Hello all! I have moved this blog from Blogspot onto Wordpress. I found that WordPress has much more to offer in ways that are more beneficial for my blogging. All my old content (and more) can be found at: psychologywithfrobex.wordpress.com
Hope you all enjoy :)
Psychology with Frobex
"Physiology and Psychology cover, between them, the field of vital phenomena; they deal with the facts of life at large, and in particular with the facts of human life"
Wilhelm Wundt
Saturday, 5 September 2015
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Reading, and why I think it’s important
When I was younger I
remember always wanting to read, however wanting something and actually
doing
it can be two very different things. The idea of getting lost in a book always
fascinated me, although I was never as passionate about it as I wanted. I
would always get distracted by going out with friends or playing video games;
when younger, understandably, the two latter options were always considered
more important. I found the only time I was really motivated to read was after
watching the film Matilda, and no doubt that was because I was under the
illusion that superpowers proceed hours of vigorous reading. To this day I kick
myself because I think “imagine how much more you would know now if you had
taken the time as a child to really get into reading”…
I suppose the term “better late than never” is
an appropriate phrase for my current situation.
So, many years down the
line and many life lessons later I have made it my mission to fit a
considerable amount of reading into my lifestyle. I have always had a thirst
for knowledge, however for some reason it took me a year at university to
realise that this thirst can be quenched with the millions of books available
at my disposal via; bookshops, charity shops, kindle, libraries, and the
internet. Now going into my 3rd academic year and many book
purchases later, I am so much more informed about the world around us, I feel I
am more comfortable when participating in intellectual conversations (it is
nice to have something to talk about that is not just psychology based, because
not everyone studies it), and my mind has been open to the benefits of
vicariously learning through the experiences and knowledge of others.
Reading as a whole is
obviously very important, although my preference of book is predominantly fact
over fiction. I do like to read a fictitious novel parallel to a book that I
can gain real world knowledge from, but it is not my primary focus. Much
enjoyment can come from losing myself in a story but I do not feel that it can
provide me with any knowledge based advantages (that is not to say that they
don’t, no doubt one’s literacy can increase as a result, however that among
other things can be learnt when reading factually accurate books). And from
personal experience I think reading in general is a greatly un-appreciated form
of learning. For the sake of spending £5 in a charity bookshop you can learn
some of the most amazing things. It helps to put many things into perspective,
not only do I feel like it increases intellect but I think that it can help you
become a more rounded person as a result.
I can understand that to
some people reading can seem boring, but if you look at the big picture reading
is more advantageous than it is a waste of time. For what reason are we even on
this planet if it isn’t to learn? (and reproduce but that is beside the point).
And for those people that claim to have no time, you will be surprised how much
you can read in 30 minutes. I work on weekends, go to university 5 times a week
and train martial arts 4 evenings of the week. If I can find time I am sure you
can, it is just a matter of prioritising.
I am not belittling or
trying to negatively portray those that don’t read. It is completely your
decision, learning can come from many areas of life besides reading. I just
wanted to explain some of the added benefits reading can produce and how
interesting/inspiring it can really be. Throughout this post I have probably
painted myself as someone who spends all their spare time hunched over in a
quiet room reading a book. This is only partly true :) I do enjoy a social life and also make time for other hobbies too, which proves
that as long as you prioritise, you can still fit things such as reading in.
For anyone that has read
this until the end, I thank you and wish you all the best.
Au revoir until my next
post :)
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Sunday, 26 July 2015
The book that completely changed my way of thinking
There comes a time when something
unexpected occurs, and these unexpected occurrences can manifest some pretty
amazing results. It all started about a month ago when I decided to have a
browse in an Oxfam charity book shop (a nice cheap alternative to the modern
day book giant, Waterstones), my venture into its misty shelves usually begins
by choosing a genre or theme, picking a book, and then sporadically picking
another contrasting theme. This way I get a nice variety of books to read. Once
I had chosen my material and went to the checkout, a book in a small academia
section caught my eye, blue and white in colouring and particularly thick in
width, this intrigued me, causing me to have a closer look. At first I assumed
that it was going to be some outdated compulsory textbook donated from an
educational institution. However I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it was
called “The Placebo” by a gentleman named Dr Joe Dispenza. So I decided to go out
on a limb and buy it to fulfill my curiosity – for £3.99 I could not have gone
wrong. Little did I know that this book was going to completely alter the way I
think on a day to day basis…
The book contains so much information
that it would be too time consuming to reiterate it through this blog, however
anyone with an academic curiosity and an open mind I highly suggest you buy
this book. It can be purchased on Amazon for under £10, which trust me when I
say is a worthwhile investment.
The book comes from the perspective
of the author who guides the reader through an extraordinary insight into the
brain’s far reaching capabilities. Dr Dispenza was motivated by an accident
that he was involved in when he was hit by a car while participating in a
triathlon. The accident caused much internal and external damage, severely
compromising his spine causing a serious reduction in mobility. Doctors advised
him to have an operation for the “possibility” of a potential recovery,
although even if it had worked it was not guaranteed to restore his previous
quality of life. Being presented with this news Dr Dispenza was understandably
devastated but in light of everything refused the operation. Instead he decided
to practice meditation, which caused for him to enter a state of consciousness
that made contact with the autonomic nervous system (which is in charge of
everything that we have no control over such as breathing, digestion, healing
etc.). Now it is fair to say that this skill did not immediately manifest
itself, it took him a very long time to enter a stage of meditation where the
external environment is blocked out and your sensory perceptions are heightened,
causing your perception to be nothing but a mere entity. After much time and
effort he finally succeeded and within a year after the accident he had healed
his body to the point where he had almost all functionality and mobility again,
even after the doctors told him he would be disabled for the rest of his life!
I understand that such a thing can be
quite difficult to believe (which is exactly how I felt when I began to read
it), however perseverance paid off because there are many more incredible
stories of people tapping into their brains being taught the same methods, all
of which are backed up with savvy scientific evidence. The author’s
explanations are so clear and concise and easily understood for both the
scientist and lay man, and I can honestly not give this man enough credit for
the work put into this book, he opens your eyes to the power of the mind… he
illustrates the power the placebo can truly have on the mind.
Once I finished reading I found
myself wondering why on earth this kind of information is not in the
mainstream; why it’s not taught in schools, doctors, practices, clinics etc.
I feel like this kind of book should be in every household, because if it was
the world would be a much nicer place to live in. But unfortunately due to the
amount of profit made by the government and pharmaceutical companies – always
ready to pump the public with as many drugs as possible, information like this
will always have to be specifically sought after.
Like I mentioned before, I am nowhere
near giving this book the justice it deserves. However if you have made it to
the end of this blog post then I plead you to order the book; it could
potentially be one of the best things you could do…
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