Posts by Bells

59

Music therapy for pain .. scientists on board or anyone .. any thoughts?

by talesin in

jw
friends

i am wondering if there is any research on this subject.. .

it's kind of obscure, i realize that.

playing my guitar takes me to a better place mentally, but does it produce oxytocin?

Bells

Talesin,

I would recommend getting into a pain clinic. I also had a 2 year wait (when I tried to get in and they told me 2 years - I cried and thought I won't be here if I have to wait 2 years! But here I am...)

I attended a pain clinic 12 years ago - and then again I'm at one now. There has been an incredible amount of progress in the past 10 years in regards to the understanding of pain - as you'd know, it is an incredibly complex issue.

I reckon that if music works for you, then that's great - doesn't matter whether there is evidence or not. Even if it's a placebo effect - who cares, if it helps you deal with pain, then it's real.

Obviously if you can avoid drugs, that's the way to go - and personally, I'd advise never to take narcs as a daily drug (unless elderly, then - why not) - only on occasion where the pain is serously significant. This way, you avoid the dependance / tolerance level increasing...

And I don't know what kind of pain you get, but for me - I find massage to be really beneficial. It doesn't help my actual pain (from the burns) but all of the other benefits just seem to help - better circulation so ulcers etc. will heal faster, help relieve sore muscles that have been thrown from walking with a limp, I also believe it helps with stress, depression etc. which as is well knows, makes existing pain feel worse.

Everyone's different, though I'd give it a go if you haven't. Has to be regular though - weekly or fortnightly at least - and by a proper trained therapist.

59

Music therapy for pain .. scientists on board or anyone .. any thoughts?

by talesin in

jw
friends

i am wondering if there is any research on this subject.. .

it's kind of obscure, i realize that.

playing my guitar takes me to a better place mentally, but does it produce oxytocin?

Bells

This is a bit of a personal topic for me... I'm 30 - I've had a combination of chronich - neuropathic and chronic / actue pain for most of my life due to severe - burns as a kid - but the last 10 or so years has been the worse. I went from being a fairly active person to someone who isn't able to walk more than a couple hundred metres at a time, let alone playing sport of any kind. Anyway - I've always listened to a lot of music and can believe that there is some theraputic benefits. Some music - especially if played too loudly can seriously make me a lot more aware of my pain at times, and other music may sometimes help to soothe a bit, I spose.

However - I have to say that it gets on my nerves a little bit when people get on their high horse about pain medication. Yes, obviously a life without medication is better - but hey - a life without pain is better yet - and that is not with in reach for many people. Over the years - I have been VERY open minded in trying to find an alternative to god-awful pain meds - such as: clinical psychology and hypnotysm, acupuncture, massage (I still get regular massage - it hel[ps, but isn't a cure), alcohol (doesn't help), weed (does help, but for me no better than being on any other med), irridology, physio, and however many other alternative therapies that I can't even remember the name of.

At the end of it all - I'm still in pain, and still have to take medication if I want to hold down a job. I could stop taking it - however I wouldn't be able to work and the only way to handle the pain would be to stay in - probably in bed most of the day. This would surely kill me quicker.

So here I am, now 30, been seeing my current pain clinic for 2 years now. The bottom line is - I probably want to have kids one day within the next few years, but this isi totally out of the question. I can't be pregnant on the meds for a start - and even if they said it was safe I wouldn't - and I am going to struggle with being 15kg heavier pregnant, let alone lack of sleep and getting up for night feeds when the baby comes. I now have to consider having my foot amputated, learning about prosthetics etc. and learning to re-walk, which is scary - but exciting if it means my pain is dramatically reduced... Then again - there's the risk of phantom pain, so I could lose my foot, have most of the pain anyway and still need to take drugs to control the nerves.

Or should I just stop worrying about it and go an put on some nice music...??? ;)

66

Yes the WT Told Millions of Youth NO COLLEGE!!

by JT in

jw
friends

*** watchtower september 1 1975 p.543 questions from readers *** .

how many years of secular education are advisable for children in christian households?

today, there are many teenage baptized servants of jehovah... how far should they go with a secular education?

Bells

This is an important issue. I think it's a worry that there are websites that defent JW's and blatantly publish incorrect facts, so any Witness who is having doubts and gets online may stumble across their sites and not delve deeper. Example:

From: http://searchforbibletruths.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/do-jehovahs-witnesses-really-forbid.html

Contrary to what many opposers of Jehovah's Witnesses may say, the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society has never discouraged education.

Among Jehovah's Witnesses are dedicated workers and professionals of every sort, including university professors, doctors and other medical professionals, lawyers, and scientists. Here is just one example where one Jehovah's Witnesses' college education is promoted: A Nuclear Scientist Tells His Story http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040122a/article_01.htm

This is especially ridiculous because the scientist in this story got baptised well after he became a scientist. So in fact, had he joined the witnesses much ealier in his life, it is probable that he would not have become a scientist in the first place. Just another example of the WT picking and choosing and being incredibly hypocritcal. I just hope that anyone who comes across such sites actually researches further and doesn't just accept what they read without additional research and identifying the original sources of information (for example - Watchtower articles mentioned in this thread). When 'defenders' say that the WT has never said Witnesses should get higher education, it just makes them look stupid. Well, more stupid.

33

Were dinosaurs part of a pre-Adamic "paradise"?

by M.J. in

the wts seems to affirm a lot that adam's blunder really screwed up the earth, and that the earth was not meant to be this place full of killing, disease, death, pain, etc.. but according to the wts version of the story, did god create the earth with these types of features before adam even came on the scene?

the wts does not deny the existance of dinosaurs, who in their words were created prior to mankind during the 5th or 6th symbolic day-ages.

yet its clear from fossilized remains that dinosaurs killed each other, had a high mortality rate, often died young, suffered from disease such as cancerous tumors: .

Bells

Wait a sec...

So JW's really believe that all animals that existed before Adam - were vegetarian!? For real!? So T-Rex and everything?

Or have I misunderstood something...

I think it's a bit wierd that JW's don't teach that they should be vegetarian if this is the case... It seems another example of picking and choosing which parts to acknowledge and which parts to ignore. I get that they go with 'this is the world we live in now' or something, and probably compare it to obeying the human / government law, although they are really not part of this world.

But if they accept that vegetarianism is what J intended, but are ok to eat meat in this life, why can't the same principle be applied to say - homosexuality...? So 'we know that J did not intend for humans to be homosexual, however as a result of Adam's sin, things became imperfect. Some people will be born deformed - some people born as homosexuals - so it's ok to live like that and you will be 'fixed' when you get to paradise. You'll then be a perfect hetro vegetarian.

ps for the record - I do not consider homosexuality to be any kind of deformity - just in case anyone misses the point here.

24

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-24-2012 WT Study (DELIVER)

by blondie in

jw
friends

jehovah knows.

jehovah knows how to.

that jehovah:.

Bells

O.M.G

I think - for me personally - this teaching takes the cake. Even if I was studying and believing everything else I'd heard up until this - this would be the end of that belief!

Did they really compare fat and skinny people with different coloured hard to different species of animals!? What the hell!? I am flabbergasted.

Thanks Blondie - and I will take a bit of a look around and search for things on this site (sorry for being lazy - I knew you'd probably have something on hand - a wealth of knowledge!!) ;)

B

24

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-24-2012 WT Study (DELIVER)

by blondie in

jw
friends

jehovah knows.

jehovah knows how to.

that jehovah:.

Bells

I have a question about the whole ark thing... As someone who is not (and has never been) a Witness, I'm not 100% on what their teachings are with the ark... I used to think that surely they saw it as a metaphor - though I understand now that they believe it to be a literal, accurate thing!!??

I just wonder how it is explained to the Witnesses in order to get them to believe that Noah realy got 2 of EVERY SINGLE SPECIES!!!!! It's not like '2 cats, 2 horses' - but 2 Ragdolls, 2 Burmese, 2 Arabs, 2 Thoroughbreds etc. Besides them not being able to fit (not to mention the smell after a few days - and food for all of them!) - what about the animals that are only native to a particular country..?

Sorry if I'm a bit off topic Blondie, but seeing as there is so much mentioned about the flood - it triggered me to ask..?? :)

B

5

The Witnesses stance on seeing a psychologist?

by Bells in

can anyone clear this up for me?.

i was under the impression that witnesses were strongly discouraged from seeking help from any therapist / psychologist outside of the organisation.

this always made sense to me because i'd imagine that many psychologists would realise that a witness belongs to a very high control group once they start speaking to them.. .

Bells

Thanks Blondie - you're a wealth of knowledge!! :)

I will do my best to keep this relative away from any sort of JW counsellor! I know that another of my relatives (mother inlaw) does speak with the Witness counsellor - whether they are an elder or not I'm not sure. In saying that, she's pretty straight and deeply involved in 'the truth' - so I don't really think she would even have any sins to confess! Interesting about the waiver they have to sign though!!! That's so controlling it's unbelievable!

52

NEWS-JW Wife Stabbed in Kingdom Hall

by Refriedtruth in

fox carolina 21deputies: wife stabbed by husband at church.

whns greenville-9 minutes agogreenville county deputies said they were called to kingdom hall of jehovah's witnesses at 1400 old spartanburg rd.

about 2:15 p.m. where they found ...http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/18848997/deputies-wife-stabbed-by-husband-at-church.

Bells

Sorry - ignore me, I think I found it?

Watchtower 2012 Apr 1 p.29
"Selma recalls a lesson she learned from the Witness who studied with her. “On one particular day,” says Selma, “I didn’t want to have a Bible study. The night before, Steve had hit me as I had tried to prove a point, and I was feeling sad and sorry for myself. After I told the sister what had happened and how I felt, she asked me to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. As I did, I began to reason, ‘Steve never does any of these loving things for me.’ But the sister made me think differently by asking, ‘How many of those acts of love do you show toward your husband?’ My answer was, ‘None, for he is so difficult to live with.’ The sister softly said, ‘Selma, who is trying to be a Christian here? You or Steve?’ Realizing that I needed to adjust my thinking , I prayed to Jehovah to help me be more loving toward Steve. Slowly, things started to change.”After 17 years, Steve accepted the truth. Click for scan.

52

NEWS-JW Wife Stabbed in Kingdom Hall

by Refriedtruth in

fox carolina 21deputies: wife stabbed by husband at church.

whns greenville-9 minutes agogreenville county deputies said they were called to kingdom hall of jehovah's witnesses at 1400 old spartanburg rd.

about 2:15 p.m. where they found ...http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/18848997/deputies-wife-stabbed-by-husband-at-church.

Bells

Can anyone share the recent article which encourages women to stay with their abusive husbands? I haven't seen this

(And what's Sister 'Selma'?)

B

5

The Witnesses stance on seeing a psychologist?

by Bells in

can anyone clear this up for me?.

i was under the impression that witnesses were strongly discouraged from seeking help from any therapist / psychologist outside of the organisation.

this always made sense to me because i'd imagine that many psychologists would realise that a witness belongs to a very high control group once they start speaking to them.. .

Bells

Can anyone clear this up for me?

I was under the impression that Witnesses were strongly discouraged from seeking help from any therapist / psychologist outside of the organisation. This always made sense to me because I'd imagine that many psychologists would realise that a Witness belongs to a very high control group once they start speaking to them.

Anyway - my Witness relative has very recently been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to get the appropriate help, however she said that she will be seeing a non-witness specialist and this is totally acceptable because the Witnesses recognise mental health issues (I guess they'd have to with the high number of Witnesses that suffer from mental health problems!) and individuals are encouraged to seek help as they see fit.

What is your understanding of this? Have you ever been told as a Witness that you shouldn't see a psychologist? Is there inconsistencies with this guidleine from congregation to congregation, or country to country??