Quote:
Originally Posted by bluemountains
With all this discussion about cognition, I have a question. Have any of you heard of the ability to retrain our brains to have our serotonin neurotransmitters be more effective? My therapist tells me that there is research out there that we can retrain our brains to be more positive. I don't know much about the research, but I do know that those of us with either bipolar or despressive disorder brains have one or two neurotransmitters that are short instead of long, as they should be, hence the need for anti-depressants that provide serotonin.
Lots of science here, but I find it interesting that my therapist has shared her findings. She is a Harvard graduate, so I won't question her credentials. Meanwhile, I will be checking on this research.
I questioned the fact that my problems/differences or whatever you want to call them, appear to be hereditary since I have identified problems with both parents, but she says research proves improvement.
Now the how, I think that you are just supposed to practice positive thoughts...yes, this is the tough part!
I will keep exploring this in therapy, or maybe debunking this, but I'll let you know the outcomes.
Bluemountains
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I hadn't heard this. It is interesting.
Oddly, there is a Canadian study showing that "the power of positive thinking" doesn't work out for everyone. What they found out is that some people need to express that negativity, and thinking positively doesn't turn things around but makes them feel worse.
I wasn't able to find the original article, but here's a recent one that discusses it.
Trigger! Description of a recent suicide appears in this link.
Self-Help Suicides and the Danger of Positive Thinking - Businessweek
Either way, it would be interesting to see more research on the whole subject.