Suggested Reading and Links

www.psychealth.com - a website with many good articles on a variety of topics.

www.mjacksongroup.ca - I have worked with M Jackson Group and recommend them especially if your are on Vancouver Island or outside Vancouver city limits.

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For problems with depression

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Dr. Martin Seligman, Pocket Books, NY, 1998.

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About honesty and successful communication in relationships

The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships by Mike P. Nichols, Ph.D., Guilford Press, NY, 1995

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For those who are experiencing problems, whether medical, psychological or legal, after a motor vehicle accident, The Auto Accident Survivor's Guide for British Columbia: Navigating the Medical - Legal - Insurance System, by Jill Franklin is recommended. Stone Mountain Books, 2005. This book explains all you need to know.

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For persons suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Whether you are a victim of crime, of rape or sexual assault, of domestic violence or sexual abuse, whether you have been traumatized by the suicide/death of a loved one, a vehicular accident or war, a highly recommended book is I Can't Get Over It: A Handbook for Trauma Survivors, Second Edition, by Aphrodite Matsakis, Ph.D. Oakland: New Harbinger Press, 1996.

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Are you a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP?)

Psychologist Elaine Aron, Ph.D., has published research articles and books on a type of person who, as she puts it, has a “highly sensitive” temperament or nervous system. Such persons are not only sensitive emotionally, but are easily bothered by abrasive stimuli as loud noises, bright lights, having too much going on in their lives, or by violent films. HSPs are typically but not always introverts, and are usually quite thoughtful. But they continually have to regulate and moderate their lives, to limit the amount of stimulation they are facing. Too much excitement, whether it brings good or bad feelings, gets them feeling overstimulated and uncomfortable.

Such people tend to need a lot of downtime in quiet places to soothe their nerves. As you can imagine, or as you may know if you are an HSP, this frequent need can complicate life. HSPs may end up feeling like they miss out on a lot in life because there are so many activities—like going to loud nightclubs, river rafting, or dealing effectively with conflict—that they tend to avoid.

Dr. Aron’s research is convincing and rooted in physiological as well as psychological studies of personality. Moreover, she believes that between 15 and 20 per cent of the population are HSPs! She has published a number of self help books that can help you understand whether this profile fits you, that can help you feel good about being HSP if the profile fits you, and that discuss how to make the most of life in spite of the sensitivity. These recommended books include The Highly Sensitive Person, The Highly Sensitive Person’s Workbook, The Highly Sensitive Person in Love, and The Highly Sensitive Child.

To take a quick self test to find out if you are Highly Sensitive, go to www.hsperson.com.

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Myers Briggs

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is another psychological questionnaire that looks at temperament, meaning personality traits that are pretty entrenched and longlasting in a person’s character, and that have a whole lot to do with how a person functions in the world, how he or she perceives people, how he or she gets things done. This is not the kind of psychological test which diagnoses mental health disorders; it fits you into one of 16 types, with every “type” of person being just as valuable as the others.

Like any personality test, it has limitations and does not dispense ultimate gospel, but it can nevertheless reveal a lot about a person, and if you were to come for counseling, knowing your “type” would be helpful to me and would speed up our work together.

The MBTI measures Introversion vs. Extraversion, Sensing v. Intuition (practical versus theoretical thinkers), Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving (being an organizer versus a freewheeler). Of course, most people have some mix of these qualities, but typically, some are more pronounced than others, and these emphases help give your character its stamp.

To learn more about yourself with this instrument, go to www.humanmetrics.com, and click on the first, Jung Typology test. After you have taken the questionnaire, you will be given a four letter code, such as INTJ. Plug that code into Google to get some interesting descriptions of your “type,” and ask yourself whether they are accurate!

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Sonny Radio

For an automatic mood lift, try watching this five minute video clip: click on “Watch Chris Bliss” at www.SonnyRadio.com.