Wow, what an interesting article. Lots of good news, indeed. Thanks so much for sharing. Left me feeling optimistic.
In a late-stage trial of patients with moderate or severe post-traumatic stress disorder, close to 90% showed clinically significant improvements four months after three treatments with MDMA and more than 70% no longer met the criteria for having the disorder. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02565-4
I have a mild case caused by two toxic work environments right around the turn of the century. The second lead to a severe depressive episode. I have healed by writing about it. One of them I workshopped here. In the future they may serve as seeds for novels. The one that caused the major depression was teaching in the for-profit trade school industry. That would be a cautionary tale. Here is the spoiler. If a school advertises heavily on television they are guaranteed to have the best reputation money can buy. My conscience wouldn't allow me to participate in the predatory marketing.
Mental disorders are more deadly than physical disorders. Bipolar disorder linked to early death more than smoking Large study shows having bipolar disorder is associated with a four- to six-fold risk of dying prematurely, suggesting more preventive efforts needed.
Terror worms still alive today! Predator worms evolved over 500 million years. Thought extinct, these new-to-science animals have recently been rediscovered in Greenland. Once a foot-long, now about four inches long, they have been named Timorebestia, for “terror beasts.” Giant Predatory Worms Dating Back 518 Million Years Found In Greenland
An interesting article - but your bold headline is a bit over the top... They have only discovered fossils of Timorebestia - which are 'related' to modern day Arrowworms, that we've known about for ages. So there's no need to cancel your scuba diving trip to Greenland!
Is this the Canadian in me? I love the feel of crisp, cold, fresh air on my face in winter. It's so invigorating. (But my grandparents came from warm climes in Europe only a hundred years ago!) Big, fluffy white snowflakes falling. The sounds of silence and the feeling of peace. I know, I know, it's beautiful as long as you don't have to shovel, snowblow or drive in it. But there are definitely health benefits to being out in the snow! How Snowy Weather Benefits Our Mental Health
I love snow, especially when it's fresh. If it sticks around more than a few days my enjoyment diminishes. What I really love (visually) is when everything is coated with ice like some kind of fairytale kingdom. Though I don't like the heavy ice that breaks trees and brings down power lines. One thing I love about both snow and fallen leaves is the way they smooth over the small features of the ground and destroy boundaries. It's hard to tell where the sides of the road are, or the sidewalk. Everything is coated and smooth on top. One of the most fun things I ever did was ride my mountain bike over a hard crust of ice on top of a foot or so of snow. It turned all the yards into smooth rolling hills I could ride right over, and each driveway was just a smooth minor dip.
Are you a brain with a body? Or are you a body with a brain? I think you are a brain with a body. You can neglect your body, but you cannot neglect your brain. And how does your soul fit into all of this?
I personally am a brain with a body. Some people might consider themselves a body with a brain. The soul for me is a fear response and wishful thinking. When I get really scared that I might die I pray or occasionally I might pray if I am scared for a friend. Occasionally I wish that magic and stuff was real and I might look briefly in to ancient religions only to never follow through. The soul for me is simply something given to me due to my upbringing. I wish I could believe in souls full time and become a part of a community of faith, but I just don't. I actually study "Religious Studies" in college I have been so obsessed with religion throughout my life. It studies it from a secular POV not any faith or denominations POV and I really enjoy it so I guess you could say I am feeding my soul by feeding my brain if that makes sense. Anyways that's just my take on it.
You make perfect sense. But I think a person can believe in a soul without it having anything to do with religion. A person's soul is the immaterial part of them, and thoughts and feelings are immaterial, aren't they?
Fascinating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain#:~:text=The%20Boltzmann%20brain%20thought%20experiment,cosmologists%20think%20it%20actually%20did.
Turns out it was nine years: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/int/en/hunting/press-releases/ax-visio-beyond-seeing-08-01-2024
I think we're more a body with a brain. Neglecting the body usually amounts to neglecting the brain as well.
Maybe I should have used a different word than "neglecting." Let's take this from a different angle. Suppose a person is entirely physically disabled but their brain still functions fine. Are they still themselves? Conversely, if the body functions fine, but the brain does not function, are they still themselves?
If you're steering us towards the "brain in a vat" idea, yeah I think that's basically what we are. We are brains. The body can still live without a functioning brain with the aid of machines, but that isn't a person. That person is dead. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_in_a_vat
