Because learning about your brain and sleep can be fun . . .
Part 2 of 4 Nobody exists in a vacuum. Society influences everybody. Consider Edgar Cayce a Western version of an Eastern yogi. He’s what a yogi would be if they were shaped by Western society. As a Westerner, it was inevitable he come into contact with people who wanted to objectively and subjectively study his…
Part 1 of 4 It can be hard to date the origin of any term. I first heard the term “evidence-based practice” sometime in the late ’90s. It’s an offshoot of “evidence-based medicine,” introduced around 1992. The idea behind it wasn’t new; the term was. Over the years, usage spread into areas tangential to healthcare. That…
HOUSTON — The National Sleep Foundation Sleep Show kicked off yesterday at a convention center downtown. It’s scheduled to run through Sunday. New and established companies from around the United States and the world, are attending along with thousands of people. The convention features seminars on various aspects of sleep, the sleep industry as well…
Part 3 0f 3 The brain is physical. It exists in the physical world. The mind is nebulous. It’s your consciousness. It’s not entirely of this world. The brain has a physical makeup. That makeup is called anatomy. So, too, does the mind have a makeup. The makeup is called a mental state. The mental state can be compared…
Part 2 of 3 The mind and brain are separate yet together while on Earth. What this means is that they are two different things and the mind resides within the brain. There are three distinct phases to the mind’s being: instinctive; intellectual and intuitive. • Instinctive: this phase consists of cravings, desires, and emotions like fear…
Part 1 of 3 What’s the difference between the brain and the mind? Maybe, the better question is, is there a difference? People use the terms interchangeably. Sleep benefits your brain. Dream journaling benefits your mind. The brain isn’t better than the mind or vice versa — not at least while you’re alive on Earth. You…
A study of one allows you to see whether a given change improves health or life. A lot of things can be studied by you studying one individual, you. Two good areas are a change in diet or effects relating to a new exercise program. Studying yourself or doing a study of one is different…
For generations, dream analysis teachers have suggested asking for a clarifying dream when you don’t understand the meaning of a dream. How do you do this? Now and then, a dream journaler will encounter a symbol or two in their dream he or she doesn’t quite understand even after they’ve employed the 3-step dream interpretation…
When they’re out in the field, soldiers don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the “vibe” of the area where they sleep. Male or female, they have a cot and maybe a footlocker. Maybe they live out of a rucksack. It’s a simple, spartan existence. Of greater concern than the vibe projected by where they sleep are the…
Sometimes doing an action can take the place of taking a certain medication. Positive morning affirmations can work like an antidepressant. Grounding can decrease inflammation. Chiropractors routinely prescribe exercise routines to relieve pain. Some doctors have said, “If exercise were a drug, I’d give everyone a prescription.” Sometimes what you’re doing is making a drug…
The Dream Recovery System calls for wearing a wrist bracelet opposite of where you’d usually wear a watch when you go to sleep. It’s a totem to help you distinguish between sleep and wakefulness. Wearing the bracelet leads to a greater number of dreams recalled. More dreams recalled means more success at dream journaling. It’s…
Fifty-one years ago the nightly news was full of gory, gut-wrenching images from Vietnam. Nevertheless, the prospect of fighting that war or fleeing didn’t keep people up at night the way smartphones do today. The smartphone is apparently worse for sleep than a war. The effect of screens on sleep Adults often read and tell…
Having an out-of-the-body experience (an OBE) doesn’t make you special. An OBE can make you feel unmoored. An OBE can change your perspective on how you once thought the world worked. An OBE can make you realign your priorities. Once you accept these changes, you’ll feel less anxious. They might feel weird, but they’re so…