Conversion Disorder Myths

I remember years ago when I went through this condition in 1991.  I had no idea what was going on and in the early days, the doctors didn't understand either.  It wasn't until a brave neurologist suspected Conversion Disorder or that my life had experienced so much, that things began to look up.

It would be some time before I realized that "Conversion Disorder" was the condition I had.  In those days, there was no internet to look things up and so instead of focusing on what "Conversion Disorder" was by definition, my doctors started helping me integrate myself back into life and reclaim all my physical and mental abilities that I could.

Even in the early days, I had no clue what was behind what had happened to me.  In fact, the details that came into view later, did not fully form until a good year after I was paralyzed.  Yes, I knew I had experienced a lot of "stress" in life, but I did not realize that this stress was much more involved then I knew in the moment.

Minimizing what I had been through which I believe is a very strong trait of those who suffer with Conversion Disorder, kept me from seeing the whole picture.  I mean, if it would have come into plain view at that moment, I doubt I could have kept myself alive.  I'm not going into details here.  You can read more about that in my book.

There are many myths that people are told which are nothing more than myths in my view.  There are many in the healing world that believe these myths.  These myths hold people back when trying to heal from Conversion Disorder.

As a way to begin helping others find their way back, I've written about Conversion Disorder on another website called Somatosync.  There is one article I published recently, called "10 Myths Of Conversion Disorder" that you can check out.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


032716

Neuroscience In The News On Feb 29

These are articles that I found of interest relating to news about Neuroscience.  In this issue, I have highlighted articles about all-nighters and negative consequences, some of the neuroscience myths that are debunked and a glowing red tool to help in brain mapping.

Please check out the article links below and feel free to comment with other information related to these subjects.  I enjoy learning as much as I can about the brain and passing this information on to everyone else that shares these passions.

This is for the week beginning February 29, 2016.

Please come back each week and hopefully I will have some more highlights.  Feel free to share with me ones that you have found and I may highlight those as well.

Feel free to check out the highlighted articles from February 22, 2016

All-Nighters Have Negative Consequences

Dr. Lydic explained that it was only recently that the great power of sleep to alter human physiology and biology was understood.

"You need sleep,” Lydic said. “Without sleep, you die.”

Sleep disorders, Lydic said, have high comorbidity with other diseases and disorders. He listed diabetes, stroke, anxiety, hypertension and other disorders as conditions whose likelihood increases with the presence of a sleep disorder.

Article Link:

• Study Proves All-Nighters Can Have Negative Consequences
• Dr. Ralph Lydic, University Of Tennessee

Four Neuromyths Debunked

Many “neuromyths” are rampant in our classrooms, and research suggests that people are often seduced by neuroscientific explanations, even if these are not accurate or even relevant. Research also shows that explanations accompanied by images of the brain also persuade people to believe in their validity, however random the illustration.

Article Link:

• Four Neuromyths That Are Still Prevalent In Schools - Debunked
• By Bradley Busch, Psychologist

Glowing Red Tool For Brain Mapping

University of Alberta chemists have built a molecule that will shed new light on brain disease research — red, flashing light, specifically.

Combining proteins from red-glowing coral and the sac-like sea squirt, PhD student Ahmed Abdelfattah constructed a new tool called FlicR1 for scientists to see messages move through brain tissue.

Article Link:

• Chemists Build Glowing Red Tool For Brain Mapping
• University Of Alberta, PhD Student - Ahmed Abdelfattah