From God to Neurons #bipolar #mental health #life #42noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)Mon, 8 Jun 2026 23:40:48 -0700Blogger http://www.blogger.com888125http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/en-usnoKnowledge,is,Necessity,mental,health,depression,bipolar,recovery,John,McManamyRecovery begins with knowledge, including self-knowledge. Award-winning author and journalist John McManamy takes you on a journey ...Musings on Mental HealthJohn McManamynoreply@blogger.comJohn McManamyhttp://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/11/bonus-round-my-journey-of-disovery.htmlWed, 6 Nov 2019 13:38:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-6064715002235320654 FINAL DAYS If we could plan our own disasters, I couldn't have done a better job. Really, as far as personal catastrophes go, this was an absolute masterpiece, so good, in fact, that I simply cannot take all the credit. God, are you there? Please stand up and take a bow. I'm at my desk, at my computer. It is mid-July, 2016. It's a beautiful sunny day in rural East County, 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/11/transitioning-to-wise-elder.htmlWed, 6 Nov 2019 11:16:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-2059805514145794237 A lot has happened to me in my nearly three years on the road. Transitioning into a sort of "Wise Elder" has been by far my biggest one ... 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/11/approval-vs-validation-thooughts-on-my.htmlWed, 6 Nov 2019 11:07:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-6228537693126370545 A pet on the head vs a pat on the back. Big difference ... 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/11/generations.htmlWed, 6 Nov 2019 10:52:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-8399613807856027689 Every age group has something to bring to the table. At the Arches National Park, I had a great time hiking with Thomas and Mary, ages 24 and 23. Here, we share insights into what we can learn from each other ... 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/11/would-you-do-it-thought-experiment.htmlWed, 6 Nov 2019 10:46:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-1918916843317271435 What if you could change for the better inside and out, in greater touch with your own hunanity and divinity. There is just one catch ... 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/10/road-lessons-six-seven-and-eight-nature.htmlSun, 6 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-1088722135150096825 From a talk I gave to Mental Health Con, Estherville, Iowa, Sept 28, titled Eight Lessons I Learned on the Road ... I want to leave time for questions, so I'll run through the next three real quick: Lesson Number Six – Getting out in Nature I could go on and on about this. One really important point: Our DNA was built to be out in nature. Our whole modern life: We are fighting against our 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/10/road-lesson-four-wow-moments.htmlFri, 4 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-3950781846958964155 The following is from a talk I gave at Mental Health Con on Sept 28, Estherville, Iowa, titled Eight Things I Learned on the Road ... About a month into being on the road, I started noticing that every day had a big wow! to it. The realization came in loud and clear several months later. This was two and a bit years ago. I had stopped here in Estherville to visit Amy. After three or four days0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/10/road-lesson-five-know-thyself.htmlFri, 4 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-6282343896127413215 From a talk I gave to Mental Health Con, Sept 28, Estherville, Iowa ... Now, I’ve been preaching Know Thyself for years, but the road has really validated me, here. I could spend days talking about this, but I just want to cover a few points real quick. Basically, you and I – the people at this conference – we fall into a class of people I describe as outliers. In essence, we tend to feel 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/10/road-lesson-three-gratitude.htmlThu, 3 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-2922827709834051678 From a talk I gave to Mental Health Con, Sept 28, Estherville, Iowa, titled, "Eight Lessons I Learned on the Road" ... This leads to lesson number three – Cultivating a sense of gratitude. On the road, I’ve had the privilege of connecting and reconnecting with all manner of people. These were people who shared a piece of their lives with me, who opened up their homes to me, made room by their0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/10/road-lesson-two-dont-sweat-small-stuff.htmlWed, 2 Oct 2019 09:26:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-6617463112665517035 From a talk I gave to Mental Health Con, Sept 28, Estherville, Iowa, titled "Eight Lessons I Learned on the Road" ... Guess what? After a heart attack in which I’m supposed to be dead, every day is a gift. Things that used to be important to me are no longer important to me. This takes a lot of stress out of my life. Stress is a major killer. It can be found at the scene of the crime in every0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/10/road-lesson-number-one-stronger-than-we.htmlTue, 1 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-2848598811622724241 The following is from the first part of a talk I gave to Mental Health Con in Estherville, Iowa on Sept 28, titled "Eight Lessons I Learned on the Road. Here is Lesson One ... As you recall, I’ve been in the road for more than two-and-a-half years. I didn’t exactly choose to go on the road. I was called to action, so to speak. Heart surgery, economic collapse, a good friend bailing out on me0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/09/heroes.htmlMon, 30 Sep 2019 11:21:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-2852145017805174108 The following is based on a short talk I gave at Mental Health Con, Sept 27, in Estherville Iowa. A lot of it is based on articles I previously posted, here. Here, you will find my message a lot more focused ... So glad to be here. So real quick, here’s my story: In early 1999, at age 49, I finally sought help for severe depression. I was suicidal at the time. The upshot was a diagnoses 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/05/cooking-outdoors-and-in-rain-on-rocket.htmlWed, 8 May 2019 09:36:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-4834503809775994909 John McManamy is the author of Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder and is the publisher of the Bipolar Expert Series, available on Amazon. Follow John on Twitter at @johnmcman and on Facebook. Become a Patron!0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/05/lets-get-john-into-that-minivan.htmlThu, 2 May 2019 15:40:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-2007250376349148743 John McManamy is the author of Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder and is the publisher of the Bipolar Expert Series, available on Amazon. Follow John on Twitter at @johnmcman and on Facebook. Become a Patron!0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-lesson-from-my-heart-attack.htmlThu, 2 May 2019 15:37:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-7562990920342818136 John McManamy is the author of Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder and is the publisher of the Bipolar Expert Series, available on Amazon. Follow John on Twitter at @johnmcman and on Facebook. Become a Patron!0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/05/four-life-lessons-i-learned-on-road.htmlThu, 2 May 2019 15:36:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-6007189100547617327 John McManamy is the author of Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder and is the publisher of the Bipolar Expert Series, available on Amazon. Follow John on Twitter at @johnmcman and on Facebook. Become a Patron!0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/05/life-finds-way.htmlThu, 2 May 2019 15:33:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-3338580342993863919 John McManamy is the author of Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder and is the publisher of the Bipolar Expert Series, available on Amazon. Follow John on Twitter at @johnmcman and on Facebook. Become a Patron!0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/04/mindfulness-because-were-thinking-blind.htmlTue, 9 Apr 2019 10:01:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-9100002218586577280 Continuing from my previous blog on mindfulness, from a book I'm working on about bipolar recovery ... How powerful is mindfulness? Several years ago, on the dentist’s chair, I mindfully observed myself in a state of sheer panic. An assistant placed a suction tube into my mouth while a very understanding dentist fired up her drill and bored into my tooth. Gripping my armrests, I willed myself0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/04/mindfulness-introductrion.htmlTue, 9 Apr 2019 09:26:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-2418910102206614086 I know, I know,  mindfulness has been overdone, but I've been writing and advocating on this powerful practice since back in the days when it was underdone. From a book I'm working on about bipolar recovery ... At the same time Socrates was challenging his students to think for themselves, over in India the Buddha was urging his followers to tame their runaway brains by using the mind to0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/04/more-on-thinking-hacks.htmlTue, 9 Apr 2019 08:51:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-4783377224055426138 The following is an edited version from a book I am working on about recovery in bipolar. One section of the book lays considerable emphasis on using critical thinking in our recovery. Thus, in previous posts, we  showed how philosophy teaches us to take nothing for granted, then had a hard look at the cognitive traps we all fall into, how Sherlock Holmes and Charles Darwin serve as 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/04/applying-your-thinking-apps.htmlMon, 8 Apr 2019 20:20:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-7246302191728879686 The following is from a draft of a book on bipolar recovery. Enjoy ... If we look upon philosophy as the root of all critical thinking and natural science as its trunk, now we need to examine its various branches. These would include disciplines such as law, engineering, statistics, history, economics, science, the arts, and even mysticism. All of the above (there are many more) employ the 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/04/history-because-were-lost-without-it.htmlMon, 8 Apr 2019 20:12:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-2572958378780198773 The following is from a book I'm working on on bipolar recovery. This is a continuation from my previous post, Applying Your Thinking Hacks ... I’m forever indebted to my fifth grade teacher, Mrs Clancy, who opened my mind to reading and history. Unfortunately, the study of history, along with the arts and humanities, has fallen victim to our misplaced enthusiasm for the STEM curriculum. In 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/04/using-your-words-to-build-better-brain.htmlMon, 8 Apr 2019 18:47:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-290215357127239566 The following is from a book I am working on about bipolar recovery. Enjoy ... We can make a strong case that the consolidation of our language-processing into regions of the left hemisphere of the brain some hundred thousand years ago proved to be the evolutionary game-changer that took us to the top of the food chain. With words, we can not only imagine a different reality, we can create 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/03/critical-thinking-what-we-can-learn.htmlThu, 28 Mar 2019 22:46:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-5470997318464623504 The following is from a book I'm working on about bipolar recovery. This post is a continuation from my previous post, Cognitive Bias: Even Einstein Fooled ... Our best defense against our cognitive failings is critical thinking. Two iconic figures leading very different lives employed remarkably similar methods. Both were keen observers and relentless appliers of logic, highly 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2019/03/cognitive-bias-even-einstein-gets-fooled.htmlSat, 23 Mar 2019 08:27:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098361547792425611.post-7689781143805405788 I am hard at work on a book on bipolar recovery, the third in my Bipolar Expert Series. A vital part of our recovery involves critical thinking. Unfortunately, our cognitive biases get in our way. Picking up from my previous blog post, Philosophy: Because We're Mindless Without It ... So, you think you’ve got the answer - to life, to anything - well think again. As fate would have it, our 0noreply@blogger.com (John McManamy)