"In the Dzogchen teachings there’s an analogy to ringing a bell (to instantly see the illusory nature of the self).  You briefly ring it and then the continuity of the sound evolves for as long as it will.  And then you ring it again. "


Posts tagged with 'self-help'

A couple of interesting, helpful websites

21st February 2009

Here are a couple of very interesting, helpful websites that I've been reminded of recently. They illustrate in a fun way the diversity and possibilities of the internet. The first is http://www.meetup.com/ which calls itself the "World's largest community of local Meetups, clubs and groups" with its strapline "Do something, …

Excellent free information & advice on over 180 common medical conditions

29th November 2008

Good stuff! The British Medical Journal Group have just launched their Evidence Centre. It's a fine evidence-based resource providing excellent information for doctors, patients and organizations. Most of the services however seem to cost money to access. The Best Health resource for patients, for example, costs £9.99 plus VAT for …

Draft SIGN non-pharmacological depression treatments guideline, 9th post: self help, guided, and complementary therapies

27th September 2008

The fourth and final session of the "Non-pharmacological management of depression" SIGN seminar was entitled "Self help, guided and alternative/complementary therapies". Dr George Deans, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Aberdeen's Royal Cornhill Hospital, gave the first presentation of this session on "Alternative/complementary therapies 2". I've already discussed the lack of good …

Agoraphobia

25th August 2008

I'm gradually adding content to the 'Good Knowledge' database. I've just put in some information on agoraphobia. It reads: The US DSM IV diagnostic system describes the "essential features" of agoraphobia in the following way: "There is intense fear of, or discomfort in, settings from which escape is difficult or …

Savouring, mindfulness & flow

9th April 2008

In a post on 27 January I wrote about "savouring" - the appreciation of positive experiences. Savouring is, as it's name suggests, a sort of running the positive experience around in one's mouth, really tasting, valuing and enjoying it - a bit like slow, careful appreciation of a good wine. …

Depersonalization/derealization – understanding, assessment & treatment

15th February 2008

I wrote in a blog posting on February 12th that Depersonalization Disorder is relatively common - 1 to 2% of the general population - but that it is rarely recognized. As with so many psychological disorders, it can be helpful to see Depersonalization Disorder as an extreme version of a …

Eat 5 to 9 portions of fruit & veg daily

10th February 2008

There's a helpful editorial in last month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) - "Fruit and vegetables: think variety, go ahead, eat!" As with many journals, one doesn't have to pay anything to look at the full text of AJCN editorials. It's a good read. It comments on a paper …

Savouring – initial thoughts

27th January 2008

Back in my post of January 5, I mentioned that I was looking at Sonja Lyubomirsky's book "The How of Happiness". On pages 73 to 77 of the book she describes a ‘person-fit' exercise to help readers decide which happiness-boosting activities to work with initially. I came up with a …

Sonja Lyubomirsky and "The How of Happiness"

5th January 2008

The postman delivered piles of post-holiday letters and parcels yesterday. In amongst the late Christmas presents and even a late Christmas card, was a book I had ordered called “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky. I spent half an hour browsing through it in the evening. It looks good. …