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On or about April 24, 2012, an announcement was posted on her site www.sinead-oconnor.com that Sinead O’Connor has had to cancel her tour. She posted the following note: “With enormous regret I must announce that I have to cancel all touring for the year as am very unwell due to bi polar disorder. “As you [...]
One piece of good news is that using the Internet, particularly searching the Web, can slow our normal age-related cognitive decline. Googling is good for your brain. As Dr. Gary Small, Director of UCLA’s Memory Clinic and Center on Aging, said in an interview, “Our study ‘Your brain on Google: Patterns of cerebral activation during [...]
The mythology of the mad artist continues in various forms, supported to some extent by research. For example, there are studies indicating writers are more susceptible to depression. Video from World Science Festival: ‘Genius’ Dark Cousin’ – “When talking about geniuses, the conversation inevitably strays towards topics of eccentricity, or even madness. One needs only [...]
“I think acting has healed me.” Charlize Theron Creative expression can transform our painful reactions to traumatic situations, providing a way to give voice to difficult feelings. Charlize Theron as a teen saw her mother shoot and kill her father in self defense. She said in a 2004 interview that her work has helped her [...]
By Cecil Ellis Depression and anxiety are sometimes hard to tell apart. While they may seem like completely different conditions, chronic depression can hide anxiety, while people who suffer from general feelings of anxiety may actually be experiencing a symptom of depression. Further, when people begin treatment for depression, the new focus on underlying issues [...]
Over the years since it was developed by Freud, psychoanalysis has been fodder for many jokes and dismissive ideas about the value of therapy and even psychology in general. But many writers and other artists choose the experience of analysis and other forms of therapy as a way to both become healthier and to better [...]
By Cheryl Arutt, Psy.D. Creating art has always been a way to channel emotional intensity. In a world where destructive acting out is all too frequent (and meticulously documented and sensationalized on the news and TMZ), sublimating painful feelings by expressing them in the form of artistic expression allows the artist to choose to “act [...]
By Leslie Johnson Although it is somewhat of a media-influenced stereotype, the cultural image of the “mad genius” has stayed with us, and that’s because many of the qualities attributed to highly successful people (i.e. that they are crazy or insane) are quite true. Especially for those of us who are creative and active people, [...]
“Raking in a zen garden is one form of relaxation, but visual guided imagery is a specialized form of meditation that teaches a patient to focus on their breath and different muscle groups. “Even learning for a short period of time could teach you how to reduce stress, reduce anxiety in different situations,” said clinical [...]
One of the enduring ideas about developing creativity is to that creative people such as writers need to “get out of their own way” so they can more freely express their inner experience. It is also potentially a core benefit of counseling or psychotherapy. But what does that really mean: getting out of our own [...]
Winona Ryder: “I was lucky in the sense that my success was gradual. But then there was a point when there was so much attention, and you get surrounded with people who sort of make you feel like you have to do everything… “It’s really tough to suddenly be very famous. I think you get [...]
In another outstanding post, cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman includes a wide range of material on creativity and mental health. Here is an excerpt: In the movie Black Swan, the ballerina Nina Sayers (played by Natalie Portman) is asked by the director to “lose herself” in the role of the black swan in the ballet [...]
Many creative and gifted people have been diagnosed at some point in their lives with a mental illness. A diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, for instance, can deeply affect our sense of identity and change the course of our life. The decision to take medications to treat a mental illness may also have a [...]
By Cat Robson What are some of the considerations that lead sensitive and gifted adults to take psychiatric medications? What are some of the reasons people stop taking medications?? What are the alternatives? My inner life, and sometimes my outer life, is painful/chaotic/confusing. The DSM symptoms list for certain mental illnesses seem to fit me [...]
What makes creative and highly sensitive people accept, and even welcome, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or other mental illness? Are psychiatrists equipped to recognize and support creativity, high sensitivity and giftedness? Who determines where creative intensity ends and mental illness begins? Do medications put our creativity and sensitivity at risk? Over a year and [...]
Many workplaces and jobs can be exciting, creatively stimulating and emotionally rewarding, and a means to realize and expand your abilities. Others can feel like being sentenced to a sweatshop. Especially if you’re dealing with anxiety or sensory overwhelm as a highly sensitive person. And being highly sensitive can increase our vulnerability to anxiety, as [...]
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Site author: Douglas Eby, M.A./Psychology, is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative expression and personal growth, especially for high ability adults. He is publisher of the Talent Development Resources series of sites.
