Asklepian Dreaming and the Spirit of Transformational Healing: Linking the Placebo Response to Therapeutic Uses of Self

Asklepian medicine – as an archetype of healing – was underpinned by therapeutic uses of self, which, if understood, could be beneficial to modern healthcare. It is being proposed in this article that therapeutic uses of self from instrumental, authentic and transpersonal perspectives could support the process of endogenous healing. Such therapeutic uses of self could play a pivotal role in activating and enhancing the potential for placebo responses, with spiritual significance.     

Caregiver models of self and others, coping, and depression: predictors of depression in children with chronic pain.

In a sample of 59 chronically ill pediatric patients and their maternal caregivers, both child-reported pain and caregiver-reported depression predicted child-reported depression. Results further suggested that the association between pain and depression in children is ameliorated by caregiver coping strategies and that how caregivers cope is a function of their attachment-related representations of the self and others. Caregivers with a negative model of the self were more depressed. and those with a negative model of others were more prone to use avoidant coping strategies, and, in turn, to be more depressed. However, the extent to which caregivers with negative models of self used more avoidant and less approach coping appeared to depend on whether they perceived that others were likely to respond to their needs.     

Extending the activity restriction model of depressed affect: evidence from a sample of breast cancer patients.

Survey data from 95 women with Stage 1 (n = 36), Stage 2 (n = 49), or Stage 3 (n = 10) breast cancer both confirm and extend prior research indicating that restriction of normal activities is an important factor in depressed affect. Illness severity was directly related to more restricted routine activities, and more activity restriction was associated with higher public self-consciousness and less social support. Beyond the effects of age, self-consciousness, illness severity, and social support, activity restriction explained significant additional variance in symptoms of depression. Moreover, activity restriction mediated the impact of pain, public self-consciousness, and social support on depressed affect, which implies that these factors foster symptoms of depression by disrupting normal activities.     

The Aramaic Documents in Ezra Revisited

In recent years there has been a significant shift in scholarlyopinion concerning the Aramaic documents included in the bookof Ezra; whereas 25 years ago their historical authenticitywas widely accepted, more recent studies have claimed that theywere fabricated by the biblical author. In the present article,the reasons for this change of opinion are examined, and itis concluded that in most cases the decision about authenticityis taken on the basis of extraneous considerations relatingto the composition of the book or the course of history whichit purports to relate. The arguments advanced in relation tothe documents themselves are the same as those which were commona century ago, and to that extent may be answered in the sameway as before. In particular, insufficient attention has beenpaid to the fact that from a literary point of view it is thedocuments which determine the shape and wording of the narrative,not vice versa. It is therefore most natural to conclude thatthey existed already prior to the composition of the book. Onlyin two areas are there new data to be considered—languageand the epistolary form of the documents. An examination ofthe salient evidence concludes that it is far from univocaland that it cannot, therefore, overthrow the conclusions reachedon other grounds.     

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Mothers and Fathers: Family Level Interactions in Relation to Parenting

Previous studies linking parent ADHD symptoms to parenting have typically focused on each parent individually. To provide a broader understanding of family context, in this study, levels of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity in mothers and fathers were examined, both individually and in combination, in relation to negative parenting and child-rearing disagreements. Two-parent families of 5 to 13 year old boys (126 with ADHD and 53 typically developing) participated. Parents reported their own ADHD symptoms and their perceptions of child-rearing disagreements. Parenting was measured using self-, partner-, and child-reports as well as observations. Controlling for child ADHD symptoms, inattention symptoms in fathers predicted parenting difficulties. For mothers, inattention symptoms were linked to parenting problems only when fathers also had high levels of inattention. In contrast, parenting was most problematic for both mothers and fathers in families in which fathers had higher and mothers had lower levels hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms. These results remained essentially unchanged when child externalizing behavior and mother depression and hostility were controlled, but father depression reduced the significance of some interactions. The results highlight the importance of the match between father and mother levels of symptoms, and point to differential relations of parenting to inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms in parents.     

Own and Others' Prior Experiences Influence Children's Imitation of Causal Acts

Young children learn from others' examples, and they do so selectively. We examine whether the efficacy of prior experiences influences children's imitation. Thirty-six-month-olds had initial experience on a causal learning task either by performing the task themselves or by watching an adult perform it. The nature of the experience was manipulated such that the actor had either an easy or a difficult experience completing the task. Next, a second adult demonstrated an innovative technique for completing it. Children who had a difficult first-person experience, and those who had witnessed another person having difficulty, were significantly more likely to adopt and imitate the adult's innovation than those who had or witnessed an easy experience. Children who observed another were also more likely to imitate than were those who had the initial experience themselves. Imitation is influenced by prior experience, both when it is obtained through one's own hands-on motor manipulation and when it derives from observing the acts of others.     

Five Perspectives on the Meaning of Meaning in the Context of Clinical Practices

What is meaningful in life? This is a question many individuals ask at least once in their lifetime. Many researchers have also asked this question, and a large body of literature seems to answer in theoretical and academic terms. But what is the meaning of meaning in clinical practice? That is, what is the role of meaning in psychotherapy, recovery, and positive mental health? And how could meaning in life be addressed in practices: What clinical competencies are needed? To answer these and other questions, a broad panel of researchers and practitioners met at the world conference of the International Network for Personal Meaning (INPM) in Toronto in July of 2016. A passionate debate followed, particularly on the question of the meaning of meaning in clinical practice. In this article, five panel members—Mick Cooper, Clara Hill, Robert Neimeyer, Kirk Schneider, and Paul Wong—elaborate their perspective on these two questions. At the end of the article, the moderator, Joel Vos summarizes, their differences and agreements, and suggests a pluralistic, multidimensional perspective on meaning for practitioners. Despite some fundamental differences, the authors report many similar perspectives on the meaning of meaning in clinical practice and on clinical competencies. This debate could be used as an example of how practitioners could also converse with their clients; the process of exploring the question, “What does meaning mean to you here and now, in our therapy room?” could be meaningful in itself.     

Analysis of Emotions and Dysfunctional Attitudes in Depression

The current study was designed to examine the role of basic emotions and dysfunctional attitudes in depression. Moreover, six models related to the organization of emotions were examined through confirmatory factor analysis. Two hundred individuals with major depressive disorder were recruited from three clinical psychology centers. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires measuring basic emotions, dysfunctional attitudes, and depressive. Results demonstrated that the dysfunctional attitude of “need for approval” and the basic emotions of disgust and sadness could predict depressive scores positively and significantly. It was also shown that the dysfunctional attitudes could positively and significantly predict the two negative emotions of disgust and sadness. Thus, the findings supported an analysis in which the two basic emotions of sadness and disgust were elevated in individuals with depressive disorders. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed basic emotions model and did not support alternative models, such as the positive affect and negative affect model.