Blog has been re-located

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 :)

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 3^rd 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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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…