Articles from the Week of September 30, 2022
Interesting Quotes
"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them."
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
The meaning of earthly existence lies not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering but in the development of the soul.
ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN
“Of all bad men, religious bad men are the worst.”
C.S. LEWIS
It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.
E.E. Cummings
“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
CALVIN COOLIDGE
Interesting Facts (from InterestingFacts.com)
The Earth shakes every 26 seconds, and scientists aren’t sure why.
“Like a lot of strange happenings, it was first noticed in the 1960s: A small seismic pulse, large enough to register on seismological instruments but small enough to go otherwise unnoticed, occurring every 26 seconds. Jack Oliver, a researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, first documented the “microseism” and sussed [figured] out that it was emanating from somewhere “in the southern or equatorial Atlantic Ocean.” Not until 2005 was it determined that the pulse’s true origin was in the Gulf of Guinea, just off Africa’s western coast, but to this day scientists still don’t know something just as important: why it’s happening in the first place.
“There are theories, of course, ranging from volcanic activity to waves, but still no consensus. There does happen to be a volcano on the island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea near the pulse’s origin point, not to mention another microseism linked to the volcano Mount Aso in Japan, which has made that particular explanation more popular in recent years. Though there’s no way of knowing when (or even if) we’ll learn the why of this phenomenon, one thing’s for sure: better a microseism than a macroseism.”
A totally different interesting fact: Alaska’s flag was designed by a 13-year-old boy who was living in an orphanage at the time.
Losing Our Religion: Blue Laws Decline While Deaths of Despair Do Not
This Breakpoint article points out the interesting correlation between the decline in “blue laws” (which forbid certain activities on Sunday) while “deaths of despair” are increasing. It makes the valid point that a correlation does not prove causation. As in many correlations, the causative element is likely to be a third element, in this case the decline in religiosity in American culture. As religiosity has declined, it has encouraged the abolition of “blue laws,” and at the same time, probably increased the frequency of “deaths of despair.” Click here to read full article.
What to Do When Bipolar’s Risky Behaviors Take Hold
Individuals with bipolar disorder are most known for their tendency to engage in risky behaviors during periods of mania. However, research has shown that even between episodes they are more prone to risky behaviors than the average person.
This article from bipolar magazine has some good practical suggestions for those individuals. Click here to read full article.
Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom Wants a Law to Allow Killing Babies for a Year after Birth
The governor of California took abortion to a new depth by supporting a bill in California which would allow anyone to kill an infant in the first year of life and there would be no investigation into the cause of death. I’m not going to include a newspaper reference: if you wish, you may find one or more by going to Google News. This week he also signed about 10 new bills relating to various aspects of abortion.
What “The State of Theology” Tells Us
Every two years Ligonier Ministries does a survey of what Christians believe. This year’s survey revealed that even those who identify as evangelicals are softening their views on many important Christian truths. If you work with clients who identify as Christians, it may be worthwhile to understand some of these trends. Click here to read full article.
ECT for Depression May Cut Suicide Risk by Nearly 50%
Clients, and some counselors, may be hesitant to recommend that a client with serious depression consider ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), but this study, published in the Lancet, a highly respected medical journal, found that it decreased suicide risk the next year by 50%, and
also decreased risk of dying from other causes. So if you have a client with serious depression, it may be worthwhile to recommend they talk with their psychiatrist about this treatment and give them some education about it so they do not automatically reject the possibility. Click here to read full article.
New Study Shows Lingering Neurological Effects of COVID-19
This article covers much of the same material as the one I included last week, but since it’s in Psychology Today its written in a little clearer style than the previous one. But it sure seems likely that you’ll be having some clients this year complaining about the symptoms listed in this article, and some who only had mild cases of COVID yet are still experiencing those lingering effects. Click here to read full article.
Lay minister shares how Christians can minister to traumatized victims of marital abuse
This is a very in-depth article from the Christian Post about how churches sometimes hurt rather than help abused women, and how those of you who have specialized training in trauma-informed counseling can have an important ministry to such women. This might be a good article to recommend to your pastor. Click here to read full article.
PMDD, Autism, and ADHD: The Hushed Comorbidity
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is less frequent but more severe than PMS. While it can affect any woman, it is more common in women with ADHD or autism. This article describes its symptoms and some treatments. Click here to read full article.
Trusting in the God Who Sees
Sometimes people who are going through difficult times wonder if God sees their pain. Here is an encouraging article from Christianity Today by a woman who has lived for many years with difficult illnesses in herself and her son. If you have a discouraged Christian client this article may be helpful to them. Click here to read full article.
The curse of Kinsey returns
In some universities Alfred Kinsey is lionized as a hero in the sexual education arena. The truth about some of his “research studies” has come out in several books by Dr. Judith Reisman and others, which are summarized in this article, and Kinsey engaged in many experiments that would cause him to be imprisoned for child sexual abuse today. If you’re not familiar with some of the many documented accusations, you may want to read this brief article. Click here to read full article.
The World’s Cutest Octopus
This has nothing to do with counseling, but if you’d like to see a moving picture of the world’s cutest octopus (named the Dumbo octopus because it resembles the cute elephant by that name), take a moment to watch this video. Click here to read full article.
New Jersey requiring schools to teach middle schoolers about ‘anal sex,’ ‘pregnancy options’
The new New Jersey standards require that eighth graders be taught about pregnancy testing, the signs of pregnancy, and pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion, and adoption" and be able to define "vaginal, oral, and anal sex." The standards also require that students be taught about gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation and must develop programs that promote dignity and respect for people of all genders, gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations in the school community." Schools that do not do all the above can lose state and federal funding. Click here to read full article.
10 Quotes From Helen Keller’s Inspiring Life
As you probably remember, Helen Keller became deaf and blind from a fever at the age of two. Through the remarkable work of Anne Sullivan she learned to speak in a way that could be understood by others, completed secondary school and enrolled in Radcliffe College, accompanied by Sullivan. She graduated at 24 cum laude, and was the first person who was both blind and deaf to earn a higher education degree in the U.S. Her life and her spirit are incredible, and she was a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. To learn more about her life and some of her most memorable quotes, read the following article. Some of our clients who are facing difficult situations could be encouraged by her example. Click here to read full article.
Please pray for those in southwest Florida who have lost loved ones and whose homes were damaged or destroyed by hurricane Ian.
God bless!
Henry Virkler