Pandora's Box</h1> <article> <h1>Pandora's Box</h1> <p>November 15, 2011</p> <div><a href="/blog/2011/11/15/pandoras-box" class="imagecache imagecache-Blog-thumb imagecache-linked imagecache-Blog-thumb_linked"></a></div><p>As a collector of fairy tales and myths that have the wisdom of the ages embedded in them, I was astonished to discover that there was one well known ancient myth that I had heard about for years – but had totally misunderstood. In fact, I did not even know the true ending of the story – which actually lends a very different meaning to its message than I had originally thought. From talking to others, I realized I wasn’t alone with this misinterpretation – and that many of us use the name of this myth, “Pandora’s Box” in our discussions when we caution against “opening up” something forbidden that could lead to irreversible, and possibly catastrophic events. The negative imagery of the story is so compelling that it seems to eclipse the truly hopeful ending of the myth and because of this, Pandora’s Box has been used as a metaphor for the dangers of being curious at best, and as an opportunity... </article> <article> <h1>On Mothering</h1> <p>May 10, 2011</p> <div><a href="/blog/2011/05/11/mothering" class="imagecache imagecache-Blog-thumb imagecache-linked imagecache-Blog-thumb_linked"></a></div><p>On Mother’s Day I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with my mother from whom I am separated by time and space: she is miles and miles and many, many time zones away. Since Guam (the place I was born and raised) is on the other side of the International Date Line, Mother’s Day (as all other days) arrives a day before it does here. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around that! Traveling to see my mom requires a 7-8 hour and rather expensive plane flight so I am grateful for the technology that assists us in staying connected. But what really sustains me when I long to be with my mother is the deep knowing that I have my mother in my bones – literally and figuratively.</p> <p>One of the greatest gifts my mother gave me was the understanding that mothering can come from many sources. By raising me in an extended family of “mother figures” she generously allowed me to find mothering when she wasn’t available (... </article> <article> <h1>Back From Tennessee</h1> <p>April 16, 2011</p> <div><a href="/blog/2011/04/16/back-tennessee" class="imagecache imagecache-Blog-thumb imagecache-linked imagecache-Blog-thumb_linked"></a></div><p>Just last week I sat on the banks of the Tennessee River and imagined how this body of water must have looked to my ancestors and to the grandfather I never met. Having been born and raised in Tennessee, he must have spent many hours gazing upon this very same river. He must have known the names of the trees and the birds and the flowers that surrounded it. How many sunrises and sunsets did he see here before he went on an adventure in 1901 as a young Marine assigned to teach school 8,500 miles away on Guam, a little speck in the Pacific Ocean due south of Japan, north of New Guinea, west of Hawaii, and east of the Philippines? How could he have imagined the wondrous life he would find or that he would fall in love with a young native girl, marry and raise seven children (one of whom was my father), and spend the rest of his adult life (nearly 40 years) in an idyllic paradise until the Japanese occupied the island during World War II. He died in a prison camp in Ja... </article> <article> <h1>What in the World is Happening with Eating Disorders?</h1> <p>March 17, 2011</p> <div><a href="/blog/2011/04/17/what-world-happening-eating-disorders" class="imagecache imagecache-Blog-thumb imagecache-linked imagecache-Blog-thumb_linked"></a></div><p>Eating disorders are one of the more unfortunate exports of the Western World. The emphasis on physical appearance and a narrow view of beauty that has been exacerbated by a global media (thin is good, fat is bad) is taking its toll all over the world. The good news is the global community of professionals treating eating disorders is growing in leaps and bounds. I just returned from this year’s iaedp (International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals) Annual Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona where the International Forum featured the country of Italy.</p> <p>Consistent with the symposium theme of “Evidence Based Treatment and Treatment Based Evidence,” the presenters from Italy enthralled the audience with promising research and innovative clinical approaches. A neuropsychologist teleconferenced her research study live from Milan and showed how her research on the use of virtual reality can be used in treating eating disorders. With t... </article> </main></body></html>