Tag Archives: mind

Self requires logic, fun and sensitivity

Posted by Dr Andreia Santo in Home and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As much as one likes to trust that the good times are “always” around the corner, there is still a need for personal accountability, discernment and an attitude of not letting go of one’s meaningful fun and well-being moments. Yes, many people act erratically and can undermine a voice of a vulnerable person, but the vulnerable one shall rise out of that very difficult time and own what they can take control of. In experiences of despair, we can still talk to God or nature, or change the path of our emotions by not allowing them to settle in harsh ways. Self-love is, therefore, our number one tool and an innate mechanism. It is a critical mechanism of survival, homeostasis and harmony.

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You have the power (always available to you if you choose to use it) to improve your emotional states. This might require that you look at things in a more comprehensive way, such as trying to explore and understand the reasons why others act the way they do, or why they commit offences and crimes. That’s why billions of people like to watch crime documentaries, even if they have previously suffered. They find them cathartic and enlightening, and they feel that they are not alone. When we understand what shapes our political-social-religious contexts, this brings a great deal of liberation and the knowing that healing is permanently taking place too, not just when we sit in our therapy sessions. Ultimately, you have free will and can at any time do what you really want for your life and you can honour your magnificent sensitivity. If you feel criticise for being highly sensitive, be reminded that the people that criticise you will probably need to face the facts about their own lack of sensitivity too. Passive-aggressive communication and behavioural styles never lead to great solutions; logic is, in my view, the only way out for all humanity.

Choose to love yourself in every moment, and to embrace your acquired wisdom with dignity and humility, and remember that joy is part of the existential universal fabric.

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Moral Health or Mental Health?

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I am passionate about studying our dear philosopher Aristotle, who bravely flagged the idea of comprehensive respect being both the cure and the door for illness if not embraced because it creates a road of resentment and perpetually unresolved issues. Respect is possibly the best we can do for our health and mental health, although it is so undervalued!

In his first book Rhetoric, Aristotle could not make more sense about the misinformation present in the mentalities around 2500 years ago, and it is still so valid and contemporary! I believe that many people suffer in silence when they see violence around them because they know deep down that it is wrong and unfair. Aristotle in his reflection about logical communication and justice, in a highly succinct way, stated: “the arousing of prejudice, pity, anger, and similar emotions has nothing to do with the essential facts, but is merely a personal appeal to the man who is judging the case”.

The moral health’s dilemma is a precious thing to me and makes me even re-think the current connotation for “mental health” or “mental illness”. I am 100% rooted in this philosophy, I study it day and night, I can’t seem to get tired of it! It actually relaxes me when I read or think about it, It is my home! It feels to me that the public might be made to put their heads in the sand and imagine that actions, including words and emotions, are not powerful enough to generate any kind of emotional illness, when in fact these are highly intertwined in our bio-psycho-social development and very much a reflection of physics. A tree cannot sustain itself if the roots aren’t healthy, right?

Therefore, it is not only about saying the correct things but is about our communication becoming empowered by a genuine and unconditional love intention. Possibly that would even end the constructs of “mental illness”, and maybe ‘Moral Health’ or ‘Moral Illness’ would make a better term? I believe (from my years of research) that the need to be loving is more entrenched in our biochemistry and epigenetics than we can remember. I believe that in the future this could be the meaning used, or one of them!

I feel that I am not in this profession to only comply with the current scientific findings, but that I am a clinical psychologist to confront the biased social paradigms and the less impartial and inequitable loyalty systems. Hence, my interest in ancestral wisdom, which is something that some seem to ignore, even in existing mental health systems, with their demeanour, decoy and one-sided policies.

The Utopian Psychology Institute has the determination to facilitate and support the very necessary recognition from all citizens of the world concerning ethics & general health. These two are one element, in my view, because without love the mind and body can become quite debilitated. We offer rehabilitation protocols through our eclectic psychotherapy assessment and treatments. Love is our essence. Please follow our blog for more refreshing and down to earth content.

A study on Pace

Posted by Dr Andreia Santo in Home and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Pace is very much a very important phenomenon of physics because it is the velocity of things, and how fast things go for you, or in your life. Each person in your life will have a particular pace including when using logical thinking, impulsivity, compulsion, judgement and or even when resting. People will think and do things differently.

There is a collective acceptance of “randomness” and that in itself it means that people are not paying attention to their own mechanisms, and to their own responsibility on operating the mechanisms.

It is important that we start reflecting about pace and contemplate whether our individual pace is something out of order, out of control, and if it needs to be brought back to the right control.

Many people don’t know this. They don’t know that they should be aware of when they are experiencing emotions and that they should validate their freedom within the circumstances they are experiencing.

The emotion speaks about the manner we put ourselves in our circumstances, and how we are doing, and in terms of the amount of unconditional self-love we have for ourselves.

We need to think about emotions as our best friends, not as external elements, as being internal instead. Something that we must analyse, and act on with care and sensitivity. The energy of the emotion (the emotion is energy) will drag on until it has been noticed and repaired.

The pace of not doing anything about it, or the pace of distracting yourself, is another subtype of pace that we should invest in thinking about. The distraction pace replaces the reflection one and creates havoc and also drains our vital force.

This is a good theme for today’s reflection, don’t you think? The question that can transform the way we look at and understand existence, in my view, and supports us contrasting the pace of our lives and to determine how we react to each other’s non-reflected paces.

I hope this makes some sense to you my dear reader, thank you for stopping by and being part of the group of interested people in the world.

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To Worry Vs To Care

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Is the world avoiding to care, so they don’t worry even more? What is your view?

A caring world would do us all an enormous service. There are definitely people that do care a lot about others, but also many that don’t want to feel connected to people due to worrying about failure, rejection and humiliation. Now, how does one get to grip with what really matters if we are not solid in the values of compassion, love and ethical co-construction?

If we could weigh both “worry” and “care” to compare on an old scale, which one would weigh more in our world? Maybe worry, although I would like to be certain! Hence, I am creating a questionnaire to spread around, so we can gain more insight about this subject.

Perhaps people feel that they have a lot already on their plates, including responsibilities, bills to pay, others to listen too and to answer that they feel that there is not much space for compassion, friendship, and even charity. However, research such as the 5 Ways to Well-being for example has demonstrated that to give our care to someone is an intrinsic part of our existence and is required for someone to feel comprehensively happy too. This piece of investigation, beautifully carried out by the New Economics Foundation, states that in order for human beings to achieve balanced well-being they need to: feel good about connecting to others, being active, taking notice mindfully, keep learning and giving or doing charity work. This definitely resonates and I have seen it revealing to be quite important and effective in my clinical work.

To worry implies walking on the narrowing avenue of cognitive and emotional amplification of the perceived “obstacle”. The aforementioned tends to contribute to the multiplication of stress chemicals, such as cortisol, and the rise of adrenaline in the bloodstream. Suddenly one will feel that there is a “danger” which in turn might lead to rushed, incomplete or even possibly unrealistic catastrophic conclusions/actions due to the overwhelming biochemical discharge.

If you are prone to worry, please consider receiving treatment, as it will not benefit you in the long term. It has been proven by science that creates a deficiency in our immune system and body functions and sustains chronic unhelpful thinking styles.

To care about your life and others on the other end will support good bio-psycho-social progress.

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Identity Loss

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What is an identity? An attempt to randomly establish better conditions with no logic? Does it need logic? I’ve realised that when there is more logic and down to earth intention, the better consistency it has. What do I mean by consistency? I think it means to be loyal to transparent and universal values.

Since a very young age, I have been eager to meet kind and strong people. I felt many times disappointed as the kind part would quickly vanish. Did this happen to you before?

The impact of a strong personality is generally speaking huge. I experienced it as being bold, secretive and artificially seductive . I almost got to think that there was more potential and happiness to such identities. Today I realise that there is more pain accumulated most of the time. After I re-analysed my values and stipulated what I believe to be necessary, soon I have become even angry with those that try to take advantage of others through glamour, despite the fact that I understand that there is unprocessed personal experiences. In addition, with this came a scientific understanding of our minds and intentions mechanisms which I found to be enhancing; of course, no point in crying over the past, mainly because there is only the present moment, and the more I can thoroughly enjoy it the better for me.

The loss of the “solid” identity is also correlated to NOT diligently embracing the truth, wisdom and fair treatment of others. How we treat others does impact our ability to sustain a positive well-being balance.

Behave Like an Adult!

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I know it may sound strange this title and rude; however it equally encourages us all to cherish our deliberation, ability to take a step back to think, to flow with our joy and to speak up! This statement is critical if you find yourself engulfed in family, social and professional or school expectations and demands. If you feel lonely and that no one is interested in what you have to say is because you also perceive your voice as being weaker. Recognise that us humans are susceptible to get carried away in people’s dramas because of the intensity of the moment. This is natural. Be kind and a responsible adult during that time, and get used to loving yourself, by taking time out and remembering to prioritise your rhetoric, logic and free will. In my view, no matter how old we are, we ought to esteem our personal existence, uniqueness and freedom to learn and to speak up.

Behave like an adult!

Stop polluting the air with your brainwaves!

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For many kiloyears we have seen individuals wanting to manipulate one another. Our survival became associated with that and pleasing others.

It started with Eve that tried to influence Adam to eat the fruit, and Adam not being able to be singular. It is not only Eve’s fault, both individuals’ core identities were already contaminated with insecurity. Why did we all get so easily swayed and our voices so retreated as humanity?

The social media phenomenon that we see, and also in arenas such as politics and teaching platforms, are the result – literally – of interwoven brain waves that keep everyone either unhappily stuck, stagnant or even temporarily satisfied for the few seconds of fame. Our real identity that is already innately self-reliable, will never achieve fulfilment from the social interexchange. The most you get out of it is some sort of validation and momentous equality, feeling a little bit less shit. Is this sustainable?

The world needs to wake up to the understanding that people’s influence is stronger than what we have assumed so far. It is not only a social fact it is also physics. As you think and repeat the same unhelpful thought you pollute not only your life and your loved ones around you, but you also pollute the collective brain.

The waves you emit sustain in the air after their apparent end. The words you originate have electricity and the actions even more voltage, this has been already validated by science.

One needs to wake up to self-responsibility in the creation of not only of our daily life experiences but also of the societies we co-exist. What kind of world do you want to help actualising? We are all to blame for the polluted air we breathe.

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Quantum Psychology

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Quantum physics is a science that investigates the smallest and most invisible and imperceptible elements that surround our existence, such as atoms, molecules, waves, etc.

I based my work and clinical approach on unconditional self-love which is the scientific self of all humans. Throughout the last decade of practicing as a clinical psychologist, I concluded that the mind cannot remain in one place, as it is quickly transported to varied emotional experiences, some of them experienced physically and others related to imagined or vicarious learning. In my work, I remind individuals of all ages about the many parallel roads that they tend to get stuck on, and are diverted from their original goal which tends to be feeling their confidence, authenticity, happiness, power, and/ or motivation. I also remind them of the intact and positive self that stays normally at the back, asking to be reunited with the mind, with the single purpose of living a fulfilled and meaningful life.

The self I am constantly referring to is the genuine identity that obeys to the laws of unconditional self-love, and it is basically comprised of energy, one of positive nature.

Imagine a glass filled with water, pure water, and suddenly you add a minuscule drop of blue ink, the water will no longer seem so transparent. This is exactly what I mean by unconditional self-love energy. It is a quantum reality, invisible; however at the basis on all creation because it never disentangles from the systems of homeostasis, regeneration, and therefore peace and joy.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FREEDOM

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Would you like to feel fulfilled in your existence? I refer to the word “existence” considerably as it encompasses from being born to senior stages of our lives. I am aware that it is important to stretch our perception of time once in a while, otherwise, we might get too stuck in particular unhelpful and unkind details and negative behavioural cycles. I am sharing below 5 suggestions concerning how you can achieve psychological freedom.

1. It is vital to realise what your real desires are, so you don’t keep making decisions that don’t contribute to your happiness. When you repeat what you don’t want, you are bringing heavy and about to burst clouds to a sunny territory.

2. It is necessary to ground on universal principles, ethics and in elements of organic productivity. In relationships, this means being brave to acknowledge our emotions and current viewpoints, while allowing space for further reflection, learning and self-discovery. For instance starting a conversation with ” I now feel ______ and my stance is ______, even though it may change if appropriate”. By adopting this communication style you give yourself the time and freedom to re-examine and evolve your discoveries. Personal flexibility is kindness.

3. Everyone has the right to feel safe and healthy. Our minds have to be prioritised as they determine how we think about our general well-being and others. Being safe is not only about experiencing physical safety but also psychological, in other words, It is extremely important to not get used to experiencing feeling unvalued, disrespected and judged.

4. Overcome fear and embrace your valid views. Humankind is so on edge when it comes to taking an assertive stand and verbalising accurate and present emotions. Isn’t this the only way to freedom?

5. The ultimate positioning is when the world becomes a place of genuine interactions and when self-respect and self-introspection are the pillars, and joyful experiences the consequence.