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Good rapport is generally found more readily when we are concerned less with expressing ourselves, and more with listening and actually hearing someone else.

Certainly the greatest stress producers in our lives are other people, so how we relate to and handle others will dictate the level of stress found in our lives; we can work on that here.

When everyday distractions and pursuits are no longer enough… life is demanding personal growth and transformation.

Amazon Book Description:

Psychologist Eugene Kennedy and psychiatrist Sara C. Charles have brought this already popular book up to date with the medical and psychological advances over the past ten years. This book continues to provide counselors with all the essential tools they need to respond to people’s problems with intelligence and compassion.

http://www.amazon.com/On-Becoming-Counselor-Nonprofessional-Counselors/dp/0824519132/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375283051&sr=8-1&keywords=on+becoming+a+counselor

Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier

Thoughtfully choreographed series of skill drills — practiced in the mindful spirit of yoga — that can help anyone swim more enjoyably

A holistic approach to becoming one with the water and to developing a swimming style that’s always comfortable

Simple but thorough guidance on how to improve fitness and form

A complementary land-and-water program for achieving a strong and supple body at any age

Based on more than thirty years of teaching, coaching, and research, Total Immersion has dramatically improved the physical and mental experience of swimming for thousands of people of all ages and abilities

http://www.amazon.com/Total-Immersion-Revolutionary-Better-Faster/dp/0743253434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373906249&sr=8-1&keywords=total+immersion

Maggie Fox  NBC National News – July 10, 2013

Everyone knows that fish oil is good for you, right? It’s a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are marketed to reduce the risk of just about everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s.

But a startling study shows men who have the highest levels of these compounds – the kinds found in fish but not in vegetable sources — have a higher risk of prostate cancer. Men with the very highest levels had a 71 percent higher risk of high-grade prostate cancer – the kind most likely to spread and kill, they report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

It might be a sign that popping a pill is not only possibly a waste of money – it might be downright dangerous. And eating fish too often might be, also.

“These fish oil supplements in which some men getting mega, mega doses…in our opinion that is probably a little bit dangerous,” said Theodore Brasky of Ohio State University Medical Center, who worked on the study with a team from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

The same team published a study in 2011 that showed men with the highest levels of one omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid, DHA for short, had double the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Other studies have had similar findings.

To try to confirm their work, the team looked at data from a different prostate cancer trial called SELECT, for Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial. That study showed 17 more cases of prostate cancer among men who took vitamin E alone for about five years compared to men taking placebos.

The effect was even stronger when they looked at omega-3 fatty acids – specifically, the kinds found in fish oil as compared to those found in vegetable oils.

Brasky’s team looked at 834 of the men in the SELECT trial who developed prostate cancer, and 1,393 randomly chosen others from the trial who didn’t have cancer. They divided the men into four groups based on their blood levels of three omega-3 fatty acids – EPA, DPA and DHA.

Those with the highest blood levels had a 71 percent higher risk of high-grade prostate cancer, compared to those with the lowest levels. Overall, their risk of any kind of prostate cancer was 44 percent higher.

The difference between the group with the highest levels of omega-3s in their blood and those with the lowest works out to about what someone would get by eating salmon twice a week, the researchers said.

Fatty acids found in vegetable oils, flaxseeds and other vegetable sources – including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) – did not affect prostate cancer risk, the researchers found.

“A 70 percent increased risk in high-grade prostate cancer, given it’s the No. 1 cancer in men and fish is a commonly consumed thing and is thought to be a healthy food, I think it’d be a concern for people,” Brasky said in a telephone interview.

The American Cancer Society projects that 240,000 U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013, and about 30,000 will die from it.

“We’ve shown once again that use of nutritional supplements may be harmful,” said Alan Kristal of Fred Hutchinson, who also worked on the study.

Brasky, who says he still eats fish “but in moderation”, says the study cannot answer the question of how fish oil might cause cancer. They took into account other factors that might be associated with eating fish and Brasky notes that mercury, which can be found in fatty fish, doesn’t cause prostate cancer.

The study also doesn’t say anything about the effects of fish oil on men who already have cancer. “This study is not about men with prostate cancer,” Brasky said, noting that some studies have suggested fish oil might be beneficial in men who already have cancer.

Men might be at a loss for what to do, as omega-3 fatty acids were also believed to lower the risk of heart disease, which is far more common than prostate cancer.  The American Heart Association recommends that people with heart disease eat fish twice a week and people with heart disease might need fish oil capsules.

But the researchers point out that recent studies have shown taking extra omega-3 has little effect on heart disease – including a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in May 2013.

Lasting satisfaction and peace of mind are more likely to come from inner growth and physical development; but the majority of us spend the bulk of our time seeking things and acting on things that won’t make us any happier or any healthier.

Amazon Book Description:

How does therapy work? Can “talking” truly precipitate a change in behavior? Why do therapists rely so heavily on childhood experiences? Does the past really affect the present? Drawing on more than 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist, analyst, and teacher, Dr. Gaylin addresses the fundamentals of the therapeutic process in How Psychotherapy Really Works, an enlightening tour through one of the most misunderstood sciences of our times.

http://www.amazon.com/Psychotherapy-Really-Works-Willard-Gaylin/dp/0809294753/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372955013&sr=1-1&keywords=willard+gaylin

When we find ourselves depressed, we’re most likely caught within a negative feedback loop in which dark thoughts, ideas and negative feelings are continually recycled and recirculated; we can break this cycle of depression by simply changing our current negative ideas and thoughts.

For example, positive social interactions can interfere in this process of recycled depression; appropriate daily physical activities can optimize positive chemicals breaking the cycle as well; constructive well written books and movies can provide new ideas and thoughts that change our mental and emotional perspectives; even changing our immediate environment can work wonders on our overall mindset as well.

There are many ways in which to break the cycle of depression and we can work on that here. 

If you want to predict how happy someone is, or how long she will live (and if you are not allowed to ask about her genes or personality), you should find out about her social relationships. Having strong social relationships strengthens the immune system, extends life (more than does quitting smoking), speeds recovery from surgery, and reduces the risks of depression and anxiety disorders. It’s not just that extroverts are naturally happier and healthier; when introverts are forced to be more outgoing, they usually enjoy it and find that it boosts their mood. Even people who think they don’t want a lot of social contact still benefit from it. And it’s not just that “We all need somebody to lean on”; recent work on giving support shows that caring for others is often more beneficial than is receiving help. We need to interact and intertwine with others; we need the give and the take; we need to belong. An ideology of extreme personal freedom can be dangerous because it encourages people to leave homes, jobs, cities, and marriages in search of personal and professional fulfillment, thereby breaking the relationships that were probably their best hope for such fulfillment.” ~ Jonathan Haidt from The Happiness Hypothesis 

The Greek philosopher Aristotle stated it clearly many years ago, that we’re similar to archers who require a clear target in which to aim.

Not only do we require a target in which to aim… we need a target that’s worth aiming at.