Continuous Learning for Individuals, Management & Business

Fall registration is now open! Visit our website or peruse this blog to learn what's coming up this Fall, and what you may expect in upcoming terms.

When a person is attempting to change a habit or behavior (such as beginning to eat healthier, quitting smoking or adjusting their work schedule), one of the most important ways this happens is through intrinsic motivation. This means that the person changing the behavior is motivated by internal factors and desires. 

In the early years of life, a child's brain develops rapidly. During this impressionable period, exposure to the right environment is essential to ensure adaptive development and general wellbeing. Because this is such a critical period of brain development, it's important for parents to be aware of the relevant neuroscience research. Understanding this developmental process can aid parents as they navigate the challenges of parenthood. 

The brain is an important and incredibly complex organ - and only in recent decades have we begun to understand many of its intricacies. It's no surprising that the behaviors and actions of others have been confounding us for most of our lives! The brain plays a critical role in nearly every major body system, and some of its main functions include processing sensory information, regulating blood pressure and breathing and releasing hormones. But beyond regulating physical tasks, our brains also have a role in how we perceive people and our environment, how we remember (and forget), how we may act and think differently than someone else - and how were interact with others in our daily lives.

One of the most beautiful times in a woman's life is the birth of her children, but certain events can impact the birthing experience. This can lead to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) - affecting nearly 1 million women annually - which can cause women significant stress and even prolong the healing process.

Ryan Hofer is a Rolfer living in Portland, OR. He taught English in Japan and South Korea before graduating from the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute in Boulder, CO. He is currently an instructor with the interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) program. 

Perinatal mood disorders, including postpartum depression or anxiety disorders, affect 15 to 20 percent of new mothers every year. New moms with these conditions can have a variety of symptoms, including:

The relationships we create throughout our lives contribute a great deal to our personality and behavior. Most psychologists and psychiatrists agree that developing healthy relationships leads to a healthier mind. Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB), an approach to care created by Dr. Dan Siegel, focuses on how the brain can be healed through powerful and positive persuasion. This approach combines many areas of science including biology, cognitive science, developmental psychopathology, sociology and mental health. IPNB focuses on integrating all the different aspects that make us unique so we can better understand why we are the way we are and try to correct negative behavior where possible. While an understanding of IPNB can be useful to just about anyone, therapists and counselors can find it especially effective in treating patients.

As social creatures, humans develop thousands of relationships in our lifetime. Many psychiatrists and psychologists believe that these relationships with friends, family, co-workers, significant others, and more, define who we are and how we act.