Brain & Moral Injury

Reportedly, the term “moral injury” was first used in the context of members of the armed services to describe individual responses to a person’s actions in a war situation. The concept of moral injury includes psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of trauma. Moral injury among combat veterans tends to be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. An individual signs up for the military believing in the purpose and then finds out that the purpose is actually different from what he or she believed. This can result in a sense of moral injury due to a sense of betrayal. Individuals who have seen and experienced death, destruction, and violence and/or who have had their beliefs shattered (e.g., sanctity of life, safety, love, health, peace) can also suffer moral injury. It can also be experienced by those who have been transgressed against (e.g., whistle-blowers who identify something they believe is unconscionable and then who are retaliated against). Identification of moral injury begins in the brain.

Spontaneous Remission, 2

According to Bernie Siegel, most patients who, instead of dying as predicted, get well—view their illness or disease as a wake-up call. The wake-up call prompts them to think carefully about how they are living, about a Longevity Lifestyle, if you will. They tend to change how they have viewed life, how they have lived life to date, and make major alterations in what they think, talk about, eat and drink, and how they feel, who they hang out with, and how their spend their time. Human beings (especially younger human beings) often perceive that “it won’t happen to me,” or “I’m different and exempt from what happens to other people.” The changes people make in their lifestyle when they almost die with a severe illness or disease, tend to begin with the realization that they are NOT exempt from the laws of nature, from the consequences of their own choices. Amazingly, the human body is quite resilient and making immediate different choices can lead to improved health and wellbeing—and sometimes to spontaneous remission. 

Spontaneous Remission

Some healthcare professionals have projected how long a specific patient will live based, of course, on large sample studies of relevant data. Some patients die as predicted; some die sooner than predicted; and some out-live the predictions by years and years. What makes the difference? Apparently the patient’s own belief about what will happen. Caryle Hirshberg and Marc Barash, researchers at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, reportedly assembled the largest database on spontaneous remission in the world. One would think many publishers would be excited to publish their book entitles Remarkable Recovery: What Extraordinary Healings Tell Us About Getting Well and Staying Well. Not so. They reported that it took them several years to find a publisher willing to publish their book. Hmmm.

Health, Longevity, and Belief

In his book The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things, Larry Dossey, MD wrote that you cannot escape the power and influence of your beliefs. Pay attention to them because they can make the difference between life and death, health and illness. No doubt you have heard of spontaneous remission. According to the Psychology Dictionary, spontaneous remission refer to the reduction or disappearance of symptoms without any apparent therapeutic intervention. Dr. Al Seibert talks about this in his book The Survivor Personality, as well. In fact, there is an entire chapter devoted to “Self-Managed Healing.” So does Bernie Siegal in his book Love, Medicine, and Miracles. The bottom line appears to be that what an individual believes often happens. I recall a wise mentor saying that people rarely receive what they “deserve,” in life; they often get what they “expect.’ What do you believe about health and longevity? What do you expect? It matters!

Drinking Hot Water

Studies are showing some benefits of drinking very warm or hot water containing a tablespoon or two of lemon juice first thing in the morning. These potential benefits include:

•      Boots up metabolism and increases the rate at which the body burns calories 
•        Dissolves phlegm and helps clear nasal congestion 
•        Soothes abdominal muscles 
•        Helps flush waste from the body 
•        Aids cellular repair that can improve skin elasticity 
•        Flushes toxins out through pores in the skin 
•        Activates receptors found in the stomach, esophagus, intestines,         and mouth that stimulate Brain Reward System 
•        Helps break down fat deposits in the body and blood stream

Ice Water and the Brain

Information has been released related to drinking very cold or ice water and potential problems that can cause. Ice cubes are often not a clean as one would wish, some having been found to contain bacteria and fungi in restaurants as well as in homes. Various reports connect drinking ice water with:

·       Increased risk of a headache (more common in females) and a potential link with migraines

·       Increased risk of a sore throat

·       Increased expenditure of energy as the body’s core temperature needs to be raised to the average of 98.6 F or 37 C.

(www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11442559

DID and the Brain, 5

DID is fairly rare but estimates may be inaccurate as this condition or phenomena is often misdiagnosed. The Calvin A. Ross Institute for Psychological Trauma has estimated that perhaps 3 million individuals suffer from DID in the USA. A DID specialist has explained a way to better understand the development of the different identities or alters. Think of them as compartments (cabinets, drawers) that the mind forms to create a type of mental insulation. These compartments are designed to isolate the traumatic experiences within the individual person’s mind where they are not easily accessible. Some think the compartmentalization is also trying to keep the healthier part of the person separate (day by day) from all the trauma. One of the benefits of therapy is helping individuals admit that what happened to them was indeed abuse (that for many had never been reported much less acknowledged) and deal with the fear that has been many times a constant companion. Fortunately, much can been done to make life better for individuals diagnosed with DID.