Ze Frank - An Invocation for Beginnings

Somehow I have not been a fan of this Ze Frank's work. Possibly it's the ever-present smirk just below the surface when he speaks that I found annoying and so I tuned him out. But this video is cool - and now I suspect I may need to go back and look at more of Ze Frank's stuff to see what I have been missing . . . .

Ze Frank - An Invocation for Beginnings

Men 2.0 - Why Masculinity Is Changing

According to a recent blog post at Psychology Today's Men 2.0 blog (Masculinities, sexualities and homophobia) by Mark McCormack, Ph.D., young men are trading homophobic beliefs and embracing gay rights, and with that change, making masculinity more inclusive of variations in expression. This is a new blog for Psychology Today, as near as I can tell, in support of McCormack's new book, The Declining Significance of Homophobia: How Teenage Boys are Redefining Masculinity and Heterosexuality (Oxford University Press series on Sexuality, Identity, and Society).

Here is the info on the blog:

Mark McCormack, Ph.D. is a British sociologist of masculinities and sexualities at Brunel University, London. His research examines how decreasing homophobia in British and American cultures influences the gendered behaviors and sexual identities of straight and LGBT youth. His research has garnered substantial media attention, and he has written for the Huffington Post, New Internationalist and Open Democracy, as well as appearing on CBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4 and many other radio channels. Mark has published in several leading journals, including the Journal of Adolescent Research, Sociology, and British Educational Research Journal. His book, The Declining Significance of Homophobia, is published with Oxford University Press.

Men 2.0 

This blog examines the changing nature of masculinity in the 21st century, focussing on how new ways of being a man are emerging in contemporary Western cultures. I'll keep Psychology Today readers informed of new research on men and masculinities, discuss important social trends and explore how sexuality and homophobia shape masculinity today.

Here is the first post from the blog.

Men 2.0

Why masculinity just isn't the same anymore.

Published on April 11, 2012 by Mark McCormack, Ph.D. in Men 2.0

 

Born in the 1980s, I grew up during a period where the most macho masculinities were esteemed. From Rambo to Rocky, Die Hard to Lethal Weapon, men were portrayed as all-action heroes whom neither bullets nor armies could vanquish. Professional wrestlers appeared almost understated in their gendered performances compared to the display of masculine bravado found in movies and revered in the wider culture.

This machismo was accompanied by a pervasive and enveloping homophobia. The rise of the so-called moral majority and the AIDS epidemic meant that homosexuality was incredibly stigmatized in the 1980s and early 1990s. As a result, men went to great lengths to avoid being socially perceived as gay. The most effective way of doing this was to deploy homophobia. Accordingly, masculinity became not just a show of physical strength and emotional stoicism, but also of anti-gay animus. It is for this reason that leading sociologist Michael Kimmel argued that masculinity was effectively a performance of homophobia.

And yet things have changed beyond recognition. The British boy band One Direction, who recently topped the U.S. charts, are a pop sensation who have eschewed such forms of masculinity. These young men’s gentle tactility and open displays of emotion are part of what has made them so famous. As a Sunday Times journalist who interviewed them wrote, “They tousled each other’s hair and jostled and caressed one another like a bunch of frolicking puppies.” What’s more, homophobia couldn’t be further from their lips, as they thank their army of gay fans and perform at gay venues such as London’s G-A-Y.

One Direction are just one example of a vast number of famous men to embody this softer, more inclusive masculinity. Yet crucially, such behaviors are not limited to celebrity elites. Rather, these men both model and mirror the gendered behaviors of today’s youth. In my book, The Declining Significance of Homophobia, I found that British youth are redefining masculinity for their generation. Undertaking ethnographies of three British high schools and hanging out with the male students, it was evident that the homophobia, violence and emotional illiteracy of the past have vanished for these young men. Toxic behaviors have been replaced with hugging, cuddling, and loving.

Perhaps the most startling change is the soft touch between boys. One day in an assembly, for example, I observed a popular student Steve seated behind Liam. Unsolicited, Steve leant forward and gave Liam a back rub. Liam turned, smiling, and said, “That’s great, just go a bit lower.” Less popular boys did this too. Ben and Eli were standing in a corner of the common room, chatting. They were casually holding hands, with their fingers laced together. Ben then moved his head towards Eli’s ear, speaking to him for about a minute, his mouth so close that he could have been kissing Eli. If students in the busy common room noticed, they didn’t care. These behaviors were not extraordinary—they are how young guys demonstrate their friendship and express their emotions.

It is my argument that the changes in behavior so evident among these young men are the result of a significant shift in attitudes toward homosexuality. Put simply, young men are rejecting the homophobia of their fathers and are embracing gay rights instead. In my research, this was evident from the inclusion of gay peers, the explicit condemnation of homophobia and the support of gay marriage. Where homophobic language was once rife in schools, these boys are complaining that they didn’t know any openly gay teachers.

It is likely that many of these changes are more advanced in the UK than in America. Yet progressive attitudes are undoubtedly developing in the United States as well. Much of this change has been documented by Professor Eric Anderson, and quantitative research demonstrates a similar story. For example, a recent survey of over 200,000 first time college undergraduates across 270 colleges in the United States found that 64.1% of male freshman support same-sex marriage; a statistic more startling when one considers that this does not account for those supporting civil partnerships. American culture might not have its own One Direction, but it has been quick to embrace the British band.

It is my intention that this blog will be a portal to examine these changes to masculinity in British and American culture. From looking at decreasing homophobia and the profound changes in attitudes and behaviors among male youth, to examining why men today are going for bikini waxes, this blog will provide an entertaining, informative, and research-based discussion of masculinity. It’s my hope you will join me for what promises to be an interesting and often surprising conversation.

Psychiatrist Robert Spitzer Retracts Controversial 2001 Paper Claiming "Ex-Gay Therapy" Works

One of the most often cited "research" articles in defense of "reparative therapy" or "ex-gay therapy" has been retracted by its author. It's about freaking time - it was one of the worst studies published and gave cover to a lot of anti-gay groups, many of whom are convinced men can "pray the gay away." As any gay man who has tried to pray away his natural feelings can attest, it doesn't work.

Psychiatrist retracts infamous study claiming gay people can turn straight through therapy 

Robert Spitzer admits critiques of 2011 research are 'largely correct'

By Rheana Murray / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Spitzer's study declared that 'motivated individuals' could turn from gay to straight with the help of so-called ex-gay therapy. 

The psychiatrist behind a prominent 2001 study declaring people can go from gay to straight has retracted his original claims.

Although the research is still cited by anti-gay organizations as proof that so-called ex-gay therapy works to change someone's sexual orientation, the study has endured scientific criticism for years.

Now, Robert Spitzer, who led the research, told American Prospect that he wants to publish a retraction.

"In retrospect, I have to admit I think the critiques are largely correct," Spitzer said. "The findings can be considered evidence for what those who have undergone ex-gay therapy say about it, but nothing more."

Spitzer's confession was part of writer Gabriel Arana's account of growing up gay, and struggling to change his sexual orientation by undergoing therapy.

Arana interviewed Spitzer, 79, who is now retired and suffering from Parkinson's disease, at his home. He asked Arana to print the retraction of his study "so I don't have to worry about it."

The original study was based on interviews with 200 patients who were being treated with ex-gay therapy, which claimed to reverse sexual orientation in gay patients.

The paper Spitzer published concluded that the therapy worked "for a highly select group of motivated individuals" without providing any definitive success rate.

Still, the research was highly lauded, especially by anti-gay groups, and labeled "explosive" by The Associated Press.

One of Spitzer's colleagues said it was like "throwing a grenade into the gay community," according to American Prospect.

While the prestige the study gained infuriated gay rights organizations and psychiatrists who questioned the research, Spitzer had never commented on its credibility until now.

Wayne Besen, author of "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth," commended Spitzer's retraction in an interview with the Huffington Post.

"Dr. Spitzer's repudiation of his 2001 study is an earthquake that severely undermines the validity of 'ex-gay' programs," he said.

"Spitzer just kicked out the final leg from the stool on which the proponents of 'ex-gay' therapy based their already shaky claims of success."

Quest Bars - A Better Protein Bar?

Since I tend to post most of my nutrition stuff here, I thought I'd share a new find. While browsing in my locally owned and operated nutrition store, I stumbled upon a new protein bar - the Quest Bar. They're not very big, but the box promised 20 grams of high quality protein, and I'm thinking, "Yeah, that's what all the protein bars say."

I know that protein bars are not Paleo - so what?! There are many days where I eat a protein bar or I go 6 or more hours without food. (No food makes Bill a grumpy man.) So I am always seeking a healthier bar with less crap in it - a bar that is more like real food.

The promise of a high fiber (16-18 grams), high protein (20 grams) bar that is not make with soy protein or fake proteins (like hydrolyzed collagen) and not packed with sugar or sugar alcohols is the Holy Grail of bars. This one has it - the bars could be better, but these are not bad.

To clarify, the original product line (6 flavors), which is what my store carries, does not contain the sugar alcohols, but their 2nd generation line (5 flavors) does contain small amounts of erythritol, one of the least distressing to the gastric system, and at only around 4-6 grams per bar, rather than the 20+ grams of sugar alcohols one might find in leading low-carb bars). The bars in this line also use Stevia for an additional sweetener instead of Sucralose.

However, according to the Body Ecology site, this is probably the best of the sugar alcohols. Here is their list of traits that make "erythritol a standout as a sugar alcohol" -

Erythritol is⁴:

• Fermented – it is made by fermenting the natural sugar found in corn.
• Heat stable up to 160 degrees C.
• Non-caloric – While most sugar alcohols are low calorie, erythritol has zero calories.
• Non-glycemic - Does not raise blood sugar – erythritol is considered suitable for people with diabetes because it does not raise plasma glucose or insulin levels.
• The easiest sugar alcohol to digest – more than 90% of erythritol is absorbed in the small intestine, so minimal amounts reach the colon where other sugar alcohols end up causing diarrhea and other symptoms. Studies have shown that erythritol is even easier to digest than xylitol.
• Noncarcinogenic– studies have shown that erythritol, like xylitol, does not have carcinogenic properties.
• An antioxidant – erythritol helps to fight free radicals, responsible for the aging process. It is considered to be even more efficient than other sugar alcohols because it is so readily absorbed and yet not metabolized (it is excreted unchanged).

Erythritol has the status of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) from the FDA and is widely used in many other countries like Japan, the European Union, Mexico and Canada.

So I picked one up - Vanilla Almond Crunch - and this is the list of ingredients:

Everything on there looked pretty good to me (some people have issues with Sucralose, but I am not one of them), except the lo han guo, which I have never heard of - according to their website, it's an herbal sweetener:

A natural herb that’s been used as a sweetener in China for over 1,000 years. It only takes a TINY amount as it’s 300 times sweeter than sugar.

Just to be clear, I looked it on Drugs.com to see what they thought, and while there have been no reported human trials , there does seem to be some promising research with this substance (if even some of this is true in humans, it could be a useful sweetener):

Sweetener
Fruits of luo han guo are intensely sweet, with the purified constituents estimated to be about 150 times sweeter than sucrose. There is potential for use as a noncaloric sweetener. 5 , 6 The purified, sweet principle, mogroside V, is approved as a high-intensity sweetening agent in Japan. 8

Highly sweet cucurbitane glycosides from the fruits of luo han guo, and other plant extracts, were evaluated for sweetness using electrophysiological and behavioral testing in gerbils. Gerbils trained to avoid sucrose identified the extracts as being sweet through avoidance. 8 Another study in gerbils showed that mogroside V stimulated the gustatory receptors and induced behavioral responses to the compound's sweet taste. 9
 
Hypoglycemic

In addition to its natural sweetening characteristic, luo han guo has exhibited antihyperglycemic effects. In rats, crude extracts of S. grosvenori and the triterpene glycosides inhibited a rise in postprandial blood glucose levels when given orally 3 minutes prior to oral administration of maltose. The suggested antihyperglycemic effect was via the inhibition of maltase. 10
 
Antioxidant

S. grosvenori extract and the cucurbitane glycosides mogroside IV, mogroside V, 11-oxo-mogroside V, and siamenoside I inhibited copper-mediated, low-density, lipoprotein and cell-mediated, low-density lipoprotein oxidation in a dose-dependent fashion, with 11-oxo-mogroside V as the most active component. 11

The antioxidant, free-radical scavenging activities of the extract and 11-oxo-mogroside V were less than those of vitamin E in the same in vivo study. 11
 
Antineoplastic

In vitro and animal studies suggest potential cancer chemopreventive activities of cucurbitane glycosides and related compounds from the fruit of luo han guo. 12 , 13 , 14

An ethanol extract of S. grosvenori was evaluated for its effect on Epstein-Barr virus-early antigen (EBV-EA) activation as a method of detecting chemoprotective activity. The extract inhibited activation of EBV-EA at a level similar to or greater than the activity of beta-carotene. 12 In a similar study, 11-oxo-mogroside V and mogroside V showed strong inhibitory effects. 13

A 2-stage skin carcinogenesis model in mice ingesting mogroside V or 11-oxomogroside V showed delayed development and reduced numbers of papillomas at 10 and 15 weeks, respectively, compared with control group animals. 13

Inhibitory effects of mogroside V and 11-oxo-mogroside V on another skin carcinogenesis model in mice using peroxynitrite also showed a reduction in numbers of papillomas formed and delayed papilloma development. 14
 
Antihistaminic

The effect of luo han guo extract and its glycosides on allergic symptoms in mice were studied. No effect on skin scratching behavior or nasal rubbing was noted following single doses of 300 and 1,000 mg/kg, respectively, of the extract or the glycosides.

Repeated daily doses of 300 and 1,000 mg/kg/day between 2 and 4 weeks of the extract and the glycosides showed gradual inhibition of nasal rubbing and skin scratching. 3

The taste of the vanilla almond crunch bar is not bad - I also bought apple pie and some peanut butter thing. I drank about 12 oz. of water with the bar, and 20 minutes on I feel relatively full (or at least not hungry), which is more than I can say for some other and larger bars.

They run about $2.30 each at my store and their site sells them for $24.99 a box of 12.

Documentary - The Codes of Gender: Identity and Peformance in Pop Culture

This is an edited version (for nudity and length) of a slightly longer documentary (full version here) applying the sociological theories of Erving Goffman to the most ubiquitous (and powerful?) form of gender-norming in our culture, commercials and advertising (as well as films and TV). Here is the filmmaker's statement about their work, from their website (credit where credit is due, I first found this film at Top Documentary Films):

Codes of Gender, The Identity and Performance in Pop Culture

Written and directed by MEF Executive Director Sut Jhally, The Codes of Gender applies the late sociologist Erving Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary commercial landscape, showing how one of American popular culture's most influential forms communicates normative ideas about masculinity and femininity.

In striking visual detail, The Codes of Gender explores Goffman's central claim that gender ideals are the result of ritualized cultural performance, uncovering a remarkable pattern of masculine and feminine displays and poses. It looks beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that focus on biological difference or issues of objectification and beauty, to provide a clear-eyed view of the two-tiered terrain of identity and power relations.

With its sustained focus on how our perceptions of what it means to be a man or a woman get reproduced and reinforced on the level of culture in our everyday lives, The Codes of Gender is certain to inspire discussion and debate across a range of disciplines.

Viewer Discretion Advisory: This program contains violence, nudity, and sexual themes.

DVD contains two versions: a full length version (73 minutes) and an abridged version (46 minutes) which has been edited for nudity and length.

Sections: Sex and Gender | The Feminine Touch | The Ritualization of Subordination | Licensed Withdrawal | Infantilization | The Codes of Masculinity | Trapped in the Code | History, Power, and Gender Display

You can read Goffman's analysis of advertising and gender on Scribd. Granted, this is an extreme reading of cultural images, but there is more truth to this than not, in my opinion.

Whether you agree with this reading of gender-norming or not, there is much in this documentary (and I have only seen the edited version included here) to inspire thought and discussion.

Bookforum's Omnivore - A Gender-Related Link Dump

Some gender related links - enjoy. Please be sure to check out the new issue of Men, Masculinities, and Spirituality, which is always a good read.

The fairer sex

Apr 5 2012  

9:00AM

• A new issue of Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality is out. 
• Linda Mizejewski (Ohio State): Feminism, Postfeminism, Liz Lemonism: Comedy and Gender Politics on 30 Rock. 
• From Reconstruction, a special issue on gender and popular fiction. 
• From Rhizomes, a special issue on Becoming-Girl. 
• From Hypatia, a special issue on feminist critiques of evolutionary psychology and another on the myths of maternity. 
• Following a review of current academic literature by psychologists, biologists and anthropologists, the study concludes that men are biologically programmed to be warriors because of our deep ancestral history of inter-tribal war and conflict. 
• Neely Steinberg on 20 things to love about men (and more). 
• From Ms., a series on the future of feminism. 
• Behind every great woman: As more women earn high-level corporate roles, more husbands are staying home, raising the kids, and changing the rules. 
• The fairer sex: A new study shows that, women bosses take better care of their employees than men do. 
• Would it be a more peaceful world if women in charge? 
• A look at the evolution of humor from male aggression.

Geoff Laughton on A New Conversation with Men - Should Men Participate In Inner Child Work?

"Inner child work" sounds very unmanly and way too touchie-feelie for most men, yet there is a lot of benefit in doing this kind of therapy (with a qualified therapist) for healing attachment wounds and childhood traumas.

In last week's A New Conversation with Men, Coach Michael Taylor spoke with Geoff Laughton about inner child work for men. There are too many men with childhood trauma, both big T traumas (abuse, neglect, incest, etc) and small t traumas (broken bones, accidents, bullying, teasing, etc) who live with these traumas and are not aware of how they shape and impact their lives. Inner child work can help to heal those wounds and reduce their symptoms.

Should Men Participate In Inner Child Work?

by Coach Michael Taylor

Listen to internet radio with Coach Michael Taylor on Blog Talk Radio

Does childhood trauma have an effect on a man's behavior in his grownup years?

Is it possible that the childhood trauma is making it difficult for men to create and maintain intimate relationships 20-30 years later?

Can men heal those childhood wounds and learn to become genuinely happy with their lives?

These questions and more will be answered in this empowering educational interview.

Join Coach Michael Taylor as he speaks with Geoff Laughton about Inner Child Work and how it can support men in dealing with letting go of the past and finding peace in the present moment.

Precision Nutrition - Paleo for Everyone: Using Change Psychology Instead of Nutritional Dogmatism

I am a general supporter of the Paleo Diet, Caveman Diet, Primal Living, or Ancestral Diet approaches to nutrition (I probably missed a few of the various other names for eating a "real" food diet). The basic premise, for those who avoid all diets as silly fads, is that until about 10,000 years ago and the rise of agrarian culture (permanent settlements and farming grains for food), we ate only meats, fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, with the occasional foray into fungi (mushrooms) and insects (yum, crunchy protein). We did not eat grains, consume dairy of any kind, or (for the most part) each things that grow underground (tubers, etc.).

Huge mounds of research show that when we do eat this way, we do not suffer from many of the modern diseases that plague us now - diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and chronic inflammation, to name only a few).

To be honest, I do not eat fully primal or paleo - I do eat cottage cheese and regular cheese, as well as the very occasional grain food and legumes. But my diet is about 75% paleo and my health is excellent. When I want to lean out, I reduce fruits and eliminate all grains, legumes, and cut way back on dairy.

I have chosen to post this here, rather than at IOC, because men tend to fare better on Paleo type diets than women, which I think comes down to hormonal and metabolic differences - my female clients tend (not always, but tend) to need more carbohydrates than male clients. It may also be an adaptation issue - among my female clients, breads and sugars have played a larger role in their dietary history. Still, that's all speculation on my part.

Here are a few articles from Loren Cordain (his site contains an extensive list of peer-reviewed articles on which he was an author), the leading researcher in this field.

Ramsden CE, Faurot KR, Carrera-Bastos, P, Sperling LS, de Lorgeril M, Cordain L. Dietary fat quality and coronary heart disease  prevention: a unified theory based on evolutionary, historical, global and modern perspectives. Curr Treat Options Cardiovasc Med; 2009;11:289-301.

O’Keefe J.H., Cordain L.  Cardiovascular disease as a result of a diet and lifestyle at odds with our Paleolithic genome: how to become a 21st century hunter-gatherer. Mayo Clin Proc; 2004;79:101-108.

Lindeberg S, Cordain L, Eaton B.  Biological and clinical potential of a Palaeolithic diet. J Nutr Environ Med; 2003;13:149-160.

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the possibility that a Palaeolithic diet, i.e. one that corresponds to what was available in any of the ecological niches of pre-agricultural humans (1.5 million–10,000 years BP), is optimal in the prevention of age-related degenerative disease. Design: Literature review. Materials and Methods: Between 1985 and December 2002, more than 200 scientific journals in medicine, nutrition, biology and anthropology were systematically screened for relevant papers. Computer-based searches and studies of reference lists in journals and books provided a vast number of additional papers. Results: Increasing evidence suggests that a Palaeolithic diet based on lean meat, fish, vegetables and fruit may be effective in the prevention and treatment of common Western diseases. Avoiding dairy products, margarine, oils, refined sugar and cereals, which provide 70% or more of the dietary intake in northern European populations, may be advisable. Atherosclerosis is highly dependent on dietary manipulation in animal experiments. Atherogenic dietary factors include fat (any type) and casein, and hypothetically cereals. Stroke, ischaemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes seem largely preventable by way of dietary changes in a Palaeolithic direction. And insulin resistance, which may have far- reaching clinical implications as a cause of unregulated tissue growth, may also respond to an ancestral diet. Conclusions: Lean meat, fish, vegetables and fruit may be optimal, rather than a strictly vegetarian diet, in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and insulin resistance.

Cordain L, Eaton SB, Brand Miller J, Mann N, Hill K.  The paradoxical nature of hunter-gatherer diets: Meat based, yet non-atherogenic. Eur J Clin Nutr; 2002;56 (suppl 1):S42-S52.

Abstract
  
Objective: Field studies of twentieth century hunter-gathers (HG) showed them to be generally free of the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Consequently, the characterization of HG diets may have important implications in designing therapeutic diets that reduce the risk for CVD in Westernized societies. Based upon limited ethnographic data (n = 58 HG societies) and a single quantitative dietary study, it has been commonly inferred that gathered plant foods provided the dominant energy source in HG diets. Method and Results: In this review we have analyzed the 13 known quantitative dietary studies of HG and demonstrate that animal food actually provided the dominant (65%) energy source, while gathered plant foods comprised the remainder (35%). This data is consistent with a more recent, comprehensive review of the entire ethnographic data (n = 229 HG societies) that showed the mean subsistence dependence upon gathered plant foods was 32%, whereas it was 68% for animal foods. Other evidence, including isotopic analyses of Paleolithic hominid collagen tissue, reductions in hominid gut size, low activity levels of certain enzymes, and optimal foraging data all point toward a long history of meat-based diets in our species. Because increasing meat consumption in Western diets is frequently associated with increased risk for CVD mortality, it is seemingly paradoxical that HG societies, who consume the majority of their energy from animal food, have been shown to be relatively free of the signs and symptoms of CVD. Conclusion: The high reliance upon animal-based foods would not have necessarily elicited unfavorable blood lipid profiles because of the hypolipidemic effects of high dietary protein (19 –35% energy) and the relatively low level of dietary carbohydrate (22 –40% energy). Although fat intake (28 –58% energy) would have been similar to or higher than that found in Western diets, it is likely that important qualitative differences in fat intake, including relatively high levels of MUFA and PUFA and a lower ?-6/?-3 fatty acid ratio, would have served to inhibit the development of CVD. Other dietary characteristics including high intakes of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals along with a low salt intake may have operated synergistically with lifestyle characteristics (more exercise, less stress and no smoking) to further deter the development of CVD.

There are clearly good reasons not to consume a meat-based diet (corporate cattle farms and environmental damage not least on the list), including the problem with the fat profile of farmed meat, which is very unhealthy compared to open range and grass-fed beef. We see the same issue in farmed-fish (like salmon) as well.

Still, it's possible to eat paleo and eat with a conscience (sort of - shop at a kosher deli) and eat healthy meat and fish.

Recently, the PaleoFX Conference (Ancestral Momentum - Theory to Practice Symposium) brought together leaders in exercise, nutrition, and research, including Krista Scott-Dixon, who works for John Berardi's Performance Nutrition - Berardi is a leader in exercise nutrition research and praxis.

They posted a three-video series on their view of the paleo approach (they prefer primal). Follow the links to watch the video presentations - be sure to read the post as well.

Paleo for Everyone - Using Change Psychology Instead of Nutritional Dogmatism

• Go watch Part 1 of this presentation.
• Go watch Part 2 of this presentation.
• Go watch Part 3 of this presentation.

Rick Hanson - Taking in the Good: A Personal Reflection

Rick Hanson, author of Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom and Just One Thing: Developing A Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time, is working on a new book. He sent out an email today asking for personal experiences on a specific topic. Interestingly enough, it was something that has been "up" for me the last couple of months.

First the email.

Hello,

I have a favor to ask. I'm heading into writing my next book, which is about the practice of taking in the good, and related themes of defeating the negativity bias, taking charge of building structure in your brain, and coming home to your natural resting state of happiness, love, and peace. It would help me a lot to get examples of how the method of taking in the good has helped people such as yourself. I need these as soon as possible, ideally over this weekend and by Tuesday at the latest. 

A sentence or brief paragraph would be great. Maybe with an example. I may use what you write in the book, though never with your name, and it's fine to leave out or alter identifying details. 

As you probably know, the three basic steps of taking in the good are:

1.  Let a good fact become a good experience.
2.  Open to and savor this experience for 10-30 seconds in a row.
3.  Intend and sense that the experience is sinking into you, becoming a part of you.

You can use this method for the good facts around you each day - most of which are relatively small, such as coffee smells good, you finished a batch of emails, flowers are blooming, someone was warm to you, etc. Most positive experiences are fairly mild, and that's fine. But mild or intense, they normally flow through the brain like water through a sieve while negative experiences get caught every time (which helped our ancestors survive). That's why it's so important, several times a day or more, to turn toward a positive experience and take it into you. And since "neurons that fire together, wire together," you'll be weaving positive feelings, sensations, and thoughts into the fabric of your brain and your self.  

Then there is the 4th, optional step, in which you're aware of a strong positive experience connecting with some negative material - such as a longing for love, feelings of anxiety, or some pain from childhood - that is dim and in the background of your mind. You don't let yourself get sucked into the negative material but keep the positive material relatively intense and in the forefront of awareness. With repetition, the positive material will gradually associate to, infuse, soothe, and even gradually replace the negative material. For more on all four steps, see chapters 2 and 50 in my book, Just One Thing.

So I'd really appreciate it if you could send me a few words about your own experience of taking in the good, especially how this method has helped you in some way. Informal and relaxed is fine; you don't have to worry about your writing. I really appreciate any help you can offer me with this.

Warmly,
Rick    

I assume this went out to the people who subscribe to Just One Thing, his newsletter, so it's not a personal email. But I did send him a response . . . although it was more than just a sentence or a paragraph. As usual, I was a bit verbose.

Here is my response, which I think offers some insight into the process Dr. Hanson is talking about, and also suggests that it's an ongoing process.

Hi Rick,

This is timely - I have been working with these ideas with my therapy clients (sexual trauma survivors) - but the fact that I am working with clients at all is where my experience of this comes in.

I have been self-employed as a fitness coach/trainer for several years, but I had not really "let it in" that my clients all seem to "love" me, for lack of a better word (or maybe that is the correct word). I initially became a personal trainer because I did not feel "good enough" to be a psychotherapist. Three years ago, however, I went back to school, partly as a result of personal work to build more self-efficacy and acceptance.

As I have transitioned into counseling (recently completing a 9-month internship), I received a good deal of feedback from clients (as they completed therapy) and supervisors that I was effective and that my clients were deeply appreciative.

I work to take their experience as fact, and also have worked over the last couple of months to take that in as my experience: I am effective and appreciated. It's always been challenging for me to accept praise or compliments of any kind, so I tried to sit with the emotions of feeling valued and effective in what I do (I have never let that in as a trainer, either, so this impacted my whole work life).

Over the past several weeks, I have continually tried to embody this sense of being valued and to integrate that into my self-concept at the intellectual, emotional, and somatic levels. Being valued is something I have never really felt, which has produced both a "pleaser" self and a "hyper-critical" self that I have worked with therapy and in meditation practice over the years.

Doing this process has brought up the old wounds of having never been acknowledged or appreciated by my family of origin. I did not value myself very highly, so I did not seek work that reflected my skills and abilities  (despite already having one post-graduate degree), and consequently I was always dissatisfied and bored in my work life. With time in therapy, I left some bad jobs and moved into being self-employed, but I still failed to see myself as valuable in the same ways as did my clients.

Now, having tried to use some of the techniques I have learned from your work, as well as from Richard Davidson, Pema Chodron, Kristin Neff, Dan Siegel, and many other sources, I am beginning to embody and live within a much different sense of self, with far less need to please others and much less self-criticism. It feels like I am only at the beginning stages of transformation, but the more room I make for self-worth and self-compassion, the more I know that I am reparenting myself (a la Dan Siegel's Mindsight model) and changing the way my brain is wired.

Thanks for offering space to share this!

I look forward to the new book.

All best,
Bill 

Sylvia D. Lucas - Men Who Don’t Want Children: Do They Feel the Guilt?

I have never wanted children - this made the potential dating pool (in terms of looking for a real relationship) quite small, especially since I was very upfront about it as soon as there was chemistry. I don't think everyone is born to be a breeder - I certainly was not, and I knew this when I was still a teenager.

I have received a lot of grief for knowing who I am. Most of it falls into two categories: (1) oh, you'll change your mind, having kids is hard-wired into us; or (2) you HAVE to have kids, you'd be such a good father.

Aside from maybe a few days or so in my late 20s (I probably was partying that weekend), I have never changed my mind about wanting kids - and telling me I HAVE to do something triggers my oppositional defiant genes.

Oh yeah, the point of this post . . . . Some people (my mother, and some others) have tried to make me feel guilty for not having or even wanting to have to kids, but I don't. I would have been a terrible father when I was young enough to have kids (see previous paragraph, re: partying), and I never wanted to have them anyway, so why would I bring children into the world who are unwanted?

OK, seriously, I don't think men feel the same social pressure or biological drive to have kids, so even if we do get guilt or pressure, we don't take it on so deeply. Evolution designed us to plant our seed, so to speak, and move on to the next potential womb. We only stuck around for any length of time due to oxytocin and prolactin (hormones that decrease sex drive and/or testosterone levels), and (if Dawkins is to be believed) our selfish genes wanting to be sure our offspring made it past the first crucial year.

We are not those animals anymore (thank Darwin), but we are still animals, and the female of our species carries the majority of the weight of reproductive pressures, whether social or biological.

Men Who Don’t Want Children: Do They Feel the Guilt?

October 24, 2011 By Sylvia D. Lucas

Sylvia D. Lucas challenges the gendered double-standard that surrounds the choice to not have children.

This post first appeared on Dink Life, which celebrates the Dual-Income-No-Kids Lifestyle.
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Child-free men, whether they’re Dual-Income-No-Kids (DINK) “lifers” or just waiting until later to have kids, haven’t shared the focus of the barrage of attacks their female counterparts have endured since the advent of birth control. How do men without children get off so much easier … or do they?

Whether in magazine articles, blogs, online publications, or in person, women without children are “bingoed” (chastised for not having kids/told why we should have kids—“Oh my god, you’d love it!”) pretty regularly. We’re told—usually indirectly and/or from a safe distance—that we’re cold, we’re freaks, we’re selfish, we’re child-haters, we’re non-nurturers, we’re unnatural. And that’s for starters.

Most insults are actually too absurd to be offensive, so I’ll call them “pesky.” Offensive would be the study oft-repeated in the media that women are apparently at higher risk of developing breast cancer if we don’t produce offspring. How’s that for pressure?

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Are men without children made to feel guilty, too?

I recently saw an article online titled “Childless Men May Face Higher Risk of Heart Disease.” So, I guess we’re all screwed. At least we’ll die young together.

A survey conducted by author Laura S. Scott, author of Two is Enough: A Couple’s Guide to Living Childless by Choice, found that men and women’s reasons for choosing blissfully unladen lives are basically the same, and the “why” of it has been covered ad nauseam. So I thought I’d interview a few men who frequent The Childfree Life Internet forum about their experiences simply living as men who choose not to have children.

Have they been pressured to use their semen to procreate the same way we’ve been pressured to use our uteri incubate? Have they had difficulty finding a partner? What word comes to mind when asked to imagine having a child in their lives?

(“NOOOOOOO!” was one word.)

I do, of course, ask them why they don’t want children, because the personal answers are far more interesting and relevant than the overarching psychobabble “there-must-be-something-‘off’-deep-within-you” explanations some are desperately seeking.