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Archive for July, 2008
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Meditating Slows Down HIV Virus
In case you missed it, Science Daily reports that mindfulness meditation slows immune degradation in AIDS patients by lowering stress.
“Mindfulness meditation is the practice of bringing an open and receptive awareness of the present moment to experiences, avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future. It is thought to reduce stress and improve [...]
Techno-Intermission
Wow, I just upgraded my blog and it was completely painless thanks to Keith Dsouza’s plug-in that automotically does all the techno-gobbly-goop that makes me want to give up and take a nap. Highly recommended if you use the wordpress platform for blogging.
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008The Logos of Dreaming
What is the logic behind dreams? Is dreaming only a pale imitation of our waking abilities, as some say, or does it represent an entirely different ability? This question has forever shadowed the scientific exploration of dreams.
The question can be summed up as: is dreaming a failure of cognition, a breakdown of logic, [...]
Head Shrinking and the Power of Dreaming
To start off my review of this year’s International Dreams conference in Montreal, here’s a fun factoid: head shrinking in the Amazon is alive and well.
Know to the West since the 1940s, head shrinking is an important ritual for the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin (the Jivaro clans, especially the Shuar). The vengeful [...]
Does the Full Moon Effect your Dreams?
Tomorrow is the full moon, depending on your ancestral tradition it is known as the Buck Moon, Thunder Moon or the Hay Moon. In all traditions, it’s gonna be big and round. But more pertinently, will this rising stone of Artemis effect your dreams?
Studies on this subject are hard to find, but [...]
Dreaming but Not Sleeping
The International dreams conference is now half over. I’m sitting in the lobby of the hotel tapping this out before I collapse on my bed. Yes it’s true, you get no sleep at academic conferences, even ones about dreaming. It’s the best kind of exhaustion, though: I can really feel my mind being stretched wide [...]
Monday, July 7th, 2008House Cleaning
I’m prepping for the trip to Montreal tomorrow, and thought this is the perfect time for a little dream studies house cleaning.
First, I neglected to mention that the Dream Studies Portal is now a year old! Check out the very first post that describes my dream research perspective. This is just the beginning [...]
The Path is Clear
I’ve finally resettled. It’s been difficult to think about dreams and consciousness as my attention has been on the material needs. You know, Maslow’s sweet hierarchy dictates shelter and food first, dreamy blog updates second.
But there’s a lot going on in the consciousness studies community, and I am well poised now to share [...]