Sippi Lovin'

See below for an interesting video detailing Herbert Benson's Relaxation Response. It's a tad long (approximately 15-20 minutes), but well worth your time. In my opinion, this video does a couple things very well. First, it does a fantastic job of demonstrating the power of psychological techniques. Second, it does psychology a huge favor by explicating the physiological changes brought about by intentional relaxation techniques such as meditation, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, etc.

Highlighting physiological changes in both the body and brain is important because it helps to validate the field of psychology and the techniques we practice. Basically, a video like this one helps people understand that psychotherapy is more than the sum of its parts (i.e., more than simply "talking about one's problems"). Sure, psychotherapy involves "talking about one's problems," but the reason we talk is because it evokes desirable physiological changes that result in a higher quality of life.

For the most part, I make a concerted effort to avoid pimping my chosen profession in this space, but sometimes the temptation is too great. Like it or not, psychology is often pit against psychiatry when everyday folks find themselves in a state of cognitive disrepair. If they're lucky enough to overcome the stigma associated with visiting someone in the mental health profession, their next dilemna frequently involves choosing between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Although most individuals say they don't want to take psychotropic medications, these same individuals will frequently choose a psychiatrist over a psychologist because of the belief that mental illness is caused by neurotransmitter imbalances & the only way in which these imbalances can be corrected is to take psychotropic medication.

Whether neurotransmitter imbalances actually cause mental illness (and I doubt they cause mental illness in every instance) is a moot point because the fact remains that psychotherapy (and all that it encompasses) evokes changes in the levels of various neurotransmitters in our brain. What this means, then, is that if you're depressed because your levels of serotonin are low, you can either take a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such as Prozac or participate in psychotherapy as both are likely to drive up the levels of serotonin in your brain. Of course I'm oversimplifying things a bit as serotonin isn't the only neurotransmitter linked to depression and the two primary modes of treatment, psychopharmacology vs. psychotherapy, are not on equal grounds in the treatment of all mental illnesses (psychotherapy is actually more effective in some instances), but hopefully this post helps to further validate the profession in the minds of my readers...you know, if you were skeptical in the first place.

Anyway, let's get back to the video I spoke of earlier. In order to view the video, click on the link below.

Just Relax.

Recently a good friend of ours procured a bike so cool it gave me bike envy. Here's his story.

Hello all, Larry Lee here (Mississippian Extraordinaire).

This, friends, is the coolest bike on the planet . . . . and I own it.

There is a short story as to how I came to procure such an amazing bike - so stay with me. During our MS summers I have taken to biking from point to point on campus in an effort to avoiding the lazer-like rays of that small star we call the Sun. Here it takes approximately 1.4 minutes of direct exposure to instantaneously combust. Although I sometimes cut it close, I found I could manage a trip from my office to the other side of campus on my old road bike in about 1.3 minutes (downhill the whole way - no peddling). I was comfortable with this arrangement and didn't forsee purchasing a new bike until my trusty old road bike was stolen from me last month. The story goes something like this...

One afternoon I had a 30-minute meeting just 30 seconds away (that would be 30 seconds by bike). I arrived at the set location and told some physical plant workers in the area to watch my bike (yes, I know the guys). After the meeting I walked to the post office to check my mail, continued to my office on foot, got busy on the phone/computer, finished the workday, and picked up Bev & the kids before heading home to me casa. At 10pm I sprung up out of bed realizing that I had left my bike at the RC Cook Union. Crossing my fingers, I went back to sleep and decided to look for it in the next day. Unfortunately, I found no sign of my trusty steed the next morning.

Now, no tears were shed - here lay my excuse to find and buy a Bionx. The Bionx system is produced in Quebec (did you know they speak French!!!) by some very smart people (did you know they speak French!!!). In short, there is a 250v battery - NiMH to be exact that runs a brushless magnetic motor that is housed in the hub of the rear wheel. This motor is controlled by a "con-troll-er" mounted on the handle bars. It assists the rider in two manners: automatic assist or throttle control. In auto-assist mode the rider can choose anywhere from 25% assistance to 200% assistance (adds two rotation to one actual rotation). In throttle-assist you simply push the button and go. One can also do both simultaneously, which is very cool. It has some other neat features like a speedometor, odometor, and alarm. It also recharges as you brake and travel downhill, thereby reducing the amount of time needed to recharge on the grid.

All of this is combined with a rather nice bike - a Norco VF-4. Its a Canadian communter bike from Vancouver (they dont speak French but the guy I bought it from was Russian - hello Janko). Oh, and if you want one, good luck, Janko has a monopoly on these suckers. The Shimano components are beautiful or at least better than my other Shimano components and the 700cc wheels really add to the low-friciton speed. So far my max flat terrain speed is about 25mph without really standing on the pedals. The weight is just slightly more than one would like but obviously the power-assist makes up for it.

It has been hard to find fault with my new bike. It is a bit expensive but may very well be my last bike (really, seriously) and, compared to what my friends spend on bikes, seems like a steal.

So, go ahead, express your bike envy . . . . . its only natural.

Here are a few links to tunes I've been enjoying as of late.

Reyn Ouwehand - Green Beret

Ronald Jenkees - A Fun Beat From Outer Space (Kori Michele Animation Demo Reel)

Manu Delago - Hang Drum Solo

Ryan Leslie - Addiction

Ezekiel Victor - Harmonic Rap