A lot of the clothes I still wear I’ve had for years. The video games I play today are all from previous generations. And I still use the same TV, laptop, and cellphone that I’ve had for a really long time.
It’s not that I’m against any of these things or that I’m against spending money. Instead I’ve been investing my money in different ways.
Success rarely comes without roadblocks, hardship, and failure.
If you’ve ever read anyone’s success story, then you have undoubtedly found out that their victories weren’t absent from previous failures and struggles.
In many ways, those past failures are what make successful people who they are today.
Summary
Psychologists use a procedure called “The Rubber Hand Illusion” to challenge an individual’s sense of body ownership. A recently published study showed that schizophrenics – who already exhibit a weak sense of self – experienced the illusion to a greater degree than healthy controls.
Other research suggests that focused physical exercise can help improve body ownership and thereby alleviate some symptoms of schizophrenia.
Body Ownership and “The Rubber Hand Illusion”
In the “The Rubber Hand Illusion,” participants begin to perceive a rubber hand as if it was a part of their own body. The experiment is fairly simple, but it can have some wild effects.
Researchers hide one of your hands behind a small sheet and then put a rubber hand into view. They then stroke a paintbrush along both your real hand (the one that’s hidden), and the rubber one.
What happens among two thirds of healthy participants is that they begin to perceive that the sensations of the paintbrush are actually coming from the rubber hand, not their real one. When participants are then asked to close their eyes and point toward their real hand, many will point closer toward the rubber one instead.
The “Rubber Hand Illusion” is a play on vision, touch, and body posture (proprioception). Often the stronger the effect, the less someone has a true sense of “body ownership.” To get a better idea on how the experiment works, you can check out a video of the illusion below:
Schizophrenia and “The Rubber Hand Illusion”
Those with schizophrenia are already known to have a poor concept of self, a big part of which includes their sense of “body ownership.”
In a recently reported study, schizophrenics were shown to have a much more heightened effect when undergoing this “Rubber Hand Illusion.” When asked to point toward their real hand, schizophrenics pointed significantly closer to the rubber one than their real one when compared to healthy controls. One participant in the study even reported floating completely above their body for about 15 minutes – a very rare case of an “out of body experience” (OBE) being spontaneously produced in the laboratory.
These findings fit perfectly with the already existing theory that those with schizophrenia have a weaker sense of self and body ownership.
The Importance of Physical Exercise for Schizophrenics
Previous research has shown that physical exercise can help reduce symptoms of schizophrenia (see here and here).
This is because physical exercise, especially focused activities like yoga and dance, can help improve an individual’s body awareness and body ownership.
Of course, this doesn’t mean exercise is a cure-all for schizophrenia, but there is some strong evidence that it is a supplementary treatment worth trying out. Even just 20 minutes a day for 3 weeks can lead to some noticeable improvements.
A group of Dutch positive psychologists recently tested the possibility of a co-existence between mental disorders and happiness.
According to the study, 68.4% of the mentally troubled said they “often felt happy,” in contrast to 89.1% of those who “often felt happy” – but didn’t have a mental disorder.
So while it is still easier to find happiness without a mental disorder, there is some evidence that mental disorders and happiness aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
Researchers had trained interviewers question volunteers about various psychological symptoms they may have been experiencing within the past month. They found that 16.5% of their sample fit into a psychiatric disorder. To test for happiness, the researchers asked only one question regarding how often the participant felt happy, on a scale from “never” to “always.”
(There are some obvious limitations to the design of this study. Asking only one question to measure happiness isn’t very conclusive, at all).
It was found, however, that those who suffered from alcohol abuse reported the same level of happiness as healthy participants. Meanwhile, those who suffered from depression and social anxiety had the lowest levels of happiness – although a significant number of these people still reported frequent happy moods.
The study also followed participants over time and found that those who reported higher levels of happiness at the start of the experiment also showed better recovery from their mental disorders.
I believe the broader lesson in this study is that the co-existence between mental disorders and happiness is indeed possible. And those who may suffer from a mental disorder shouldn’t fall for the “black and white” thinking that their disorder automatically means they will never be able to achieve happiness.
I expect more research about this will come out in the future. And hopefully psychologists and clinicians can continue to come up with better ways to help those with mental disorders still find a happy and fulfilling life.
One of the most devastating symptoms of those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is terrifying nightmares.
Sometimes these nightmares can be so intense that they lead to panic attacks, vivid flashbacks of negative past events, and even aggressive behavior.
The U.S. Army is currently doing research on how to counteract these nightmares by placing individuals into a “dream-like” virtual reality designed to quickly calm nerves and relieve anxiety.
The suggested treatment is that whenever a solider or veteran wakes up from one of these traumatic nightmares, they will immediately put on a pair of 3D digital goggles and enter into an “animated world of comforting sights.”
The research is based on other current existing treatments for PTSD, including image rehearsal therapy, where therapists and patients work together to identify stress triggers and how they can be defused in future situations. It also integrates biofeedback, where a patient can monitor their stress levels in real-time and find relaxation techniques that help bring their stress levels back down to their baseline.
Using both of these techniques, those who suffer from PTSD will be able to construct their own unique virtual reality, one that suits them best in lowering stress levels after an unpleasant dream. Researchers are hoping that the use of this kind of therapy over time can decrease the frequency and intensity of these nightmares in the long run.
While the research certainly isn’t finished, virtual reality already shows some promise of being a valuable therapy for other anxieties and phobias. There is some evidence that it can aid in relieving fears of spiders, flying, and public speaking.
It will be interesting to see how virtual reality therapy develops into the future. I’m always fascinated to see how new technologies are integrated into modern psychotherapy and just how beneficial they can be in helping mental disorders of all types. This will definitely be something to keep our eyes on as more research comes out.