We are seeking guest bloggers to contribute articles related to the mind-brain from any perspective. Dr. Frank MacHovec is our first guest with Is war a psychosis? He is a retired clinical psychologist teaching part-time at Piedmont Virginia Community College. He has written over 30 books, most recently... Read more →

I have no future but I am a force. – Robin Williams, as a terrorist, in Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, 1996 In 1967, the Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing wrote, “Insanity is a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world. Normal men have killed 100 million of their fellow men... Read more →

In medicine, we often see patients with chronic neck and back pain. I previously posted about patients who present with neuropathic pain and how they can be some of the most difficult patients to treat. Often, the etiology of their pain is unknown and treatment often involves a long trial and error approach. Health... Read more →

Welcome to the seventh edition of Brain Blogging - a semi-monthly blog carnival that aims to review posts “related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective.” Read more →  Read More →

I’ve been pondering exactly how to post about what happened this week at the campus of Virginia Tech. I’ve got so many emotions about the killings of so many innocent people. I’m deeply saddened by all of it. At times, I’m a little numb because death is really something that is... Read more →

If you’re looking for a different approach to a mental health concern, a clinical trial may be a good fit for you. Clinical trials, where new drugs and treatments are tested, are an important step in the study and treatment of mental health disorders. At any given time, thousands of trials go... Read more →

There is a phrase in the medical world that a lot of doctors can relate to - Unconscious Competence. Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, first described the unconscious as part of the mind that lay outside of someone’s conscience, working behind the scenes. Freud eventually... Read more →

I’ve always considered myself a pretty healthy person. I was a high school and collegiate athlete, have had good friends at every stage of life, and have largely been successful in my academic and professional pursuits. I’ve always been a mentally strong person and have felt at one time or... Read more →

The limbic system… Some scientists call this part of the lower brain a “transmitter to God” because it is at the center of the intuition that we experience. In other words, if we were to believe in the existence of human spirit, this is the part that would most likely connect our mind... Read more →

I once thought the brain was only a big cerebral cortex. I never thought that there is the little guy hidden underneath with such a dynamic function and prominent role in human behavior. When we talk about the brain, most people often imagine the big cerebral cortex that is responsible for out cognitive... Read more →

When I first explored the intricacies of brain function, I was amazed how the brain works in such a sophisticated fashion. My main interest at the time was in higher brain functions - the cortex and its relation to our conscious mind. However, I soon shifted my focus to low brain function, the way the... Read more →