hard to pity her, but I suggest that she needs as much help as any addict for that very reason.  There is nothing enviable about her life at this time!

The mandate that she stay in Rehab for six months after serving her jail term is more likely to offer her the possibility of becoming abstinent, taking her recovery and her life seriously.  Unfortunately, though, from all that I have read, it doesn’t seem likely that this young woman will be able to avoid the people, places or things that have continuously caused her to relapse.  My fear is that the same world of the paparazzi, the lights of the cameras, the people who want her money and not what is best for her, will continue to trigger her need for drugs, feeding her disease rather than helping her to heal.

There are many wonderful young performers and artists of every ilk who are not addicts. Those like Lohan, however, who start to self-medicate at an early age, lose total sight of the transparency of their behavior, their choices, their lack of self-respect and respect for others.  They are simultaneously self-centered and insecure, grandiose in their thinking and destructive in their actions. All that makes them less likely to succeed, to stay clean and to be able to turn their lives around.

I have treated many addicts who have taken their recovery very seriously and have gone on to live honorable lives, but I do think that when someone’s in the spotlight – as Tiger (amongst others) will no doubt continue to be and Lindsay certainly is – their chance for success is slimmer, not greater, because there are more distractions for those who are famous.  Staying focused while the entire world is watching makes it far more daunting, the stakes far higher.

I also believe it will be harder for Lohan because she is a woman, because she has been sexualized since she was very young, and because her family of origin is not merely dysfunctional but at odds with one another about Lindsay and about what’s in her best interest.

Who amongst us can truly regain health without the support of a medical community, the community of those who love us ... and a prayer or two?

Naturally, I hope that she survives her stay in jail and that she is placed in the best possible rehabilitation facility, totally secluded from the paparazzi ... with time to find herself, her inner beauty, and her strength. Without that she will remain lost or worse.
The best medication for any addict is the medication of love, guidance, spirituality, and the desire to become and remain abstinent without believing that the world revolves around them but that they – like the rest of us – must have the capacity to reflect upon their values and know that there are very real consequences for illegal actions that place their own life at risk as well as the lives of others.

My heart goes out to Lohan. I wish that we could create a healthy twin for her, both of whom she played so convincingly, so astutely in the film. But, she is no longer a precocious child star. She is a very troubled and desperate young woman who needs all the help she can get.

To any of you who may have a problem with drugs or addictions of any kind, I hope you have people in your life who know how best to get you the help that you deserve.

Yours,
Linda



"INDEPENDENCE FOR ALL"

With a feeling of freedom, unencumbered by or subservient to the imposed values of others, America declared its independence from Britain in 1776 and democracy was given a new meaning. That was more that 200 years ago and I believe - though we are far from perfect - we are still the greatest democracy in the world.

However, rather than enter into a polemic about American history, I'd like to stretch the metaphor beyond today's 4th of July parades and all the celebratory hoopla. Rather - and perhaps because I grew up as a child of immigrants here in "the land of the free" - I wish to address the inherent need for every person to enjoy feelings of independence.

To be fully and emotionally healthy human beings, we need to be able to experience independence in our everyday lives: in school, in the workplace, in relationships between friends, husbands and wives, as well as those between family members.

Since none of us lives in a vacuum, we are responsible to others as well as to ourselves, and we are known to others by our deeds and the morals we uphold. In healthy, mature relationships, we give as much as we take and we consider the needs of others as well as those of our own without prejudice or judgement or with as little prejudice and judgment as is humanly possible.

In unhealthy relationships, one person (or one nation) is rigid - needing to see everything in black and white, believing there's only one right way to resolve any and all conflicts - and, in so being, diminishes others, holding them victim in order to gain feelings of superiority and, ultimately, to feel in control.

However, in healthier situations, independence offers all people - whether born in the same or different countries, the same or different families - an equal opportunity to do what they want, when they want to do it, taking nothing away from the other, and finding times to come together, sharing freely and respectfully.

So, on this July 4th, my hope is that all nations at war and all people who are determined to destroy rather than to uphold the most decent aspects of democracy (including the ability to live independently with the wisdom to exist inter-dependently personally and collectively) are defeated by those of us who wish for mutual respect and consideration for all.

Is such a wish too idealistic? Probably! But where would we be if our founding fathers had not been idealistic and had not fought to uphold all that has brought us to where we are today? Despite all our problems, we still have so much for which to feel grateful!

I hope you are all enjoying this 4th of July weekend!


Yours
~ Linda