Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  Patterns in Stories of Lasting Healing From Depression By  Jacob Z. Hess  · January 26, 2023 This is a longer post, but is very much worth reading! The following first appeared  on Public Square Magazine .  What can we learn from people who find sustainable healing from depression?  This has been a question burning under my fingernails ever since learning about a remarkable researcher named Kelly Turner. Dr. Kelly Turner noticed  something usual in her early studies at the University of California at Berkeley. Across the 1,000+ cases of “spontaneous” or “radical” remission from cancer (where someone heals in a statistically unlikely way after conventional medicine has failed), very few questions were asked of the survivors themselves. So, she set about doing just that—conducting interviews with initially just 20 people and ultimately gathering many hundreds of stories all around the world. Her findings are summarized in the bestseller,  Rad...

This article can apply in so many ways in our lives!  Very wise!  This appeared in LDS Living. Latter-day Saint Psychologist: One Often-Misunderstood New Testament Scripture That Can Help You Be Less Anxious by Dr. David T. Morgan  | Mar. 02, 2019 Makes You Think I have often struggled with anxiety. To some, it might seem a little strange that a psychologist would have mental health challenges, like knowing a cardiologist who has heart disease. Regardless, my base nature is to worry. It has been a source of distress for many years but has also been an opportunity for growth and insight. One of my ongoing stressors has been concerns for the future. I find myself worried about our children, our finances, our livelihood—just about anything that is not within my direct control. Fortunately, my wife has great faith, and her steadiness usually counteracts my panic. Yet even then, I often get overly worri...

How We Can Dispel Mental Illness Myths + The Story Behind the "Mental Health Hymn" by Jane Clayson Johnson, excerpted from "Silent Souls Weeping: Depression—Sharing Stories, Finding Hope"  | Jan. 11, 2019 Makes You Think This story originally appeared in the  January/February 2019 issue  of  LDS Living  magazine . Abraham Lincoln, arguably one of the most influential men of the 19th century, experienced several documented periods of deep depression. At one point, he wrote to a friend: “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell; I awfully forbode I shall not.  To remain as I am is impossible.”  I can’t think of a better way to describe how I felt during the worst of my own depression. Thankfully, I no longer feel this way. But I understand—the experience of de...

This photo of Wayne doesn't go with the article, but I really like it.  This was when he was writing his memoirs for our life story book.  He found the cap from the "Gripsholm", the ship he sailed in to and from Sweden for his mission there in 1950-1953.  Also, Jasper, sitting in the chair, is what Wayne found at a yard sale once, and he loved to put him out on St. Patrick's Day.   13 Different Ways to Practice Mindfulness – And the Difference it Can Make Posted by  Karen - Hey Sigmund What if there was something that could give you a stronger, healthier brain, lower your stress, help protect you against anxiety and depression, give you a better sleep, and improve your mood – all without any side effects except a happier, healthier, calmer version of you? What if science could back it up its restorative, protective, healing powers with countless research studies? And what if this remarkable, restorative gem was in your hand...