by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. From the time an infant is first placed in his mothers arms, then given his first feeding, the mother/child relationship is linked to survival. An infant reflexively squeezes mommy’s finger, tilts his face toward hers, and the bond of emotional attachment forms. Nursing mothers release the hormone oxytocin, fostering a warm, [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. The Power of Imagination Insanely brilliant and far too young for all of his accomplishments, Neurologist Alvaro Pascual-Leone was the first to map the brain using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS can turn on or off parts of the brain so researchers can determine the function of a specific brain area. [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. The Nutrition Connection Matthew burst into my office with a handful of hard candy in his suit pocket and a scowl on his face. He sat down and said, “I don’t have time for this, but my wife said she’d leave if I didn’t take anger management.” Matthew grabbed a hard [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Part I: Anger and Motivation Nothing like anger to energize and motivate. Everyone from the high school football coach to a police officer knows that a healthy dose of anger can push a kid to a touchdown, or help a cop run those five blocks to catch the bad guy. Some [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Fans of the television show, The Office, recognize the character, Dwight Shrute, a rigid, aggressive, authority-obsessed bully. Dwight, (played by the wonderful actor Rainn Wilson) regularly pounces on co-workers, both verbally and physically, to prove his superiority. We talk to managers and employees who describe painful encounters with aggressive, inflexible, co-workers. [...]
by Davida Price, MS, IMF, MT-BC When we hear angry music we know it. Even if the lyrical intent of the music is not anger, some music, called heavy metal, deathcore, punk, screamo, progressive rock, and rap include ticked off lyrics, angry girls, and dissed boys. In this post, I plan to explore music with [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. War and other forms of violence create physical and emotional scars that have challenged health care providers for decades. We’ve worked with war veterans who struggle with unemployment, broken relationships, drug addiction, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many of us in the field of mental health, who work to repair [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. On the morning of 9/11/01, I drove to San Diego City College to teach two psychology courses. On the way I listened to news reports of the 9/11 attacks. At that time investigators did not know if other U.S. cities faced attack. When I arrived on campus my students were watching [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. What do you get when you cross a bank robber, a bomb maker and a hoarder? You get George Jakubec, a 54-year-old Serbic emigre recently arrested for possessing the single largest hoard of homemade explosives ever found in the United States. Investigators searched his rental home, in the sleepy southern California [...]
by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Anna, age 12, sat in my office twisting her friendship bracelet while listing her fears. “My grandma shops alone and robbers could attack her. My mom lights candles and I’m afraid they’ll catch fire and burn us up. If we fly, terrorists might kill us.” A gifted, sensitive, well-read child, Anna [...]
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