Healthy Brains Make Happy People

CHECK US OUT ON YELP!

If you want to have some fun, read my memoir of my days in the NY music biz of the 1970s, NEVER SAY NO TO A ROCK STAR: IN THE STUDIO WITH DYLAN, SINATRA, JAGGER AND MORE.

Simply by asking this question we run into our first problem: resistance. Steven Pressfield, in his classic book, The War of Art, tells us that whenever we want to change, the gremlins of resistance raise their ugly heads. The first word that the gremlin screams is, “NO!” Then that little bugger of a voice in our head gives us all the reasons for that “no.”

This is all some bogus fad, it’s never going to work, and even if it did work I’ll never be able to do it, might be some of the things you hear.

This is the common way the brain reacts to new information where you might have to change your ideas or what you do. If you have some degree of flexibility, though, it is only the first of a three-part process. Part one is resistance, as we said. Part two is acceptance and part three is embracing.

For example, I say to my kids, “Let’s go for a hike in the woods!” Their first reaction is, NO! (Resistance) Then they grudgingly say, “all right.” (Acceptance) Then half way into the hike they say,”This is the greatest thing EVER!” (Embracing)

Why do we resist? The main reason is fear. Personally, I think that this kind of fear/resistance is evolutionarily adaptive. The anxious Cro-Magnons who refused to leave the cave survived, while the ones who left and ate the mushroom died. (The problem is, we don’t live in caves anymore, and the supermarket only sells brain-healthy mushrooms.)

Since we’re talking about the brain, I should mention that resistance can also come from having an overactive cingulate gyrus. What the hell is that? The cingulate gyrus is a part of the brain, and when there’s too much going on in there, we have a very hard time switching gears. If you find yourself saying no to new ideas eight out of ten times, you just might have this problem.

We’ll save talking about ways to deal with an overactive cingulate gyrus for a later post, but for now . . .

How do we deal with the resistance gremlin when we are trying to make the necessary changes to have the healthiest brain possible? We start with the 1% solution. Much of our fear comes from the belief that we will fail. To counter that, we take the smallest, easiest steps possible, that you will actually do, that won’t totally freak you out.

So what’s that tiny first step? DRINK A GLASS OF WATER FIRST THING EVERY DAY.

Why is drinking a glass of water first thing every day good for the brain?

The brain is 85% water. The functioning of your brain depends on having enough of it. Water gives the brain the electrical energy it needs to do it’s thing. Water is needed for the brain to be able to make hormones and neurotransmitters, the chemicals that make our brains work right.

The longest period of time we go without water is when we sleep. Not only don’t we drink, but during those six to eight hours we use up water. So, when we wake up, we’re somewhat dehydrated. When we are dehydrated, it’s harder to pay attention, remember stuff, and figure out how long it will take to get to the office. That’s why the first thing we want to do to get our brain going in the morning is to have that big glass of H2O.

So try this tomorrow. Fill up a glass with 12 to 16 ounces of delicious water and drink it.

You can drink any water, but if you can afford it, the best kind is spring water out of glass bottles. My favorite is called Mountain Valley Spring Water, and you can do your part to make America great again by getting some because it comes from the Ouichita Mountains in Arkansas. (No, this article is not an ad for them, but I should mention that it was Frank Sinatra’s and Elvis’s favorite.)

Can you make that one small change of drinking a tall glass of water when you wake up? (Maybe you already do it. I hope so. If you do, great! You passed the first step.)

I think you can. It’s worth it.

(If you are really ambitious, you can keep drinking water through the day. We’re supposed to drink one half our body weight in ounces each day.)

When your brain has all the water it needs, you will be able to think faster, be more focused, and experience greater clarity and creativity.

It’s an easy way to start your healthy brain program – and your day – right.

CHECK US OUT ON YELP!

If you want to have some fun, read my memoir of my days in the NY music biz of the 1970s, NEVER SAY NO TO A ROCK STAR: IN THE STUDIO WITH DYLAN, SINATRA, JAGGER AND MORE.

Recently, I have begun posting on my new obsession, brain wellness.

This post will be one of the most important I will write about this subject. This information could have a major impact on your, and your family’s, health and yet most people know nothing about these facts.

Doing the one thing I will suggest in this article may not only help in preventing heart attacks, strokes and many other disease processes, but – for the sake of my particular audience – it can also have a powerful impact on depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, OCD, and ADHD.

Let me warn you that this article is going to be a little long, and a little complicated. I’m going to do my best to make this as simple as possible (at the risk of grossly oversimplifying) while still providing you with enough science to convince you that this is real and that you need to pay attention to it (at the risk of boring and confusing the crap out of you). Please have patience and do your best to take the time to get through the whole thing.

I have spent many, many hours researching this subject, and I am not finished yet. I am continuously learning and will update you as I gain important info. But I felt this was so important that I wanted to get the basics to you now.

Here we go . . .

The only way that we can get many of the essential nutrients we need for our body to work right is from the food we eat. (We must have these nutrients – that’s why they are called essential.) Some of these essential nutrients that we can only get from food are vitamins and minerals. What do vitamins do? Essentially, they help turn the food we eat into chemicals our body can use.

This transformation of the food we eat into useful chemicals doesn’t only happen in one step. The body has very complicated processes where one chemical is turned into another, and then another, etc. For example, there is a multiple step process that turns spinach into brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which we need for our brains to work right. These transformational processes are called “metabolic pathways.” The body has many of them, and you can see how complex it all is by looking at this chart, which illustrates only some of our metabolic processes.

These processes are enabled by our genetics. The genes are switches that tell the body to make these chemical changes happen in the body. The body uses vitamins and enzymes to make those changes occur.

Through the human genome project, we now know the entire human genetic map. The hope in discovering the human genome was that once we understood how our genes worked, we would have a better understanding of the underlying causes of many medical conditions that have remained mysterious up to this time. This is now just beginning to come true. Through this very young science, we are just starting to understand what our genes do, what can go wrong when our genes don’t work right, and what we can do about it when this happens. Now that we are beginning to understand the genetic problems that can lead to certain diseases or conditions, it is possible to treat the causes of a condition, rather than treating the symptoms.

This is particularly important as far as mental health is concerned, because at this point we really know very little about the mental conditions we are treating medically, whether it is depression, ADHD, or schizophrenia. Presently, we are using one-size-fits-all medicines when there are many causes for the same apparent symptoms. The limits of our knowledge and ability to treat these conditions becomes obvious when we observe that a medicine may help one person but not another, and we don’t know why.

The reason that some of our genes do not work the way they are supposed to is because they are mutations of their normal forms. We call some of these mutations “polymorphisms,” because they are fairly common.

If you have these mutations are you doomed? Not necessarily. Genes are not destiny. The expression of genes, that is, what switches them on or off, is impacted by the environment. This science, where we understand how the environment impacts the working of our genes, is called epigenetics. All kinds of factors can impact whether a particular gene works in a particular way, or not. So just because you have a “polymorphism” doesn’t mean you’re screwed.

One of the first genetic mutations that was discovered that contributes to many disease processes, including a host of these mental health issues, is the MTHFR mutation. MTHFR is both the name of the gene and an enzyme turned on by that gene, which is part of a metabolic process called methylation.

Methylation is a process that happens in the body about a billion times a second. Chemically, it is when the body adds a “methyl group,” one chemical compound, or molecule, to another chemical compound. When this happens the function of that compound changes, and this advances this metabolic pathway, or the complicated, step-by-step process of turning the food we eat into the stuff our body can use to make it work right.

One of these methylation processes turns one of those essential nutrients, a particular B vitamin, from one form, folic acid, into another form, methylfolate. Methylfolate is an extremely important compound that the body uses for many purposes.

When we have the MTHFR mutation, the body has a much harder time turning folic acid into Methylfolate. This ain’t good. And this mutation is a polymorphism, because about 50% of the population has it.

To further complicate this story, more than one gene is involved in this methylation process. The first genetic mutation that was discovered is called the 677 gene. That was discovered in 1995. This is the first genetic mutation to have a treatment approved by the FDA.

The next important methylation mutation was discovered in the early 2000s. That one is called the 1298 gene. Since then, many more, less common gene mutations in the methylation pathway have been discovered and we are slowly understanding how all this works and effects the body, but those first two are the most prevalent and important.

These chemical compounds have a great deal to do with the creation and regulation of neurotransmitters, that is, the brain chemicals that influence our mental states. That is why these mutations can contribute to many mental health problems. Therefore, it is of vital importance to know if you have these mutations, and if so, what you can do about it.

First of all, how do you know if you have any of these mutations?

The easiest way to find out is to get genetic testing through the web site 23andme.com. For $99 you can get your genome analyzed. They send you a plastic cup, you spit in it, and send it back to them. When you get the results about four weeks later, you find out about your ancestry, which is fun! It turns out I had one Japanese ancestor in about the year 1780!

For an extra $100 23andme includes many health reports. But they do not provide information on the methylation genes that we are talking about here. In order to do this, you (or I, if you want help with this) go to another site called geneticgenie.com, which takes the raw data from 23andme and creates a methylation profile.

It looks like this.

You can try to understand what this means, or have someone like me explain it to you. Basically, green means that you have no mutation, yellow means the gene functions about 70% as well as it should, and the red means the gene functions at between 10 – 30% as well as it should. You not only get this chart, but the report explains what each of your mutations mean.

What should you do if you find out that you have the MTHFR mutation? The answer is fairly simple. Since your body has a hard time making methylfolate, you need to take methylfolate as a supplement. However, the body is a symphony of parts that need to work together in harmony, and depending on your particular methylation profile and other factors, the exact way to take methylfolate, and what you should take with your methylfolate, is more of an individual thing.

I will provide the overall guidelines for taking methylfolate in another article, because I think this one is about as long as anyone can take, but for a more personal answer, after you do 23andme and get your results, you can do one of three things: you can contact me; dig into your own research on the links I provide here; and/or contact a functional medicine or naturopathic practitioner who has expertise in these methylation mutations.

Is there anything else that you should do, even if you don’t take the test or before you get the results?

Yes. Since you have a 50/50 chance of having this mutation, you should make sure that you are not taking folic acid either in your vitamins or in your food. You’ll find folic acid in many common multi-vitamins. If you take a multi, look on the label. If it has folic acid, you should be taking a different supplement that has methylfolate instead.

Here’s one you shouldn’t take.

Here’s one that has the good stuff.

Here is one great multi that has methylfolate.

You’ll also find folic acid in many “enriched” foods (mainly things with enriched wheat). Generally speaking, whole wheat products or organic brands are not enriched, but that is not always the case. Look on the labels and avoid enriched foods if you can. The reason you don’t want to be taking folic acid is because if you have the mutation, the body doesn’t process the folic acid in the right way. Then you have all this extra folic acid floating around your body and this makes it even harder for your body to create the methylfolate that it needs.

Again, feel free to contact me once you get your results, and if you have ANY questions, thoughts, if you have any experience with methylfolate that you would like to share, please comment here!

Here are some videos and links that can help if you want to learn more about this subject.

http://methyl-life.com/mthfr-and-methylation/

CHECK US OUT ON YELP!

 

There are many factors that contribute to brain health. One part is genetics. We talked a little bit about that in my post about MTHFR. But the genetic code isn’t destiny. The field of epigenetics tells us that what we do and what happens to us influences how our genes operate.

One central influence on how our brains work is the food we eat. In the 1940s there was a book called “You Are What You Eat.” The idea has been around a long time, but many of us still have a hard time believing it. But when you think about it, it becomes obvious how true this is.

The body has a process we call metabolism. We eat food that has the basic chemical components that we need to live – to make energy and have our bodies work the way they are supposed to. But we can’t use these proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals in the form that they are in  when we eat them. They need to be broken down through digestion and other processes, and then changed into forms that our body can use.

If our body doesn’t get enough of these raw materials, or if these raw materials are poor quality, then the body doesn’t have what it needs to work right. If you don’t put good fuel in your car, it’s not going to be able to run, and your car is far simpler than the human body. Your car doesn’t need to synthesize, or make, neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin to keep you focused and calm.

As that old phrase from computer coding puts it, “garbage in, garbage out.”

So, it really does matter what we eat. All too many of us are obsessed with how we look, and whether we’ve put on some pounds. But that excess of fat is just a signpost that what we are putting into our body isn’t the stuff we need to make energy, muscles, good functioning, and happy brains, but rather is just the stuff to add inches to our bellies or thighs. It’s a sign that we are not giving ourselves the optimal fuel to have the best working bodies and brains. It turns out, by the way, that people who are obese have brains that are 8% smaller than average.

So, one small change that you can make to have the best brain is to shift your thinking about food as simply a source of pleasure in an otherwise boring life, or just as an unconscious habit (I’ll always eat this way because I’ve always eaten this way) and to start thinking about food as your main way of controlling your health and wellbeing. If you eat the right stuff, you will be happier, more energetic, more sexual, more productive, more confident, not only because you know that you are doing something loving for yourself, but because the stuff you are putting in your body is actually making you happier, more energetic, etc.!
And, believe it or not, the best food for your body can also be really delicious.

CHECK US OUT ON YELP!

On October 22, 2016, Liam Stack in the New York Times reported that a member of the Nobel Academy called Dylan “rude and arrogant” for not responding to the news that he had won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Is Dylan rude and arrogant? Watch this performance by Glenn Berger and the great Mary Lee Kortes (singing excerpts from BOTT, including a stirring performance of “Idiot Wind” with Andy York and Rob Paparozzi) from the NY STUDIO CATS REUNION SHOW at The Cutting Room on September 29, 2016, about what it was like to work with Dylan on his history-making album, BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, (Berger is the only person alive who witnessed all the NY sessions, including Dylan, himself.)  for an answer to this question!

Read the full story, and more, in Glenn Berger’s memoir of his days and very long nights in the New York music recording world of the 1970s, NEVER SAY NO TO A ROCK STAR: IN THE STUDIO WITH DYLAN, SINATRA, JAGGER AND MORE out now on Schaffner Press.

Part of what my LCSW license permits me to do is make psychological diagnoses. However, the American Psychiatric Association says that it would be unethical for me to diagnose a public figure like Donald Trump without a personal interview. But during this election season, this so-called “Goldwater Rule” is being brought into question by many.

Personally, I believe that in rare instances, if using our specialized knowledge can help protect our country from a malevolent individual who can cause great harm, this good supersedes what the APA recommends. With Donald Trump just one step from the Presidency, this is one of those times.

In fact, Donald Trump has such an extensive public record, that simply by using the endless examples we have on video, audio, and transcript, we can make a better case for a diagnosis than with individuals who self-report in just a few sessions.

DONALD TRUMP HAS AN ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

It is abundantly clear from that record, that if we use the criteria as laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), that Donald Trump has a full-blown Antisocial Personality Disorder.

What does this mean and why does it matter? First, let us define “personality disorder.” When people are under the grips of anxiety or depression, they say they do not feel like “themselves,” and they want to get rid of these distressing states. That makes these conditions “ego-dystonic.” On the other side, people with personality disorders generally believe the problem is with everyone else. Despite the distress they may cause others or the havoc they may create for their own lives, they believe that if everyone was like them all would be good with the world. These conditions are called “ego-syntonic.” When individuals are asked about these personality characteristics they will say that this is just “who I am.”

People with diagnosable personality disorders show deeply ingrained, inflexible, pervasive and maladaptive patterns of relating to and perceiving both the environment and themselves. This means they can’t, don’t, and won’t change irrespective of the harm they cause. Because people like this don’t acknowledge the pain they bring about, they are usually impervious to recovery.

Specifically, antisocial personality disorder is defined by a disregard for morals, social norms, and the rights and feelings of others. Individuals with this disorder often engage in serious violations of standard rules of conduct.

Antisocial personality disorder can be difficult to detect because of the ability of the person with this disorder to manipulate and deceive others. Even the most seasoned clinicians can be fooled. Antisocial personality disordered patients are highly represented by so-called con men. They are extremely manipulative and are frequently able to talk others into participating in schemes that involve easy ways to make money or to achieve fame or notoriety, which may eventually lead the unwary to financial ruin, social embarrassment, or both. Promiscuity and spousal abuse are common. The person appears to have no conscience, and so any act is possible, without consideration of consequence.

What are the specific criteria for anti-social personality disorder and why am I so certain that Donald Trump has one?

LYING, DECEPTION, MANIPULATION, AND EXPLOITATION

• Central to this condition are lying, deception, manipulation, and exploitation for personal profit or pleasure. Individuals with this personality disorder will typically have no compunction in exploiting others in harmful ways and can be manipulative and deceitful towards other people, achieving this through wit and a facade of superficial charm, or through intimidation and violence.

LYING – Fact checkers rate that 70% of Trump’s statements are lies. His lies are so common and numerable that it is mind numbing. Politico reported that in a given week of public statements he lied 78 times. He doesn’t care if his lies are recorded on video and then played back – he simply denies having said what he said. He lies about his lies. He said that climate change was a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese, which is a lie. Then he said that he didn’t say that. He claimed that he saw hundreds of people in New Jersey cheering when the World Trade Center came down. This never happened. He promoted the lie that Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States, and claimed he had irrefutable evidence to prove this, which didn’t exist. In the end, he blamed Hillary Clinton for this conspiracy lunacy, which was a lie. He lied when he stated that he was always against the Iraq war when there is recorded evidence proving otherwise.

He claims that his recorded statements about sexually assaulting women were “locker room talk.” He claims that the many women who are coming forward to report having been subject to the very behavior that Trump admits to on audio are lying. Either Trump was lying when he made these claims of sexual assault (and what kind of person would make something like that up?) or he is lying now by saying he was lying then. And are we really supposed to believe Trump’s denials when he stated in an interview that, as The New York Times reported, he contended that infidelity was “never a problem” during his three marriages, though his first ended in an ugly divorce after Mr. Trump began a relationship with the woman who became his second wife? One way or the other, he’s lying.

Perhaps Trump’s most ironic lie is about Hillary’s lying. Independent analysts report that Clinton has been the most honest candidate in this whole election season. Yet Trump’s smears have managed to bamboozle the public into believing that he is more honest than she.

EXPLOITATION – Trump has an endless history of exploitive behavior. He has consistently ripped off contractors. He has destroyed endless small businessmen by hiring them and either not paying at all, or paying a much lower fee than promised. He sold innumerable innocent people snake oil with Trump University, trying to get as much money as he could from them, promising a “get rich quick scheme,” and providing nothing. He has even exploited the government he is intending to lead, manipulating his finances so that he doesn’t pay his fair share of taxes.

DECEIT AND THEFT – Trump University is just one egregious example of Trump engaging in “deceit and theft.” Eric Schneiderman, New York’s Attorney General stated that this was, “straight up fraud,” on Trump’s part.

Trump’s disregard for “standard rules of conduct” has been going on for decades. He was trained by a master, Roy Cohn. As the New York Times reported on June 21^st, “Mr. Cohn . . .had been Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red-baiting consigliere. He had helped send the Rosenbergs to the electric chair for spying and elect Richard M. Nixon president. “(He was) New York’s most feared lawyer, (and) had a list that ran the gamut from the disreputable to the quasi-reputable: Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno, Claus von Bulow, George Steinbrenner. “But there was one client who occupied a special place in Roy Cohn’s famously cold heart: Donald J. Trump.”

Cohn taught Trump how to be vicious in legal wrangles, and how to get away with nearly everything. This began with Trump and his father being brought up on charges of discriminating against people of color in their housing projects. In the end, Cohn was disbarred, after being charged with conspiracy, bribery, and fraud. Virtually all of his wealth and assets were confiscated upon his death to pay his tax debts.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/09/01/donald-trump-documents-roy-cohn-todd-dnt-tsr.cnn

Trump admitted to behavior that would be considered sexual assault. Though he claims this was only “talk,” many women have come forward to corroborate his own assertions. Not only that, in this one example, he instructs this woman on how to cheat the banks! (About 5:40 on the attached video.)

IMPULSIVITY

• Those with antisocial personality disorder are often impulsive and reckless, failing to consider or disregarding the consequences of their actions.

Journalist Allan Sloan, who has covered Trump for over 25 years, says that “what has always struck me is his lack of impulse control. It was his biggest problem when I first started dealing with him in the 1980s, and it’s his biggest problem now.” This is consistent with a diagnosis of a personality disorder – the behaviors are enduring and persistent. Sloan details how Trump’s financial impulsivity led to terrible decisions that ended up in six bankruptcies. Because Trump’s psychological condition allows him to act without concern for others, it was mostly others who paid for his mistakes. The $140 million investors paid into his publicly traded company was wiped out with the investors losing all of their money.

It is well admitted, even within the Trump campaign, that Trump is uncontrollable. Give him a provocation, and he goes off message. His impulses have led him to retaliate against any perceived attack, whether it is against a Gold Star family, a disabled reporter, or Paul Ryan, the leader of his own political party. His tweet storms, sent in the middle of the night, irrespective of their consequence, are legion. His reaction to Hillary Clinton’s easy trap over Alicia Machado shows just how easy it is to get Trump to react impulsively. Here’s his notorious 5:30am tweet:

Donald J. TrumpVerified account‏@realDonaldTrump

Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate?

Which leads us to our next criterion for the diagnosis of Anti-Social Personality Disorder:

IRRITABILITY AND AGGRESSION

• The Antisocial Personality Disorder is characterized by a pervasivepattern of disregard for the rights of other people that often manifests as hostility and/or aggression. They often display a disregulated temper, and can lash out violently with provocation or frustration. They may engage in hostile acts such as bullying or intimidating others. They may display arrogance and think lowly and negatively of others,

Do I even have to list examples of this characteristic? Is there anyone that Trump hasn’t cruelly attacked? Let’s make a short list, and just for fun, let’s begin with Republicans: Ted Cruz, Ted Cruz’s wife, Ted Cruz’s father, Jeb Bush, John McCain, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, and the rest of his opponents. Let’s move on to women: Hillary Clinton, Alicia Machado, Rosie O’Donnell, Megan Kelly, Elizabeth Warren, The Gold Star mom, the women who have accused him of sexual assault. Other people Trump has insulted include: everyone in the media except for Sean Hannity; Mexicans and Muslims; the Chinese. Need I go on? Here’s a short list of the words that he most likes to use: Stupid, weak, loser, moron, dummy, dopey, dumb, dangerous, a clown, a low-class slob, bad, lightweight, terrible, horrible, the worst, disgusting, ugly, crooked, worst in history.

The New York Times has been keeping a running list. As of October 13, 2016, he had insulted 274 people, places, and things on Twitter alone. Following are a few of my favorites:

He’s a clown with zero credibility; weak like a baby; one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics; A disaster candidate who had no guts and choked; looks more like a gym rat than a United States senator; I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo because that wouldn’t be politically correct; has hate in her heart; a nasty guy with no heart.

IRRESPONSIBILITY

• Irresponsibility is a core characteristic of this disorder: they can have significant difficulties in maintaining stable employment as well as fulfilling their social and financial obligations.

Trump has shown gross irresponsibility throughout his life. He purchased the Plaza hotel for $400 million until it was repossessed by the bank. He built four casinos at a cost of $3 billion; then he filed for bankruptcy, went out of business, and stiffed his contractors and employees. Trump Airlines, Mortgage, Vodka, Steaks, all went out of business. In 1995 he reported a $916 million loss, which, he admits, led him to not pay taxes for years. He has a long history of ripping off his workers. On June 9^th, USA Today reported that hundreds of workers allege that he doesn’t pay his bills, including dishwashers, painters, and waiters.

His claim that climate change is a hoax risks the survival of our planet. His statements, made without any knowledge of the facts, that more countries should get nuclear weapons risks the survival of the world. He is irresponsible in inciting his audience to violence. Now he is showing his irresponsibility by calling the election ‘rigged,’ undermining the very foundations of our democracy.

LACK OF REMORSE

• Persons with Antisocial Personality Disorder typically do not experience genuine remorse for having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from, or in other ways have caused harm to others.However, they can become quite adept at feigning remorse when it is in their best interest to do so (such as when standing before a judge). They take little to no responsibility for their actions. In fact, they will often blame their victims for “causing” their wrong actions, or deserving of their fate. The aggressive features of this personality disorder make it stand out among other personality disorders as individuals with this disorder take a unique toll on society.

Trump has shown no capacity for remorse or taking responsibility for his harmful actions. He lives in a state of perpetual blame of others. When his polls are down and all respected analysts predict he will not win the presidency, he goes so far as to blame a “world-wide conspiracy” against him.

Though he posted an apology for saying that he grabs the pussy of any woman that he wants and can get away with anything, within twenty-four hours he was minimizing his behavior and when accused, blamed and demeaned the accusers.

Tony Schwartz, his ghostwriter for The Art of the Deal stated that, “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.” Schwartz said that if he was writing the book today he would title it, “The Sociopath.” After listening to endless phone calls of Trump’s, Schwartz said of Trump that, “He lied strategically. He had a complete lack of conscience about it.” Since most people are “constrained by the truth,” Trump’s indifference to it “gave him a strange advantage.”

Trump is shameless. We have witnessed the endless numbers of people he has hurt during this election cycle. Only under the worst duress has he come close to something even resembling remorse or contrition. One time was after the revelations of the “Pussygate” tapes. In a Facebook video he said, “I’ve said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them.  . . .I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize.” But he then disqualified his apology by stating that, “I’ve said some foolish things, but there’s a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims.”

His other half-hearted expression of regret came on August 17^th when his campaign was cratering after he attacked the Gold-Star family. He then said, “Sometimes in the heat of debate, and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or say the wrong thing. I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it. I do regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain.” And then, incredibly, “But one thing; I can promise you this: I will always tell the truth.” Trump did not say what he regretted, and did not apologize specifically to anyone. He then attacked Clinton for her presumed lies.

These were the only times Trump expressed regret throughout his entire campaign, after an untold number of hurtful statements, lies, and egregious acts. He has not expressed remorse for the victims of Trump University, to Mexicans and Muslims whom he has maligned, for the women who he has verbally abused and possibly physically assaulted, for the disabled who he has mocked, for his fellow Republicans whom he has ridiculed, to Barack Obama for his birther lies, to his family for his indiscretions, or to his fellow Republicans whom he maligned throughout the campaign season.

One awful example of Trump not taking responsibility for his mistakes is the case of the Central Park Five. In 1989, five boys of color were arrested for assaulting and raping a white woman in Central Park, New York. Donald spent $85,000 for full page ads in the four major New York newspapers stating that the death penalty should be reinstated. He never mentioned these boys by name, in his usual way, but the implication was clear – these boys – who were 14 to 16 years old – should be executed. It turns out that after spending years in jail the boys were exonerated by DNA evidence and the confession of someone else. Fourteen years after being freed, Trump not only did not apologize for his mistake, but continues to claim that the boys are guilty. At least one fears for his life as a result.

He has unequivocally stated that despite being a Christian, there is nothing he has ever done in his entire life that he needs to ask God’s forgiveness for.

WHY DOES TRUMP’S DIAGNOSIS MATTER?

The notion that Trump can, and would, change – hoped for, or asserted by, his Republican supporters, either reveals a complete ignorance about psychological facts or a willful cynicism meant to deceive the electorate. Evidence has now proved that, given his diagnosis, such a possibility was a complete fantasy.

Obviously, handing a person enormous power who has no conscience, takes no responsibility for their behavior, eschews all moral norms and is impulsive is extremely dangerous. Imagine, if you will, that while renegotiating the Iran deal Trump is offended by something the President of Iran says. Trump responds by calling him a weak moron. There goes the negotiation, and the next thing you know, Iran has nukes and we go to war with consequences that make the Iraq war seem like a trip through the daisies. Or, as is clear to anyone who listens, Trump has been lying all along when he uses that old con line that he is going to solve all of America’s problems quickly and easily, when he really has no idea what he is doing. One cannot even begin to fathom the consequences of such incompetence. Finally, look at the damage that Trump has already caused to the Republican Party. If elected President, what if he irresponsibly does the things he has said he will do? He’ll throw eleven million people out of the country, ban Muslims, torture and kill innocent families, punish women for having abortions, lower people’s wages, destroy the value of the dollar by negotiating our debt by paying a nickel on the dollar, throw his political opponents in jail, ban and sue the press for expressing opinions he doesn’t like, and grabbing the pussy of any woman he wants to, because he is Donald Trump, President of the United States.

Yes, it is true that I am risking my professional reputation by going against the recommendations of the APA. Aristotle says that the good is doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. Each of us needs to do what we can to prevent this horror from coming about. With the knowledge and expertise that I have, I cannot stand by. This is what I am qualified to do, and is the small thing I can do, to prevent the disaster of a Trump presidency.

Make no mistake about it: Donald Trump has an Antisocial Personality Disorder, and this poses a grave threat to our civilization.

Oh, and one last point. By the same examination of the available evidence, Hillary Clinton does not have a personality disorder.

Curtis King Jr, Glenn Berger, and Valerie Simpson Photo by Sandi Bachom

On September 29, 2016 over forty of the greatest singers and musicians from the halcyon days of the New York recording studio scene held a sold-out reunion concert at The Cutting Room in New York City. The show was inspired by the release of my book, Never Say No to a Rock Star: In the Studio with Dylan, Sinatra, Jagger and More, and was a benefit for MusiCares, a charity that helps musicians in need. But the event transcended the reasons that inspired it. Everyone who was there, both on stage and in the audience, will tell you that the music was spectacular, but even more than that, what made this evening so special was that the room was filled with love and joy. The energy was timeless. None of us will ever forget this historic event. I hosted the show, and told a few stories from the book. Before the last act went on, here’s what I said:

A lot of people ask what led me to write this book. As some of you may know, I’m a psychotherapist now, and one of my clients thought if we listened to some of his favorite music it would open him up emotionally. What I didn’t expect was what it did to me. By the middle of the first song, tears were streaming down my face. I didn’t understand these emotions – it wasn’t sadness, exactly. Over the next several days, I was flooded by memories of my early days in the biz. I figured there was a connection between those strange feelings and these memories, so I started writing down these stories to help me figure out what those emotions were about.

After writing most of the tales, I still didn’t know what it all meant. Until I had one last memory. There was this guy who worked at A&R Studios (where I worked as a recording engineer throughout the 1970s) whose name was Milton Brooks, but we called him Broadway Max. Max was the unlikeliest character you’d ever find at a hip midtown recording studio. He always wore the same shiny black suit covered in dandruff. His shirt and teeth were yellow, and his red tie was always stained.

Max had been born in Minneapolis, and was slated to inherit his father’s haberdashery store, but the minute he was able to get on the Minneapolis to New York train, he headed for the great White Way. This was Max’s world: 42^nd and 59^th street on the west side of Manhattan.

Max was the “yoda” of A&R. He took each one of us young schleppers under his wing. He took me to the theater, and turned me on to great literature. When the whole thing was driving me crazy, Max was my respite, my shelter in the storm.

One time, after suffering some humiliation at the hands of Paul Simon, who could be a little prick at times, I went up to Max’s office to tell him the story. Max listened, chewing on the stub of an unlit cigar, nodding his head sympathetically. Then, when I finished my story, he said, “Yeah. So?”

“Yeah? So?” I sputtered. “He can’t do that!”

At that, Max broke out into his beautiful, demonic laugh. I didn’t understand what he was laughing about at that time. But then I saw myself, as I am now, sitting in his chair, looking at the kid that I was then, and saw him through Max’s eyes. And then I understood what the laughter was about.

You see, Max was like a sage – he had this amazing top-down view. He knew that this was our one spin on the turntable – this was our one glorious moment in all of eternity when we lived at the center of the universe – the New York music biz of the 1970s. This was his jungle, and he loved every bit of it – the lunacy, the pain, and the glory, because it sure was better than selling handkerchiefs.

And then I understood those weird feelings. It was a mixture of remorse, gratitude, and grief.

You see, beyond the sex, drugs, and ego-maniacal superstars, what the scene was really about was the earnest hard work of YOU, the studio cats, the people behind the scenes, who did so much to make some of the greatest records of all time. Everyone involved in the crafting of a recording put their whole heart into it. Everyone, from Phil Ramone, the top-flight senior mixers, the musicians, producers, arrangers, the assistants, down to the kid who made the tape copies, or the person who answered the telephone, were impeccable. You behind-the-scenes folks are the real heroes of my story because your goodness, your generosity, and your egolessness was so beautiful in a culture that celebrated, and celebrates, jerks.

I felt remorse that I didn’t really appreciate the extraordinary gifts I received from all of you who welcomed me with such open-hearts into this world of music. I regretted never having properly said thank you. I regretted never being able to say that I love you all.

So here’s the big secret. This is the reason I threw this party. Because I wanted to get all of you in a room together at one time and say – THANK YOU – and I LOVE YOU.

I feel gratitude for having these memories, for having had the chance to share these once in a lifetime experiences with you all.

And I feel grief, because the scene is over. It’s gone, never to return, like our youth – and I miss it. I miss it in the core of my being.

All of us who worked in the New York music scene of the ‘70s share an ineffable bond. For many of us, those years were the most thrilling and unforgettable of our lives. We lived in the presence of greatness, and, if we were lucky, touched greatness ourselves. We were the best, and we made history.

In the studio we always had the chance to do one more take, and I wish I could do that in my life, but I can’t. None of us can. But if I could, I’d take in every crazy second of it, and I’d be a nicer guy.

On my first day in the studio, I learned the lesson that you never say no to a rock star. What that means is, you’ve got to care all the way, no matter the cost, no matter the outcome.  I can’t go back, but goddamn it, for the rest of my born days I’m gonna follow that lesson. No matter what life asks of me – my only answer is YES.

Here are a few musical highlights:

Valerie Simpson and Curtis King Jr. singing one of the greatest songs ever, written by Valerie and her deceased husband, Nick Ashford, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band performing “Gimme Some Lovin’” featuring Will Lee on lead vocals.

The Mar-Tays, featuring Martee LeBow on vocals performing, “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.”

If you are as old as I am, you remember a time when there was nothing as exciting as perusing the bins at a record store, finding an album with an intriguing cover and an artist you’d never heard of, bringing the disc home, putting it on the turntable and absolutely loving what you discovered and listening to it from start to finish over and over again. Remember that? When was the last time you dug a record so much that you listened to the whole thing and did it more than once? (The last time for me was with Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and that was ten years ago!) Well, it’s finally happened again, and the record is Kenny White’s Long List of Priors.

About a month ago, I was hanging out with some of my old music business buddies at a little get together organized by singer Joe Ward. I was sitting next to the legendary Will Lee. At one point he turned to me and said, as if having a revelation, “Do you know Kenny White? His music is amazing!”

I nodded, yes. Here’s the disclaimer. I’ve known Kenny for a long time. We first met in the early 80s through my friend Mason Daring. I had moved to the Boston area after abandoning the big-time hustle of the New York music scene where I was a pretty hot recording engineer. Mason and I co-produced some records and movie scores together up there (Mason has composed all the music for John Sayles’s films.)  and Kenny was our first call on keyboards. He was one of a few players who lived up to my snotty New York standards, where I was used to working with the cream of the industry.

Though I had done the reverse commute and was enjoying the country life and getting away from the corned beef and blow, guys like Kenny, singer-songwriter Robin Batteau, and guitarist Jeff Southworth were looking in the other direction. New York was the place to go if you wanted to make some dough. I suggested that they contact some jingle folk I knew down there and then lost touch when I decided to travel around the world for a few years.

Fate dragged me back to NYC and the biz, and when I returned to the scene I was pleased to discover that Kenny and those other Boston guys were making boatloads of money as THE top jingle composer/arrangers, working for Joey Levine at Crushing Music. Their breakthrough was “The Heartbeat of America” campaign for Chevrolet, but they ended up working on everything. There was really no point in trying to make a living making records in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and the money in music for advertising was just too good. That’s where you found most of the real talent those days.

There was no stopping Kenny then. He was working 24/7, and though he had a band and worked with guys like Marc Cohn (Walking in Memphis), he just didn’t really have much time to do his own thing.

Time marched on, and along with so many other creative industries, the vibrant NY music scene died. Presciently, I had gotten out of it some years before and become a shrink. Again, I’d lost contact with Kenny. But a few years ago, we reconnected. Now that he has the time and isn’t scuffling to pay the rent, he’s finally getting around to making his own music.

And better late than never. His most recent record is a revelation. The music has its influences of many of the best singer/songwriters of our time – Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, even Peter Gabriel, to name some – but it is never derivative. Like all great music it harkens back to something remembered from a dream, but you can’t put your finger right on it. I can hear the roots music in it that permeated our New England world. But it is not a nostalgia act. It’s subject matter and attitude are exactly 2016. The melodies are rich, varied, and vividly realized, and always go to the right, but never expected, places. The playing is tasty with a deep feel. White’s jubilant gospel-style piano or heart-breaking ballad playing is never far from the surface. The arrangements are just the right settings for these deeply conceived songs with orchestrations used imaginatively and to kick up an emotion. This heralds back to the age when the album was the art work, and every instrument and musical part was there for a reason.

This is music for grown-ups who listen. Every song on the record is unique, compelling, and a winner. It is made with deep care and impeccable taste. As an old engineer, I also listen for production and sound. The tracks were recorded impeccably by Chris Allen, and the mixer, Ben Wisch, did a terrific job (as always – he’s one of the best).

At the center of this is perhaps what makes this album most astounding of all – the lyrics. This guy is a real poet. And, most amazingly, he’s got something to say.

The album begins with White’s anthem, “A Road Less Traveled,” which sets the album up with White’s world weary, rye, erudite take on life. He’s observant, including of his own deepest conflicts.

“I’m torn between desire and the will to be released/Do I need a locksmith or a priest? I’m just a mess of crossed wires/my reputation’s painted on every wall in town/the past is gonna hunt me down. . .I”ve got a long list of priors”

White shows that he isn’t writing clichés with the second song on the album. Its unlikely hook is, “Che Guevara’s not fashionable anymore,” but he manages to make this strange lyric swing with an evocative track, a luscious string part arranged by Antoine Silverman, and gorgeous, spooky, electric lead by Duke Levine. Wisch’s mixing magic really casts its spell on this one. On one level it is about the alienation that comes from living in a world where we just throw out the stuff we thought we believed in.

Check out the individual take he brings to the break up song in, “Another Bell Unanswered:”

“Now the grey geese call, and winter finds it’s voice/and the leaves will fall as if they had a choice/just another bell unanswered, another unplayed song/if our fate was in the heavens/this time the heavens got it wrong.”

White is also a social critic as we learn on the song, “Cyberspace.” Somehow, he finds wisdom in a Googling jag. White’s vocal is a standout on this rollicking track, where the joyful music jolts in contrast to the brilliantly jaded lyrics.

I always knew that Kenny was musical, but I had no idea that he had such a way with words. Perhaps my favorite lyric comes from the short trip across the Hudson River at dusk with a moment of love – an apt metaphor for our lives.

“Through window panes as thin as prayer/you can hear the peals of thunder/I’ve spent hours sitting there/confusing love with hunger. . .”

The exuberant track, “Glad Handed,” which features a guest vocal by Peter Wolf, who adds a masterful rock and roll snarl to the proceedings, is about one of my favorite subjects: why show biz sucks. White nails it. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention – Kenny achieves one of the hardest things in music – he’s funny.

The more I listen to this record the more I feel blessed to know about it. That last song, “Glad Handed?” What it’s really about is that it is virtually impossible for an artist of Kenny’s caliber and age to get “access” to the powers that be that could provide him with the widest exposure. No matter that almost anyone who hears this guy loves him, he’s just too good and too old. That lack of media buzz makes it hard for people to find him, amongst all the noise.

But who cares about the bullshit part of the biz? The beautiful thing, for me, another old guy who still tries to be creative, is to see someone my age still doing it, and doing it really fucking well. As Kenny puts it,

“but if you want to make your mark, get busy/you believe it, then you gotta take a stand/you’re sitting on the wrong side of sixty/and your hourglass is running out of sand”

Though the recognition would be nice, by the time you’re sitting on our mountain top, It’s no longer about fame or the biggest audience. Kenny has made a timeless record, and that’s the real way he’s made his mark. Still, even more so, for this reason, he deserves to be heard.

Buy this album. Now. Here.

Oh, and you might like my book, too. 

Part One

Part Two