Why The HEADoc Blogs

Why do People  ?

The most appropriate answer to that question is probably the reply given by President Clinton when asked why he did what he did with "that woman." "Because I could," he replied to a probing reporter. I started posting almost 4 years ago because I could, and never really expected that many people would take interest in what I write. I really just needed a place to vent and explore and express my ideas from time to time. Other than my work, I have shown more commitment to this journal than any other project I've undertaken. My writing style is intentionally original and at times incorporates controversial ideas which on occasion may evoke emotional response from a commenter. I know my perspective on life is unique, mainly because of who I am and what I do for a living. When I feel passionately about something I will fight with everything I have to win the cause. Most people I associate with either love me or misunderstand me or may be in transition.

Validation of oneself is crucial but can be detrimental or meaningless if the validator is invalid. I think with my journaling I have sought validation, in a sense. There are other ways besides blogging to vent and to express oneself. So validation has been a source of motivating me to continue posting here. I was thrilled and in disbelief when Author Neale Donald Walsch actually read a few entries and used the word "intriguing" to describe his opinion. Last month Blog Burst and Reuters posted my In Treatment and Intervention article nationally in their entertainment section. Didn't get a lot of clicks but it did feel good to be accepted as a legitimate writer instead of just a novice. Sometimes the thrill of the chase is much more exciting than the capture. Strangely I feel less motivation than ever before to continue posting. I'm really not mad about much anymore. There were several personal crises over the past couple of years but they have only made me stronger and helped to clarify where to go from here.

At times I have tended to displace my frustrations on to politics. The Bush Administration made that quite convenient as an option. I think most people capable of critical unbiased thinking have seen for themselves how bad this President was for the country, in general. Due to the ending of an era I must redo my Satire Page. I think I'll focus less on politics, unless McCain wins the election in November.

I guess my reason for this post is to state that I will probably be making fewer posts in the future. I don't want to shut completely down at this time. I still have a lot of thoughts.

A Word On Stress

What if there were no stress?

There might then be no such thing as mental illness. People such as me would be out of work. I don't think I'd like living in a world with no stress at all, for our lives would become quite dull and lack excitement. I often wish that death didn't exist but then I remember that our reality is based entirely on the fact that an opposite is essential for anything to have value. Without bad, good could not exist. Without hot, there could be no such thing as cold. Without large, how could there be a such thing as small. So this world is meant to be transient. When we are aware that our time is finite, we should appreciate the opportunity to make the most of each day. I believe there is a place known as eternity and a thing known as infinity. I can't wrap my brain around the concept of either for I am contained within them both. Nothing is impossible within the realm of eternity and of infinity. If you can imagine it then it already exists. The minds of the greatest scientists have been blown by such thought.

The Big Bang Theory proposes that our rapidly expanding universe was birthed from the explosion of a singularity point of reference that was infinitely small. That means it was so small that it continues to get smaller forever. Imagine that! What happened before The Big Bang? Even Einstein is clue less on that one. When man became aware he had a conciousness he eventually gave birth to religion and to science. On the other side of the beginning of Creation or the Big Bang most of us believe God exists. Since God is believed to be the source of all. it is inherently impossible for us to escape our creator. Of all creatures on earth, only man is believed to have the ability to exercise a will that is completely free. Even the metaphorical Satan lacks this ability for he can do nothing that is sincerely good, despite a million disguises to appear good. Angels may do only what they are created to do. But man can cause the greatest pain and suffering for others or choose peace. love, and happiness. Free will is what gives real  meaning to such actions.

I began this entry because of thoughts I've had about the stressors faced by many of the patients seen over the past several days. Sometimes I'm given more credit than I deserve by patients for the understanding I seem to show involving the plight they may be facing at a given time. After doing this a few years a therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist develops an understanding of the most likely behavioral options for almost any person in a given situation. Humans respond emotionally to any stressful situation. There are only 4 basic emotions: happy, sad, fear, angry. Happiness is a derivative of Love. All other emotions are derived from the core emotion of Fear. If one can control a persons' fear then one pretty much has control of that person until they are no longer afraid. Fear usually trumps anger because fear will keep one alive much longer than anger alone. Sadness seems to exist basically to validate happiness or may be experienced in the absence of joy.

The human experience entails each of these emotions at the appropriate time and place. An emotional imbalance results in mental illness or mal adaptation. An emotional imbalance is precipitated by what is known as psychosocial stressors. There is actually a hierarchy of these stressors that was first proposed by Maslov or some other important Behavioralist. I do know that Maslov proposed the basic needs paradigm which essentially states that you won't get much done with treatment if your patient  lacks a source of food, clothing, shelter, and love. Even when the basics are met, certain life stressors challenge ones coping mechanisms. At the very top of the stress hierarchy is the death of a child. Patients I know who have survived this emotionally catastrophic event and put them self back together are exceptionally strong. They have passed the ultimate personal emotional test of enduring personal loss and pain. They have proven that whatever else befalls them in life can never hurt more than what this experience did for them. Second only to the loss of a child is the loss of a parent, sibling, or spouse. Further down the list are other major life stressors such as loss of health, loss of job/finances, relocating, and of course going through a divorce. Even pleasant events such as getting married or having a baby can tip the scales the wrong way at times.

Coping mechanisms are crucial in surviving the stressors of human life. Stress can be thought of as rain. How can one stay dry in a heavy down pour? Certainly not by trying to push the raindrops back up into the sky. Using an umbrella or other means of shelter is much more feasible. With stress we cannot always avoid it or hope it will not return for it is guaranteed in this life. The better coping skills one has developed or inherited, the better one copes when the storms of life start to rage. Sometimes healthy coping may exist simply of accepting help when it is offered. Or resisting the urge to withdraw in fear and isolation when those negative emotions try to take over. 

Another Saturday in the Park

The HEADoc took his newly purchased used chain saw from the A-1 Pawn Shop in Burlington to Siler City last Saturday searching for some physical action with nature.                                  

 Those poor trees and brush didn't stand a chance. On the third pull the starter cord broke loose and there were no tools to fix it with so The HEADoc had to go back to the old bush axe and the bow saw to resume his project to reclaim the land of his birth place from the over growth that rendered the place totally unrecognizable. The HEADoc complained of pains in the back and the legs and the hands after a couple of hours of this rigorous activity. His chest felt tight from the exertion and he breathed heavily but he knew his heart was strong and the fatigue was just a result of the sedentary lifestyle he had become accustomed to over the years of practicing his healing craft. He had become a stranger to the gym and the master of all procrastinators in his come back plan to recondition his once lean and hard body. Gone were the days of the gridiron, the full court hoops, and even the ball diamond. These were now replaced by the sofa, remote control and the keys used to enter this essentially useless information to be made available to your approving eyes.

 The HEADoc did enjoy wrestling with the trees, briars, and brush in a way that might cause an observer to maybe question his sanity and ask why a grown man would choose to spend his Saturday afternoon chopping and sawing on that poor helpless vegetation. The work was unbelievably strenuous and tedious and it would take many days of work at this pace before notable progress could be really appreciated by anyone other than The HEADoc. Yet he forged ahead on his quest to clear the land where he played as a child. To the outsider this patch of woods was just the forest next to Old Highway 421. To the HEADoc this was perhaps the most special place on earth because of the memories associated here.

The HEADoc was soon struck by a brilliant idea.   He would use one of the oldest forces of nature to assist him in clearing the growing pile of trees and brush which had become quite considerable in size. The HEADoc did not wish to make the Chatham News as the one who foolishly burned down half of the County so he checked the moisture level of the ground and saw that the recent heavy rains had made it improbable that a brush fire could get out of control. He summoned the memory of watching his uncle burn off overgrowth 40 plus years ago. Alas! The fire was started but there was little that would burn other that the small evergreens on the pile and the surrounding leaves. There was, however, smoke. Lots and lots of smoke. Smoke that could probably be seen for miles away. The HEADoc was unimpressed with the actual fire so for the sake of interest he allowed the leaves to burn on the surface of the ground. These flames moved fairly fast but burned out almost instantly after consuming the top layer of dry leaves. There were natural barriers on every side of the fire to limit the spread so the HEADoc was starting to relax and enjoy his pyromaniac adventure. The flames to him seemed to have a calming effect.

 Those familiar with The HEADoc know that he rarely shows much excitement. It takes a lot to rattle him. He finds most of today's news stories to be hyped up for ratings and designed to keep the public a bit frightened and needing to tune in for the next scare. The HEADoc is the ultimate skeptic. So the thought of wildfires shown to the public on the news never really crossed The HEADoc's mind in any serious way on this day. By the way, The HEADoc also hates cell phones, most of the time. Had the HEADoc been thinking on this particular Saturday he may have considered getting a burning permit but he apparently was not thinking that astutely and thought he might be able to enjoy his late afternoon flames uninterrupted. Not so! Some loyal motorist with a cell phone felt obligated to notify the local fire department of a horrendous forest fire out of control. Thus, the action begins. The sirens begin to sound off for miles around disrupting the blissful trance enjoyed by The HEADoc as he listens to the faint crackles of the burning leaves and admires the modest flames. The HEADoc felt as though there were two totally different worlds as the fire trucks arrived, one after another. He felt as though his party had been crashed as he witnessed the enormous hoses extinguish his soothing entertainment for the day. The HEADoc could not quite understand what all the excitement was about. In his mind he knew that the fire was under control. He began to feel a bit concerned when the fire chief told him he was burning the forest. That's when it dawned on The HEADoc that others were incapable of seeing what he envisioned. He saw himself reclaiming his home whereas others saw a reckless nut burning down the forest.

                                                

 In the HEADoc's defense, no laws were broken on this day since, fortunately, the state wide burning band had been lifted by Govenor Easley on the previous day. He was burning on his own property. The fire department could argue that The HEADoc lacked sufficient means to prove he could stop the fire from spreading beyond his control. The HEADoc of course disagrees and would have called the fire Dept himself if he had felt he needed them. In the future he will follow the foresters advise of giving a courtesy call to the fire Dept the next time he burns so they will know not to crash the party.