Articles from the Week of December 6, 2024
Explanation: Although I scan the Internet primarily for counseling articles, in the process I run across quotes and interesting facts that I sometimes include in these first two sections. If you’re just interested in the counseling articles, you can skip these first two sections and go directly to the section called Counseling Articles. HV
Interesting Quotes
Old friends are the great blessing of one's latter years — half a word conveys one's meaning.
Horace Walpole
The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.
Louisa May Alcott
Maybe the real happy ending is falling in love with the simplest parts of life.
Author unknown
When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred.
Thomas Jefferson
Feelings are a feature of human life, not a bug. Heal what hurts by holding it first.
Author unknown
Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children.
Albert Einstein
If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever.
Sarah Mohr
Counseling Articles
Alzheimer’s Can Be a World of Endless Second Chances
Although you won’t be able to read this article unless you have a subscription to the New York Times, and it’s too multi-faceted for me to try to summarize, if you have a subscription I encourage you to take the time to read it. It tells how a father’s personality has mellowed and how his relationship with his daughter has improved in many ways since his Alzheimer's. I think it demonstrates how acceptance of changes and kindness can help us have fulfilling relationships even in this challenging time of life.
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An I.V.F. Mix-Up, a Shocking Discovery and an Unbearable Choice
Apologies, but this is also another article you can only read if you have a subscription to the New York Times. But it is such an incredible story that I thought it was worth summarizing for you. Two couples both used the same IVF clinic, and unfortunately their children were mixed up and carried by the opposite mother.
Shortly after birth one of the fathers became concerned about the possibility that the child was not theirs because the infant’s features did not resemble him or his family. Eventually genetic tests were done and found that genetically there was a 99% chance that the child was not theirs. A short time later the clinic director called and tearfully confessed that the embryos had been switched. The other couple was informed of the mix up. By this time (a few months after the birth) both sets of parents (and other children in the family) had begun forming bonds with the respective babies.
The article thoroughly discusses the struggles both couples went through and the creative way they eventually resolved the situation. I don’t have the space to summarize all their struggles, but I will tell you the main points of their decisions. They consulted with a psychologist specializing in babies, who told them that during the first few months of life the baby’s vision is not clear enough to distinguish individuals clearly. The parents decided to visit each other each week, so the babies could become acquainted and comfortable with the other parents. After several weeks they switched the babies, and with help from the IVF facility, had new birth certificates created. The mothers who carried the children were listed as surrogates. The couples settled a lawsuit out of court for the error that was made.
The children in the respective families missed the infants who were no longer with them, so the families decided to continue to meet with each other and to consider the children of the other family as unofficial brothers and sisters to their children and allow them to have continuing contact with each other.
I think the story points out that, with love and communication, it is possible to resolve even the most emotionally complicated situation.
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The End of the Age of Scientism
You may not agree with everything in this article, but I think it is worth considering. It points out that there are valid points raising the question of fluoridating all water, of the COVID lockdowns, and other things that we have sometimes viewed as scientifically accepted truths. Whether or not we eventually agree on these issues, I think it is wise for us to hear both sides of a controversy, and sometimes pause to get more information, before making up our minds on issues. (Not in this article, but in other articles, some authors allege that as many as 130 medical issues have been shown to be related to drinking fluoridated water. And since there is now fluoride in all toothpastes, there is now little need to put it in drinking water.) While there are advocates on both sides of many issues, often we are only exposed to one side of the issue and are told that all science supports that side, rather than being exposed to the scientific arguments on both sides. See next article for much of the information we were given about COVID by “medical experts” that has now been determined to have been inaccurate.
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Congressional Report Finds (Nearly) Every COVID-19 ‘Conspiracy Theory’ Was True
The careful Congressional review that just came out revealed that nearly everything we were told by “medical experts” was not true. Anything that disagreed with what they said was labeled as “misinformation” and somethings those who promoted these ideas were labelled as “conspiracy theorists.” If you read this article you’ll be amazed at how significantly our lives were impacted by these false beliefs. If you remember how our church meetings were stopped and church services had to be watched remotely, many businesses closed, and counseling had to be done remotely.
Let’s learn a lesson from all this. Listen to medical authorities but be aware that there may be alternative views that should be considered, and ask for evidence before accepting assertions.
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Nick Cannon explains healing after Narcissistic Personality Disorder diagnosis
This title is a bit misleading. Mr. Cannon, a famous singer and actor, has been previously diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, and most recently with narcissistic personality disorder. What is significant for us in the counseling profession is that he has been open about his mental health issues, is working on them in counseling and encourages others to do so. He has an Amazon Prime feature and a podcast called “Counsel Culture.”
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A Ministry Calling for Someone to Consider
This article is a plea for churches to consider this ministry to many families for whom they may be unaware. And it may be a call to one or more of you to help organize and promote such ministries. This article will tell you more.
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What to Expect in Your 70s
If you have clients or relatives entering their 70s and who wonder if the changes they are experiencing are a normal part of aging or something more serious, this article from WebMD may be helpful. Most older people worry about developing Alzheimer's, and this article explains the normal cognitive changes that occur that are not indicative of Alzheimer's.
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Oxford’s Word of the Year: 2024: Brain-rot
‘Brain rot’ is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration”.
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6 Challenges of Bipolar That No One Talks About
Stephen Propst, a popular blogger who lived with bipolar himself and passed away in 2022, talks about six challenges he experienced with bipolar, and the solutions he found that worked best for him.
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Study Shows Marriage Protects against Suicide, Drug Deaths
At the very beginning of human history God said that “it’s not good for man to be alone” and created a wife for Adam. Modern research just reaffirmed the truth of this statement with studies that show that over the 21 years covered by this research “deaths of despair” caused by alcohol and drug overdoses and suicide were significantly lower among those who were married.
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13 Books for Tough Conversations with Kids: Body Safety, Tech, and Porn
Here is a compilation of good books to talk about with your children. The first several help young children know how to say “no” when someone tries to push them into sexual activities. The next several help parents talk with older children about maintaining healthy viewing habits on social media and the Internet.
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Social Media is Disproportionately Hurting Girls
This is an introduction by John Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation¸ and then an article by Kara Alaimo, who wrote the book Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls – And How We Can Take It Back. In this article she talks about four issues that she encourages parents to talk about with their girls, preferably before they begin using social media extensively. If you work with parents or girls I encourage you to read this article.
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This Drinking Habit Is More Dangerous Than Bingeing
This is a New York Times article, which you won’t be able to read without a subscription, so I’ll summarize the major points.
Binge drinking has been defined as having four or five drinks in a two-hour period. This has been primarily done by young adults, but now is equally done by young and middle-aged men and women.
But a more serious drinking problem has recently been identified as high-intensity drinking, which is defined as drinking eight or more drinks in a row, by either men or women. This can lead to blood alcohol levels that are toxic and can lead to comas, serious accidents, or even death. The motivation for such behavior is often the belief that this will make them more social. It is not a wide-spread problem, ut if you work with young men or women who might be vulnerable to being tempted to try this, please discuss the dangers with them.
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How Light Exposure Impacts Longevity
Too much light at night can significantly affect health and lifespan, sometimes significantly. See article for details.
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'Wait, What Do You Call Yourselves?' Ask The Three Wise Men's Wives
If you need a little humor to brighten (or lighten) your day, this article from the Babylon Bee might do the trick.
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A Sober Reminder: the Same Sins Can Disqualify Believers at the Beginning of Life and Near the End
Steve Lawson is a pastor and teacher who has been highly respected in the Christian community for many years, and many Christians can attest that they have been blessed by his teachings. But recently it came out that he has had a five-year affair with a young woman, even though he is 68. I think this is a reminder that we have an enemy who is always looking for a way to destroy our ministries. Let’s continue to pray for watchfulness and for our brothers and sisters.
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Supreme Court Appears Likely to Uphold Bans on Transgender Care for Minors
Although a final decision from the Supreme Court is not likely to come before June, the question justices asked in this first day of hearings on the Tennessee case appeared to indicate that justices thought that state legislatures rather than courts should weigh the medical research about such surgeries and make those decisions.
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Have a wonderful week or weekend!
Henry Virkler