Blog

A recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics links common pesticides found in food to increased incidence of ADHD.  The study surveyed children with high levels of pesticides in their urine.  Results indicate that kids with higher levels of pesticides also had higher diagnoses rates of ADHD.  This is yet another study pointing toward …

Research has shown that sharing regular meals with family while having beneficial conversation is essential to developing social skills and leads to less behavioral problems for adolescents.  Meal time wrought with heavy discussion and negativity can have negative effects, not only emotionally, but physiologically as well (digestion problems). Robin Fox, an anthropologist who teaches at …

Wellness class in Malama this week focused on the 5 pillars of health how they have evolved for each individual during their journey at PQ.  The lesson emphasized nutrition and the reasoning behind the PQ diet in terms of whole, unprocessed food.  The group discussed the role different nutrients play in the body as well …

Our mission today was to help out with the Niaulani Forest Work Day. The four-acre forest at Niaulani is located in a remnant of old-growth rain forest dominated by tall, large-diameter ‘ohi’a trees, some over 65 feet tall. Many species of native plants populate the forest understory at Niaulani, including the rare meu tree fern. …

At Pacific Quest the students choose to go on a 3 night, 2 day Rites of Passage/solo fashioned about the model of a Vision Quest .  They prepare by reading books that focus on the solo experience, do assignments that focus on severance and beginning a new story in their life, and create an intent …

Photo from the Hawaii Tribune Herald PQ field staff Billy Barnett made headlines in Hawaii recently for winning the 13th annual Big Island International Marathon.  Check out the article for details- it captures Billy’s humble nature and good spirit. Billy dedicates every other week of his life to the students at PQ.  As a field …

I am in a conference session on attachment theory.  According to David Wallin, author of Attachment in Psychotherapy, the therapist’s attachment style has important effect the therapeutic relationship and the treatment of clients. In essence, clients can earn a secure attachment through the experience of therapy.  This has important implications for serving clients who have …

Blogging live from the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium in Washington DC… Currently attending a workshop called Buddha’s Brain: Neuroscience by Rick Hanson. The message of the workshop highlights the relationship between mindfulness and brain structure.  Essentially, the neural networks in our brains are quite plastic and can be manipulated by specific mental activities.  By using ones …

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.  It is my personal approach that makes the climate.  It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make a life miserable or joyous.  I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I …

A client recently brought a very interesting New York time article to my attention, entitled Depression’s Upside.  The article considers the evolutionary significance of depression and suggests that depression has positive impacts on people. A plaguing (but important) element of depression is rumination.  While many people’s experience of rumination is negative, Scientists Andrews and Thomson …