The Violence of Bullying

Extreme psychological abuse - bullying - causes beautiful (usually young) people to commit suicide.  Yes, take their own lives - kill themselves to escape the torment they can no longer endure at the hands of bullies.  Bullying is now recognized by many elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities all over North America as a life-threatening phenomenon.  Many schools, teachers and parents, however, still don't  recognize bullying as a serious problem.

Bullies have been around forever.  They have existed, and do exist, in all spheres of life.  Bullying is not limited to schools, but is found in our places of work, our families and our social groups.  Children and adults are bullied.  Children are bullied by children, teens are bullied by teens, adults are bullied by adults, teens are bullied by adults, children are bullied by adults, children are bullied by teens, and seniors are bullied by all groups. 

Systematic ostracizing, denigration and other forms of psychological torment affect the brain.  These effects have been well-documented by researchers.  Some experts consider bullying to be the main method of torture of the modern age.  According to Carroll M. Brodsky, psychiatrist, "practically no other stress factor has such an immense impact on brain structures as bullying does", as noted in Ideas and Discoveries (I&D) magazine (April 2011, page 44).  Furthermore, to fully understand the situation created by bullying, "you have to imagine that the positive signals a person receives from his environment, such as those that convey recognition, devotion, respect and belonging are sources of vitality that the long nerve cell endings in the brain reach out for.  Like the roots of a plant, these endings branch out in search of contact with other neurons when we experience positive feedback, a pleasant touch, kind words, and positive gestures and facial expressions."  From birth on, attention and affection are basic nourishments which the brain requires. 

Bullying poisons the nerve cells of the brain due to the stress (distress) it generates.  Neurons in the hippocampus brain region behave as if they've been killed off by a toxic substance.  Within just a few weeks of onset of the torment, the hippocampus of the victim of bullying shrinks.  This region of the brain plays a key role in memory. According to Jean Decety, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Chicago, the hippocampus is continually producing  fresh new nerve cells and is akin to a "fountain of youth". (I&D magazine, April 2011, p.44) This cellular replenishment ensures that we remain motivated, can process sensory input rapidly, and are receptive, upbeat and focused.  Studies have discovered that the extreme stress caused by bullying shuts off production of new nerve cells causing anxiety, self-doubt, mental overload, depression, and lack of focus in victims.  The brains of children and teens are especially vulnerable to bullying because their brains are still rapidly developing, changing and structuring.

An American association - the Psychological Harassment Information Association - describes 20 schemes and psychological tricks utilized by bullies.  Here is an outline of the schemes as presented in the previously-noted issue of I&D magazine on pages 47 - 49:

1.    Negative psychological influence

2.    Permanent indirect attacks

3.    Permanent indirect innuendos

4.    Influence through alarming noises

5.    Influence through specific phrases

6.    Indirect inducement of fear coupled with intimidation

7.    Generating humiliating thoughts

8.    Subtle attack

9.    Insecurity and lack of confidence generated by double meanings

10.  Threats hidden by sarcasm

11.  Allusive language (indirect intimidation)

12.  Responsibility and vulnerability (loss of control)

13.  Manipulation through deception

14.  Bullying disguised as a desire to help

15.  Invading personal space

16.  Staring drills (zeroing in)

17.  Self-defense to avoid attacks

18.  Direct attacks (verbal insults)

19.  Indirect attacks (spreading damaging rumours)

20. Inducing paranoia (making someone think he has a behavioural disorder).

Pages 50 and 51 outline some strategies which may prove effective against bullies.  They are as follows:

1.    Positive counterprogramming

2.    Self-awareness towards boosting self-esteem

3.    Connecting to an anti-terror network

4.    A bullying diary or journal which records and describes incidents

5.    Bully deletion (ignore the bully)

6.    Positive visualization

7.    Power groups (safety in numbers)

8.    Polite counteroffensive

9.    Monitor changes/observe own behaviour

10.  Use technology to record attacks

11.  Protect mind and body by treating self well (eat well, exercise, rest)

12.  In extreme cases, leave the environment altogether when no other type of intervention works.

And, I would add, tell someone - a teacher, a counsellor, a parent, or someone else you trust - and contact local police if things are really starting to get out of hand. 

D. 

In Honour of St. Valentine's Day

In honour of the upcoming commericalized day of love we are supposed to celebrate here in North America on the 14th day of February, there are a number of things I could write about:  how our biggest sex organ is our brain; our attachment styles; the myth that opposites attract;  the regions of the area that light up when we feel passionate love as opposed to when we feel maternal love or unconditional love, or countless other love-related topics.

Instead, I'll recount a story from a book I was perusing the other day - "50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology:  Shattering the Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behaviour" by Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, and Beyerstein, all of whom are professors of psychology.  In a section towards the end of the book in which the authors outline incidents of truth which are stranger than fiction, the story goes something like this...

In isolated regions of some Asian countries, including Malaysia, China and India some people are periodically stricken with a strange psychological condition called "koro".  A male victim of this condition believes that his penis and testicles are disappearing while a female believes that her breasts are disappearing.  (Males suffer from this phenomenon at a higher rate than do females.)  Koro spreads like a contagious virus througout these isolated regions.  In one area of India, for example, about twenty years ago government officials took to the streets with loudspeakers to reassure hysterical citizens that their genitals were not vanishing.  The officials, in some cases, had to measure a victim's penis with a ruler to assure him that his penis was not shrinking and disappearing.

And now a few other facts from a few other studies:
- when a woman cries emotional tears, a man's testosterone level drops, but the shedding of other types of tears did not have this effect;
- when a man watches a movie with romance (and little or no violence) his progesterone level increases and his testosterone level drops;
- when a man watches a violent movie, his testosterone level increases; and
- the old expression, "familiarity breeds contempt" is generally incorrect.

Happy Valentine's Day

D.

The Science of Meditation and Well-Being

For at least three decades, scientific research into meditation has found that meditation not only boosts the immune system, but is also an antidote to stress-related conditions, such as high blood pressure, anxiety and depression, and that individuals who had already suffered a first heart attack were less likely to suffer a second one if they practised a stress-reduction exercise such a daily meditation.  Meditation has also been prescribed for conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also as a pain reduction strategy for the pain associated with AIDS and cancer.

Doctor-staffed stress reduction clinics all over North America offer classes in various types of meditation as do integrative health clinics staffed by naturopaths, homeopaths, physiotherapists and massage practitioners.  Private classes, classes at community centres, Buddhist centres, fitness centres, and at universities and colleges abound.  Meditation, though still widely practised with a focus on spirituality, has moved more into the mainstream and scientists are now focusing on the mind/body science of meditation. 

 

Psychologist and science-writer, Daniel Goleman (who became internationally famous after he penned the very popular, “Emotional Intelligence” in 1995) has followed the science of meditation for decades as well as the spiritual principles of meditation espoused by the Dalai Lama.  In Goleman’s book, “Destructive Emotions” (2003), which recounts a dialogue on meditation by a group of western psychologists and neuroscientists and the Dalai Lama, exciting new research is described as to how meditation can train the mind and reshape the brain because our brains remain ‘plastic’ right into old age (which means they retain the ability to restructure themselves to a certain extent).

Stepping back to the 1970’s, it is of note that Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School and founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute reported in his book, “The Relaxation Response”, that transcendental meditation counter-acts the fight-or-flight stress response and produces happier, calmer dispositions in those practising this form of meditation.  Even though one session of meditation can provide positive stress-reduction results, over the course of several weeks of daily meditation, meditators increase their brain’s production of theta waves, essentially deactivating the frontal lobe of the brain that receives and processes sensory information.  They show a shift in brain-wave patterns away from the alpha waves of aroused, conscious thought to theta waves that dominate the brain during periods of deep relaxation.  Other research carried out throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s indicated that meditation has the ability to slow the heartbeat, control respiration and change core body temperature.

Brain imaging studies have shown that during meditation, activity in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain (the area behind the forehead) shifts from the right hemisphere to the left.  This is a good thing.  Studies have shown that people suffering from shyness, pessimism, depression and anxiety show a high level of activity in their right frontal cortex and that more optimistic, relaxed, happier, extroverted individuals exhibit more activity in the parallel region on the left side of the brain.  By meditating regularly, the brain can reorient itself from a negative state to one of acceptance and contentment in which happiness, enthusiasm, joy, high energy and alertness dominate.  People who meditate have reported that upon leaving a session, they feel more buoyant, calmer, happier, and more at peace.  They feel more alive and see the world as a more colourful, beautiful, peaceful place.

According to the Dalai Lama, one of the payoffs of further scientific study is that through training of the mind people can become more calm – especially those who suffer from too many ups and downs.  Happiness is not a fixed characteristic, a biological set point that will never change.  Instead, our quota of happiness can be increased through mental training because the very structure of our brain can be modified.

Science seeks to better understand altered states of consciousness which foster well-being.  Can we transform the brain and personality so that positive emotions become a more permanent state?  We each have a characteristic ratio of right/left activation in the prefrontal lobes that is our emotional set-point, or the mean around which our daily moods may swing.  Each of us has the capacity to shift our moods and change this ratio to a certain extent through our daily experiences.  Experiences that lift our mood (e.g. playing with our pet or children, or watching a comedic play or movie) cause increased left-brain activity, at least on a temporary basis.  These changes are usually modest, though, but when individuals meditate with a focus on generating compassion for others, a remarkable leftward shift in the functioning of the prefrontal lobe occurs.

This corresponds with other studies which have been done that examine how good we feel when we give as opposed to when we receive.  (A more positive state of mind occurs when we give, or are generous, and expect nothing in return.)  The very act of concern for others which is fostered during meditation on compassion creates a greater sense of well-being within the meditator.  The Dalai Lama maintains that the person doing the meditation on compassion is the immediate beneficiary:  loved by people, a serene mind, deep sleep with pleasant dreams, and peace upon waking.  (This actually begs the question:  giving without expectation of return - and meditating on compassion for all beings – is this the ultimate in self-interest as it makes us feel good; would we ever do any of these things without self-interest – which in this case is feeling really, really good within, and about, ourselves?)

The big questions, though, which arose from the topic of debate at the conference:  are destructive emotions (e.g. anger, jealousy, negativity) a fundamental, unchangeable part of the human legacy?  Are these emotions essential for human survival?   How can we lessen their threat to our own happiness and stability?  How much neuroplasticity do we have and how might we shift our neural systems that harbour destructive impulses in a more positive direction and how can we overcome these impulses?

So now, after decades-long research in university laboratories which showed the remarkable ability of meditation to control respiration, brain waves, and core-body temperature, decrease stress and fortify the immune system, new, deeper issues were being probed:  specific links between highly disciplined, mental strategies and their impact on brain function are under investigation.  Focus:  to assess meditation as mind training with respect to how we can best handle our destructive emotions.

While modern science has focused on formulating somewhat harsh chemical compounds to help us overcome toxic emotions, meditation offers a different, though labour-intensive route.  To what extent can the brain be trained to dwell in a constructive range:  contentment rather than craving, calm rather than agitation, compassion rather than hatred?  Can lasting, positive changes in brain function occur that are more far reaching than those achieved with pharmaceuticals (which usually come with a plethora of negative side effects which often sound scarier than the disorder itself)?  Can such training be helpful to adult and child sufferers of destructive emotions whether or not there is a spiritual component involved?  And, is there always a spiritual component involved no matter what as different ideas of one’s spirit, of one’s spirituality are bandied about?

The Dalai Lama has been a prime mover in inspiring this type of research.  He has been an active collaborator in turning the lens of science on the practices of his own spiritual tradition.  The possibility of freeing the mind completely from the hold of destructive emotions through the type of training of the mind seen in many forms of meditation practice surpasses all traditional assumptions of modern psychology. 

D.