We all heard the sad news this past weekend that Pastor Rick Warren’s (of Purpose-Driven Life fame) youngest son, Matthew (27) committed suicide after a lifelong struggle with mental illness. Times like this can be very difficult for people with serious depression and those who love them. The depressed patient can begin to worry, “What if my mind runs away with me? What if I lose control?” Likewise the loved ones of a depressed patient can worry, “What if... Read more
I have to admit that even I didn’t see this coming. As you read this, try to remember that homosexual couples aren’t infertile. It is simply physically impossible for them to procreate. But if gay marriage is, in fact, equal to marriage, then this is the kind of thing that no one will be able to stop. Should health insurers be legally required to offer infertility treatment for gay couples? Yes, according to a bill (AB 460) filed in the... Read more
(H/T PsychCentral) “It’s pretty well-established that marriage is associated with weight gain, and divorce is associated with weight loss,” said Dr. Andrea Meltzer, assistant professor of psychology. “But the extent to which satisfaction plays a role hasn’t been examined until now.” The outcome of the study, found in the journal Health Psychology, was uncertain from the start. Prior research has found that satisfying relationships are actually helpful in promoting good health practices. But Meltzer notes that those studies focused more... Read more
But here you go. Do you remember this and this? Now there’s this… Provocative new animal research suggests that the ability to manage stress is not genetically hardwired into our brain. Rather the brain learns from early experiences and develops pathways that prepare the brain for future challenges. Using a number of cutting-edge approaches, including optogenetics, researchers at Canada’s University of Calgary discovered that stress circuits in the brain undergo profound learning early in life. Stress circuits consist of the... Read more
When it comes to parenting, I see a lot of Catholic moms and dads falling back on, “Everybody has to do what works for them. We all just have to do what works best for us.” Of course this is true on a certain level. All we can do is our best. But that begs the question, “What does doing our best as Catholic parents really require? What does ‘doing our best’ mean?” Does it mean, “do what comes naturally?” Does it mean,... Read more
As I mentioned below, my post on sleep training netted some deeply anguished and angry responses, most of which I didn’t post because while I’m happy to permit critical comments, I tend not to publish comments I think you’ll regret when you calm down. One commenter welcomed me, tongue-in-cheek, to the Mommy Wars. Of course, I’ve reluctantly been on the front lines of the Mommy Wars for over a decade now, since Parenting with Grace (the first and only book... Read more
My post on sleep training, learned helplessness and the TOB predictably netted a lot of comments. Many of those comments were not posted because they did not reflect well on the correspondent and I feel strongly that it is my job to protect people’s dignity. I’m happy to publish criticisms, but I won’t post something that I think you’ll regret when you calm down. But some comments were stellar. One exchange I had with Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann was, I felt,... Read more
Thurs on More2Life–The Grapes of Wrath: In light of the recent firing of a Rutgers coach for abusive behavior toward his players, we’re reflecting on anger. We’ll look at those times anger goes too far and how to respond more effectively both to your own anger and the angry outbursts of others. Call in from Noon-1pm Eastern (11-Noon C) at 877-573-7825 and we’ll explore more effective ways to deal with anger, and the angry people in your life. Don’t forget... Read more
The Theology of the Body teaches us that the body has an innate self-donative meaning. That is; we are, literally, wired for love and connection, and that God’s plan for relationships can be discerned by prayerfully contemplating the bodies God gave us. Science is actually backing this claim up, and is giving us some important insights into what–given this mindset–is God’s intention not only for adult pair bonding (i.e., marriage and sex) but parent-child bonding as well. This line of... Read more
Faith on the Couch
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