Eyes the Windshields of the Soul

From Boonsri Dickinson
Mats Larsson, a psychology graduate student at Örebro University in Sweden has linked iris patterns to personality traits. Larsson took photos of 428 volunteers’ eyes and administered a standard personality test. He then counted the frequency of crypts (squiggly lines radiating out from the pupil) and furrows (circular lines curving around the outer edge of the iris). He found that a low frequency of crypts was significantly associated with tender-mindedness, warmth, trust, and positive emotions, whereas more distinct and extended furrows were associated with impulsiveness.

His results might seem strange, but Larsson notes that earlier studies have tenuously linked darker eyes to higher scores on extroversion, neuroticism, and sociability, although the effects seem to fade after early childhood. And, he adds, brain and eye development are closely linked in utero, so the appearance of distinctive eye traits might well be related to patterns of brain differences. For example, Larsson points to a gene called PAX6, which controls iris tissue growth. Intriguingly, mutations in PAX6 have also been linked with high rates of unusual behavior, including poor impulse control and abnormalities in associated brain structures, like the left cingulate cortex. Still, cautions Larsson, looking deep into people’s eyes won’t give you irrefutable insight into their personality. “We’ve only looked at group effects,” he says. “It’s not possible to describe an individual’s personality from our data.”

The invisible epidemic

From J. Douglas Bremner, M.D

The invisible epidemic of childhood abuse and other psychological traumas and stressors represents a major public health problem in our society today. Childhood sexual abuse alone affects 16% of women (about 40 million) in the U.S.A. (including rape, attempted rape, or molestation) at some time before their 18th birthday.1

Childhood abuse is the most common cause of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women, which affects 8% of the population at some time in their lives,2 although there are a range of other types of psychological trauma that can also lead to symptoms of chronic PTSD, including car accidents, combat, rape and assault. Some of the symptoms of PTSD, which include intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, increased startle and vigilance, social impairment and problems with memory and concentration, may be related to the effects of extreme stress on the brain.3,4

Individuals with a history of exposure to childhood abuse or combat had a reduction in volume of a brain area involved in learning and memory called the hippocampus, which is felt to be related to stress, with associated deficits in hippocampal-based learning and memory.5 Children under stress develop impairments in academic achievement that are specifically related to the development of PTSD. Other symptoms, including fragmentation of memory, intrusive memories, flashbacks, dissociation and pathological emotions, may also be related to hippocampal dysfunction6 and may explain delayed recall of childhood abuse.7 The hippocampus has important links to the medial prefrontal cortex, another brain area that mediates emotion and the stress response, dysfunction of which has also been implicated in PTSD.

Effects of psychological trauma on the hippocampus and memory

Childhood abuse and other extreme stressors can have lasting effects on brain areas involved in memory and emotion. The hippocampus is a brain area involved in learning and memory that is particularly sensitive to stress.8,9 As reviewed in greater detail by Bruce McEwen in other Cyberounds high levels of glucocorticoids (cortisol in the human) released during stress were associated with damage to neurons in the CA3 region of the hippocampus, and a loss of neurons and dendritic branching.10,11,12 Glucocorticoids disrupt cellular metabolism and increase the vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to excitatory amino acids like glutamate.13 Other neurochemical systems interact with glucocorticoids to mediate the effects of stress on memory and the hippocampus, including serotonin14 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).15,16 Stress also results in deficits in new learning that are secondary to damage to the hippocampus.17,18 Exciting recent research has shown that the hippocampus has the capacity to regenerate neurons and that stress inhibits neurogenesis in the hippocampus.19

Studies in animals showing glucocorticoid-mediated hippocampal toxicity and memory dysfunction with stress raised the question: Does early stress, such as childhood abuse, result in similar deficits in human subjects? With this in mind, we used neuropsychological testing to measure declarative memory function in PTSD. We selected measures that were validated in studies of patients with epilepsy to be specific probes of hippocampal function. These neuropsychological measures (including delayed paragraph recall and word list learning) were correlated with a loss of neurons in the hippocampus in patients who underwent surgical resection of the hippocampus for the treatment of epilepsy.20 We initially found verbal declarative memory deficits using similar measures in Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD.21

Join the Smart Life Campaign

Smart Life believes in the proper development of youth through Family Principles, Education and Career in combination breeds a life that produces smart living and in turn the society thrives and benefits as a Nation. Smart life wants parents to put the importance of their relationship ahead of their own selfishness and make their new ambition to maintain emotional family stability, when the process reaches full circle our youths will choose to start their own families after Marriage and place a new importance on Family values. We have to take accountability and admit that our children learn from examples and those positive examples give them a Smart Start and a Smart Life.

How Break ups effect Men

The effects of marital breakdown on guys have been recognized, but strangely not advertised anyway near as much as the effects on ladies. Women of course struggle and go through many of the same troubles guys go through and loads of different tribulations as well, however the stresses that are placed on the mental well being of a man is not as well understood. Until we look closer into their birth nature.

Perhaps the populace simply has the quaint thought that males will survive as we always do, as if it is just in our nature to endure without any troubles (this is of course total trash). Or if you are a cynic, then you might attribute a focused effort of the media and feminist groups who want to promote females over males. I myself cannot be that cynical however, but I think that this is a part of the problem. Then of course there is simply us guys and our often immovable temperament to not seek assistance and not converse about the problems we face. Combining all these things leads to a lack of info for males going through a rough divorce. So I'll speak about the effects of marital breakdown on men.

Emotional Struggle
This is the chief part of the entire angst-ridden muddle of divorce. Losing our matrimony takes a serious toll on a mans mental state as lots of have fixed so much of their identities and soul into their marriage even if it was not a faultless union. When I went through my Emotional breakup it happened so gradually by time we actually divorced I ignored the signs and expected to recover in no time, but in actuality I was going through a total life catastrophe, job change, financial trouble enough to put all my masculine confidence to the test before long I was experiencing a few of the harmful ways that came to light: If you don't get therapy it can quickly become baggage.

* Major depression

* Bravado is substituted for true masculinity

* Anger & regret

* Suspicion & Self Doubt

* Suicidal Thoughts

* Emasculation

* Fear & Stress

As you can now fathom, if a guy is feeling a number of these problems his mental state, and his life in general, will become a total mess. Enduring this and just moving on cannot be done so straightforwardly when you don’t have a family, a home, and a caring companion left to sustain you. The rug gets pulled out from under a mans feet and the more you try to bury these emotional tribulations the worse they get. According to your our dominate trait the expectation can be even more devastating. Fire signs Can go through brief moments of disillusion as they celebrate their new found independence only to come crashing down from loneliness. We all experience every symptom of depression but the actual solution lies in where the pain begins and why.

Money tribulations
I think this is secondary to the emotional tribulations but clearly alimony, child support, dividing up the family assets, and all other costs involved in divorce hit a man hard. If the guy was the main worker for the family this can also rouse a certain bitterness which is something lots of males take to their grave rather than fixing. a lot of males find themselves in a situation of being middle aged and feeling like they are now struggling like they once did when they were much younger despite a better career or business. If they have job troubles due to the break up and the emotions you are feelign can increase these worries even more. Earth Sign expect to be secure in the most practical of ways (Job,relationship and Finances).

Parenthood problems and Hurt Kids
Children of course have their own concerns through divorce, but a guys sense of being a good father is often shattered by separation as well. Most dads end up losing the little ones and must be content with visitation rights on the weekend if that. This can make you question your worthiness of being a dad and can hurt emotionally and socially as humanity as a whole seems to frown upon them as if it is their fault for the marital breakdown and that they cannot care for kids.

Loss of Identity
This is a huge one. To be divorced after putting so much of your life into constructing your marriage, your family, your identity of being a spouse, and perhaps a father too; this is stripped away in just a few moments when you finally realise that the break up is final and you are no longer who you thought you are. Theoretical Signs (Sag,Cap,Aqua,Pisc) are most deeply traumatized by divorce simply for the reason that they are idealistic and prone to obsession and depression. When their dreams are shattered their life soon follows.

When is Confidence developed?

What is Self Doubt?
Can we live an effective and successful life without self Confidence? Who is responsible for developing our self confidence? What role does family life play in building self confidence? How do we express our confidence through our Astrological traits?Self Doubt begins with a Lack of self Confidence but when does it all begin? Depending on your birth trait lacking self confidence is manifested in different attitudes.

Self-confidence and Making Mistakes
Some mothers shout at their children as soon as they break anything, stain their clothes, forget to do their chores or any other minor mistake. Treating a child in this way results in him thinking that doing something wrong is shameful and that making mistakes makes him different from other perfect people who do not make mistakes. When this child grows up and makes a certain mistake in front in public, like dropping a glass or having something go wrong during a presentation, it appears to him as an embarrassing situation and will cause him to think that he is not up to the standard of other people. These kinds of thoughts will gradually but surely damage his confidence.


A parent's role should be building self-confidence in their children by encouraging them to try new things and not to be afraid of making mistakes. The parent should teach them that, as a human being, error's are unavoidable; so it's best to accept your mistakes without criticizing or labeling yourself.

What is Sexual Confusion

There truly is an explanation for Sexual confusion and it all has to do with a number of factors, birth traits, Conditioning and Puberty. Those factor exposed to masculine or feminine energy develop differently under natural conditions of maturity.

Its rather easy to explain but hard to believe. There are two energies Masculine and Feminine. Its essential that children be exposed to the correct balance from both energies of each parent so they can distinguish the roles between the genders. As children develop around a dominate parent and the parent they gravitate towards they learn that behavior. This behavior information is ingrained within their own cell memory, how deeply it becomes ingrained depends on the original astrological personality of the child. Whether the child is strong willed or passive all the patterns the child observed over time becomes apart of their behavior data base. When the child reaches puberty the behavior that was processed becomes solidified and apart of their "problem solving social solution information". If the child picks up feminine behavior patters they express themselves like a female in stressful conflicts & relationship issues.

A boy that is exposed to female behavior begins to feel like a woman around Masculine energy because they have been exposed to female dominance they act out feminine behavior of the gender that conditioned them and vice versa for the girls. When these feelings emerge it is believed to be natural because the process has already taken place and the behavior has fully developed. It can be proved it other Psychological studies on different topics. The only difference is sexual conditioning begins so early it's hard to believe that it actually matters by the time the person is aware of their sexuality it feels like apart of them and not a choice. To behave like the gender that has trained them socially feels comfortable to emulate. The choice to act on these feelings instead of exploring the cause and therapy to resolve past issues is where the Problem begins.

The process has to do with the personality type of the individual. Some conditioning becomes deeper rooted depending on the Zodiac traits that comprise the whole personality of the person. If your child is facing insecurities around their own gender and prefers to be in less threatening company of the opposite gender the signs are strong enough to take action. Psychological observation and correction of their perception and insecurities can be corrected. A person that is threatened by their feelings around the same gender and feels comforted or protected obviously has confidence issues that are deeper rooted and become manifested in their social experiences. The pursuit of affection from the same gender is also an indication of which energy has been developed within the person and what polarizes them. It is Important that the opposite parent validates the identity of the child at an early age and therefore establishes the correct self esteem to express the proper gender energy which leads to the attraction of the opposite sex. The confused feeling around gender totally comes from conditioning by the incorrect gender and the confidence to express the proper energy as a male or female. If you see early signs of sexual energy imbalance understand that your child needs to be conditioned not educated by the proper energy and validated to express their proper energy confidently as male is masculine and a female is feminine its important to begin as soon as possible.