Blogging is good for you!

It seems obvious to me.
But then that is a result of all my experience and research.
Here are a few more culturally established views:

		Alice Flaherty, a neuroscientist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital studies issues like uncontrollable urges to write and writers block  She believes that something in the brain’s limbic system boosts peoples’ desire to communicate.  The limbic system is central in controlling desires like food, sex and solving problems.  It is likely that that blogging causes the production of dopamine (a precursor to adrenaline) in the same way that exercise, sex and listening to music do.  She has written a book titled “The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative Brain”

		James W Pennebaker, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, detects definite deep brain activity by magnetic resonance imaging during creative writing.  He has written a book titled “Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions” which is a remarkable insight for the non professional whilst he (in a very Freudian manner) is meticulous about the scientific validity of his research.

		Possibly a better revelation for the less scientific is the book “Write for Life: Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit Through Journal Writing” by Sheppard B. Kominars.  Kominars has been writing journals for most of his life and this book is a testament to the healing power of writing.  It is highly recommended and very enlightening.

		Richard D Lane, a psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Arizona, uses brain-imaging techniques to study the neuroanatomy of emotions and their expressions. He sees definite activity in the brain when occupied with creative writing and is continuing to research this area. He has co edited a series of 17 essays from leading figures in the fields of neurology, psychology and cognitive science called Cognitive Neuroscience of Emotion which is a book in the OUP’s Series in affective science. It is more aimed at students and professionals in the fields of psychology and neuroscience than the common man (woman) (child) (tree).

		Of course there is the best seller “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” by Daniel Goleman which seems to me to be an insight into what most of us know but our culture is finding hard to accept.

but I digress.

And whilst I digress I can’t resist recommending one book which is a serious insight into how emotional expression is genuinely therapeutic.  Arthur Janov has been involved in counselling for many years and is the founder of the famous (if misnamed) primal scream therapy.  He is also famous for his work with John Lennon in the 1970’s.  His book “The Biology of Love” is a total must read book.

Well!

Blogging is good for ME!

So I will continue to develop my blog and see where it gets me...