Use Color to Change Your Mood

Interesting discussion of the impact that colors can have on our mood.  This might have application to working with some clients, as long as we recognize that different individuals have different responses to colors. Article link click here.

How to Be a Caregiver

Tara Parker-Pope asked her readers who are caregivers to send her suggestions about how to be a caregiver.  She compiled the most frequent suggestions.  Worthwhile reading. Article link click here.

Lifelong Exercise Adds Up to Big Health Care Savings

Starting a regular exercise plan, even if you don’t start it until midlife, can result in significant savings. And if you walk or jog in your neighborhood, it’s a wonderful way to meet your neighbors.  Although there are financial benefits, I think the other benefits are even more important. Article link click here.

The Success Mindset for ADHD Procrastinators, Dreamers & Survivors

This brief article gives some practical steps for conquering five of the problems that frequently occur within people who come for counseling.  Although it appeared in a magazine for people with ADHD, I think the ideas could be used by many people, whether or not they have ADHD. Article link click here.

Pfizer Vaccine Confirmed To Cause Neurodegenerative Diseases New Study Shows

There is some early evidence that the Pfizer vaccine could, in some people, increase the likelihood of some neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Alzheimers.  This is still preliminary, but if you have the choice, it may be safer to request the Moderna vaccine than the Pfizer one. Article link click here.

Christians happier in marriage and men more satisfied, but Gen X is in trouble: Barna study

Barna has long been a respected pollster.  Their recent poll of 1500 couples found Christians were happier in their marriages than non-Christians (73% to 59%), Christian men were more satisfied in their marriages than Christian women (65% to 52%), and only 47% of Generation Xers were satisfied in their marriages. Article link click here.

How evangelical teachings ruin sex and marriage for many women

This article summarizes some points and the results of a very large sample of evangelical Christian women about their satisfaction with their sex lives.  It describes some of the major points from the research.  I think the article contains some important points Sheila Wray Gregoire’s book The Great Sex Rescue.  For those of you who do marriage counseling, I encourage you to take the time to read this article.  One of my former students took women in her church through the book Secrets of Eve by Hart, Weber and Taylor and said there was a very good response to the group discussions. Article link click here.

She Fell Nearly 2 Miles, and Walked Away

This isn’t an article about counseling, but it is a fascinating story about the power of persistence. This 17-year-old girl fell nearly two miles when her plane was split in half by lightning, walked eleven days through the Amazon surrounded by poisonous snakes, earned a doctorate and returned to the Amazon to head up a research station in the Amazonian forest. Article link click here.

Association of Cannabis Use During Adolescence with Neurodevelopment

This is probably the largest study ever conducted that examined the effect of using cannabis during adolescence on brain development.  It found that cannabis use was associated with thinning of the prefrontal cortex in the brain development of adolescents, which as we know, is the part of the brain utilized in making decisions, inhibiting unwise choices, etc.  It is hard to understand the reluctance of some politicians to recognize the negative effects of recreational use of pot for the general population. Article link click here.

Porn in Church: Setting Up Recovery Groups for Women Who Struggle with Porn

This is a very thoughtful and practical article about a sensitive subject—how to set up a recovery group for women who struggle with porn.  The practical suggestions at the end are excellent. Article link click here.

A Medical Explanation for Why Some People Complain of Losing Sense of Taste and Smell After COVID

I didn’t copy the web address for this article but thought afterward that it was worth sharing.  Brain scans found that the brain areas responsible for sense of taste and smell appeared to have become inactive in those who complained after having COVID that they had lost their sense of taste and smell. Article link click here.

Brain training may not sharpen minds

There have been differing results from previous research studies about whether brain training (i.e., on-line programs that focus on problem-solving, matching, reasoning, etc.) can boost brain function—some studies have shown improvements and others have found they don’t make a difference.  This large (about 8,500 subjects) compared those who used these on-line programs with those who didn’t on twelve cognitive tests.  The researchers concluded there was no relationship between the amount or length of time people were using brain-training programs and intellectual functioning. This result held regardless of what program the participants used, age, education or socio-economic status.  The concluding recommendation was that people spend their time practicing skills in real-life situations rather than invest their time in on-line brain training programs. Article link click here.

The Girls Who Would Not Bow

In 2014, Boko Haram captured 300 senior girls from a Christian high school in Nigeria.  This is the story of how many of those girls maintained their faith in the face of unrelenting cruelty.  If you need an inspiring story, take a few moments to read this. Article link click here.

Woman who claims she gave birth to 10 babies admitted to psychiatric ward

I guess I got fooled along with the rest of the world.  It appears that the woman who claimed to have given birth to 10 children at once hadn’t been pregnant at all.  I think most people would admit that her picture sure looked like she was pregnant with several children! Article link click here.

Canada’s House of Commons passes bill criminalizing ‘conversion therapy’

Canada’s House of Commons has passed a bill that would send any counselors to prison for helping people who wished to change their sexual orientation or their gender identity, even when the clients sincerely want to change.  The bill will probably not be voted on by Canada’s Senate until the Fall. However, some groups say that this bill unfairly discriminates against LBGTQ individuals since it allows heterosexuals who wish to receive counseling to change things about their sexual behavior while not allowing LGBTQ individuals to do the same.  Let’s continue to pray that all those who wish to receive counseling about sexual matters world-wide will have the freedom to do so, and that counselors who wish to help them will be able to do so without fear of prison sentences. Article link click here.

MIT professor goes viral after he puts crib in his lab for student’s baby

This isn’t a counseling article, but it tells about a professor and an act of kindness that has received an astounding positive response for his compassion.  Let’s pray for creativity so that each of us can show that kind of compassion if there is some way we can do something similar. Article link click here.

Does Religious Belief Help People Think In A More Complex Way?

Some people, from Freud on, have suggested that religion is for people who have mental maturity problems.  This Florida professor did an interesting experiment to test out whether people who have religious beliefs think more simply or not.  His experiment was interesting, and I think he is careful in explaining his results.  But you might find his findings interesting, and it was the opposite of what Freud postulated. Article link click here.

Ten Practical Recommendations for Improving Blinding Integrity and Reporting in Psychotherapy Trials

It is exceptionally difficult to have blinded trials when comparing different types of psychotherapy, but it is obviously important in order to determine the most effective therapy to use for various problems.  If you are in a doctoral program and will have to do empirical research for your dissertation, this is an extremely important article.  It lists 10 practical suggestions for increasing blinding efficacy when doing comparative research. Article link click here.

Zuranolone Wins for Quick Depression Fix; Laughing Gas for Tx-Resistant Depression

Here are a couple brief reports on new medical treatments for depression. Article link click here.

The Boys in Their Summer Dresses

According to this New York Times writer, you should be prepared for men coming to your counseling sessions in skirts and women coming to your sessions in men’s clothing.  Celebrating the end to gendered clothing is the new culture trend among the more “hip” in our culture.  In response to this new trend, all I can say is to repeat the words of the Apostle John “Even so, Lord, come quickly.” Article link click here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Henry Virkler