Talent Development Resources..    ........nurturing mental health : page 3

.. .. TR: You don't think I'm clinically depressed, Dr. Karnowski? SS (SHRINK): How would I know, Stanley? You're from the Midwest. If you were a New Yorker, I'd put you on powerful drugs and have you sit under a sunlamp every day. But for a Midwesterner, depression is more like a personality trait.  TR: But this pessimism----- SS (SHRINK): We call it pervasive negative anticipation. The constant feeling that everything is going to turn out for the worse.  TR: What can I do, Dr. Karnowski? Would meditation help? Are there books I should read?

SS (SHRINK): What I recommend is a new power mower, Stanley.  TR: A power mower? SS (SHRINK): Studies show that for people from your part of the country, the sound of a one-cylinder engine raises seratonin levels immediately. And the act of mowing grass reduces anxiety. There's no better way to feel empowered than with a brand-new mower.  TR: Thanks, Dr. Karnowski. I feel better already. (POWER MOWER START AND REV AND FADE)  Garrison Keillor : Sometimes a wonderful piece of machinery can accomplish what years of expensive therapy can't. Isn't that right, Woody Allen?  TR (WOODY): I went to this psychiatrist for thirty years. Five days a week for thirty years trying to figure out the causes of my depression. And then I realized why it wasn't working. The guy was a podiatrist. Finally I decided to buy a power mower and I've never felt better. (MOWER START AND REV) from transcript of episode of A Prairie Home  Companion with Garrison Keillor - photo : oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk

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Forgiveness is a real good word. Forgiveness of anybody who's ever hurt you, anything that's ever happened in your life that you keep inside; if you really make it a real goal to get it out of you, you have no idea the freedom and the light it will bring to your life. Kim Basinger  ... [extratv.com June 14 2004]

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If you can be in the sun at some point during the day doing something physical it's easier to stay mentally in shape. When you have to be on the set at 5 a.m. for 14 hours a day and then you don't work for months, there's like a post-partum depression that can set in.  I horseback ride... go to dance classes and yoga. To have a schedule every day is important, otherwise you can sit on your butt in front of the TV. Bijou Phillips  ...[Ingenue, Summer 2004]  //  photo by Jeff Vespa - © WireImage.com

 

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.. .. But by 1983 her marriage had ended, and, alone for the first time in her life, Florence Henderson was suddenly afraid to perform onstage. She sought treatment through hypnosis and fell in love with her therapist, John Kappas. from Lifetimetv.com: Intimate Portrait profile [site]

[Prominent Hypnotherapist, Psychologist, Founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute and author of five successful books on subconscious behaviorism, Dr. John Kappas died in September, 2002] "I lost my husband. My hypnotherapist  really helped me through it." Florence Henderson  - from her Lifetime TV show  "Speaking of Women's Health" site John Kappas books include :  Success Is Not an Accident:  The Mental Bank Concept

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.. .. Alexis Bledel immersed herself further in her Latin heritage around age 8 or 9, when she spent a summer vacation living with a paternal aunt and uncle in Buenos Aires, her father's hometown, where she attended school with her cousins.  "I still think in Spanish sometimes, or I'll have dreams in Spanish," Alexis says.

"And it's weird, but it's like a different side of my personality comes out when I'm speaking Spanish - I'm less deliberate, more relaxed, because it's what I speak at home." Indeed, whether hanging out with her family back in Houston (she also has a brother, Eric, 18 ) or talking to them on the phone from the Gilmore Girls set, Alexis still often relies on her first language.  "As an actor you don't get to have a private life, and so I think it's helpful for her to have a way to speak to her family that isn't familiar to everyone," says Lauren Graham, who plays Lorelai, the mother of Alexis's character, Rory.  "It gives her a little bit of privacy." from "Behind Blue Eyes" by Galina Espinoza. © Latina, May 2004, posted on Visions of Alexis Bledel! site

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We're all a mishmash of extremes. I know that I have demons.  I don't know if I want to get rid of them altogether, but I would like to experience them in a different way. Maybe go face to face with them.    Johnny Depp

  related page:  the shadow self

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Lost Souls are highly creative and all too often prone to fits of lethargy and despair.  ...
Sometimes we feel disconnected, but the good news is that we are actually in very good company.
Lost Souls are struggling artists, musicians, actors, writersóin short, those people taking the
road less traveled. It may have made all the difference to Robert Frost, but that particular path
can make its wanderers feel very alone. We may feel like black sheep, failures, or unwelcome guests,
but we don't have to.

Susan M. Brackney - author of The Lost Soul Companion : A Book of Comfort and Constructive Advice for Struggling Artists, Black Sheep,Square Pegs, and Other Free Spirits

related site  The Lost Soul Companion Project

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Conscious awareness is the source of our healing... Only when you say the truth
can the truth set you free. This is not a negative process, but at times it is a difficult process.

I once heard someone say, "The truth shall set you free, but first it will piss you off."

   Marianne Williamson

book: The Healing of America

 
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Stella Adler used to say, 'Don't be an actor unless you've got something to say.' When I teach people, I try to say, 'Who are you? Why do you want to act? It's okay if somebody says, 'Because I want attention.' Because what's interesting is: Why? Because that's where all the drama is?  Why do you want so much attention? What didn't you get?  Why isn't it okay for you to walk down the street and not have to be known? Why do you have to be known? What kind of feedback do you want that's going to make you feel good about yourself? acting coach Larry Moss .. [Los Angeles Magazine, Mar., 2001]

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Our feelings play a very important part in directing all of our thoughts
and actions. In us, there is a river of feelings, in which every drop of water
is a different feeling, and each feeling relies on all the others for its existence.

If we face our unpleasant feelings with care, affection, and nonviolence,
we can transform them into the kind of energy that is healthy and has
the capacity to nourish us.

from book: Thich Nhat Hanh. Peace Is Every Step : The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

  related page:    emotion

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Mujer ángel (Angel woman), 1979, by Graciela Iturbide -  "a Seri Indian woman walks into the Sonoran Desert,  boom box in hand." book: Graciela Iturbide. Images of the Spirit

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I take classes on my days off, when I can. I do jazz, ballet, hip hop, modern, contemporary. ... [Dance] is still my passion, and always will be. That's how I sort of heal myself; if I have any problems, I just go to a class.     Neve Campbell  - from interview on making "The Craft"

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I do not believe it is possible for us to know exactly what to ask
the universe for, what would be in our highest good. But I do believe
the universe gives us clues in "synchronicities," -- meaningful coincidences.

When you begin to follow those clues, you begin to find your true self.
Then you do not have to know how to envision a future that is right for you --
it unfolds by itself, through following your guidance.

I believe it's harder to live frightened than brave. You came here for a reason,
to unfold in a particularly unique way, as only you can. If you agree, then tune in
to the universe, ask for guidance, vibrate in love and follow Dolly Parton's dictum:
"Find out who you are and be it on purpose."

      Judith Simon Prager, Ph.D. - from her site

book: Judith Simon Prager, Ph.D.  Journey to Alternity - Transformational Healing
                  Through Stories and Metaphors
 

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Creativity -- be it the creativity of the artist, the psychotherapist, or the psychotherapy patient -- can be understood to some degree as the subjective struggle to give form, structure and constructive expression to inner and outer chaos and conflict. It can also be one of the  most dynamic methods of meeting and redeeming one's devils and demons. *from book: Stephen A. Diamond, PhD. Anger, Madness, and the Daimonic:                    The Psychological Genesis of Violence, Evil, and Creativity image from book: Shadow Dance : Liberating the Power and Creativity of Your Dark Side >>

related page: ... the shadow self

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Juliette Lewis [wants] to salvage the reputation of the Church of Scientology - because its followers aren't as strange as people believe. The sexy actress, who turned to the celebrity-filled institution's Narconon rehabilitation program in 1996 after developing a drug habit, insists that she doesn't belong to a cult, which she feels most members of the public seem to believe.  Lewis, 28, credits Scientology with getting her life back on track - just like Tom Cruise praises the organization for helping him overcome his dyslexia.  She says, "All the work I've done in Scientology has made me more of an individual. God, it's revitalised everything good in me. All these weird judgments you hear come from people who know nothing about it." Lewis adds that she wants to "dispel, debunk and demystify" any prejudice towards the institution, which also includes John Travolta and Kirstie Alley among its members.  [imdb.com Celebrity News: 25th April 2002]  / photo from whatisscientology.org

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Margot Kidder says her "periodic bungee jumps into craziness" are a thing of the past.  "For me, the solution was finally getting away from psychiatric drugs and actually healing my body so I wouldn't have the symptoms that are called mental illness." [Associated Press Jul 28, 2002]

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     "The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes." Andre Gide

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Be careful when you find yourself repeatedly telling yourself something encouraging which probably isn't true. Like, "It's lonelier at the top." In my experience people at the top are immensely popular. Who do you think is more likely to get his phone call returned: Intel Chairman Andy Grove or a homeless man? ... Here's a phrase that often makes people at funerals even more miserable than they already are. "God doesn't give you any more than you can handle." There's nothing worse than feeling guilty about going crazy. Al Franken from Oh, the Things I Know! A Guide to Success, or, Failing That, Happiness

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[about the tattoo on her wrist:] It says "Love and truth." I wanted to remind myself of the important things in life. Sometimes I forget, like we all do, and we get bummed out, and I just wanted something that would always be there to remind me. Alison Eastwood.... [Venice mag., Mar 2003]

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.. The Pathway: Follow the Road to Health and Happiness  by Laurel Mellin  [excerpts:] Self-nurturing is the skill of checking our feelings and needs throughout the day, so we know and honor ourselves and meet our needs more often.  Effective limits is the skill of having reasonable expectations and following through with them, so we can take action and have more power and greater safety in our lives.  When the two skills are woven together, it is much like implanting within ourselves a good parent who never leaves us. As a result, those who have mastered these two skills, more often than not, have a life of health and happiness. Unfortunately, those who have not mastered them, more often than not, do not.

The basics of these skills can be learned rather rapidly. In fact, most people can learn them just by reading this book, and by doing so, they will catch a glimpse of the effects they can have on their lives.  However, it is only when these two skills are used over and over again and integrated into the belly of our brains that a myriad of seemingly magical changes begin to occur. At that point, many people notice that the whole range of common excesses starts to fade and the full spectrum of life's sweetest rewards appears.  The most basic ideas of this method, that people should do a better job of nurturing themselves and setting limits with themselves and others, has been in the scientific literature since at least 1940.  These ideas are consistent with current understandings of developmental psychology, family systems theory, medical science, and brain research. About the Author - Laurel Mellin, M.A., R.D., is an associate clinical professor of family and community medicine and pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine. She is the director of the Institute for Health Solutions.

 
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Christopher Reeve opted out of becoming a member of Scientology because he was "skeptical" about its authenticity. The faith, founded by L. Ron Hubbard, has a huge following in the US, and is promoted vigorously by a number of Hollywood names including Tom Cruise and John Travolta.  But Reeve,, in his autobiography Nothing Is Impossible .. describes how he underwent "auditing" sessions during which he was quizzed about his past, drug history and forced to take part in a lie-detector test.  Reeve says he became so "skeptical" about the process he told a deliberate lie to the "e-meter" lie detector - and got away with it. An excerpt from the book, quoted on gossip site The Scoop, reads, "The fact that I got away with a blatant fabrication completely devalued my belief in the process." ...  Reeve's outburst has prompted Cultnews.Com - a website that campaigns against destructive and harmful religious organizations - to note, "It seems Scientology has more to learn from Superman than he ever could have taken in from its endless courses and 'auditing.'"  [imdb.com Celeb News 1.28.03]  / photo from Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation site

 
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The physical aspect of the character doesn't bother me, because I'm a tomboy and I've never been afraid to fight. On the other hand, this role demands a lot of psychological energy. Nikita lives in a turbulent universe, without friends or lover. She has no freedom, no outlet, no simple pleasures.  I do a lot of yoga to keep from going crazy when I play Nikita. After a day of filming, I also like to practice meditation to cleanse my spirit. Acupuncture and other forms of natural medicine also help me maintain my equilibrium. But the world of Nikita sometimes affects my private life by making me more demanding of those around me. Peta Wilson - about working on the series "Nikita" [Le Lundi April 14, 2001, posted on petawilson-online.com]

*related article: ....Warrior Women On Screen............some material on meditation on page: spirituality

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Steven Berglas said a history of success such as [athlete Michael] Jordan's... greatly heightens performance pressure with the expectation of meeting or surpassing previous achievements. ... According to Berglas' research, baby boomers are particularly vulnerable to "supernova burnout" Countless baby boomers are reacting to midlife and large amounts of disposable income with a shocked "Is that all there is?" And "Me Generation" teens who became wealth-obsessed yuppies in the 1980s are feeling emotionally bankrupt after having invested all of their energy in pursuit of material success. ... While there is no single cure for this type of career malaise, Berglas has developed one overarching recommendation: "Every professional can use his or her training or experience to redress a wrong and fight for a cause that inspires passion," he said  Steven Berglas, PhD is a lecturer at The Anderson School at UCLA, and a clinical psychologist and adjunct faculty member at Harvard Medical School [from UCLA press release May 16, 2001]  *book:*Reclaiming the Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout by Steven Berglas, PhD

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Feng Shui: This is trendy, I know, but I like it. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of arranging your living space in a way to encourage a healthy and productive life. I now have bamboo plants all around me, mirrors in key places, 2 water fountains, and a few wind chimes inside. I also rearranged some of the furniture in my place, according to Feng Shui.  (The form I practice is based on the book: Feng Shui Tips for a Better Life by David Daniel Kennedy) I couldn't explain how or why it works, or if it's just the psychological impact of taking control of your own living space with very specific goals in mind.. but I will tell you that I have noticed a positive difference in my life. And if nothing else, it inspired me to consider what my goals really are, and to focus on them in a new way. I guess I'm saying - I recommend it!   ****Danica McKellar****[quotes from her official site: celebrityblvd.com/danicamckellar]

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It's painfully easy, however, to lose one's way and begin, almost imperceptibly at first, to redefine success as stardom.  It happens frequently, says therapist Jennifer Berman, who draws 60% of her clientele from the entertainment industry.  Quite often, she tells many of them, in order to keep your footing, it is important to maintain "a sense of honesty about yourself and a sense of who you are." Playing the game is important, she stresses, but there is a way to walk the line.  "You have to be smart to survive," Berman says, and much of her job is to help her clients rethink their priorities, particularly in a business where success is a moving target. "You have to focus on the craft as opposed to the success or fame." ... It takes more than accomplishing a career goal to feel fulfilled," says Berman, "so I try to help people discover what it is they are really about."

.. .. Most important, stresses Berman, is not to make the industry -- and the pursuit of it -- the four walls, floor and ceiling of your world. "It's important to involve yourself in activities aside from screenings, premieres and parties. Make some friends outside of the industry. It's important to create a safe support system. Don't wrap your whole identity around it." from article: Hollywood Balancing Act  photo from doctorjenn.com

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