Made Moon Blog

In my other articles I have described the process of grief and how and why do we grieve over a loss. In this article I describe the factors that delay or disallow a person to bring the issue of a loss to a closure. When the closure does not happen, the person is pre-occupied with the departed person. This prevents the person from moving on in life. So the grief of this person may persist indefinitely.

In my clinical practice, I have come across two kinds of people in whom grief can continue indefinitely.

The first factor that delays completion of the process is Anger. When a person carries anger against the departed or dead person, the process of grief does not conclude. In all such cases it is better to work through issues of anger with the person first before starting grief work. For example I once saw a man whose father was an alcoholic. The alcoholic father used to be physically violent when he had consumed some alcohol. The son had a difficult time letting his father go. Only when the anger had been worked through, did he come to peace with himself and his father. If the anger would not have been addressed, the grief could not have come to an end for a long time. No amount of counselling or psychotherapy would have been of help.

The second factor that affects grief process is Fear. When a parent dies, for example, the children can carry the fear even after many years. Usually this would occur when the parent was authoritarian but there may not be any violence involved. Emotional abuse involves threat, rejection and neglect. People who are emotionally abused may have difficulties in concluding grief. Fear has to be dealt with first before the grief process can be concluded.

Most of the people would be able to complete their grief over a year. But some of them can do it sooner. The more a person is relaxed, the less time it will it take to finish with their grief. The more the person feels insecure in themselves, the longer it is going to complete the grief process. Anger and fear make a person feel insecure. These emotions when held on to, disallow a person to move on in life, by keeping them pre-occupied with the memories of the departed person.

Pradeep K Chadha is a psychiatrist who specialises in helping patients with meditation and imagery using little or no medication. He is the author of “The Stress Barrier-Nature’s Way To Overcoming Stress” published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in Dublin, Ireland.

Please visit =>http://www.drpkchadha.com

In Practical Spirituality IIIA we discussed ways to improve your social life. We mainly focused on how you could find the right group of people. We explored choosing to interact with friends and peer groups with the right qualities, instead of just engaging with any group, especially those who considered themselves the in group. We also spoke of letting go of groups that might be damaging to your psyche. In this entry we will explore ways that you can use to prepare yourself to interact with you new found group. Are you a quiet contemplative person, or a shy person, are you a person with a lot of anger or one who is very confrontational? Does this get in you way sometimes?.

In our journal on Dealing With Anger, we addressed ways that you can change anger to a more positive and productive type of energy. You can stop being confrontational and become a loving person through the exercise of Tang Lin as described in that previous entry. Tang Lin can also be done to change fear and shyness. The main idea here, however, is that you can take control of your life and your behaviors. When you see a person that is very likeable and socially active, someone that you would like to be like, look at the way that they interact with other people. Study their behavior; that person can be your model for behavior.

You will probably notice how relaxed they are. You will probably notice they have the gift to draw other people out in the conversation, and they know when to disclose information about themselves. In order to be this way you have to fully accept yourself. If you don’t think your own life is interesting you won’t say much about yourself. If you don’t think that other people’s lives are interesting you will talk too much about yourself and won’t allow them to say anything about their lives. I guess the main point in interacting with others, therefore, is to really care about the person with whom you are speaking and yourself.

You can work on doing things like smiling, practicing the behaviors that connect you with other people, and developing a more positive social aura. Here is something concrete that you can do. If you would like to say, increase the amount of time you smile, what you do first is take a baseline of the behavior. Try to be aware and notice when you are smiling. Take a small pad with you and make a check mark each time you smile. Do this for about 3 days to a week. You can even make a chart with the time of day on it, or the type of place you were in so that you can track that too. After you have completed this baseline take a look. You will probably be surprised at how little you smile.

Look for the places and circumstances when you were smiling and when you weren’t. Next you work at increasing your smiling behavior. Go in front of the mirror and smile daily. When you exercise, watch TV, or engage in any activity habitually, smile throughout the activity, even if it is something that is grueling and unpleasant.

Smile as much as you can purposely. Make a contract with yourself. Measure the baseline every week and give yourself something really great each week if you smile the right amount of times, or the right length of minutes per week, depending on your baseline and contract. Make yourself earn something that you really like to do, like going to the movies, or taking a walk at the beach. If you don’t get the right amount of smiles that week, don’t do it.

Smile, smile, smile, especially when you are in nervous situations. You can even set up a series of exercises, or meditations where you smile throughout the exercises. If you can learn to smile naturally through grueling exercises or during nervous experiences, when you first meet a person and you are a bit nervous, you will smile automatically.

As you do more meditation, if you are meditating, you will become more aware of the thoughts and feelings that rise up and create awkwardness in your relationships. You can then work to change those behaviors by recognizing them early, before they manifest themselves. Until then this is a good model to use, along with the meditation. This model can also be used to decrease behaviors too.

Meditation, however, is most crucial in taking control of your life. It may seem boring to you, or tiring, or difficult, but meditation is the medicine for the psyche and the soul. It is worth struggling in order to reach the place of peace that only meditation and prayer brings us too, especially if you have a tendency to move toward depression. Some psychologists think that depression comes as a result of a chemical imbalance. As long as you take you medication, they say, things will be all right.

Other psychologists think that depression comes as a result of horrible external situations, or because we have learned to be helpless and to give up on life. Some mystics and spiritual counselors think that depression comes from the fact that more attuned people realize what the world can be, but when they look around and see all the pain and the suffering that is created by human beings and have to live in that world themselves, they feel empty and trapped. Depression, in this case, is a hunger for connection with the Divine.

Whatever you believe, these tips will be helpful. These articles come primarily from the mystic point of view. They are not meant to take the place of psychotherapy, but to compliment it. If they are not working for you, however, there is always help from mental health professionals. Do not discount them, because they do a great deal of work and depression can be a very serious problem.

In our next journal entry we will write our final article on depression. We will discuss how we can find the core of the problem and then begin to deal with it. Until then, keep going in and looking up, because the same beauty out there in the heavens is inside of you at the center of your own being.

Dr. J. W. Gilmore is a Writer, Spiritual Director, Anti-oppression Consultant and Wellness Consultant. He is a Certified Massage Therapist and Reflexologist, a Reiki Master Teacher, a Martial Arts Instructor and a Spiritual Coach living in Costa Rica. For our practical spirituality journal visit: http://www.dswellness.com

On Being Love’s Warrior: A Warrior’s Manual on Becoming the Compassionate Warrior Within, Dr. Kendall Ronin.

So here’s the story… I moved to Stroudsburg, PA this past July to become Rabbi at Temple Israel of the Poconos. As part of the move, I needed to find new doctors who would look after me. I made an appointment with one of the local specialists, who suggested that I should have my lungs checked as part of a thorough physical examination. So he scheduled me for a C.A.T. scan, expecting to find nothing out of the ordinary. Well, surprise, surprise! When I returned to the doctor for the results, he told me that there was a spot on my lungs, and he could not rule out lung cancer!

Next he scheduled me three days later for a P.E.T. scan, which would definitely show if anything was going on in my throat. I came to the surgery center and they inserted some dye through an IV, which would flow through my entire upper body, and by means of the the scan, would clearly allow the radiologists to diagnose any real or potential problems. So I lay still for sixty-five minutes, trying to “zone out,” actually counting the seconds (one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three…) and pretty much trying to act like the macho man that I did not feel like. My doctor had scheduled the next appointment for a week later. I asked him for an earlier date, but he said it took that long for the results and the evaluation of the scan. Actually, that was all done two hours after the test, but who knew?

I had a whole week to think about dying of lung cancer. What made it really scary was–my Mother died of lung cancer. She was a heavy smoker, I have never smoked, but I had already presumed that it was genetic and that my life was over. And then I began to plan. What would I do with the time I had left? First, would I take chemo and radiation for the cancer? I decided absolutely not, since I was not prepared to spend the next year suffering through mind-and-body-numbing treatments which would at best give me another month or two of life which was not-life. I have seen too many of my congregants and friends go through that, it was not for me. Would I quit my job as Rabbi? Yes, I would have done that immediately, and I even began working on my final sermon. I would have told my new congregation that there were places in this world that I wanted to visit with Ellen, and that I especially needed to return to Israel for a final visit, so I was resigning from the pulpit, to live out the rest of my life the way I wanted to. I would thank them for the lessons they have already taught me even in the short time we had together, and I would ask their forgiveness for any pain I had caused them. In short, I would complete my relationship with them before I left.

After seeing other parts of the world, I would return home and begin to travel all across the country, giving a lecture to anyone who might be interested, entitled: “Final Life-Thoughts of a Grateful Rabbi.” The lecture would talk about gratitude being my first-choice feeling on learning of my impending death. Above all, I am grateful for the life that I had been granted; I considered my life a precious gift to me from God. After gratitude comes everything else, all other feelings and thoughts. The world can only be repaired when gratitude replaces entitlement, when we move outside of ourselves toward others in our lives. I was not angry, just sad that I would not live to see my kids’ life-cyle events or share in the lives of my grandchildren as I had hoped to be able to do. My hopes, dreams and aspirations have been reached, I would die fulfilled and happy. If my time had come, I would be ready, unafraid and unashamed of what I had accomplished in my life. I know that I have mattered to lots of folks, and my teachings and my memories would be my final gift to them, and to the Universe.

I fully believe that when our mission on this earth is accomplished, we can then be ready and prepared to leave this world for whatever comes next. The problem is–who among us knows when that will happen? How will we know when our life-missions will have been accomplished? We don’t, so that when God has decided that my earthly purpose has been fulfilled, who am I to argue? Even more, I have known too many women and men who have lived “too long,” that is to say that their final years were spent in pain or in a nursing home, or totally unable to communicate with those they love. I would indeed be fortunate, because I would leave this life on my own terms, proud and grateful. And not in any physical pain.

So you see, smart guy that I am, I was sure I had it all figured out. Needless to say, thank God, the results came back showing that the spot on my lungs was just that, some benign scar tissue left over from who-knows-when. I was elated. I really was! But to tell the deep, dark, dirty, honest-to-God truth, I was just a wee bit disappointed at the same time. I was actually looking forward to the last year of my life, I was going to be able to fill the closing chapter of my existence with passion! Between seeing the world, teaching women and men all across America the truths I had learned, finishing my book on grief and hope, perhaps starting another book, my days would be filled with joy and creativity. They would be filled with life, not death, and when the end would come, I would feel that the banquet of my life had been well worth my fifty-nine years of effort.

That’s my story, and it has a happy ending. Sort of. The gnawing-in-my-kishkas question I continue to ask myself ever since this happened is: What’s stopping me from doing all those things I was going to do when I knew I was dying? How many of them can I still do right now, while I am still living? Why will I have to wait until the Angel of Death comes calling for me, for real? It is these questions, not thoughts of my death, which continue to haunt me. Maybe soon I’ll have some good answers.

http://www.yourgriefmatters.com

Teaching means to change the behavior of student towards positive direction.
For effective teaching, it is very important to know the behavior of student. Behavior means any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism or the way in which an individual behaves or acts. It is the way an individual conducts herself/himself. It can be seen in reference to society norm. Or the way in which one treats others or handles objects.
To change the negative behavior of the student we have to know the factors effecting on it. We can divide these factors into three categories:-

1. Societal factor

2. School factor

3. Family factor

Common behavior problems are stealing, absenteeism, lying, fighting, cheating, lateness, rudeness, destructiveness, smoking, disobedience, abusing.

The factors behind problems behavior can be seeking attention, change in social relationship (example romantic breakup and rebuff) , change of status or group membership, disengaged with school staff, humiliation, impulsive remarks or response, no real harm intended, joking and teasing and you tend to believe it,
Lacks ability to carry out threats, other family or life stress (example divorce, death, move) recent disciplinary action, socially isolated from peers, target of teasing or bullying, other. To overcome on these behavior problems here are some strategies to modify behavior:-

 Set behavior standards: Define classroom rules clearly to everyone and be reasonable, firm but fair, be consistent with student. For the most part, practice what you preach and insist on the general behavior that students must abide by all the rules before they speak/do.

 Keep students busy and motivated: Start class on time, plan for the entire class period, be definite about your lesson plan, relate assignments to students’ interests and use various teaching methodologies according to the need of the topic.

 Keep a positive attitude: Give praise, encouragement and inspiration, be kind but “positively” demanding. Be consistent and tolerating when dealing with a behavioral problem. Be fair when dealing with behavioral problems. Favoritism breeds resentment.

 Control your emotions: Before assigning a task to the students. Keep yourself in place of them. Don’t be tinned-skinned (sensitive to criticism) .Don’t argue with students; however, you may discuss and / or explain. Admit errors if you have made a mistake. Project confidence in yourself. Don’t mind if students ask again and again.
To follow these strategies we can make our teaching effective and modify student’s behavior towards positive direction.

Samer Iqbal

Many people try to hold a raging fire within themselves, but it restlessly and relentlessly gnaws at their core. Some have tried to cover it up with alcohol, numb it with drugs, hide it with shopping, kids, work, or religion, or fuel it with sex. The Baby Boomers looked for eternal youth and to change the world. They thought they would never grow up, but they did. They thought they would change the world and they did.

The previous generation looked for the American Dream. Some found it. Many did not. The present generation seems to be seeking success. Yet, the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” widens. Each generation and each individual, in turn, searches for something, but it often slips from their grasp. The fire carries both energy and discomfort. The key is to use the discomfort as a motivator and the energy as fuel.

Redfield in the “Celestine Prophecy” talks of the need for a historical perspective. The first man or woman met his/her physical needs. Then he or she explored and conquered the world and put it to their collective service. Now we seek something and we don’t seem to know what it is.

When we are connected to our roots and our souls, passion rises quickly and pushes us the next level of life or learning or love. It does not have to be love of a mate. It could be creative passion, fueling what we do for ourselves, work, community, or family. Anything where the totality of who you are is absorbed in the doing, requires passion. To loose it, is soul death, or at least deep sleep. It will cry to be heard when it sleeps.

I’ve sometimes been afraid of my passion. It seems so fierce at times. I guess I fear it will consume me and nothing else will matter. I know that can happen. I’ve had a small taste of it when I work for hours into the night, so absorbed by my work that I forget time, sleeping, and eating. But, I also know that I must have time in my life to live the every day life of doing the mundane things that must be done. Balance is probably still the key, but you must not loose your passion all together. Your life will be too dry and dull without it.

Remember your first love? Nothing else mattered. You felt as if you would walk to the ends of the earth for that love. Remember that? While that first passionate, all consuming love does not last, it gives us a taste of a force within ourselves that carries tremendous energy. Look for your passion and it will find you.

“It is the discouraging veil of darkness, falling over the
sparkling whiteness of earlier nights, which sends a vein of
despair running through our souls.”
- Dr. Frederick Cook

As days grow shorter in the winter and light becomes less
available and less intense your hypothalamus responds by
shifting your body rhythms into those resembling
hibernation. You may feel an increased need for
carbohydrates, contracted energy, diminished sex drive,
lower motivation, more sluggishness and, in some cases,
feelings of depression. For those living in darker, more
northern exposures this shift in body rhythms can even go
so far as to resemble clinical depression.

This shifting in body rhythms is known as Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD). The negative effects of SAD can be
experienced from November through March with February
and March often being the peak months for experiencing
symptoms. Purposeful exposure to sunlight, full spectrum
indoor lighting and a light box have all been shown effective
in easing the body through this seasonal change. Dawn
simulation, however, might be even more effective than
simple light exposure.

Our body clock is set to respond to the first light of dawn and
is wired to awaken our body through stimulation by the
sunrise. Even behind closed eyelids, your eyes are
sensitive enough to receive the first light signals of dawn.
These sunrise signals register with your hypothalamus and
tell your body to transition out of dreaming. They raise your
body temperature and cortisol levels getting your primed to
engage with your day.

As the sun continues to rise, higher light intensity stimulates
our neural activity to progressively shift from sleep to full
awakening. This is naturally a gradual timed progression
from sleep to arousal - a little different than blasting yourself
out of slumber with the shrill of an alarm clock.

Dawn simulators are devices that mimic the progressive
lighting of a sunrise and gradually wake you following the
body’s natural patterns. As you reconnect to the natural
rhythms of the body using a dawn simulator mimicing the
natural sunrise, you may experience benefits such as
clearer thinking, more positive moods, increased energy,
and feeling more rested in the morning - and be less SAD.
Dawn simulators are available in many retail stores, health
food stores, online and through catalogues.

(Or you could install a skylight over your bed - my personal
solution.)

“Let there be light.”
-Book of Genesis

Mary Ann Copson is the creator of the Evenstar
Mood and Energy Management System for Women.
With Master’s Degrees in Human Development and in
Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified
Licensed Nutritionist, a Certified Holistic Health
Practitioner, a Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician, a
Professional Life Coach and Human Development
Consultant. For resources about reconnecting to your
natural rhythms through better management of your
physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual
energy visit http://evenstaronline.com

A major survey on depression symptoms from the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), released in July 2004, revealed a dramatic degree of progress in public understanding. Yet even amid this promising trend, the survey sheds light on the difficulties

The NMHA survey shows a major shift in public opinion in the last decade about the cause of depression. A majority (65 percent) of those polled who have never been diagnosed with depression symptoms understand depression is a disease, and not “a state of mind that a person can snap out of.” In 1991, only 38 percent recognized depression as an illness.

The survey also sketches a troubling portrait of the socio-economic lives of some people with depression symptoms. Survey respondents with depression symptoms reported higher levels of unemployment and divorce than respondents who don’t have the disorder.

“We set out to get a snapshot of the state of depression and its treatment,” said Michael M. Faenza, president and CEO of the NMHA. “The good news is that there is greater public understanding of depression and that people living with depression are finding substantial relief by following their treatment plans. The challenging part is understanding the degree to which public perceptions impact those in treatment,” said Faenza.

In this year’s survey, nearly one in three Americans say they believe depression symptoms is a state of mind. “Fifty-five percent understand the truth about depression. That is good, but it is not enough,” said Faenza. “You’d never hear 31 percent of the population deny that diabetes and heart disease are real. Erroneous beliefs about depression fuel stigma, bad public policies and poor personal choices by those living with the illness and may impede their recovery.”

The survey also describes a strong correlation between clinical depression symptoms and diminished social and economic circumstances for families. Survey respondents with depression report greater rates of divorce and unemployment than the general public. What’s more, respondents who have experienced multiple depressive episodes are even more likely to be divorced or unemployed. They also are more likely to have lower income and educational levels.

The NMHA survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies LLC, comprised interviews with 500 adults currently being treated for depression, 300 primary care physicians, psychiatrists and psychologists and 800 members of the general public.

Gap Between Knowledge and Behavior

Survey respondents who are living with depression symptoms overwhelmingly feel that treatment, including medication, psychotherapy or both, works. (Their average self-rated symptom severity dropped from 8.5 before treatment to 3.6 within six to 12 months after starting treatment, using a severity scale of one to 10, with 10 being the most severe.)

Yet people are finding that staying with treatment is hard work. While they seem to understand the value of long-term treatment (in fact, most respondents believe that adhering to treatment is not difficult) nearly one-third (29 percent) of people on antidepressants report skipping doses during the week and nearly one-fourth (24 percent) have difficulty attending regular psychotherapy sessions. However, physicians and psychiatrists surveyed believe adherence is much lower than people in treatment profess. Almost 40 percent of doctors believe those they treat have difficulty staying with their medication regimens (a number consistent with most studies), and half (52 percent) say those they treat have difficulty staying with their psychotherapy regimens.

The survey suggests many reasons why some people don’t stick with treatment. In addition to struggling with the nature and demands of the depression symptoms, they may find the requirements of long-term vigilance overwhelming. A majority of doctors (70 percent) say those they treat for depression symptoms might find adherence easier if they could take medication less often. But medication is not the only issue. Though people with depression symptoms believe diet and exercise to be beneficial to long-term wellness, they nevertheless report not adhering with these regimens either.

“The survey clearly shows that the fewer episodes of depression people reported, the more likely they were to have stayed with treatment, whatever that treatment may be,” said Faenza. “Facing up to this illness and taking personal responsibility for its treatment are vital. Yet some may not acknowledge and seek treatment for depression because of negative public attitudes and misperceptions.”

In fact, even as people with depression symptoms struggle with the illness itself, they also seem to be searching to determine their best course of treatment, how long they should stay in treatment, what they might expect from treatment and whether they will ultimately recover. As a result, more people are employing a combination of techniques to get and stay well.

Perceptions Diverge

Public perceptions about depression symptoms often diverge significantly from the perceptions of people in treatment and may discourage them from seeking effective therapeutic approaches. For example, the survey results showed that the general public ranks regular exercise, a healthy diet and psychotherapy higher than medication for effectiveness in warding off future episodes of depression symptoms. In contrast, doctors and people in long-term treatment rate staying on medication as the most effective way to prevent a relapse, even as they seek the right mix of psychotherapy and lifestyle choices.

Perceptions also diverge when it comes to understanding what treatment can deliver. Thirty-five percent of the general public believe that a person can be cured completely of depression symptoms, a belief held by only 12 percent of people in long-term treatment for the illness. It is likely that many in this group are struggling to achieve realistic expectations for treatment because the majority of subjects in the survey sample are in long-term treatment for multiple episodes of depression symptoms.

About half of those who experience depression symptoms will never have another episode; half will. The findings suggest that people treated for clinical depression symptoms understand the frequently episodic nature of this common illness. More than three-quarters (76 percent) believe that they will need some type of treatment for the rest of their lives, and most understand that their treatment will control, but not necessarily cure, their depression symptoms.

However, even as more people come to terms with the long-term demands of depression symptoms, too many still find it difficult to make a treatment plan work for them. “The upshot is that people living with depression conduct highly individualized searches for the right mix of therapiesmedical, psychological or lifestyle. The last thing they need is for stigma or public misperceptions to diminish their efforts,” said Faenza.

Learn how the FDA approved therapy can change your life at http://www.VagusNerveStimulation.com

The therapy completely changed my life.

Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigational trial of vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. He was implanted with the vagus nerve stimulator in April of 2001. He chronicles his journey from the grips of depression thanks to vagus nerve stimulation therapy in his book:

Out of the Black Hole: The Patient’s Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression

The book is availalable on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, 1-888-VAGUS-88 and on his web site, http://www.OutoftheBlackHole.com

Having depression can be quite… well… depressing. Pardon the lack of an appropriate expression, but the main thing is that we all know that depression can be pretty devastating. It is a hindrance to our social advancement as well as to our personal happiness.

There are some cases that people find a relief for depression by eating food or diet supplements that boost up the level of tryptophan. Tryptophan is a kind of amino acid that is responsible in producing serotonin.

There is also a study that proves that carbohydrates is an anti depression supplements. It lessens the premenstrual syndrome for about three hours.

Simply by eating a high density of carbohydrates can diminished the effect of depression in the body. Carbohydrates repair the imbalance in the ration of the specific fatty acid. Imbalances of fatty acids can affect the risk of depression.

There is also a study that shows an association between moderate consumption of caffeine drinks which lower the symptoms of depression; any excess can heighten the risk. Proper diet also helps to lower the tendency of committing suicide, in which depression is one of the primary causes. In this study, the doctors have formulated that by drinking coffee or tea, you can reduce the effect of depression.

There are also certain habits that contain harmful substances that may trigger the symptoms of depression, like drinking alcoholic beverages, too much cigarette smoking, and drug overdose.

Vitamins and other food nutrients such as Vitamin B, Iodine, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Amino complex have been associated with some protection against depression.

Niacin is also a very important in the production of tryptophan that helps promotes Vitamin B3 and it has been found out that it regulates blood flow in order to avoid mental depression.

Vitamin B12 and calcium ingredients may help in depression that take place during the monthly menstrual period. In the year 2001, there was a study that proves that this vitamin can prevent postpartum depression.

Those kinds of food supplements and vitamins may enhance the effectiveness of SSRI and other antidepressant.

In order to avoid depression you must choose your food wisely and have a proper diet.

Article written by Hector Milla, editor of www.mydepressionsymptoms.com/ , a website about :: physical symptoms of depression :: , plus you may learn about Eliminate Stress and Anxiety at www.mydepressionsymptoms.com/eliminate-stress-anxiety/ , You are allowed to publish this article in your website or ezine keeping a live link.

Within the next few weeks, the FDA is expected to issue its final approval of a medical breakthrough treatment for chronic or treatment-resistant depression. This new therapy will be presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting in Atlanta from May 21st-May 25th. The Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of psychiatrists in the world. Over 25,000 psychiatrists are expected to attend this important medical meeting.

After an eight-year investigation of vagus nerve stimulation and depression, the FDA has deemed the therapy approvable with its final and binding approval decision expected within the next two weeks. Upon final approval, patients will be able to get a prescription( from their psychiatrist) for vagus nerve stimulation, also called VNS Therapy. Vagus nerve stimulation has been FDA approved for epilepsy patients since 1997. Over 30,000 epilespy patients have safely been implanted with the stimulator. The vagus nerve nerve is a direct pathway to the hippocampus and hypothalmus in the brain.

The 60-90 minute out-patient procedure is performed by a neurosurgeon or an otolaryngologist( Ear, nose and throat). A small pacemaker-like stimulator is imlanted in the patient’s upper left chest, just below the left arm pit. A lead wire from the stimulator is tunneled underneath the skin and coiled around the left vagus nerve in the patient’s neck. The two- inch incision is made at the lowest fold of the neck and the surgeon’s knife never goes above the lowest part of the neck.

The procedure is unrelated to brain surgery or electro-convulsive therapy. In the FDA investigational studies, it was proven that stimulation to the left vagus nerve favorably modulates those areas of the brain responsible for mood and depression. There are no pain fibers in the vagus nerve, so most patients do not feel any discomfort or sensation when the device is activated.

When approved, vagus nerve stimulation will be the first FDA approved long-term therapy for patients who have not had an adequate response to traditional antidepressants.

Learn more how this therapy can bring genuine happiness and joy to your life at www.vagusnervestimulator.com There is a free newsletter to keep you up-to-date on the latest developments. Also available on the site is the book Out of the Black Hole: The Patient’s Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression. Do yourself a favor and become fully educated about this remarkable device. It could change your life.

Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigational trial of vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. He was implanted with the vagus nerve stimulator in April of 2001. He chronicles his journey from the grips of depression thanks to vagus nerve stimulation therapy in his book:

Out of the Black Hole: The Patient’s Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression

The book will be exhibited at the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting, May 21st-May 26th in Atlanta, GA. This is the largest gathering of psychiatrists in the world( 25,000 attendees).

He is the founder of the http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com Web Site.