Peace Poetry & Brain Health Exercises Daily Words

Empathy, Found Haiku in Human/Kind Journal

3/2/2019

am pleased to announce one of my poems is featured in the Human/Kind Journal Issue 1.3 https://www.humankindjournal.org

Kimberly Burnham's Contributor's page
https://www.humankindjournal.org/contrib_kimberly-burnham/issue-13-kimberly-burnham

Contributors:
Stacey Balkun
Dainy Bernstein
Adam T. Bogar
Kimberly Burnham
Norman Darlington
Terri L. French
Mark Gilbert
John Hawkhead
David J Kelly
J.I. Kleinberg
John C. Mannone
Callie McCann-Eros
Babs McGrory
Marianne Paul
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Rich Schilling
Debbie Strange
Bill Waters

This is a poem from the same series as the one accepted:

Empathy Haiku, a Found Poem

strengths and weaknesses
sharing internal states, brain,
social behavior

From the Nature Neuroscience Abstract: "The last decade has witnessed enormous growth in the neuroscience of empathy. Here, we survey research in this domain with an eye toward evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. First, we take stock of the notable progress made by early research in characterizing the neural systems supporting two empathic sub-processes: sharing others' internal states and explicitly considering those states. Second, we describe methodological and conceptual pitfalls into which this work has sometimes fallen, which can limit its validity. These include the use of relatively artificial stimuli that differ qualitatively from the social cues people typically encounter and a lack of focus on the relationship between brain activity and social behavior. Finally, we describe current research trends that are overcoming these pitfalls through simple but important adjustments in focus, and the future promise of empathy research if these trends continue and expand. - Zaki, J. and K. N. Ochsner (2012). "The neuroscience of empathy: progress, pitfalls and promise." Nat Neurosci 15(5): 675-680.

#haiku #haibun #tanka #cherita #art #photography #senryu #haiga #shahai
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The Poets Involved in This Project

Akane, Mike Andrelczyk, Stacey Balkun, Dainy Bernstein, Jan Benson, Adam T. Bogar, Dave Bonta, Stephen Briseño, Morwen Brosschot, Kimberly Burnham, Sondra J. Byrnes, Erin Castaldi, Norman Darlington, Chris Dominiczak, Jacob Fowler, Terri L. French, Joshua Gage, Mary Ellen Gambutti, Mark Gilbert, John Hawkhead, Tia Haynes, David He, Kyle Hemmings, Peter Jastermsky, David J Kelly, Nicholas Klacsanzky,
J.I. Kleinberg, Deborah P Kolodji, Kat Lehmann, Eric A. Lohman, Antonietta Losito, Carole MacRury, John C. Mannone, Callie McCann-Eros, Marietta McGregor, Babs McGrory, Lori A Minor, Gautam Nadkarni, Kit Pancoast Nagamura, Ashish Narain, Réka Nyitrai, Laura Page, Marianne Paul, Madhuri Pillai, Valentina Ranaldi-Adams, Bryan Rickert, Alexis Rotella, Agnes Eva Savich, Rich Schilling, Olivier Schopfer, Tiffany Shaw-Diaz, Sheila Sondik, Debbie Strange, Alan Summers, Rachel Sutcliffe, Hansha Teki, Julie Warther, Bill Waters, Lucy Whitehead, Matthew Yates

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TimeSlips and the Alzheimer's Poetry Project

12/5/2018

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"This paper is a humanities-based inquiry, applying Huizinga's framework of homo ludens ("man the player") to consider "play" in the context of two participatory arts programs (TimeSlips and the Alzheimer's Poetry Project) for people living with dementia. "Play," according to this Dutch historian, is at the heart of human activity and what gives meaning to life. Despite empirical research on play across the life course, play in dementia care is a relatively new idea. In addition, there is a dearth of reports based on humanistic inquiry which has slightly different goals than the growing body of qualitative and quantitative studies of participatory arts interventions. Play is not used to infantilize and trivialize people living with dementia but as a way to explore potential for expression, meaning-making, and relationship-building in later life. The arts programs were conducted at two residential care facilities, Scharwyerveld and De Beyart, in the Netherlands over 10 weeks. Close readings of the transcripts and notes from the programs resulted in three observations: people learned to play again, there is power in playing together, and play often led to expressions of joy. Overall, the notion of play may be a helpful framework for future research into innovative arts-based approaches to dementia care." - Swinnen, A. and K. de Medeiros (2018). ""Play" and People Living With Dementia: A Humanities-Based Inquiry of TimeSlips and the Alzheimer's Poetry Project." Gerontologist 58(2): 261-269. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28329857

More Memory Exercises, Puzzles, Language Games

A Piece of Peace

Absence of war or other hostilities.
considered as a unit or an element of a larger thing, quantity, or class; a portion: a piece of string

An agreement or a treaty to end hostilities
A coin a ten-cent piece

Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations: roommates living in peace with each other.
A portion or part that has been separated from a whole: a piece of cake.

Public security and order the peace.
an object that is one member of a group or class: a piece of furniture.

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A Happy New Year the Neurotheology of Dopamine

1/10/2016

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Originally Posted in Our Community of Humanity at Inner Child Magazine

A Happy New Year the Neurotheology of Dopamine

This year eat, sleep, move your body, meditate, sing, love and if you can do it in community even better.

According to Kenneth Blum et al (2015) “Finding happiness may not only reside in our genome [genetic material or genes] but may indeed be impacted by positive meditative practices, positive psychology, spiritual acceptance, love of others and self, and taking inventory of ourselves-one day at a time.”

Happiness

Will the new year be happier for you?

Do you have a meditative practice that also involves movements, like Qigong, Taichi, breathing exercises, yoga, chanting, running, etc.

Do you seek to bring new awareness to your psychological state and how you feel?

Do you practice love of self and others?

In the 2015 article entitled, "The Molecular Neurobiology of Twelve Steps Program & Fellowship: Connecting the Dots for Recovery," in the Journal of Reward Deficit Syndrome 1(1): 46-64, Blum and his colleagues outline each step of the Twelve Step Recovery Program in terms of what is happening in the brain and how dopamine (pleasure and anti-stress brain chemical) is involved.

Dopamine

The researchers note, "A breakdown of this Brain Reward Cascade will lead to the dysregulation and dysfunction of dopamine homeostasis [balance]. Dopamine has been established as the pleasure and antistress molecule. Any reduction in dopamine function can result in a deficiency in reward that leads to substance seeking behavior [addictions]."

While the article focuses on people with significant addictions who are trying to recovery, there are some lessons for all of us in how we seek community and how we look for rewards and support in our lives.

Neurotheology

First, let's consider these questions:

How can we use the sensations we experience in the world and our beliefs about our surroundings to feel better and help our communities function better?

How can we bring more awareness to our lives and see the path forward more clearly?

This is really at the core of the neurotheology or the spiritual neuroscience of brain health and dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter or a small molecule that is produced in the brain and helps nerve signals travel from one place to another. It also helps us feel good, feel rewarded, and move comfortably.

In a simplistic way, Parkinson's disease, with its tremors, tight muscles, chronic back pain can be described as not enough dopamine, as is also true of some people with significant addictions. At the opposite end of the spectrum, schizophrenia with it hallucinations and breaks with reality can be described as too much dopamine.

Brain Cross Talk and Well Being

The researchers continued, "There is evidence that through the 12-step program and fellowship cross-talk [communication] between the Pre-Frontal Cortex-Cingulate (site of decision-making) and the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) (site of craving behavior) is developed.

The site of the brain where one experiences feelings of well-being is called the Mesolimbic System and has been termed the reward center. The reward center is where chemical messages, including dopamine (DA), serotonin, enkephalins, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), work together, to provide a net release of dopamine in the Nucleus Accumbens. "

AntiStress

"Dopamine, as stated earlier, has been associated with pleasure and is the primary neurotransmitter modulating the activation of the reward system of the brain. It has been called the anti-stress molecule and the pleasure molecule. When dopamine is released receptors are stimulated and feelings of well-being and stress reduction increase."

Food, Sex, & Exploration

"Drugs of abuse are considered to be stronger positive reinforcers than natural reinforcers (like food and sex). Natural rewards include satisfaction of physiological drives (like hunger and reproduction and exploratory locomotion), and unnatural rewards are learned and involve satisfaction of acquired drives. Acquired drives involve hedonic sensations and pleasure derived from alcohol, other drugs, as well as, from gambling and other risk-taking behaviors."

When an individual is trying to make up for not enough dopamine they may use drugs and other non-natural rewards. Think about your practices around food and sex. Do you feel like you have a healthy relationship to both? Are you stimulating the brain reward centers naturally?

Is Chocolate the Answer?

Certainly chocolate and salty grease foods can be satisfying for a short period of time but when was the last time you ate delicious healthy food prepared with love that brought you pleasure and a deep sense of satisfaction?

Move Your Body

"Exploratory locomotion" is the third natural reward. How often do you move as you explore your environment? Many of us drive cars and are moving in space as we see new sights but our bodies are not moving. This research implies that we have a physiological drive to move our bodies and explore new things in our environment. And that our brain rewards this "exploratory locomotion" with a better balance of dopamine and a strong sense of satisfaction.

Other research indicates that consciously long walking or taking long steps can also enhance the balance of dopamine in the body. One of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (too little dopamine) is the development of a shuffling gait or walking with short steps. One way to counteract this and improve walking, balance, and muscle relaxation is to consciously take long steps.

Music

"The reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse such as cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, food, and music are mediated in the NAc, a site within the ventral striatum. Indeed, it is believed that this structure directs motivated behaviors, elicited by natural rewards or incentive stimuli."

In what ways do you involve music in your life? Do you sing to or listen to music in a community setting? Does performing or listening to music bring you pleasure and satisfaction?

Meditation

"Other work by Davidson’s group on mindfulness reveals the importance of mediation in terms of brain activation of the reward circuitry. Understanding this could suggest that meditation coupled with enhance spiritual belief may indeed induce dopamine release" and a happier new year.

https://www.nervewhisperer.solutions/peace/category/community-of-humanity-blog

http://www.innerchildmagazine.com/the-community-of-humanity.php

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Empathy, Found Haiku in Human/Kind Journal

TimeSlips and the Alzheimer's Poetry Project

A Happy New Year the Neurotheology of Dopamine

Now Available: Awakenings

(Integrative Medicine)
Poet & Brain Health Expert

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Categories

Empathy, Found Haiku in Human/Kind Journal

TimeSlips and the Alzheimer's Poetry Project

A Happy New Year the Neurotheology of Dopamine

Now Available: Awakenings

(Integrative Medicine)​Poet & ​Brain Health Expert

Archives

Categories

(Integrative Medicine)
Poet & Brain Health Expert