The Micro and The Macro.

Kristen McClure

Jun 24, 2021

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Newsletter Issue 10

June 24, 2021

A Newsletter for The Charlotte Social Worker and Therapist Facebook Group

RESEARCH BRIEFS

Laughing gas relieves symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression

Single treatment provides patients with rapid, lasting antidepressant effects

Summary: Researchers have found that a single, one-hour treatment that involves breathing in a mixture of oxygen and the anesthetic drug nitrous oxide -- otherwise known as laughing gas -- can significantly improve symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression. https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/laughing-gas-relieves-symptoms-in-people-with-treatment-resistant-depression/

Meditative practice and spiritual wellbeing may preserve cognitive function in aging

. A new review examines research that finds spiritual fitness, a new concept in medicine that centers on psychological and spiritual wellbeing, and Kirtan Kriya, a simple 12-minute meditative practice, may reduce multiple risk factors for AD. https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad201433

Have you Been Keeping up on the AWE research?

Check out the article in USA today. Current studies at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Toronto show that awe has health boosting benefits that make us happier, healthier and humbler. The range of emotional, social and physiological benefits are wide-ranging. Cultivating gratitude, getting out in nature, appreciating art and listening to music can inspire awe. Taking the time to stop, pause and be present is key to bringing awe into the simple pleasures of everyday life. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/06/07/awe-has-health-benefits-our-wellbeing-how-add-your-life/7586396002/

Gabor Mate: The Wisdom of Trauma

Wisdom of Trauma Movie Premiere Wisdom of Trauma

PODCAST

How To Make A Big Decision. This gem is from Dr. Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson's podcast Being Well. A lot of people are at a crossroads in their life. Hopefully this podcast will help provide calm and clarity as you navigate your journey.

https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast-how-to-make-a-big-decision/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=5+Mindful+Musings++-+June+23%2C+2021&utm_campaign=5+Mindful+Musings+-+June+23%2C+2021

VIDEO: DEB DANA

Polyvagal theory is the best. I share this with my clients as an intro

Deb Dana: Befriending Your Nervous System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxpxyzZx_rw

Mental Health Workers instead of Police

Like many people in Eugene, Ore., Merritt knows about CAHOOTS, a service that sends a mental health crisis worker and EMT, rather than police, to people in mental health distress. Started 30 years ago by White Bird Clinic, a community health center, CAHOOTS morphed from the “Bummer Squad” that helped hippie drug users survive bad trips.https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/mental-health-workers-not-police/2021/06/18/bf250938-c937-11eb-a11b-6c6191ccd599_story.html

Training: Free The Grief Summit

Attended this one and learned it’s on replay. 15 Ceu’s and it’s really good stuff. https://landinghub.pesi.com/en-us/bh_c_001460_grief_summit_sqlanding?ref=bh_c_001460_grief_summit_sq

FREE EVENT: TONIGHT!!

6/24/21, 7Help Us Rewrite The Unspoken Curriculum

The Black student who learns to value athleticism over intelligence. The white student who observes the criminalization of everyday behaviors of Black classmates. The system that gives vital resources to some students, but not others. What is learned in the classroom goes far beyond the lesson plans.

This Unspoken Curriculum shapes how youth view themselves—and each other—in society. Together, we can help change what’s really communicated in our schools to make it a healthier place for the minds of our students.:Developed in partnership with BLHF’s agency partner, Edelman, The Unspoken Curriculum is a public awareness campaign that addresses the mental health impact the education system places on students, particularly Black students ages 12-22.

The life lessons students learn about race in school are not always in the lesson plan, but they are lessons students carry with them into adulthood.

To register for this event, go to http://events.pledge.to/unspoken!00 PM

8:00 PM

(Eastern Daylight Time)

This FREE, virtual experience is the capstone event of BLHF’s 6-week mental health awareness campaign, “The Unspoken Curriculum,” that addresses the impact of racism and bias on the mental health of Black students in the education system.

Through intimate conversations and Hip-Hop Therapy with Dr. Jeff Rocker, our goal is to provide students, parents, educators, and administrators from around the world with tools to improve mental health and address The Unspoken Curriculum, one story at a time.

Guest Panelist and Moderator

Our distinguished panel of guests and our moderator are;

Actress/Director and BLHF Founder Taraji P. Henson,
Actress/Advocate Yara Shahidi,
Hip-Hop Artist Common,
Hip-Hop Artist Maimouna Youssef "Mu Mu Fresh"
Licensed Therapist and Moderator Dr. Spirit.

Developed in partnership with BLHF’s agency partner, Edelman, The Unspoken Curriculum is a public awareness campaign that addresses the mental health impact the education system places on students, particularly Black students ages 12-22.

Film: Rural Resilience. How Do we Heal from Trauma

This project is an attempt to unpack the question “how do we heal from trauma?” The film draws on the lived and professional experience of three women in the rural community of Bishop, California. The subjects of the film are all mothers who have found their calling in the helping professions. Heather is a nurse responding to the opioid epidemic, Tawni is a social worker and care giver, and Margi is a family therapist, social worker, professor, and author of several prominent resilience theories.

Over 13 or so minutes, these women share their experiences, ideas and advice surrounding how we might heal from adversity. We hope to tackle this subject through qualitative exploration from a variety of perspectives. We encouraged the participants to speak authentically, in the hopes that their words might be an inspiration to other community members struggling with similar challenges.

Podcast: What do the things we own say about who we are?

Tuesday, June 22, 2021 @ 8:30 pm ET

The psychology of holding on to stuff. https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/why-we-hold-on-to-things/

Kristen Neff’s New Book is out

I went through intensive Level one training to become a self compassion teacher and it changed my life and the lives of my clients. It is the single most effective intervention I have ever learned! Kristen Neff is the queen. And her new book is amazing. Listen to her talk about it here:

Very important here is the distinction she makes between Empathic distress and empathic fatigue and compassion fatigue WHICH ISN”T A THING. Many people still don’t understand this. The new research is really refining our understanding of this which points to help for us so we can stay well when doing our jobs.

Dr. Kristin Neff on the fierce side of self-compassion

TRAINING

This event is meant to affirm caregivers of Black children’s use of African-centered approaches in the home and community and interrupt internalized anti-Blackness, with a focus on the caregiver-child relationship. During this 1.5 hour event, we will discuss the role of hair-combing interactions in enhancing caregiver-child attachment and ways that the community can affirm Black fatherhood, empower Black families, and enrich Black communities.

Zoom Registration.