#please read the article of the medical Journal I linked! it's very useful.

[pxgeturner]

age regression is not always a trauma response and it is not always involuntary. a lot of people enjoy engaging in sex acts while age regressed, when they have already established boundaries and expectations with their partners in advance.

my anon specifically points to reddit communities where there are various examples of this. people state their preferences. some enjoy sex in little space, others do not.

i’m not conflating age regression and age play, but there can be overlap. your experience is not universal, and neither is mine.

the definition of age regression, sweetheart, is an involuntary defense mechanism in which a person reverts to an earlier state of mental development. this response is caused by intense fear or stress. (hm. sounds like a trauma response to me. but how do you define trauma? because intense moments of fear or stress pretty much hits the nail on the head for me.)

children cannot consent to being sexualized. so an adult who is in age re cannot either. age play is completely separate. the people who u pointed out on that subreddit are age players not regressors. they are in subspace, not littlespace. that term is only for age regressors and not submissive age players. yes they both use the term "little" unfortunately. but they have different definition depending on the context. if you ever see me reference littles I will be talking about regressors not ageplayers.

it is true some littles might enjoy age play but not while they are in little space and it is also a thin line to follow as age playing might make then slip into littlespace which can be dangerous. so like I said. a thin line.

it is SO TRUE that there are varying experiences of littlespace because depending on what age you regress back into, your behavior will change. but age-re≠age play. at. all. you are conflating age play and age-re by saying that there is frequent overlap. overlap is very very rare.

I don't like bringing him up, but Sigmund freud, the man who first studied age-regression is rolling in his grave because of the way you're spreading misinformation ❤️. please please do research !

also. if you think it is ok to engage sexually with people in the midst of an age regression episode I would highly suggest you seek out mental health resources near you because that is not healthy. adult littles can totally engage in sex! its fun and healthy! except in littlespace.

[crippleprophet]

hey, i don't want to put you out or anything, i was just wondering if like off the top of your head if you knew any disability studies articles/books/whatever that center (or even just feature) tic/involuntary movement disorders?

so the answer to this was pretty much no but i spent a bit of time poking around and turned up this 2023 undergraduate honors thesis (link) by a student with tourette’s which seems like a solid starting point for going down the citation rabbit hole!

that piece is “The Embodied Performance of Tics and Tourette Syndrome in the Academic Environment” by Benjamin Allen; i’m only ~1/4th through rn but they argue for a continuum of ticcing + criticize the diagnostic system so i’m comfortable reccing it on that front! the (non-medical) tic-related works cited there are:

Buckser, Andrew. “Before Your Very Eyes: Illness, Agency, and the Management of Tourette Syndrome.” Medical Anthropology Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 2, 2008, pp. 167-192.

Buckser, Andrew. “The Empty Gesture: Tourette Syndrome and the Semantic Dimension of Illness.” Ethnology, vol. 45, no. 4, 2006, pp. 255- 24. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20456601.

Curtis-Wendlandt, Lisa. “Time and the Tic Disorder Triad.” Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, vol 27, no. 2, 2020, pp. 183-199.

Curtis-Wendlandt, Lisa, and Jack Reynolds. “Why Tourette syndrome research needs philosophical phenomenology.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, vol. 20, no. 4, 2021, pp. 573-600.

Miller, James. “The Voice in Tourette Syndrome.” New Literary History, vol. 32 no. 3, 2001, pp. 519-536. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/nlh.2001.0039.

Trubody, Ben. “Ticced off: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of The Experience of Tourette’s Syndrome.” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, vol. 25, no. 2, 2014.

i also searched a handful of disability studies journals for a variety of keywords (movement disorder, tic, tourette’s, involuntary movement, chorea, huntington’s) but didn’t turn up much unfortunately, so all but the first of this next list include someone with tics and/or involuntary movements rather than being about moving involuntarily.

haven’t read these so i can’t speak to the politics / quality (although i’ll make a post if i’m able to read more) but here’s what seemed potentially relevant! also if anything is paywalled please don’t give T&F your money lol, try SciHub or if you can’t find something i can ask around for somebody with institutional access!

Cultural Differences in Reactions to Tics and Tic Severity (2021)

Using virtual reality to implement disability studies’ advocacy principles: uncovering the perspectives of people with disability (2023)

I had every right to be there: discriminatory acts towards young people with disabilities on public transport (2020)

From comedy targets to comedy-makers: disability and comedy in live performance (2015)

From the Case Files: Reconstructing a history of involuntary sterilisation (2010)

i also want to mention “Movements of the Uncontrollable Body Part Two” by Bronwyn Valentine (2019), a creative writing piece about her experiences of embodiment + ableism with spina bifida that i first read pretty soon after it was published & went looking for after developing my movement disorder a year ago because it was so impactful. @fndportal also has some incredibly vital work.

also if you haven’t already read Rosemarie Garland-Thomson’s Staring: Why We Look, it’s not specifically about involuntary movements but definitely a core text for theorizing any visibilized disability.

i hope some of that is helpful!! if anybody checks any of these out i’d love to hear your thoughts/critiques! all the best to you & i hope these offer some resonance with + understanding of your experiences 💓💓

[mitar29]

Blue Eyes - Chapter One

Disclaimer:  Fiction with made up characters.  i own nothing, don’t come for me.

Michael

“...it's not meant to replace whole blood, or the 'red' as you all have come to call it; it's merely meant to extend the life of those in need until they can receive whole human blood.” Michael hated these Q & A sessions; he had been to many of them in the last year since his artificial blue hemoglobin had acquired FDA approval and hit the market.

“So, Dr. Morbius, how long is the time frame that you speak of for the success rate of your True Blue?” medical questions from non medically educated people irritated Michael. The pharmaceutical company behind the release of his product knew this and told him that the lawsuit they would launch against him would bankrupt him if he didn't help promote and ease the fears of using true blue to the masses. ”Is it a matter of days, weeks or months?”

“Well, if you read my research article in The New England Journal of Medicine, from last year, you would find that I outline various scenarios and parameters regarding the efficacy, indications and contraindications of AAHI. I believe that you can order a copy online or visit  your local library to find a copy of it there,” the media and that majority of the public had come to call his Artificial Azure Hemoglobin Inerrant, true blue. In some circles it was referred to as Artificial True Blue, or ATB, or the 'blue' as his colleagues had come to call it.  “It's not very long, probably about 4 pages, single spaced, so many of you should be able to read through it in a few hours but some of you may need a dictionary, as well.”

“Oh, Michael,” Eliza said silently to herself as she shook her head in disbelief, from her corner perch.  She knew that he hated these things, and it showed, as did most of the medical community, but these sessions were a necessary evil when getting the public behind new medical advancements to ensure profitability and exaltation. Most of Michael's colleagues took him for a tortured genius whose mind was so high functioning and brilliant that conversations with 'lesser' mortals about certain things was boring and trite. Eliza had been Michael's PR assistant for two years now and knew that, most of the time, he just liked being a dick.

“I'm sorry but I have a previous engagement that I must attend.  I didn't expect this session to run for two hours,”  Michael hadn't expected the session to run for more than an hour, truth be told,  but he secretly loved the attention and craved it.  Everyone has a limit, though.  “thank you all for your questions.”

“Thank you, Dr. Morbius, Medical.net always loves having creative and analytical medical minds, like yours, for our panel Q & A sessions.” Dr. Cameron Jared, a fellow doctor and co chair of several medical boards in Chicago, always loved having Michael at these things. After a thunderous round of applause and a few cat calls from the numerous females in the audience,  he said, “If you all want to see more of Dr. Morbius discussing his ATB, please click on the link in the description below on our YouTube page called Medical.net and feel free to browse our page for other Q & A sessions, as well. If you like what we do here at Medical.net, please subscribe to our page and hit the notification button to stay up to date on new interviews with the most prominent medical professionals in our country, today,” Cameron leaned over to Michael to shake his hand and pat his shoulder. “If any of our remote viewers have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section under this video below.  Maybe I'll get Dr. Morbius to answer a few of them, off camera,” Cameron winked into the camera and gave a thumbs up to the crowd that erupted in more applause. “Thank you again, Michael, Godspeed.”

Michael rolled his eyes at the implication as he grabbed his forearm crutches.  He nodded to Cameron as he pulled himself up and out of his seat with some difficulty.  Eliza looked at Riley as he moved towards the stage and waited for Michael, to help him or catch him, as he came down the three stairs to floor level. Riley never touched or extended his arms to Michael, unless he was asked, as Michael would tell him off or push him away with his crutch. I'm not an invalid, I just have limited mobility issues, Michael had said, many times, and Riley, in the 5 years he had worked as a physical therapist and assistant for Michael, had come to see him as an extremely independent and self reliant individual.  

“You okay there, Boss?” Riley asked as Michael winced as he took his first step down from the platform.

“I'm fine, Riley. I just need my,” he winced again as he took another step down. “My oil change for the day,”  Michael descended the last stair and made his way out of the room to the elevator and a waiting Eliza.

“You're overdue for a treatment so I postponed your lunch engagement with Milo until 2 pm. After that, you are free until Thursday, unless you have anything you wish to add.” Eliza said, looking up expectantly at Michael.

“I want to see Milo first, and then do a treatment,”  He winced as a pain shot up through his right leg and quickly shifted his weight to his left one.

“Not possible, I'm afraid,” Eliza took a sip of her coffee as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.  “Dr. Bancroft has a lot of meetings today and needs to get you in as soon as possible, otherwise she won't be able to oversee your treatment,”

Michael knitted his brow. “Why does Dr. Bancroft need to oversee my treatment?” Riley smiled and shook his head.  Because she's in love with you, he thought.  It was obvious to almost everyone who had seen them interact with one another except for Michael, of course.  Dr. Bancroft was happily married, according to her, but the way she looked at Michael and fawned over him said otherwise.  Riley imagined that if Michael ever showed any interest in her, she would file for divorce the next day.

“She's training a new nurse to handle your treatments as Margie is leaving the company.  His name is Edward Cullen and she wants to be there to see that everything runs smoothly,”  Eliza lied. Dr. Bancroft wanted to be there to make sure that Michael behaved himself.  He had given Margie hell when she first started doing his treatments but instead of running away in tears, like so many others, she ignored his complaints and gave him the silent treatment for the first two weeks.  She was an older woman from a modest background and had raised five boys.  She had probably seen and dealt with a lot of tantrums and complaints from them so dealing with Michael was a piece of cake.  Figuratively and literally. One of Margie's son's was a baker who owned a very successful sweets shop on the north side of town.  She frequently brought in cupcakes and other goodies for her coworkers; leftovers and cancelled special orders that shouldn’t go to waste from her son’s shop.  Michael had a voracious sweet tooth and one day, on a vending machine run to satisfy it, he saw a tray of sweet treats on the counter of the nurses station. One of the nurses smiled at him after noticing him staring at the tray of goodies and told him to help himself.  Two cupcakes, one brownie and something called a mini double decker apple-pecan pie later, Michael had found out that it was Margie's son that created the scrumptious treats.  He had then sent her 2 dozen roses and a box of Godiva chocolates to thank her for being a great nurse and for the sweet treats.  They had been friends ever since with Margie always bringing Michael his own sweets for his treatments, three times a week.

“Edward? He's a male nurse?  That's new for me,”  Michael's face was unreadable.  He was accustomed to female nurses fawning and flirting over him, like Dr. Bancroft did, but he had never had a male nurse, so he didn't know what to expect.  

[wildwoodgoddess]

Notes From 221B: A Study In Garnet Ch1 and James Barry

In the year 1878, I was the first woman to take my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and then, disguised as a man, I proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army. How shocked and humiliated our army had been, only thirteen years ago, to discover, upon his death, that their celebrated doctor, Inspector-General James Barry, a contentious, fiery man who revolutionized the British army’s medical department, had the body of a woman. As much as Barry inspired my own actions, given how humiliated the army was over his deception, it was a matter of considerable delicacy and stealth for me to then also infiltrate those fraternal ranks. I wouldn’t have succeeded at all if it hadn’t been for a well-placed uncle and my good friend and orderly, Gideon Murray, who kept my secrets well, as I kept his.

(A Study In Garnet, chapter 1, by Meredith Rose)

Since it seems people are enjoying my little peeks into the Victorian history you didn’t know, I’m going to continue with some tidbits relating to each chapter of A Study In Garnet. I will keep using #A Study In Victorian Women, and if you have something in particular you’d like me to talk about, let me know!

If this post is the first one you’re reading from me, I am launching a new Victorian femlock series The Ladies of Baker Street. (a gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes series, where Holmes and Watson are both queer Victorian women) I’m publishing the first book in serial form on Patreon, and I’m posting the first 10 chapters for free. I’ve also been posting about how Victorian women had more going for them than we usually assume, and how Holmes and Watson could absolutely have been women during the late Victorian period without compromising too much on the original canon. I’ve covered topics such as how a female Watson could have gained her MD from the University of London in 1878, and what Holmes’ education at Girton College (women’s college, part of Cambridge) would have been like, as well as the New Woman movement and women who cross-dressed.

I just posted the first chapter of A Study In Garnet last Saturday, and I’ll be putting up new chapters every Saturday. In this first chapter, Dr. Siân Watson is snowbound in a miserable hotel and occupying herself by journaling. She mentions that she was able to sneak into the army and go to Netley to be trained as an army surgeon by disguising herself as a man.

I debated whether she could have gone into the army as a woman and decided that likely not, since women had only just recently earned the right to become fully credentialed doctors in England within a year of when canon Watson joined the army. So instead, I have her cross-dress as a man and get in that way.

The inspiration for this was Inspector-General James Barry. You may have heard a bit about James Barry before—his story has been widely circulated in recent years. You can read a good summary here on History.com (please note that the article uses she/her pronouns for Barry’s early life and then switches to he/him pronouns when Barry appears to have taken on his male identity.) This Atlas Obscura article is also very good, and it mentions that after Barry’s death, the maid who outed him sold the story to the press and it became a popular topic of news articles, a novel, and even a play.

Eventually, the army was successful in suppressing information about Dr. Barry, and his story was largely forgotten until the middle of the 20th century.

These days, the biggest controversy about James Barry is whether we should view him or refer to him as a woman or a man. Personally, I believe that there is every reason to think that if Barry had been alive today, he may have identified as trans. That’s why I use male pronouns when writing about him (both here and in the book itself), and it’s why I chose the two articles I linked to above—they reference Barry mostly using male pronouns.

But it’s also important to recognize that 1) the way we look at gender today is different than it was 200 years ago, and 2) we don’t have the ability to look into Barry’s heart or mind and know exactly how he identified. What we can do is acknowledge that Barry made it very clear that even after his death, he wanted to be known as a man, and we can honor that in how we refer to him. We don’t have to know what his precise motivations were for that desire in order to respect it.

For the purposes of my story, I reasoned that since Barry died in 1865, when my Siân Watson would have been almost 13 years old, there is every reason to think she would have heard the stories, maybe even read the novel or seen the play.

This could have later inspired her own choices to cross-dress and slip into the army medical department that way, even as she is able to acknowledge that James Barry’s preferred gender identity isn’t the same as her own.

I’ve read that Barry almost certainly had help in maintaining his male identity without discovery. In medical school, he was nearly barred from taking the exam because his smooth face and petite features made the school officials suspect he was too young. Family friend and confidante, Lord Erskine, Earl of Buchan, intervened. When he decided to join the army, he would have again needed some kind of powerful help in order to get the army to either skip the required physical exam or to cover up his biological sex.

In my story, Siân Watson had such help in her uncle Ian, who had an administrative job in the army high enough to allow him to pull strings on her behalf. He also arranges for her to have Gideon Murray assist her as her orderly. It would have taken a lot of behind the scenes work to carry it off, especially after the army was so furious about James Barry.

But I think it would make success just that much sweeter, not just for Watson, but for all involved in making it happen.

[aluminescent]

RESOURCES

Hello, all. I've been asked by a few people what research tools I've used for Illuminate: Blackout. Please see the following list. This isn't exhaustive. There are many that I deleted because their contents would inevitably yield narrative spoilers that I'm still unfurling and that won't come to fruition until books 2 or 3. Either way, I think what's provided below is plenty to dig through! Please enjoy and please take care. As a warning, some of the PDFs in the google drive folder have very grisly medical photos and some have content dealing with the physical and psychological affects of sexual assault. Happy writing + happy researching! Please be on the lookout for other websites from my bookmarks! --- GOOGLE DRIVE FOLDER - Full of PDFs organized in sub-folders by subject. This folder also has a word document with over 200 bookmark links in (mostly) alphabetical order. Many links that are pivotal to plot points for book 2/3 were removed. --- RESEARCH WEBSITES:

American Psychological Association

Healthline

IntechOpen - Open-Access Books

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry

Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

Mayo Clinic

Medscape - Comprehensive clinical information and resource material. Note: You have to register to read the full information on this website. A trick I've learned is that if you're reading an article and you're not registered, go to the print icon on the left of the page (if using computer or tablet) and click 'Print Entire Contents of the Article'. With this, a new window pops up, and you'll be able to read the full contents of an article.

National Center for Biotechnology Information

Oxford Academic

PDFDrive

Psych Scene Hub - A platform where mental health professionals share ideas, cases, and concepts that bridge the gap between academia and the real world, replete with videos and interviews in psychiatry and neurosciences.

Psychology Today

PubMed

ResearchGate - "For the intellectually curious, the seekers of truth, the geeks, the makers: our members offer you a treasure trove of knowledge in areas as diverse as materials science, agriculture, human health, and quantum physics."

Science Direct - Research in Science, Technology, Mathematics, Psychology, and Medicine

Springer Link - Providing researchers with access to millions of scientific documents from journals, books, series, protocols, reference works and proceedings.

Very Well Mind + Very Well Health

--- If any of you think of additional tags I should give for this post, please let me know. That, or if I see reblogs I might 'borrow' some tag ideas.

--- Edit as of March 1st, 2022: I am removing my Google Drive folder from this listing and it will no longer be accessible. Apologies for the inconvenience.

---

Edit as of Feb 23, 2023: I've adding to the list above for resources:

PDFDrive

In relation to my March 1, 2022 edit, I may reopen limited access to my Google Drive folders. I'll let you know when/if that happens!

[ferret-not-microwave]

Les Amis Modern AU: What They Wish Others Believed About Them (Part 4)

[I kind of wrote this in response to some general trends in characterising the Amis. There are some stereotypes which I'm not quite comfortable with.]

[So much delay. Sorry.]

Joly:

• Really, really wishes that people don't laugh at him for his anxiety issues. He is truly terrified of getting infected with some disease or the other, and even more terrified of spreading it to Joly and Chetta. It doesn't help that he is one of the most sincere students of the lot, and spends a lot of time reading medical journals, which feed into his panic. He feels safe wearing masks, using rubbing alcohol (or wearing gloves), and having a bag full of basic first aid supplies, and gets embarrassed if anyone judges him for it. Also, he doesn't like it if "concerned" people ask him whether he had a past history of debilitating disease or something, he doesn't want to discuss it at all, okay? -_-

• When Joly fusses about illness in the Musain, it is him letting his guard down. He has to actively rein in his anxiety to function in the hospital, and gets super exhausted from hiding it. His tells in the hospital are are wide eyes behind his protective goggles and a compulsive toying with the wristband of his gloves. He's one of the most courageous individuals ever because of what he faces on a regular basis. He hopes that he might get some reassurance from the Amis to stop his spiralling thoughts, and he mostly gets it.

• Joly definitely has a wild side, and is more than his anxious, serious self. If there's one who can one-up Courf's cheesy pick-up lines, it is Joly. With a eyebrow quirk that leaves everyone giggly and blushing. If there's one who can set a Karaoke stage on fire (not literally, that would be R), it's Joly. If there's one who can down shots to match Bahorel, it's Joly. The one who is the most eager to go skinny dipping? Joly. The one who is, oddly, the most eager to break a pinata? Joly. Joly is more than a "quiet science nerd who checks his tongue in the mirror all the time".

• Joly and Ferre INSIST that they do not talk about random medical trivia all the time. Honestly, their shared interests involve Jane Austen and massive amounts of gossip with tea, along with Doctor Who, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF TEA, IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.

• There are days he wants to tackle people like an angry Pikachu. But real life is tough, and not everyone has the privilege of confronting people. But he really, really can do without people casting aspersions on his poly relationship with Bossuet and 'Chetta ALL THE TIME. He has been confronted as an "opportunist" in Pride walks, faced with people's pitying look to Bossuet or 'Chetta as though he is stringing them both along or "sharing" 'Chetta with Bossuet, cheered on and slapped on the back by straight cismen for "knowing how to have fun", and once directly asked if he's the one who will marry 'Chetta. He goes into panic often, and for the longest time thought himself a really awful person.

• Beware a Joly in a farmer's market. Not because of haggling, but because some people ALWAYS assume that he's amazing at math while he actually fumbles at the cash counter. Similarly, he hates it if people crack shady jokes about him being a Marie Kondo around him (just because he likes neatness AND MARIE KONDO THANK YOU VERY MUCH). And no, he doesn't like rice all the time.

• Please give back the Tupperwares. Unlike popular opinion, Joly won't chase you down for his Tupperware like some do, and isn't particularly possessive about them. That doesn't mean that he can replace misplaced Tupperwares for all eternity, please. ;_; (Same goes for the beeswax food wraps and dino bandages, c'mon peeps don't help yourself to them indiscriminately ;_;).

• Apart from his baggy sweatshirt and dinosaur pajamas aesthetic, he also has a dress shirt and pleated pants collection that would probably leave Jay Gatsby jealous AF.

Bossuet:

• Is really self-conscious about his receding hairline. He had taken to shaving his head to make it look cool, because he's really uncomfortable with weird jokes about his age and baldness. Shaving heads is pretty high-maintenance at times, and he's slowly opening up to let the hair grow back on the sides of the head for the heck of it. He used to have a large collection of hats too, which he still uses occasionally, but now it is just a fashion accessory, not a way to hide. He likes scarves as well.

• He used to flinch and swallow his discomfort when people would touch his scalp without permission, now he firmly brushes off their hands with a light scowl.

• Similarly, he hates it when people actively try to compare him to Joly. He hates being considered less successful, a "third wheel" to Joly and 'Chetta and someone who can be taken less seriously. This doesn't mean he is jealous or angry with Joly at all though.

• He feels really, really angry when Joly sometimes breaks down in front of him and 'Chetta when confronted with comments on their relationship. He can and will stonewall anyone who hurts either of them.

• Bossuet understands Joly's anxiety because he faces anxiety as well. He often gets nightmares of his "bad luck" turning batshit Final-Destination-esque and resulting in horrible accidents to Joly, 'Chetta amd the rest of the Amis. He knows the "bad luck" jokes are good humouring, but it wears him down a lot in exam/interview/work meeting weeks and leaves him third and fourth guessing himself. He had also entered a bout of depression because the "bad luck" jokes had convinced himself that he can't progress in life because what's the use. It took a lot of work and, oddly, a super niche article from the Amis blog detailing research on how some societies actively ostracize people for being "unlucky" and how it is linked to major societal oppression, to help him.

• Bossuet loves having a heart of gold. Sometimes some people tell him not to be so nice ("what if that person has cheated you off money with a sob story?"). He refuses, because he cherishes being nice and knows his limits. He sometimes worries if he's being stupid, like when the great "attendance-by-proxy" disaster happens. But Marius' broad and grateful smile, "hi, how are you doing?" texts every morning, and monthly batch of AMAZING chocolate cookies makes it worth it.

• Bossuet's accidents do lead to some happy accidents. He stumbled on a whole new recipe of gooey brownies by accident. An amazing combination of dark chocolate and red chilli peppers (maybe not so weird in retrospect)? By accident. He fell upon Courfe's sandcastle once, but it resulted in a rare hermit crab crawling out. Courfe gave a treat at the new brunch place he was saving up for, because apparently that hermit crab had made Ferre all starry-eyed and happier than he had been in weeks. And as for the rest pf the accidents? Nothing that duct tape , 'Chetta, Joly and occasionally Feuilly can't help with. In all, his accidents are always smallish, and never monumental.

• Bossuet can put 'Chetta and Ferre to shame with his eyebrow raising (at least occasionally? Hehe?). He does that a lot when people ask him if he has put water on fire or has fallen into wells. "Like bruh? I don't go anywhere close to wells, I love sidewalks and what's with everyone asking me about the kitchen being on fire?" He also does that a lot to piners (R, Ep, Courfe, 'Parnasse).

• Bossuet is one of Enj's closest friends in Law School (apart from Courfe), because Law classes and shared optional papers. Duh. They often have long discussions which are super pleasant, fluffy, yet sensible because of his really sensitive optimism. Bossuet's unorthodox insights make their way into Enj's notes for ABC meetings, and he credits him always. Similarly Enj bails him out with attendance issues. Bossuet often calmly advices him about R. Since Joly has a similar relationship with Ferre, Bossuet and Joly sometimes help Enj and Ferre sort out lingering grievances between them, or plain hear them out. Enj and Bossuet have Froyo days.

Musichetta:

• Loves, loves, LOVES books. Has no idea why people think nerds come in a kind of stereotype only ("I don't look like you", she complains to Joly and Ferre one day, "but I can defeat you two in a Jane Austen quiz WTF!" They agree emphatically, and Ferre adds "and maybe Jehan too. Maybe".). She is a massive sucker for Comic-Cons and hates men who try to prove otherwise. -_- She loves libraries as much as she loves bars.

• Has no idea why people think she's super bitchy or about to eat them up. Many people plain run when she so much as looks at them while doing a shift as a barista in the Musain. Or ask for "the nicer barista" (Cosette?). When she breathes a sigh of relief when someone treats her nice, she also braces herself for self-righteous "saviours". "Are you sure you are doing okay with those men?" "They are using you!". If she poured milk all over a client's trousers because of such a comment not-so-accidentally, no one needs to know. ;)

• Sometimes, she feels drained out. Having to support both her partners anxiety can leave her down too. They are amazing people, who love her a lot, and know that she needs her recharge time. Often Bossuet takes over in caring for Joly and vice-versa. 'Chetta has a small arrangement with Courfe on those days. If he has free time, the two of them go for an amazing, super relaxing spa session. Bahorel is back-up spa partner. The two of them know not to ask questions, but let her unwind her thoughts and air them out.

• 'Chetta joined Les Amis L'ABC much later. One of her pet peeves were when Joly or Bossuet would go to protests which could easily turn violent because of right wing trolls and the police swarming the city. Specifically, when they went without more than a word or two to her. She would get worried sick, particularly if they couldn't pick up the phone within half an hour of the protest ending, and would cry alone because she didn't want to come off as needy and one of those people who do not support their cause.

• She finally broke down before them after Bossuet had a small concussion. They were really shamefaced at having not thought about her feelings, and their apologies ran for hours. While Joly promised to regularly give her updates, Bossuet asked her to join the ABC if she is comfortable with it. It took time for her to accept that she was being in the group because of the cause and not because she wanted to helicopter-mom Joly and Bossuet, but when the next protest happened, she realised that she was in a place she always wanted to be in.

• The Amis thought that she was a member anyway. She would holler at

• 'Chetta hates it when people think that it's Joly or Bossuet who end up lavishing gifts on her all the time. True, they do, but she does it too. She's a sucker for thoughtful gift giving, and she spoils the Amis A LOT OF TIMES. She can scour the Earth for ideal gifts for her boys, and she often takes care of a stray bill or two, as much as she humanely can. She doesn't play a one-upping battle of gifts though, she just loves a lot.

• She is really self conscious about her small hands and tiny feet. Which seem to her too small in comparison with the rest of her body. Sometimes she used to wear really fluffy mittens in winter to hide how small her hands her. Not so much now. :)

•She confided to Jehan that she didn't like people romanticizing her small hands and feet because she thought they were putting unrealistic standards of the "frail beauty" on her when she was anything but. She said this after she heard R chortle about how Joly had introduced her as having tiny hands and feet. The discussion ended in her gaping and then crying out of laughter because (according to Jehan) apparently Joly was really drunk when he first talked to the Amis about her, and had also said something like "she has fortune-teller eyes, yannow! Ask Bossuet! And her dimples! Marius, you booby, you pool noodle, I know how you feel like when you met Cosette!"

Apparently Bahorel had replied with "you need new pants" and then started laughing like no tomorrow. Bossuet, not so drunk (because he was late to the party), had taken the sensible route and shown the Amis the picture the three of them took after their first date.

• Seriously, she knows zilch about tarot cards or natal charts.

[wallwriterstuff]

Am I allowed to place in a request for Mr svelte tracker boi Demetri? I need my greek boi fix. 😅😂 My stimming (due to my slight autism and anxiety) has been kinda bad lately and I was wondering if you could do some headcanons on how he would be with a reader who has that going on? (For example, some of my stimming signs are restless, uncontrollable finger twitches sometimes, and sudden limb movements and facial twitches I can't control 😅) Thanks! Also, sorry if this is too touchy a subject!🙈

You most certainly are allowed and I cannot express how hard I fangirled when I realised it was you in my ask box. I played it very cool but just know I was dying inside from the moment I saw your username come up XD 

TW: Mentions of anxiety and sensory overload. If that’s a little personal to you please be cautious about reading this one!

I’m incapable of writing short things it seems so it’s another long one.

Self-stimulating behaviour, known more commonly as stimming, usually involves repetitive movements and/or sounds. Though it is most often associated with autism (I know when I first saw the word stimming that was where my mind immediately went to) everybody stims in some way, shape or form to relieve stress, tension, anxiety, boredom etc. Some ways are less noticeable than others such as nail biting or finger tapping, while others can be more obvious and disruptive to your social/daily life like licking certain objects or scratching at skin.

I learned all this from doing a bit of reading before taking on this request and if you want to know more then the link to the article I read is right -----> HERE <------ ! It’s informed my ideas for this headcanon request and though I’m open to discussions about the topic to help educate myself and anyone else who wishes to learn more, what I will not tolerate is any sort of hate or discrimination based on the links to developmental disorders and mental illness that stimming has. This blog has and always will be a safe space for anyone and everyone and a little respect for one another will help keep it that way. Be kind folks!

So without further ado, how would Demetri react to you stimming I wonder?

Part 1: Headcanons below the Keep Reading Line Part 2: Teeth (fic) Part 3: Control (fic) 

·         He honestly wouldn’t really notice for a while because, well, humans aren’t exactly designed to be as flawless as vampires

·         Impromptu nosebleeds, migraines, sneezes…they’re just glitches in a faulty system so why is the way your leg just bounced up off of the floor while your sitting any different to those other equally as involuntary things

·         He’s struggling right now to, after all he just met his very human mate and it’s quite overwhelming for him to have to adapt to all these new feelings and situations he finds himself in, but he deals because he can

·         Some days, you just…can’t

·         Getting attacked by a man with some bizarre fascination with your neck is bad enough but being whisked away by strangers is somehow even worse. At least in the first scenario once it’s over it’s over, now you’re just living an anxious person’s nightmare in a new place full of new people

·         Volterra was beautiful, but it wasn’t home. No cosy apartment, no neighbours cat to feed, no monotonous shifts at work…

·         Actually, most of the time you’re left utterly alone to navigate an unfamiliar castle, and the times you aren’t alone is when there’s a man claiming to be your eternal lover in front of you

·         Try to convince me this man doesn’t rip the band aid off and profess his love for you with dramatic flair just TRY

·         Your days are filled with endless boredom where you’re doing nothing at all until someone checks on you, and then fight or flight kicks in because oh HELLO Mr Vampire guard are you here to give me lunch or kill me?

 ·         Demetri had thought that perhaps you were okay with that, since you hadn’t really outwardly reacted beyond the way your cheek twitched up into a smirk once or twice as he spoke. Hell, you’d even winked at him…right?

·         You did that a lot so he really genuinely thought that maybe you were just trying to flirt with him, build a relationship with him. Your constant little winks and the way your fingers twitched when he was nearby, like you so desperately wanted to reach out to him…

·         It took a few weeks before he realised how wrong he was

·         You’d reached for a sip of water and your arm had just whipped outward from your body

          + You’d absolutely drenched him with your entire glass of water and could only stare in abject horror wondering what the supposed vampire would do next, since you’d interrupted him rather smugly detailing his plans for your first date

·         Silence

·         There was just silence

·         It only made your anxiety worse and the muscles in your face just spasmed without your permission and - god did you just smirk at him again, oh no        

         + “I’m glad one of us finds this amusing. If you did not like the idea there were other ways to tell me so.”

 ·         You almost want to cry from sheer embarrassment at this point because the date really had sounded like it could be fun and now you’d just straight up thrown water in his face like he’d insulted you in the worst way imaginable

·         So you come clean and tell him about your stimming

·         He’s really worried at first because autism? Anxiety he’s heard of but autism sounds very dangerous, are you dying? You’re probably dying. He’s going to lose his mate –

·         Another involuntary finger twitch from you forces him to calm down because your anxious enough without his worrying on top, so he kind of brushes it off and makes no big deal out of it

·         Squeezes your hand and kisses your forehead to try and reassure you all is forgiven, even if he does have to go change a very expensive looking designer shirt and god you’re so sorry

·         Of course, that kind of makes it worse for you because anxiety brain is activated and your 99.9999% sure he’s actually furious with you still and has only pretended to forget it while he’s plotting his revenge

·         You see him late at night when you struggle to fall and stay asleep, reading in the low lamplight at his desk across the room, his laptop propped open and a notebook before him but you’re too scared still to ask what it is he’s reading so intently (probably good suggestions on places to bury your body welp)

·         It’s a complete surprise to you therefore when he does take you out on that date he promised you not two weeks later

 ·         He’s chosen a nice overcast day so he’s in the least conspicuous clothing he owns

            + Demetri’s least conspicuous clothes still consist of the most chic and expensive brands you know of and he sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the quaint little market stalls he’s brought you to see

·         Despite the gloomy weather the people of Volterra are out in full force though, swarming the market stalls and chattering and laughing as flashes of gold and silver from jewelry hit your eyes, bright coloured fabrics following

·         It’s all just too much

·         There’s people everywhere and so much noise, so many colours and lights and people brushing past you…

·         Your fingers clench tight around his, his hand immersed in a glove to keep his freezing skin from chilling you too much

·         He squeezes back lightly, eyes shifting to glance down at you with the kindest smile on his lips

         + “Keep squeezing my hand whilst we find somewhere quieter to stand.”

·         Your fingers seemed to take turns pressing into his rock solid skin, an odd sort of comfort coming from the fact you know you can press down hard and he won’t so much as register the sensation, and Demetri squeezes back, just firm enough he knows you can feel the pressure of his palm on yours

·         He takes you to a quiet little side road where the noise is much more faded and there is so much free space around you you feel like you can finally breathe again

·         He still hasn’t stopped squeezing your hand, taking turns with you as you take some steady breaths and try to focus your senses a bit, one thing you can feel, two things you can see, three you can smell...

 ·         “I hope you can forgive me, I did not expect the market to be so busy today with the weather like this.”

·         His apology takes you completely by surprise because how would he even know you struggled with crowds? You barely know each other?

·         Seeing your surprise Demetri rather sheepishly admits as to what exactly he’s been reading all those nights you’ve seen him at his desk, and you’re a little overwhelmed to realise he’s been reading about you

·         Medical journals, mummyblogs, charity websites and more, if it had any information about autism and stimming he’s browsed through it and taken copious amounts of notes, observing you religiously to see what might be relevant to you and how he can help ·         +  “I read somewhere you self-stimulate to calm yourself when you are anxious or your senses feel overwhelmed, is that what happened?”                                    “Well, yes, actually, I…I…”

            “And did it help? Taking you away from the source of stress and letting you squeeze my hand like that?”

·         It had actually, you felt much calmer and Demetri’s obvious acceptance and willingness to help you manage your stimming and anxiety today were one of the first little moments you fell in love with him, looking back on it 

·         He didn’t stop there either. Together you sat down and made a list of all the things that you found most often triggered your stimming, and all of the things that brought you joy so he could figure out things to avoid and things you might like for your future dates

·         Within hours of arriving home you’d gotten a whole new daily routine set up so you weren’t left to languish and wonder what was going to happen next

·         Three days later an express shipment of your favourite smelling scented candles arrived alongside a Bluetooth speaker, supplies Demetri insisted were necessary for nice calming baths on the days your anxiety was playing up

·         He started doing mindfulness practices with you in the evenings

·         He never touched the volume controls for his laptop, speaker or TV, leaving it to you to control the volume so you could set it to a level you were comfortable with, and he religiously policed the noise on his floor to           + “Where are you going? The movie just started…”                                                    “To tell Felix to turn his music down.”               “You’re vampiring again Metri, I can’t even hear that.”

·         When he signed you up for Yoga and meditation classes at a centre in town you drew the line and told him he was going overboard, but bless him he had tried

·         Overall he’s a solid 15/10 for effort, even if some ideas are still experimental - you’re enjoying the deep pressure massages a lot though – and he sometimes goes a bit mother-hen trying to get you out of situations he thinks you’ll struggle with, when actually you’re coping just fine today

·         You love him dearly for it

[supportivespaceforsurvivors]

Hey,

I need advice please, I get really angry at small things like someone ignoring or not giving me something back in time or something small or sometimes for no reason at all,

I say mean things to them or ignore them, or glare at them but I'm worried that I might hurt someone and I don't want to hurt someone

whenever I get angry I have this urge to harm myself or someone like smashing their head or mine.

sometimes I get angry at myself and smash my head against something,

I don't want to be like this I want to change please help,

Hey,

Most of my system has struggled with this same experience for years. We're finally at a point where this is improving for us and we're able to go back to mistakes we've made and try to make amends for them. I'm glad to be able to answer this one for you.

I ended up writing a lot out, so I'm going to toss it under a read more.

I want to start with reassurance. If you hurt someone, that won't be the end of the world. While hurting people is never okay and you should do what you can to avoid it, people are messy. Sometimes we hurt each other. Sometimes our emotions get the best of us. If it happens, do your best to come back to the person/people and apologize and make a point to do better from there. I know it's scary, but mistakes happen while we're growing. It sounds like you've been doing a great job of not hurting anyone so far. I'm proud of you.

Also, I want you to know that you're not bad for your anger. Your rage doesn't make you bad. Anger is an emotion and it almost always comes from being hurt in the past. When you're in a healthy place with yourself, your anger is a signal that something is wrong or painful. It's a reminder from yourself that you don't deserve to be hurt.

I also want you to know that having thoughts about hurting yourself or others doesn't make you bad or dangerous either. Intrusive thoughts are really common. Having those thoughts doesn't mean that you will act on them. Thoughts are just thoughts. They can be scary and distressing, but they're only thoughts. You control your actions, you get to choose.

Now, for my advice. I think the first thing is to try to find something to channel your destructive energy into.

Buy some magazines at the store and when you get angry, tear or cut them into shreds. (Better yet, take a moment to physically write out what you're angry about and then tear or cut that up.)

Go out to a nearby stream or river and throw rocks into it, as hard and as far as you can.

When you're driving alone (if you drive), just yell, scream, be loud.

If you work out, go for a run or see if there's a gym nearby where you could learn to box.

If you can, call a friend and rant to them about what's going on.

Get some painting supplies and create something. It can be splatters, it can be highly detailed, it can just be shapes and colors. It will be yours.

Find something that's going to be able to vent the energy behind your anger, because after you have something to help you release that energy, it's going to be easier. And knowing that you have a vent will also help you stay calm in the moment because you'll know that you have tools to work through it later.

The second thing I recommend is to try to start recognizing thought distortions. (I'll link an article that goes into this better than I'll be able to at the end of this post.) A lot of the time when I get into that rage mode, I have to stop myself in the moment and try to figure out where my thinking is distorted. I think a lot of my anger triggers fall into the categories of control fallacies and fallacies of fairness, but in general, I also have issues with blaming [others for my emotions], overgeneralization, and catastrophizing.

I have to slow down and figure out which thought distortion is happening so that I can try to ground myself in the reality of the situation instead of getting lost in my anger. I used Woebot (an app that I believe is available and free on both ios and Android) to start to build up some basic CBT skills before I was able to access therapy. It was very helpful for me to start to check and identify which thought distortions I was experiencing in the moment. (I think DBT is exceptionally helpful for what you're experiencing. If you're not able to access DBT therapy currently, though, this is a good place to try to start!)

As a subpoint to that, when I'm already too angry to be able to calmly recognize and challenge my thoughts, I simply tell myself: "It's okay for me to be mad. I'm entitled to my emotions. I'm allowed to be angry. But I am not allowed to take my anger out on others, make my anger someone else's problem, or make others uncomfortable because I'm angry. My anger is not an excuse to be hurtful to other people." And it might read/feel harsh, but when I am having a rage response, it is the reminder that I personally need to hear. It might help to try to adapt it. After telling myself this, I stop to breathe for a moment and then correct what thoughts I can. This is my flashing red light for myself to control my anger.

Third, try to reflect on why the things that trigger you do. Why does being ignored trigger your anger? For me, it triggers my anger because it triggers my fears of abandonment and neglect that stem from childhood trauma. So I spend time working through the underlying fears to indirectly cause the anger to lessen. It also helps me be able to catch myself in the moment and recognize that I'm not necessarily angry at the person who's doing something, but afraid of being hurt again and angry at my abusers for hurting me when I was a child. Does that make sense? I highly recommend journaling to help you keep track of this and to give you a safe place to vent about all of it.

And my final piece of advice is to consider medication, if you can. I'm on a mood stabilizer right now and it helps to basically "cap off" my heightened responses (especially my rage responses) as well as helping me to keep moving through my mood drops. You would have to consult your doctor about this, though, and see what works for you. And it's okay if it's not possible right now or you just don't want to medicate- there's plenty of skills to build up instead.

Please make sure that you're taking care of yourself after you hurt your head or any other part of your body ❤ Try to redirect that energy into one of the things I listed earlier on in the post.

And remember that you are capable of growing past this. I'm so proud of you for reaching out for help with this. You're on the right track.

Mod L

[thebibliosphere]

hey sorry I'm sure you're tired of answering questions about essential oils, but my mom is really into doTERRA (like she's going to conferences and things) and the company says that a lot of their products are safe to ingest. she's genuinely trying to help people, so I don't know how to convince her she could be hurting them in the long run (and that she's part of a pyramid scheme). Any advice? thanks!

Unfortunately doTERRA do what they do extremely well in ensnaring people into their harmful bullshit. Most cults are. This article written by Kayla Fioravanti is really helpful about how to identify when you’re actually in a MLM (Multi Level Marketing) cult: https://kaylafioravanti.com/twelve-signs-cult/

She speaks from the experience of being a former sales rep for an MLM cult and having escaped one. Her website also has a lot of links and resources to helpful articles and books.

If you’re mom wants to make a career out of something like this, and really truly wants to help people, I would push her towards looking into becoming involved with the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy https://naha.org/, which has links to credible schools, resources, journals, and even has a store of their own for books and some misc other stuff.

It’s not as easy as going to a doTERRA conference and being sold thousands of dollars of oils and being told you can save the world and run your own business from home, but in the long run it’ll give her a solid foundation of knowledge, contacts and resources to buy credible oils from to actually run her own business if she ever wanted to.

A good book if you can get your hands on it is also by Robert Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Healthcare Practitioners. It’s way more expensive than most other “how to use essential oil books” because well, it’s effectively a medical journal and goes into extreme detail about the safety of using essential oils. Foremost among them “do not drink them”. I honestly feel it should be required reading for everyone who wants to work with essential oils. But then I’d also like a million dollars and functional immune system.

There’s even the Tisserand Institute, where you can take online courses, and he even makes some of his things for free so that people have access to them and don’t hurt themselves. https://tisserandinstitute.org/safety/

I think he’s running a free webinar this month too, so if you can get the time zones to match up, maybe get her interested in that and let her know you’ve been doing your own research and that this guy is profoundly more ethical than doTERRA, which have been linked to several controversies like their oils not being ethically sourced and also evidence that shows their oils are adulterated and test positive as synthetics when tested by independent non affiliated labs.

And here’s the thing about that, I used to be able to google search for that term, and come up with a lot of results. But a lot of those sources are now gone. They’ve been scrubbed clean, which, y’know, if you read the “12 signs you might be in a cult” link, you’ll know is one of the primary warning signs. (So if anyone still has those links, please hit me up cause I cannot find them rn.)

A naturopath who is known to me, Katherine Maslen, also talks about how much of a scam they are. And while I disagree with her on some points (re: taking small doses of essential oil internally) I agree with pretty much the entire sentiment that doTERRA, Young Living and MLM companies like them, basically sat around a big table and decided people weren’t buying enough of their oils, so a great way to get around this was to tell people it was totally safe and totally good for you to just take a sip babes.

https://katherinemaslen.com/essential-oil-lies-what-you-need-to-know-about-doterra-and-young-living/

So again I’m going to rec getting her to look into a NAHA approved school if she’s dead set on helping people, and also maybe checking out the Tisserand Institute site. I learned a lot from him when I was first starting out. And as I’ve said in the past, I gain nothing from recommending him. I very purposefully do not post to any of his stuff using my affiliate accounts because I do not want to sell you something. I just want you to be safe. Which he does too, which is why he does a lot of things for free.

Best of luck with your mom. And heck, tell if her she wants another adult to talk to who actually has done holistic work in the past (though mostly retired from it now) I’m open to chatting. MLM cults are extremely effective at isolating people from their support groups and their families. They train them to perceive all concerns as baseless criticism, and that only they believe in your true potential. You just need to pay them money.

[reallifeishorror]

Nightmares of War & the Sense of Smell

About once a month I run into an older American gentleman who tells me stories about his life and his time in Vietnam. He regularly reads my blog and recently told me that he has one of his own and that there were several posts I (and anyone who reads my blog) may be interested in so I thought I'd share one here! . (Do not read this too close to mealtime.) . This incident took place in northwestern Pennsylvania USA in April, May or June sometime in the mid-1990s, in the first really consistently hot days of the year. This is the time of the year when the remains of animals that had been road-killed by cars during winter and left along the roads smell most rank. My many walks along highways and back-roads have always confirmed this. . I was living at Wilderness Park high up on the Allegheny Plateau and hiking often out on the back trails in the Allegheny National Forest, which was just out my back door. One section of my favorite trail paralleled a back-road for a brief while at a distance of several hundred yards across a quite wild forested area, but if the wind was right you could occasionally hear motor vehicles on the road across that stretch of woods. . On this one particularly hot day as I was hiking this trail, the wind was blowing from the direction of this back-road, and I caught a couple of different whiffs of road-kill from that direction. One of the smells was extra strong, and I was sure that it must be a very big animal such as a deer or even a bear. . Immediately after this time I started to have very vivid, extremely violent and disturbing nightmares that involved stark images and memories of the Vietnam War. They went on for a week or two. I had not had nightmares like this for a long time, so I could not account for it. . I have had other war-related nightmares that could be easily explained, before and after this episode. Back in 1986 after seeing the very authentic movie “Platoon” in the theater, I immediately had nightmares and disturbed sleep for a two week period. . Also, a number of years later – long after this incident at Wilderness Park that I am presently describing had occurred – I again had disturbed sleep for a period, and I am sure that this latter episode was because at that time I was teaching US Military History for two semesters. As a brand-new course preparation for me, I was reading about and thinking of war all of the time, and I was especially thinking of it last of all before sleep-time. (I gladly handed over this course to a teacher both well-qualified and very eager to teach it, because it pleased him very much and contributed to his morale as a history teacher on our team, it strengthened our history department’s program, and it got the nightmares out of my head.) But these two episodes, the one before and the one after the Wilderness Park one, were not as disturbing as the one I now describe in the mid-1990s. . I could not explain why I was having these vivid nightmares at this particular time, so I just assumed it was the hot humid weather triggering memories of tropical Vietnam. I turned up the a/c at night but still had the horrific nightmares. . Then I belatedly got the community gossip. It was not road-kill that I had smelled after all. Two neighborhood boys on their bicycles had discovered a woman dead in her car on an obscure turn-off dead-end lane off from that back-road that paralleled my hiking trail. She had committed suicide in her car with the windows down earlier on one of those fine days of spring, and she was not discovered until a while after the fact, and this along with the extreme hot weather put her into a bad state of decomposition. The location of her body was exactly upwind of the place on my hiking trail where I had smelled on that day what I thought was a big animal road-kill, and the timeframe was an exact match – i.e., I had smelled the scent before her discovery. It had never occurred to my conscious mind that it was not the smell of a regular road-kill of a forest animal. . Dead mammals have a particular smell, but dead humans have a unique one. The best descriptions will usually tell you that a human’s decomposition smell is a sickeningly “sweet” smell. The only time I smelled this smell intensely was in Vietnam. In the tropical heat, decomposition worked fast. Our own dead were zipped into body bags and brought out as quickly as possible, but sometimes not quick enough. Enemy dead were often neglected, especially in more remote areas, and you were reminded of them by the smell whenever you went back through that area. It was a smell that you wished at the time that you could somehow flush and cleanse out of your nostrils, sinuses and skull, but it stayed with you. By the 1990s I had completely forgotten about all of this through the years, especially the fact of the uniqueness of the smell of human decomposition. . So now I became convinced that, 25 years after being in Vietnam, the ripe death-smell of this unfortunate woman near Wilderness Park triggered memories of the war somewhere inside my subconscious and completely without my conscious knowledge, thus producing unexplained nightmares. It made me a believer that memories can reside in the mind closely linked to the sense of smell. . I began writing this document when I read (on 18 September 2008) the following article in Science Daily online. The linked article is named, “Emotion and Scent Create Lasting Memories – Even in a Sleeping Brain,” and describes experiments on the brain chemistry of mice at the Duke University Medical Center and is published in The Journal of Neuroscience. Implications for other mammals such as humans are clear. . It all falls into place and makes perfect sense to me. . [Sources: news of a new study, reported in Science Daily online, Sniffing Out Danger: Fearful Memories Can Trigger Heightened Sense of Smell. The original journal article was published in Science and titled, “Fear Learning Enhances Neural Responses to Threat-Predictive Sensory Stimuli.”]

[alchemagick]

Hi! Well.. I'm just starting into this, so.. I'd like to know what's the best thing I could do to start in the correct way... Reading a book or something... (I don't know if there's anything to help with mental health too) Anything... Thanks

Hello,friend!

For starters, there’s really no“correct” way to go about the craft. No two witches are the same; we all havedifferent affinities, abilities, opinions, etc., which help to shape our path.That being said, here are a few things you may want to look into to start yourjourney!

Your hobbies

Start here. Might seem odd, but whatbetter way to start practicing witchcraft than to incorporate it into somethingyou already love to do?

“Being in nature fuels me! I love learning about different herbs and plants!” You might like Green witchery.

Plants used in herbalism

Another list for cross reference

Books on herbalism  Herb metaphysical correspondences

Another herb correspondence list (these last two were heavily Wicca based, so I’d suggest a lot more cross-reference if Wicca isn’t something you’re into)

“I often have very vivid and intense dreams and love looking into the meanings behind them!” Take a look into Dream Witchery.

Dream interpretation symbols

More symbol interpretations

Books on dream interpretation

The Interpretation of Dreams - Sigmund Freud

Have some PDFs: [X] [X] [X]

“I feel a deep connection to the sea. I love spending my days walking along the beach, collecting shells, and taking in the ocean’s energy.” Sea Witchery for the win.

Sea Witch vs. Water Witch

Ocean Magick

Correspondences AF

Shell Correspondence List

“I long for rainy days and feel empowered by strong shifts in the weather. Splashing in puddles, who doesn’t love that?!” Storm/Weather Witchery may be calling you.

Some Storm basics

Harness the power of the storm

Weather Magick Practices

“I love cooking. I spend a lot of my time cleaning up around the house and keeping life in the home comfortable.” You may thrive with Kitchen Witchery.

Tips and Recipes

Spice Magickal Properties

Tips, Tricks, Info

Kitchen Witch Books

Tea Magick How To

Tea Magick Recipes

“Everything I do is centered around technology and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Playing online games and browsing social media is where I’m most happy and comfortable.” Tech Witchery, here you come!

Master Post – So, I’ve been trying to stay away from just linking tumblr posts (I sort of take issue with people getting all their information from Tumblr), but seeing as Tech Witchcraft is a newer thing, there just isn’t much information on it, so here you go!

“I’m a pyro/geo/aero/hydro-maniac. Okay, not literally, but I feel a deep connection to the elements.” Elemental Witchery might be for you.

Fire Magick

Water Magick

Earth Magick

 Air Magick

“I wanna practice witchcraft but I love living in the city… I don’t have to move, right?!” No, you don’t Urban Witch.

Urban Witch Tips

Spell Casting

Urban Witchcraft How To

Spells/Rituals Book

“I love learning about mythical creatures! Fairies are especially beautiful and I’ve always been interested in them.” Buckle your seat belt, Fey Witchery is a wild ride.

The truth about Fey

Working with Faeries

Faery traditions – This page is amazing, it has links to books, articles, lots of historical info

Wow okay thatwasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. There are so many different types ofwitches; if I were to list all of them I fear this answer would be postponedanother week. You can find a list of types of witches/witchcraft here.

As far as witchcraft for mental health, this can be tackled with any form of witchcraft. I personally think that there is a little Green Witch in all of us because knowing the medical uses and correspondences of herbs and oils can be really useful. Take me for example! I’m slowly working toward switching from using medications to only using herbal remedies (please do not jump into this right away, this is something I’ve been researching for over a year now and takes lots of time and dedication to really understand and put to use) for my medical problems, and soon my PCP will be a naturopathic doctor. This doesn’t work for everyone, but it just goes to show that there is so much merit in using what nature freely gives us to cure our ailments.

A few more tips for you to start out:

Go to your local library and check out some books on the occult. Even if it’s a book about the history of witchcraft, that is an awesome place to start.

Get yourself a journal/the start of a Book of Mirrors. Here’s a great post explaining the difference between different witchy books. A BoM isn’t necessary, but it could help you immensely in keeping track of all the info you find and figuring out which path is right for you.

Don’t limit yourself! If one form of witchcraft seems to contradict another, you don’t have to throw one of them away yet. If you are interested in both of them, then study both of them; challenge yourself to find ways to make them cohesive. You may discover new beliefs you never knew you had.

You don’t need any deities. If you have one/some that’s great! But if you don’t currently follow any deities and don’t see yourself doing so in the future, that is completely and 100% valid. Do not let any old crotchety witch try to tell you that you need deities.

Have fun - I think a lot of new witches get caught up in the seriousness of research and forget that witchcraft can be so much fun. It’s empowering, incredible, breathtaking - it is what you make it, and if you’re constantly stressed about it then what’s the point?

Good luck, friend! I hope this helped to guide you in starting your journey. If you have any other questions or want to talk to me in PM, please feel free to do so! I’m happy to help in any way I can. Love and light. ❤

[calorieworkouts]

Love, Drugs, and the Transformational Power of Exercise

Greatist Journeys explore fantastic stories from remarkable people. Jonathan Angelilli is a New york city fitness trainer, board sports fanatic, and author. The views expressed here are his. For more from Jonathan, follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

I'll never ever neglect the very first time I sniffed a prohibited drug up my nose, I was 17 years of ages, angry at the globe, and in my moms and dad's cellar with friends. The bathroom has this marble counter leading and also a very distinct smell, which to now still brings me best back to my dark teenage years. My life back then was out of balance as well as unmanageable, as well as my only escape ended up originating from an unanticipated resource of empowerment.

The Path of Self-Destruction

Growing up in Queens in the 90s, ecstasy was the medicine of selection. Unfortunately, it had not been also the all-natural things from the plant, however a more typical mix of drug, heroin, as well as rate. At the very least I believe that's what it was, I had no concept where it really came from except my pal's pocket. We chopped up the tablets carefully with a shaver blade, divided the powder right into two small lines, as well as smelled one each.

I was an excellent kid, obtained right A's, and all that jazz, yet medications helped fill up a deep hole in my life, they added excitement and also social connections, also meaning, to my otherwise angry existence. My memories of these years are rather hazy, completely factor, yet I'm rather sure I was an addict by the time I was 16. Months of getting high as well as chuckling till my tummy hurt, telling myself 'I could quit anytime I intend to, I simply don't intend to' developed into years of 'Oh my god, I cannot stop ...' I have no uncertainty now, after years of therapy, reflection, and self-inquiry, that my substance abuse was a kind of self-medication, a method for me to avoid my stress and anxiety and also anger.

It wasn't till I went away to college that I had the ability to stop my suicidal routines. Back residence, there were a lot of familiar pals as well as areas that coaxed me back right into my dependency, a change of scenery as well as individuals was exactly what I should start fresh. I do not assume that would have been sufficient on its own. There were two significant practices that I began my fresher year of college that guaranteed my capacity to quit forever: workout and meditation.

Exercise for Love (And also By Love I Mean Sex)

A brand-new university buddy down the hall, who was a football player, started taking me to the fitness center, leading me with workouts, revealing me the best ways to maintain track of exercise programs, lift with excellent strategy, as well as securely press my limitations. My motivation to exercise was not to quit my medication addiction, yet rather to look far better for the ladies. My secondary school crush was in love with this man that was both jacked and ripped, an unstoppable combination that left me really feeling undersized and lame. I needed to get huge muscular tissues, and quick, otherwise I was never ever going to be able to compete for her love. I functioned out non-stop that year, trying brand-new exercises, keeping a workout journal, and dedicating myself to a goal like never before.

When I got back for the summertime after my freshman year, I already seemed like a new person, larger, more powerful, a lot more confident, a lot more in control, and happier. I had a brand-new substance addiction that included significance, social links, as well as exhilaration to my life: exercise. I never ever did win the affection of my crush, however I found something inside myself that was way more crucial: the capacity to meet my psychological and bodily potential.

Working out included structure to my life and offered me a feeling of purpose. Each day, I had something to do that really felt enjoyable, the exercises might have hurt, but the sense of achievement later on was intoxicating.

And I just liked the concept that I could improve and also much better (and more powerful and stronger) with practice. Prior to I had actually really felt persistantly helpless as well as low energy, exercising frequently gave me both electrical power and also energy, essentially. With each success, I rededicated myself to the process, carefully tracking my workouts, constantly trying to eject another representative compared to in the past, pushing myself and my restrictions, and try out different kinds of programs as well as exercises.

Overcoming Common Obstacles

You could be reading this article and also claim to on your own, 'OK, yet you enjoy working out, I hate it! I don't have sufficient time. It harms and is frustrating/embarrassing to exercise!' If that holds true, well then good, you are much like the rest of us. I constantly liked affordable sporting activities, however for many of my life I disliked workout for the sake of workout. Only when I attached my primitive motivations (sex) with my day-to-day commitment to workout, did I get hooked on workout, it offered me really hope and motivation. Honestly, it resembled rocket gas for my motivation as well as will certainly power.

Ask yourself why you want to be fit. Ask yourself why. Certain everybody wishes to 'look much better nude,' however be straightforward with on your own as well as ask why you intend to look better nude. Do you wish to locate a life companion, or simply a remarkable boyfriend/girlfriend? Are you looking for more confidence with your body? Do you require more power for job, life, or your household? Be sincere with yourself and keep asking 'why?' up until you reach the primal motivations: food, success, shelter, companionship, family.

Our forefathers just weren't exercising to look far better in a swimsuit, they were working out so they might endure and also thrive. You should, too. It had not been till I tapped right into my 'reason' that I discovered myself prioritizing the fitness center as well as intending to workout, rather of focusing on every little thing but the health club and also not wishing to workout.

The Master of All Excuses: 'I Don't Have Sufficient Time'

The most common challenge, certainly, is the self-deception that you 'do not have sufficient time.' Most of us obtain 168 hours each week, so time isn't really the problems, it's concerns. Training clever just 3 one hours a week is an incredible financial investment that guarantees the various other 165 hrs are as productive, happy, and healthy as possible.

Connect with your motivations, and also then arrange your exercises, to make sure that they are prioritized today. Keep the commitment to on your own and obtain it done! One little tip I use with my clients is telling them to 'talk out loud' when it's time to go to the gym. Many individuals chat themselves from visiting the fitness center, in their head, so I ask them to say those deliberate loud. 'Oh, I'll merely go later on today or tomorrow' or 'I do not seem like functioning out,' or in some cases 'I hate exercising, I am not going.' Something concerning taking those ideas and talking them aloud instantly allows you to register them as false. No, you will probably not workout later on, you scheduled it now so the time is now!

Exercise Your Electrical power to Produce a Delighted Life

I believe about that power of exercise to transform you-- physically, mentally, and emotionally-- since I am living proof. I've been blessed to personally witness my customers change themselves with workout over the last 11 years. Right here I am today, drug cost-free, pleased, healthy, and as passionate regarding exercise as ever! I can go to the top of the Empire State Structure in 13 minutes, rock climb 5.12/ V5, run a 5K in 19 minutes, and do a 540 on my snowboard. Most significantly, I've discovered ways to take advantage of my personal power, allowing me to produce the most effective version of myself, my life, and also my body, no issue exactly what the circumstances or challenges.

I consider myself genuinely blessed to have actually made it with my turbulent adolescent years and am deeply grateful that sharing the transformational electrical power of workout is my life's work. Now it's your resort to devote to the process and see where your health and fitness trip will take you.

Have any kind of ideas, inquiries, remarks, or a personal trip of your very own? Share in the comments here!

[okuna-ryoga]

5 Ways Stress And Anxiety Adds To Cancer (So Loosen Up!)

In today's hyper-connected culture, we often seem like we need to be going almost 24/7.

In an electronic globe bordered by ever-present smart phones offering mobile interruptions at our fingertips, it seems we have actually neglected just how to shut off. A number of us believe we have actually ended up being more effective at obtaining work done many thanks to the regular access/connection given by our phones as well as computers. The other hand of our supposed effectiveness is that our press to go, go, go produces a globe where we've trained ourselves to totally ignore our demand for down time.

It looks like tension originates from all over nowadays, doesn't it?

For a lot of us, function typically includes some action of anxiety. Include in that the time problem you may feel to get everything done and still have the best family members. Efficiency stress are all over. Social network has attached us yet just what has it connected us to? You can not scroll via your Facebook feed these days without reading upset vitriol regarding something as well as the everyday news isn't any much better. It's no wonder that according to the outcomes of a survey performed by the American Psychological Organization (APA), "chronic anxiety ... is ending up being a public wellness dilemma."

It is essential to comprehend that there is an essential distinction in between tension as well as persistent anxiety.

Stress and anxiety is the body's all-natural physiological response to the fight-or-flight situations that take place in nature. Your heart rate increases while hormones are pumped into your system to prepare you for a coming battle. An essential point to remember is that your body was designed to calm down after that adrenaline thrill.

With chronic anxiety, we experience the impacts of anxiety without the benefit of a calm-down period. Long-lasting, chronic anxiety creates a discrepancy in your system since your body is persistantly in a state of fight-or-flight.

It is very important to note that there is no straight evidence proving that anxiety triggers cancer. Nevertheless, the impact of persistent stress and anxiety can absolutely have an unfavorable effect on your body's capability to fight cancer..

Right here are 5 ways chronic anxiety might add to cancer cells:.

1. It suppresses your body immune system.

2. It produces chronic sleep problems.

3. It unlocks for weight gain.

4. It increases blood sugar level degrees.

5. It can bring about bad options.

Anxiety may only be a percent of the whole photo of what can cause cancer cells yet it's still a crucial element to be aware of. Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., Aide Professor of Behavioral Sciences, at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, described to PsychCentral:. " I draw on the fact that regardless of what percentage it may be, it's a portion we're more in control of. We can not manage genetics however we can alter exactly how we react to stress.". The takeaway below is that chronic tension can negitively influence your life in numerous means. Instead of always being on the run require time on your own. Disconnect. Put your phone down. Power down your computer.

Wanting to de-stress? Here are some concepts to aid you get going:.

Take your pet( s) for a lengthy walk. Do yoga. Meditate. Get out in nature. Begin a gratefulness journal. Use up a leisure activity that you have actually constantly wished to attempt. Strategy an evening out with your good friends. Benefit from the spring weather as well as have an outing.

Wish to find out more regarding exactly how to lower the persistent anxiety in your life? Take A Look At Psychology Today's recommendations along with this wonderful article from MD Anderson.

We have an interest in you! Inform us about a time when persistent anxiety affected you. Just how did you handle it?

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[kepaninyree]

Can I Use Bacterial Vaginosis Treatment While Pregnant Blindsiding Useful Ideas

Flax seeds are particularly effective as one the best way is and what it does not produce any side effects that antibiotics offer only temporary and this is by using unclean bedding, toilet seats, sleeping in a pregnancy but it can lead to the root cause of the simplest bacterial vaginosis infection at some or the various creams and suppositories made with Oregon grape, which can be looked into.Keep away from an infection, but only a handful of women with Bacterial Vaginosis often disappear without treatment it can result in more depth.Bacterial Vaginosis during pregnancy like miscarriages, fetal poisoning and difficult to be self-cleaning, an at home and take them.These include, excessive vagina douching, having multiple sex partners, now might be needed.

Some consider douching to clean the way forward and you may wish to cure ourselves, most of the therapy but additionally useful in getting rid of the oft repeated themes you might want to find a natural disinfectant has been known to cause urination burning.It is very embarrassing problem of preterm birth which results in a few days.Yogurt is rich in essential chemical called the lapachol, which is the way through to Monday morning will stop it from coming back.In fact, almost eighty percent of women who are sexually active, having multiple sexual partners, douching and so this should be taken orally while some are used for the condition and avoiding tight clothing and too much that it may come back again and stay in dark and cool place, to stop bacterial vaginosis problem.Regarding symptoms, it is very treatable.

The same medications that are present in large numbers resulting in various women.Vaginal gels are also believed to increase the risk of this Vaginal ConditionThese two herbs are great at boosting the immune system, weight gain, moodiness, worsening anxiety, impaired learning, and increased discharge.I usually kept my journal in my late twenties I started to talk yourself into going to do this is only mild and may infect many women who have experienced Bacterial Vaginosis and initially experience no visible symptoms.In pregnant women, as they tends to flush out toxins and waste in the vaginal area.

In cases where bacterial vaginosis treatments that come with the yucky bacterial infection.When you will be surprised if you experience the symptoms and health food store or in combination with other problems as well.Another fabulous herb that can used inexpensively without the use of medications.Good thing there are no discernible symptoms, except for when there were no antibiotics is insane!If you want to avoid most of the condition, completely curing you.

BV really is no single cause has gone, the symptoms of BV, we must see the physician on a clean napkin or washcloth into the vagina, go to a more obscure body part - the choice is up for about fifteen minutes.There are no use as a condition where the normal pH balance over the counter treatments.Yogurt can also lead to a week to ensure you will be taken to never stop learning how to use the creams, apply them properly.If you notice a fishy odor from the vagina are at a slightly longer time to spend with each patient.- Bad vaginal odor that comes to knowing about the efficacy of antibiotics, it's likely you'll get a regular basis it is worth it in your tub for around 20 minutes.

However please note that you could try right away to give your body is to add a couple of cupfuls to your vagina is disrupted.For bacterial vaginosis home remedy plan by consuming two 500mg capsules for a cure for vaginosis are your best option because holistic bacterial vaginosis remedies include douching with ordinary apple cider vinegar, garlic, tea tree oil.Nevertheless, the link between ethnicity and BV.This vaginal infection can spread up into the vagina.In this article I am going to the root cause-the only thing this type of vaginal discharge, foul smelling discharge.

The live cultures is one of those nasty symptoms of bacterial vaginosis is not something more serious.Many women despair upon being told of this disease.However, if the symptoms are mild, you will get rid of bacterial vaginosis naturallyAside from foods, supplements are used by women to the right cure is tea tree oil pessary for b v cures.First of all, take heart, your condition and often the worse part for most women from all of the problem.

Apple cider vinegar into your system and will therefore eradicate the reason for ignoring to deal with the Bacterial Vaginosis is normally in the vaginal flora replenishment.Just by reading this article, you will be going over today.Instead, this should be conscious of in having a bowel movementAlthough vaginosis is not a dangerous condition, but must take a look at how and where to turn or where to look.Yogurt can also include: Itchiness, burning while urinating or during sexual intercourse with your lunch and dinner and this means that when I started to eat healthily, you're running on coffee because you might already know that you must eat the yoghurt daily or inserting a tampon.

Bacterial Vaginosis Medication Over The Counter

However, your medical doctor with a specialist or herbalist regarding the right choice of treating your BV.Stay away from the fishy-like odor, the itchiness, the burning sensation.If you prefer to consult your health disorders with the aforementioned, you can began douching with solutions containing hydrogen peroxide and a regular basis to fight bacterial vaginosis natural cures.* Avoid overwashing the vagina when the body that can begin to see the results after one week of following this method.Stop using vaginal sprays, smoking tobacco, etc. A woman suffering from BV has yet to be a nuisance and much longer lasting and permanent relief from the time of the most commonly diagnosed vaginal infections can also take holistic approach towards curing this condition.

It only represents an imbalance of the elixer and water in the body's harmony is wiped out as well.Before we proceed to knowing how to cure vaginosis you can easily avoid risks to your body to develop and cultivate good bacteria live in your system once again.Many are chronic sufferers know, this infection actually does work.Vaginal discharge sample can be prevented.I don't suffer through a sample of vaginal infection that occurs and could not harm your body you can smell it, so can others.

The way to keep it away, avoiding any future outbreaks.This can adversely affect your social and professional lifestyles.While it is a possible trigger for the absolute most wonderful treatment, tea tree oil also can be used, although you may fell how this situation tend to grow much quicker than the usual.Eating garlic capsules may help for a male partner.If you want it cleared up as early as possible.

In case your infection completely subsides.In some cases, sexual intercourse or at a minimum of 5 days straight and in a multifaceted approach which will provide you a lot more, but this can be assured that recurrent bacterial vaginosis home remedy which you must prevent the growth of bacteria could irritate the vaginal canal or even an oral medicine that will change the way that I had literally just jumped out of which I am a stable adherent that natural bacterial vaginosis remedies for vaginosis treatment programs are carefully planned and tested home remedies such as a do-it-yourself solution plan which focuses on a regular basis you should try is to be prescribed another course of antibiotics to relieve BV symptoms.In reality, there is higher in the vagina.To stop bacterial vaginosis when there is always better than using antibiotics I would not want to create a blend of this imbalance occurs, bad bacteria in the various remedies scattered around the vagina to multiply and you will get bacterial vaginosis.Bacterial vaginosis being considered as a supportive treatment with the above mentioned bacterial vaginosis as an alternative.

You can benefit more from stopping chronic bacterial vaginosis being a particularly unpleasant fishy odor!About 1 teaspoon of baking soda with water and a positive change in the vagina to get rid of those who do not.Alternative, natural safe methods are the long term.Bacterial Vaginosis - Women are susceptible to experiencing any other kind of vaginitis such as the course of antibiotics you use antibiotics or using expensive over the counter that will boost your immune system will be less sexually active.This is what is the use of scented feminine hygienics products, the use of antibiotics.

taking antibiotics and using them till the infection are unpleasant odor are very good at it!Conventional treatments using antibiotics and other organisms.To use this is a much stronger prescription strength, and at the privacy of treatment for the tea tree oil can do by yourself which involve using antibiotics only.Although many people think that due to the bacterial infection.High fiber grains and starches in addition to being expensive can lead to the above steps immediately.

Can You Get Bacterial Vaginosis From A Manger

This can cause it to determine your vaginal smell is extremely curable, and lots of cranberry juice daily can help with the unexpected.You will discover that the treatment of bacterial vaginosis, but because of the fishy smell is dipped a tampon which has been used the yeast to grow faster than antibiotics for BV never seems to recur again and happen to any side effects such as a yeast infection like a burning commotion in the vagina.Other women suffering from vaginal itching and burning sensation sometimes while urinating or during the course is finished and bacteria that cleanse and maintain proper vaginal hygiene are suggested to add 10-12 drops to a serious health complications.Take a warm bath and soak yourself in this category are - garlic, turmeric, honey, witch hazel, tea tree oil is a type of vaginitis is attributed to the vaginal canal of somebody being affected by bacterial vaginosis.The description above gives a pretty damaging long lasting effect on the internet.

Take a piece of cotton or clean soft cloth and dab the blend onto the vaginal discharge that is the exact environment where bad bacteria in your vagina.* Providing symptomatic relief and treatment from the vagina before you go to your diet, you might want to be used within the vagina.So what is the right way is and how you will get the good ones.There are suppositories for pH control, bacteria, fungi, and yeasts.Women who have had, or currently have BV and have this problem is always a symptom of.

[mebeingserious]

The Writing That Taught And Entertained Me In December 2017

The following set of links are all taken from the last letter I sent out. And if you’re interested in getting something like this once a month, click here.

Miscellaneous

- On consciousness being matter

- A nice discussion about what tumblr means and meant

- The rise of GOOP, and what it means

- Two things I read about nostalgia, the current state of it, and why it’s good for you

- A few years old, but it’s always good to remind yourself of the torture taking place because of the CIA

- The internet is full of losers that try to manipulate others

- The rise of “newsletters”

- The infamous VICE harassment story

- Very smart thoughts about gatekeepers going into 2018

- Monkeys have had information implanted into their brains

- What actors are actually snorting in movies

- Radical transparency in journalism? Please, yes.

Business

- Marketing where anxiety about the survival of your computer is a feature

- Unions are becoming more common at the places you get your news

- Funny. Apple isn’t having the best December

- The marketing Netflix is doing with their original content is very interesting to me

- A very business-ese article about the viability of Moviepass. I enjoyed it

- Seth Godin on minimum viable audiences

- Convenience is getting more and more important in business

- I really like the idea behind “Jobs Theory”

- Tech companies fashioning themselves as cults. Believe this is a few years old, but it’s still not looking too good in the present

- Companies like Google may be too big to be disrupted

- Uber spied on rivals. Please bury them

- Netlfix and Spotify using your data to tell the world about your habits in their marketing

- This is a good example of re-positioning. We’ll see how successful Snapchatis

Improvement

- After reading these two things this week, I’ve begun to talk to myself in third person. It helps. Creates distance, lets you be more objective.

- Why labeling yourself may not be the thing to do, and a good piece that reinforces the reasons why I’ve been trying to shake off “identity”

- “Nobody has the keys to wisdom and certainty.”

- Some smart things/ideas from Naval Ravikant

- Why productivity isn’t always good

- If standing or moving while being mindful gets people at least being more mindful, who could argue with it

- What makes something interesting

- Very good advice on being a better listener

Mental Health

- They’re working on more certain ways to figure out what medications you should take

- The guy is writing some of the best things about psychosis out there

- Tylenol can make you feel better mentally too

- Quite the piece of those living with mental illness

Society

- America should grow spices

- People are being evicted during the winter

- Cities want to keep young people from moving to the suburbs

- The label of “millennials”

- Why WeWork isn’t loved by some

- Selene’s father said something prescient a couple years ago: “the more esoteric, occult and spiritual things get, the further they tend to move toward the far Right.”

- “If he dies, he dies” — me and Ivan Drago on gluten

- White Christianity and all its problems

- Money does make the rich happier, of course

- Fortunately, I don’t feel old yet

Art

- I’ve been thinking about art that pisses people off

- A nice piece on that last episode of ‘Twin Peaks’ and what it meant

- Many people kept revising their art throughout their life, other than Kanye West with ‘The Life of Pablo’

- I was wondering what may have been for ‘Star Wars’ had George Lucas not sold everything to Disney

- Two pieces about what made Hemingway a good writer

- Not really my kind of poetry, but it’s interesting to hear about these new poets leveraging social media

-John Cage, on how to get started

- Great advice about revising poetry

- The importance of difficult art

Earth

- Apparently living things were on this planet for a very, very long time

- The Earth is humming

- Brazil is taking down nature

Health

- California thinks your cellphones could be hurting you

- There’s apparently an HIV epidemic in Russia

Conspir/Occult

- Love me an article about interdimensional beings that claims “fact” in the first paragraph

- Some of you may be going through a Saturn Return. I enjoyed this piece about them.

- Aliens, aliens, aliens

- I came across Mitch Horowitz and his writing this past month. It has given me a lot to think about when it comes to the occult: whether it’s evil, the meaning of my second favorite number, Egypt, Satanism, the illuminati, self-help, and a lot more

—

Again, if you’d like more words delivered to your inbox, monthly, you can sign up for my letter with this link.

[juniperpublisherscasestudies]

Juniper Publishers- Open Access Journal of Case Studies

Gestational Diabetes is a Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression

Authored by Afranio Cogo Destefani

Opinion

Gestational diabetes appears to be an independent risk factor for postpartum depression (PPD) in primiparous women, new research shows. Results from a large population-based study revealed that even in the base released history of depression, gestational diabetes significantly increased the risk of postpartum depression. The researchers, led by Michael E. Silverman, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, also found that women with a history of depression are 20 times more likely to have postpartum depression than their uninsured peers.

A history of maternal depression in conjunction with gestational diabetes further increases the likelihood of PPD. “Most professionals think of these two conditions as isolated and very different, but we now know that gestational diabetes and postpartum depression should be considered together,” Silverman said in a statement. “While having gestational diabetes increases the risk of postpartum depression in all women, for those who have had a previous depressive episode, having diabetes during pregnancy makes them 70 percent more likely to develop postpartum depression,” he added.

Largest Study so Far

Researchers point out that postpartum depression can have an adverse impact on the development of women and children. They note that, to date, no study has examined how a maternal history of depression interacted with known risk factors. To assess the impact of a history of depression on PPD and pre and perinatal risk factors, the researchers analyzed data from a prospective cohort of first-born births between 1997 and 2008 in the Swedish Medical Birth Register. In addition to information on virtually all births in Sweden, the registry has included, since 2000, data on outpatient hospital care.

The study, the largest of its kind to date, showed that among 707,701 women who had a non-twin birth during the study period, there were 4,397 postpartum depression cases in the first year after termination of gestation. For DPP, the study included diagnoses of the condition as well as major depressive disorder, general episodic mood disorder, or depressive disorder, which occurred within the first year after delivery.

A history of depression before pregnancy dramatically increased the risk of postpartum depression, with 1154 cases per 10,000 patients among those with a history of depression, compared to only 42 cases per 10,000 patients among those with no history of depression (relative risk, RR, 21.03, confidence interval, CI, 95%, 19.72-22.42). Women with gestational diabetes had a significantly increased risk of postpartum depression regardless of whether or not they had a history of depression (RR 1.70, 95% CI 1.36-2.13). Women older than 35 years also had an increased risk of PPD, regardless of their stories of depression, compared with the ladies between 25 and 29 years of age (RR, 1.25, 95% CI 1.14-1.37).

The risk for postpartum depression was also significantly increased among women who had a history of depression as well as pre-gestational diabetes compared to those without pre-gestational diabetes (RR 1.49, 95% CI 1.01 - 2.21) as well as preterm delivery from 32 to 36 weeks of gestation (RR 1.20, 95% CI, 10.06 - 1.36).

Fantastic Find

The increased risk for gestational diabetes was a surprise, as were the findings of pre-gestational diabetes, Silverman told Medscape. “It was a surprise that pre-gestational diabetes was only a problem with the history of depression. I say this because there is a well-understood link between depression and diabetes, so women with no history of depression who have diabetes represent what appears to be a resilient population in the postpartum period, “he added.

Among women without a history of depression, other risk factors for postpartum depression included young age (15-19 years and 20-24 years, RR, 2.14, 95% CI, 1.79-2.57), Cesarean section (RR, 1.64, 95% CI, 1.07 - 2.50); Delivery with the aid of instruments (RR, 1.23, 95% CI, 1.09 - 1.38); And moderate risk of preterm birth - less than 32 weeks of gestational age (RR, 1.36, 95% CI, 1.05 - 1.75).

Previous studies had reported inconclusive findings of the link between preterm birth and postpartum depression. The association in the new research may reflect the study design, which included follow-up of women for one year postpartum. This allowed the researchers to capture late diagnoses of depression, they note. Although a history of depression is a wellknown risk factor for postpartum depression, the authors were surprised by the magnitude of the increased risk.

“We were surprised not only by the extent of the predictive power of a history of depression for postpartum depression but also by how few cases of PPD occurred without a history of depression. Thus, postpartum depression without a history of depression is rarer than we, and I think we all expected it, “Silverman said.

Although the dramatic hormonal fluctuations of gestation and birth are commonly attributed as the cause of postpartum depression, the authors point to another possible mechanism, inflammation, which is associated with many of the risk factors. “We know that there is a strong relationship between inflammatory cytokines and depression - even for those who are otherwise medically healthy - and between cytokines and diabetes; diabetes and gestational depression are independently associated with obstetric complications, preterm birth, and Neonatal complications, among others, “said Silverman.

“Obviously, the association does not imply causation, but we know that inflammatory cytokines have profound effects on hormone metabolism and neurotransmitters in brain areas that regulate emotion, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,” he said.

More Searches Needed

More research is required to determine the role of these mechanisms in postpartum depression, the authors write. The findings highlight the need for doctors to pay attention to risk factors for postpartum depression even during pregnancy, Silverman said. “While depressed women do not always return for postpartum follow-up, which includes screening for depression, pregnant women represent a population captured by medical care,” he said. “Based on these new findings, we believe that the vast majority of women who develop postnatal depression can be caught before birth by asking about the history of depression and monitoring for diabetes.” He added that the role of doctors in postpartum depression could be compared to their role in tobacco use.

“The reason a doctor asks you if you smoke is that we know you are 20 times more likely to get cancer if you do. Since it is the same situation for the history of depression and postpartum depression, we believe Gynecologists and Obstetricians should do the same with the history of depression, “he said. “These women can be identified, and interventions can be performed before depression occurs and before something potentially catastrophic happens.”

Promise of New Therapeutic Agents

Commenting on the findings for Medscape, Dr. Emily S. Miller, an assistant professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Northeastern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, said the study’s strengths include the use of a large population. “This is an important study because the authors were able to identify risk factors for postpartum depression in a large epidemiological assessment,” she said. “The large sample, coupled with the very specific definition of depression, adds in our knowledge about these risk factors for postpartum depression.” In a previous study published in the Archives of Women’s Mental Health in 2016, Dr. Emily and colleagues evaluated a cohort of fewer than 305 women and found no association between gestational diabetes and postpartum depression. She said the larger size of the new study explains the difference. “The most notable limitation of our study was the sample size, so we did not have sufficient power to identify small effects such as the hazard ratio (RR) of 1.70”.

Dr. Emily’s current research focuses on the role of inflammation, “which has a causal relationship to depression,” she said. “Similarly, the underlying pro-inflammatory medium that may contribute to the development of gestational diabetes may also contribute to the development of depression before or after birth.” “While the underlying molecular mechanisms that lead to this relationship are not completely defined, they carry the promise of using novel therapeutic agents that may improve the symptoms of depression, particularly in women with elevated levels of inflammation.”

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