Wednesday

Thoughts on Robin Williams


I met Robin once.  It was over dinner at a friend's house, and I was at a table with him and Charles Grodin.  He was gracious and friendly, and for some reason took the opportunity for polite chatting, rather than flights of fancy.  I didn't get a chance to tell him that I had also been in the Harvey Lembeck comedy workshop for a number of years, and had heard of his legendary performances in class.  That I too was a huge fan of Jonathan Winters, and that I'd had the good fortune to spend a number of lunches with him as his favorite table at Musso & Frank's restaurant in Hollywood.

That I had once asked Jonathan a question about his father, and how that had sent him into a flight of fancy that took us to the revolutionary war, and fighting with indians, but then realizing we were on the wrong side... but being aware of his difficulties with his Marine corps dad, I knew that the reason we'd gone down this path was because his father was a trigger for him in some ways - that to avoid discussing something of great pain for him, he went into a place of great comedy - so when he was done with 45 minutes of this amazing improvisation, I was able to pick up the sentence we had begun with.  "So I take it you don't want to discuss your dad?"  To which he roared with laughter.

Robin Williams knew how to roar with laughter.  David Letterman ran a tribute to him the other day, where Robin was frequently throwing his head back, roaring like a lion with laughter - David had said something that allowed him to release that laugh - which included a kick back of the head, chin pointed skyward, his legs stretched out - literally roaring with comic gesture.

I read that his friend Rob Schneider raised his voice against the drug he was using to treat his Parkinson's - one of the side effects is suicide.  It's a flag that needs to be raised, because someone so near and dear to the planet, could be given a lethal dose of something that was meant to help him.  And I say lethal because we don't know what the drug was that was given to him - he had a history of depression - and was likely given a myriad of drugs to help with that as well.

I'm told by a doctor friend of mine that there is a simple test for determining whether a person can handle SSRI drugs.  That's seratonin inhibitor drugs - black box warning drugs - the kinds that are commonly prescribed to everyone.  I'm told by this doctor that up to 15% of the population is allergic to these drugs, and the side effect is either suicide, or killing someone else.  Their brains are literally taken over by the drug, morality disappears, and the "flight or fight" trigger turns into a literal trigger.

Congress held hearings on these drugs in the 90's because they were being prescribed for everything from exhaustion to depression - and the results were about 10% of the people were killing themselves.  Every single mass shooting since Columbine has had these drugs involved in the shooter - either in the past, or currently.

So what was the drug that Robin Williams was on? It's not been published. Of course if it was a safe drug, you'd think they'd publish that.

I point everyone to the institute of mental health's own webpage, where they posted a warning that medical professionals were prescribing psychotropic (SSRI) drugs to children that hadn't been tested. That they didn't recommend prescribing them to any one under 25.  I found this posting while doing a casual search - but it had been taken down, it was cached.

The argument goes like this; "well, he was depressed, so we don't know if the depression caused suicide."  Or "The shooter was being treated for depression - so we don't know if depression caused this senseless shooting."  Meanwhile - these drugs are being marketed on TV nightly - they read the side effects while showing images of people riding bikes happily - they should be forced to show the real effects of their drugs without trials.  I won't get into that graphic.

We know that drugs have helped many people.  Many have written to me saying "they wouldn't be alive without the SSRI drugs" they've been prescribed.  Okay, that's fine - but what about the 15% who could have learned they were allergic to these drugs?  What do we tell their families?

I encourage everyone who is thinking of taking a drug to really, really read the side effects carefully.  Read the studies they did to get approved - they're online.  Read what others have done with these drugs - get a second opinion.  Consider alternate therapy.  What happens when these drugs change the "fight or flight" trigger in the amygdala is to cause a person to think nonstop about doing themself in.  And after days or weeks of that, they often succeed - or pick up a weapon and find another way to release that energy.

Finally, look into Tonglen.  Prof. Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin has proven that tonglen can "alleviate or cure depression" in his monumental study of meditation.  He's proven in a scientific way that meditation can change the shape of the amygdala.  So depression is not a death sentence - it's a clarion call that something is wrong - either in the person's environment, either in their diet, either in where they live, who they live with - something is causing the depressions.  It's not there normally - and even if it's genetic, it can still be dealt with.  "One sessions of meditation can change the shape of the amygdala."  It's worth checking into.

And in terms of Parkinson's - I have a close friend with a serious case of Parkinson's.  It's altered her life immeasurably.  But I filmed her during a deep hypnosis session where she examined her subconscious as to why and how she got Parkinson's - and saw the answers.  She understood what had happened mentally that cause her physically to get sick.  And during the 6 hour session she had no Parkinson's.  Her shaking went away and she was basically speaking and talking normally during the session.  The hypnotherapist pointed it out to me as he looked over his shoulder and said "look!"  Her profound shaking had stopped, except for one finger that was curling softly as she spoke.  When she came back to consciousness, all her symptoms returned.  She can't drive, so I drove her to the session.

So if Parkinson's can be changed or eliminated during a hypnosis session, is it possible to find a way to continue that process?  And if Robin Williams was given the alternative - to do a hypnotherapy session every day of his life if need be - wouldn't that be something he'd like to have a choice of?

I urge everyone to take Robin's death not as an example of someone who is depressed who did themselves in, but as someone who gave us something to learn from.

But he's not dead.  He's just not here.

Suicide is a tricky subject. I can only weigh in on the Flipside research. We all choose to come to the planet to learn and teach lessons; we are not here by mistake or happenstance. Each has their own path and journey, each has a myriad of reasons how they choose to experience the journey here or for exiting the stage.

Once we wrap our minds around the fact that we don't die, or in this case can't die, then the matter of our leaving the stage is one of logistics. Do we judge an entire life or performance on how an actor leaves the stage?

"Yes, I loved the play, the first and second act were great, but you tripped as you came off stage and that I cannot forgive. Two thumbs way down." We tend to write reviews on how an actor exits: "A belt, a plastic bag, a box of pills" and ignore those who are checking themselves out with each cigarette, each shot of whisky, each time they drink and drive and/or text. Are they any less "guilty" of choosing the manner of their death than others just because it happens to be a slow lingering exit?

We applaud those who managed to stay on stage til the last breath, surrounded by loved ones, whether its Betty Bacall or the world's oldest man, and wag our fingers at deaths we don't applaud, whether Robin or a child in a wedding party taken out by a drone. We've all got a myriad of exits and entrances behind us, and ahead of us - suffice to say its up to us how we manage them.

Again, the research shows that we don't die. That each life is a sacred, precious choice, that we come here to learn and teach and love for many reasons, and the manner of our passing has roots in our own path and journey. Robin is ok, he's fine, he hasn't gone anywhere - he's just not here or visible to us. And that's a damned shame because he lit up the stage, made the entire planet stand laugh, and there's nothing more healing than laughter.

I have compassion for those who suffer from debilitating depression, and hope they examine methods like tonglen to regain their health, and I bow to their choice of choosing a difficult life that includes stones in their path. As I also stand in applause for Robin's choice to share his wit and charm with the planet during the time he was onstage. Why he exited in the middle of the second act is only known to him. Perhaps that plot twist will be revealed one day as well. My two cents."

And finally one more story - also true:

I was in a bodega in NY helping the owner speak to a family from Spain. After I asked where he was from. He said Nepal. I told him the quick story about our son remembering a life as a monk in Nepal, how it was his 1st sentence to me. As I was telling him some of the stories which verified his sentence, which was something beyond my understanding, the owner asked if he could see a picture of him.

I showed him a pic of the 9 yeard old smiling on a couch. The shopkeeper closed his eyes and said a prayer, moving his hand from his heart to his lips to his forehead. He then looked at the photo and said "you can see it In his face; serenity."

I then realized the man was weeping, tears rolling down his cheeks. The shop owner wiped his tears and said "thank you. That was very powerful."

I told him the story our son once told us - when I sat him down to tell him his grandmother was going to pass away, and to prepare him for her funeral I said the next time he saw her she'd be in a box.

He picked up a bottle of water and said "its ok dad, spirit is like water. Watch." He took the bottle and threw it on the floor, stomped on it until the bottle was crushed and broken. Then he picked it up and showed it to me - the bottle was half full and the cap was on but the outside was crushed beyond recognition. He said "you see dad? The water is ok."

Our bodies may get crushed and old and broken, we may do things to them and check out early - but the spirit, like water, will always be ok. Our loved ones, no matter how they leave the planet, will always be okay."

The water is always ok.

photo courtesy Rita Wilson, all rights reserved



Here's a foto Rita Wilson posted of her last dinner with Robin and her husband Tom.  Robin in Pacet! RIP

Monday

Tibet House Flipside Book Talk Aug 8th Free Event 7-8 PM NYC


http://www.gofundme.com/FlipsideTheSequel

Getting ready to speak at Tibet House Friday August 8th from 7-9 in NYC. Hope you can make it, it's a free book launch event. Copies of Flipside in book and DVD will be available for sale at the event. For details and to RSVP, please click this link: http://tibethouse.us/programs/full-calendar/view/706604/114

The book is nearly finished. It's two volumes, and wife Sherry has been editing both of them. We're hoping no later than the end of this month. But meanwhile, I interviewed author and near death experiencer David Bennett - "Voyage of Purpose." and have adapted this interview into a chapter of the book. I highly recommend watching it below for a sample of what's to come.

David had a NDE when he was a science officer aboard a research ship. He kept the journey to himself for over a decade, and then relived the event during a meditation. His memory of it was so vivid that Dr. Bruce Greyson (also interviewed in the book) studied his case at the University of Virginia. David also has had an LBL - a between-life hypnotherapy session with a Michael Newton trained therapist, which allowed him to examine the event in greater detail.

David is also a cancer survivor. What makes his story so unique is that he saw during his NDE that he would survive the illness, so when a (new) doctor came in to tell him the awful news he had six weeks to live, he was able to reply "Yes, I know. But it's okay because I will I survive this." The doctor and the hospital staff thought he was in denial about his impending death. But because David had already seen during his NDE that he would survive the illness, he was able to forge ahead with both traditional and non traditional efforts to heal him. His recovery is complete and truly a miracle. He's written eloquently about it in his book "Voyage of Purpose" which is available online.

But you can watch this wonderful interview for free, and it is a chapter in the book, so it's like getting a taste of what's to be. I appreciate everyone's financial support, I can see the finish line, but your help is needed now more than ever. If there's any donation you can make, it's really needed at the moment. I can't thank all of you angels enough, but only to say think of it as an advance against me sending you your own copy of the book (and a free link to the DVD). It's a futures contract on the book to come. 

Thank you again! And thanks to David for the interview!!!! It's an hour long, but it's an hour of your life you will not regret, nor soon forget. best, RM



Thursday

Free Event! Book Talk at Tibet House in NYC August 8th. Be there or be square.

BOOK LAUNCH - 'IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE' WITH RICHARD MARTINI

EVENT DETAILS

WHO
Richard Martini 
WHAT
Book launch 
WHERE
Tibet House US gallery, NYC 
WHEN
Friday, August 08, 2014 At 07:00 PM  
HOW
free admission 
DETAILS
Friday, August 8; 7-9PM 

ABOUT THE EVENT


Author and award winning filmmaker Richard Martini has written and/or directed 9 films. A former free lance journalist for Variety, Inc.Com, Premiere and other magazines, Richard will talk about the findings of his extensive research for his best selling book "Flipside: A Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife" (#1 at Amazon in its genre twice) his debut non-fiction book on a topic that's been haunting him since the death of a soul mate, upon which his 90 minute documentary of the same name is based. The new book "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" examines near death experiences, between life sessions and includes a chapter from Robert Thurman on the "Death of Death."

After a dream vision of visiting his friend in the Great Beyond, Martini went on a literary quest to find out what the prevailing science and philosophical opinions on the Afterlife are. He journeyed into Tibetan Philosophy, made documentaries in Tibet and India,  and eventually was introduced to the work of the Newton Institute, founded by renowned author and hypnotherapist Dr. Michael Newton ("Journey of Souls"). The new book includes interviews with post materialist scientists Gary Schwartz, Bruce Greyson, Mario Beauregard and examines a number of NDE's and LBLs that have remarkably similar stories about the afterlife.

Martini’s first documentary "Special Olympians" won the Mexico City International Film Festival. He then made his feature film directorial debut "You Can't Hurry Love,”with Bridget Fonda. He wrote and/or directed "Limit Up," "Point of Betrayal" "My Bollywood Bride" and "Cannes Man." He worked on the films "Amelia" and "Salt" as a digital media curator, pioneering a method of previsualizing a film online, film director Phillip Noyce hired him to work on both films.  

He's also directed documentaries; "Tibetan Refugee"explores the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, "White City/Windy City" explores the relationship between Chicago and Casablanca in the Eisenhower "Sister Cities" program, and "Journey Into Tibet", follows Buddhist scholar and author Robert Thurman on a sacred journey around Mt. Kailash in Western Tibet. COPIES OF THE BOOK AND 90 MINUTE DOCUMENTARY "FLIPSIDE" WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.  

For more information, visit: WWW.RICHMARTINI.COM

Friday, August 8; 7-9PM     
 CLICK HERE TO RSVP

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Sunday

Help fund this research if you can!

Almost to the finish line! If you can donate, please do - your name will appear in the next two books "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" volume one and two! Thank you!
Raised: $7,091.00
Goal: $10,000.00

 
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Rich Martini
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Need your help to get these two books into the world.  There are two volumes, first one includes interviews with Gary Schwartz PhD (The Sacred Promise) Dr. Bruce Greyson (UVA) Prof. R... more


























Created by Rich Martini on September 20, 2013

Need your help to get these two books into the world.  There are two volumes, first one includes interviews with Gary Schwartz PhD (The Sacred Promise) Dr. Bruce Greyson (UVA) Prof. Robert Thurman, (TibetHouse.US) and analysis of near death experiences (Dr. Eben Alexander, David Bennett, Jeremy Kagan, Colton Burpo and others) out of body experiences, and transcripts of between life sessions where thousands say the same things about the afterlife.  The hypnosis technique was pioneered by Michael Newton, and the books include Interviews with Newton trained Hypnotherapists Scott De Tamble, Chaplain Savarna Wiley and President of the Newton Institute Pete Smith. Volume one is more science oriented (the nature of consciousness) while volume two leans to discussions with people reported from the afterlife (Galen Stoller, Erik Medhus and others). I've been invited to speak at Tibet House in NYC and need some help to get there (and back!). If you're in the neighborhood the book talk "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" is FREE on Aug 8th from 7-9 pm - you need to go to TibetHouse.US to register (free) http://tibethouse.us/programs/full-calendar/view/706604/114 - it promises to be an unusual and entertaining evening talking about something that should be on everyone's mind - the science of the afterlife.

If you can make any donation, it's much appreciated, and guarantees your name in the book - and there are other items for various price points - but it's really about getting me to the finish line.  So thank you if you have donated, and if you can donate, please do!




The new cover. Nice, huh?
SHARES

Wednesday

Its A Wonderful Afterlife in Manhattan

FULL CALENDAR

BOOK LAUNCH - 'IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE' WITH RICHARD MARTINI

EVENT DETAILS

WHO
Richard Martini 
WHAT
Book launch 
WHERE
Tibet House US gallery, NYC 
WHEN
Friday, August 08, 2014 At 07:00 PM  
HOW
free admission 
DETAILS
Friday, August 8; 7-9PM 

ABOUT THE EVENT


Author and award winning filmmaker Richard Martini has written and/or directed 9 films. A former free lance journalist for Variety, Inc.Com, Premiere and other magazines, Richard will talk about the findings of his extensive research for his best selling book "Flipside: A Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife" (#1 at Amazon in its genre twice) his debut non-fiction book on a topic that's been haunting him since the death of a soul mate, upon which his 90 minute documentary of the same name is based. The new book "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" examines near death experiences, between life sessions and includes a chapter from Robert Thurman on the "Death of Death."

After a dream vision of visiting his friend in the Great Beyond, Martini went on a literary quest to find out what the prevailing science and philosophical opinions on the Afterlife are. He journeyed into Tibetan Philosophy, made documentaries in Tibet and India,  and eventually was introduced to the work of the Newton Institute, founded by renowned author and hypnotherapist Dr. Michael Newton ("Journey of Souls"). The new book includes interviews with post materialist scientists Gary Schwartz, Bruce Greyson, Mario Beauregard and examines a number of NDE's and LBLs that have remarkably similar stories about the afterlife.

Martini’s first documentary "Special Olympians" won the Mexico City International Film Festival. He then made his feature film directorial debut "You Can't Hurry Love,”with Bridget Fonda. He wrote and/or directed "Limit Up," "Point of Betrayal" "My Bollywood Bride" and "Cannes Man." He worked on the films "Amelia" and "Salt" as a digital media curator, pioneering a method of previsualizing a film online, film director Phillip Noyce hired him to work on both films.  

He's also directed documentaries; "Tibetan Refugee"explores the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, "White City/Windy City" explores the relationship between Chicago and Casablanca in the Eisenhower "Sister Cities" program, and "Journey Into Tibet", follows Buddhist scholar and author Robert Thurman on a sacred journey around Mt. Kailash in Western Tibet. COPIES OF THE BOOK AND 90 MINUTE DOCUMENTARY "FLIPSIDE" WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.  

For more information, visit: WWW.RICHMARTINI.COM

Friday, August 8; 7-9PM     
 CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Tuesday

Analyzing John Brooks Dream about the winning goal in the US World Cup match

Analyzing John Brooks’ Dream About Scoring The Winning Goal

APTOPIX Brazil Soccer WCup Ghana US

United States' John Brooks celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the group G World Cup soccer match between Ghana and the United States at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil on June 16, 2014.Ricardo Mazalan—AP


Two days ago, US soccer player John Brooks dreamed about the game-winning he goal he made. Here’s what science says about that

Wouldn’t it be nice if our dreams were like a crystal ball that foretold our future? That every night as we slumbered, we’d learn if we’re going to get a raise, or win the lottery, or, if you’re like soccer player John Brooks, find out you will use your head to score a last-minute goal in a World Cup game?

Last night, the soccer player scored a goal in the 86th minute, which was an unlikely turn of events because he was not a starting player—in fact, he’s a back-up defender, and defenders hardly ever get substituted. When asked about the goal, he said he dreamed it—even the part about it being after the 80-minute mark and using his head to get the ball in the goal.

Of course his dream was not literally “predictive” but it begs the question: Can dreams prime us for success in waking life?

THIS IS NOT ACCURATE. HIS DREAM WAS 'LITERALLY PREDICTIVE.' HE DREAMED HE WAS GOING TO BE SUBSTITUTED. (HE WAS) HE DREAMED HE WAS GOING TO WIN THE GAME WITH A HEADER. (HE DID) HE DREAMED HE WAS GOING TO DO IT IN THE 80TH MINUTE (IT WAS THE 86TH). HE TOLD HIS FRIENDS ABOUT IT (WITNESSES).  IF THIS ISN'T PREDICTIVE, THEN WHAT IS?

Dreams (are) a combination of what we have already experienced and the things that occupy our minds during the day, says Antonio Zadra, professor of psychology at University of Montreal who studies dreams. “People have dreams related to their current concerns and preoccupations,” says Zadra. “In all of these players’ cases, [playing in the World Cup] is an ongoing drive, so it’s not surprising that it impinges on their dreams.” 

MIGHT HAVE ASKED MARIO BEAUREGARD, NEUROSCIENTIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL, AUTHOR OF "BRAIN WARS" IF CONSCIOUSNESS IS RELEGATED TO THE BRAIN; HIS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT IT IS NOT. SAME AS DR. BRUCE GREYSON AT UVA. SCIENCE SHOWS THAT CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT NECESSARILY CREATED IN THE BRAIN.

And Brooks, like any good player, would likely want to prove his prowess on the field, making it likely that would show up in his dreams. And it makes sense that he dreamed of making the goal in the 80th minute, late in the game, since he isn’t part of the starting lineup.

HE COULD HAVE CHOSEN ANY MINUTE UP TO THE 90TH TO WIN THE GAME. WHY CHOOSE THE 80TH? THE QUESTION SHOULD BE - WHY WAS HE SIX MINUTES OFF? NOT "WAS HIS DREAM PREDICTIVE?"  IT WAS. THIS SCIENTIST QUOTED IS INACCURATE. ARTICLE DIDN'T FACTOR IN THAT IT WAS RARE HE WAS SUBSTITUTED, AND NO SUB HAS EVER SCORED A GOAL IN THE HISTORY OF THE US TEAM.

Still, says Zadra, dreams can be self-fulfilling. Similar to the way that visualization works, Zadra says that having positive dreams can feed into real-life outcomes. “During REM sleep, all the areas of the brain responsible for controlling motor behavior are activated as if you were awake,” he says. “If you are dreaming of skiing or scoring a goal or playing the piano, your brain is actually commanding all the motor areas as if you were awake.” Part of the brain stem inhibits the actual movement so you don’t hurt yourself while you sleep, but as far as your brain is concerned, you “live” whatever you dream.

“If Brooks dreamed that he scored the goal, all of that feeds into his instinctive reactions, and it’s one more positive thing going into the instinctive and instantaneous decisions that he makes on the pitch.”

Of course, the flip side is that negative experiences in dreamland can have make you feel less confident and potentially less capable in waking life. So while it’s not exactly “scientific, “what your first coach and your parents always told you is probably good advice: think positive, and good things will happen. Maybe.

'HOW DID JOHN BROOKS KNOW HE WAS GOING TO WIN THE GAME?' IS THE QUESTION. I WISH IT HAD BEEN ASKED.

Okay, that's Time Magazine's version.

They didn't address the dream AT ALL.

This athlete, who was the least likely man to score a winning goal in this game - a team HE'D NEVER PLAYED WITH THE US TEAM IN A MATCH.  Let me repeat that. It was his first time playing with this team in a match.

He dreamed it was a HEADER. Not a kick with his foot. Not a bicycle kick, or something really spectacular like Pele's many winning kicks.  It was EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
He dreamed it was in the 86th minute. He was 6 minutes off.

The point is - this is an one more FLIPSIDE example - ABSOLUTE PROOF - that consciousness isn't created by the brain.  This event happened two days prior in his head. He witnessed the future - or the future presented itself to him in some manner, like the slice of a hologram.

I myself have had the exact same thing happen to me.  When I was going to school in Rome in 1975 I dreamt I met Lina Wertmuller on an elevator and she was wearing white framed glasses. I told my friends. I had never met her, but knew of her films.  Two years later, I saw she was in San Francisco where I was working and asked a magazine if they wanted me to interview her. (I remembered the dream). They asked me to interview Giancarlo Giannini instead. So I did. But the day I went to meet him in the lobby of the hotel, I was in the elevator when it stopped on her floor and she got on wearing white framed glasses. EXACTLY AS I'D DREAMED IT TWO YEARS BEFORE.  Not kind of. It was not my desire to know her, to meet her, to have anything to do with her at that point in time. I had yet to be in film school.  But after the interview, I did pursue a career in film, which I've been doing for the past umpteen years.  So - the dream occurred, it eventually did have an effect on my life. BUT IT WAS NOT WISHFUL THINKING.

How could John Brooks have created this dream in advance and then it occurred? Modern materialist science has no answer for it.  And within this Time Magainze article, they don't offer one.

Well - there is an answer. It's in the research done by Bruce Greyson at UVA. It's in the research done by Gary E Schwartz at University of Arizona. It's in the research by neuroscientist Mario Beauregard. and it's in the research I've done for the book and film FLIPSIDE.

CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT NECESSARILY CREATED BY THE BRAIN.

Let me say it again. Consciousness isn't necessarily in our brains in the first place.  John Brooks dreamt he was going to score the winning goal, with a header, after being substituted into the game, in the 80th minute. He told his friends about the dream. They can corroborate what he said.  HE SAW THE EVENT IN ADVANCE.

It was not WISHFUL THINKING.  There's nothing wishful about it. Why not wish for a running kick? Why not for a "Bend it like Beckham" goal? Why the 80th minute? Why after a substitution? 

No sub in the history of the United States team has EVER SCORED A GOAL during match play.  So there's no reason for him to have dreamt it, because it had never, ever happened. And the likelihood of his being called upon to score the goal is extremely small.  The odds of this happening are not calculable.

So why not say so?  Why pretend that it's something in the realm of possiblity when it's not?

The answer is that if you examine the data, the research behind NDEs and LBLs, you'll find that consciousness may not be created by the brain.  If you want a scientist lecturing about it, WATCH THIS.  If you want to learn about it for yourself, then READ THIS.

Happy to say that I will examine this case and many many others in the next installment of FLIPSIDE

IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE.

Thank you. (Oh, and nice goal John. Thanks for sharing your dream as well!!!!)

Friday

The Finish Line

We're almost there.

Why two volumes? Why not?  Twice as much fun. Here's the artwork from Doug Martin. Keyhole. Universe. Flipside. What's not to love?

I'm told that "Flipside The Film" will be available through Netflix in August. Whee!

Volume one includes interviews with scientists talking about how consciousness appears to exist outside the body.  It includes between life sessions, near death experiences and more.

Volume two includes interviews with people who've had both near death experiences and between life session and more.  For those of you who've been eager to hear the latest research about the afterlife, this will combine both science and eyewitness reports.

Hopefully will be in print in a couple of weeks.  Thanks for your patience!  

(and if you'd like to DONATE to help us along here's the link:)
http://www.gofundme.com/FlipsideTheSequel




Wednesday

Prozac for Kids - A Warning for Parents everywhere

In the book "Flipside" I talk about how there is an alternative to SSRI drugs as described in the research of Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin. He's proven scientificially that meditation can "alleviate or cure symptoms of depression." 

I'm writing about the topic in my next book "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" about SSRI drug use in children in light of the recent shootings across the nation.  (I'm not a Doctor, nor do I dispense medicine. I'm a journalist and filmmaker who is reporting what is out there.)

Every mass shooting we've had in the country since Columbine has included SSRI drugs. 

Meaning the shooter had a history of mental illness, and either a history of being given seratonin release inhibitors or some other drug that affects the ability to know right from wrong.  It's not my opinion, it's part of the record and autopsy reports.

Combine 14 hours of playing "Warcraft" (as in the case of the recent shooting in Santa Barbara) along with easy access to guns and we have a perfect recipe for continuing mayhem.

While researching this information for my next book, in a section about why the "veil" appears to be thinning between the afterlife and our world - there's a discussion of how prescribed drugs appear to be affecting our life path.  I searched the National Institute of Mental Health's website for some details and found this article - no longer online but cached.  

It details how Doctors (may be or) are over prescribing these SSRI drugs to children.  It's in the document.  It's being done.  And it's not part of the national discussion on gun control AT ALL.

I post this article here because it needs to be read to any parent who is considering a Doctor's recommendation to use SSRI drugs with their children.

(On a personal note, I was approached by a teen in Santa Monica, who begged me to help him stop his parents from forcing him to take prescription drugs.  It was out of the blue, I happened to be driving by and saw a distraught mom crying with her son. He came to my car window and said "Please help me. My parents want me to take these drugs for what they claim is a mental illness. I don't want to take them."  I asked the mom if they were SSRI drugs. She said "I'm not comfortable discussing this with you."  On her cellphone I could hear her husband saying "Who the hell are you talking to?"  The father was in the pharmacy, buying the drugs. I wrote down Davidson's name and handed the mom the note to do the research.)

I am not arguing that SSRI drugs like Prozac can't help people.  There are many adults that claim that they do.  But we are talking about giving these drugs to humans under 25 years of age. And the NIMH's own document shows that there is a danger in doing so.  Not my opinion - their own words:

<<<<<"Antidepressant Medications for Children and Adolescents: Information for Parents and Caregivers"

"Depression is a serious disorder that can cause significant problems in mood, thinking, and behavior at home, in school, and with peers. It is estimated that major depressive disorder (MDD) affects about 5 percent of adolescents.

Research has shown that, as in adults, depression in children and adolescents is treatable. Certain antidepressant medications, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can be beneficial to children and adolescents with MDD. Certain types of psychological therapies also have been shown to be effective. However, our knowledge of antidepressant treatments in youth, though growing substantially, is limited compared to what we know about treating depression in adults."

(So they admit that there's little research on the topic, but it doesn't stop them from giving these drugs to children) 

"Recently, there has been some concern that the use of antidepressant medications themselves may induce suicidal behavior in youths. Following a thorough and comprehensive review of all the available published and unpublished controlled clinical trials of antidepressants in children and adolescents, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public warning  in October 2004 about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior (suicidality) in children and adolescents treated with SSRI antidepressant medications. In 2006, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended that the agency extend the warning to include young adults up to age 25."

(In fact, they issued "BLACK BOX" warnings on the drugs because kids might kill themselves (or others))

"More recently, results of a comprehensive review of pediatric trials conducted between 1988 and 2006 suggested that the benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children and adolescents with major depression and anxiety disorders. The study, partially funded by NIMH, was published in the April 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.1

What Did the FDA Review Find?

In the FDA review, no completed suicides occurred among nearly 2,200 children treated with SSRI medications. However, about 4 percent of those taking SSRI medications experienced suicidal thinking or behavior, including actual suicide attempts—twice the rate of those taking placebo, or sugar pills."

(I gather that's not enough to stop them from prescribing them.)

"In response, the FDA adopted a "black box" label warning  indicating that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in some children and adolescents with MDD. A black-box warning is the most serious type of warning in prescription drug labeling.

The warning also notes that children and adolescents taking SSRI medications should be closely monitored for any worsening in depression, emergence of suicidal thinking or behavior, or unusual changes in behavior, such as sleeplessness, agitation, or withdrawal from normal social situations. Close monitoring is especially important during the first four weeks of treatment. SSRI medications usually have few side effects in children and adolescents, but for unknown reasons, they may trigger agitation and abnormal behavior in certain individuals.

What Do We Know About Antidepressant Medications?

The SSRIs include:

fluoxetine (Prozac)
sertraline (Zoloft)
paroxetine (Paxil)
citalopram (Celexa)
escitalopram (Lexapro)
fluvoxamine (Luvox)
Another antidepressant medication, venlafaxine (Effexor), is not an SSRI but is closely related.

SSRI medications are considered an improvement over older antidepressant medications because they have fewer side effects and are less likely to be harmful if taken in an overdose, which is an issue for patients with depression already at risk for suicide. They have been shown to be safe and effective for adults.

However, use of SSRI medications among children and adolescents ages 10 to 19 has risen dramatically in the past several years. Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the only medication approved by the FDA for use in treating depression in children ages 8 and older. The other SSRI medications and the SSRI-related antidepressant venlafaxine have not been approved for treatment of depression in children or adolescents, but doctors still sometimes prescribe them to children on an "off-label" basis. In June 2003, however, the FDA recommended that paroxetine not be used in children and adolescents for treating MDD.

Fluoxetine can be helpful in treating childhood depression, and can lead to significant improvement of depression overall. However, it may increase the risk for suicidal behaviors in a small subset of adolescents. As with all medical decisions, doctors and families should weigh the risks and benefits of treatment for each individual patient.

What Should You Do for a Child With Depression?

A child or adolescent with MDD should be carefully and thoroughly evaluated by a doctor to determine if medication is appropriate. Psychotherapy often is tried as an initial treatment for mild depression. Psychotherapy may help to determine the severity and persistence of the depression and whether antidepressant medications may be warranted. Types of psychotherapies include "cognitive behavioral therapy," which helps people learn new ways of thinking and behaving, and "interpersonal therapy," which helps people understand and work through troubled personal relationships.

Those who are prescribed an SSRI medication should receive ongoing medical monitoring. Children already taking an SSRI medication should remain on the medication if it has been helpful, but should be carefully monitored by a doctor for side effects. Parents should promptly seek medical advice and evaluation if their child or adolescent experiences suicidal thinking or behavior, nervousness, agitation, irritability, mood instability, or sleeplessness that either emerges or worsens during treatment with SSRI medications.

Once started, treatment with these medications should not be abruptly stopped. Although they are not habit-forming or addictive, abruptly ending an antidepressant can cause withdrawal symptoms or lead to a relapse. Families should not discontinue treatment without consulting their doctor.

All treatments can be associated with side effects. Families and doctors should carefully weigh the risks and benefits, and maintain appropriate follow-up and monitoring to help control for the risks.

What Does Research Tell Us?

An individual's response to a medication cannot be predicted with certainty. It is extremely difficult to determine whether SSRI medications increase the risk for completed suicide, especially because depression itself increases the risk for suicide and because completed suicides, especially among children and adolescents, are rare. Most controlled trials are too small to detect for rare events such as suicide (thousands of participants are needed). In addition, controlled trials typically exclude patients considered at high risk for suicide.

One major clinical trial, the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS)2, has indicated that a combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment for adolescents with depression. The clinical trial of 439 adolescents ages 12 to 17 with MDD compared four treatment groups—one that received a combination of fluoxetine and CBT, one that received fluoxetine only, one that received CBT only, and one that received a placebo only. After the first 12 weeks, 71 percent responded to the combination treatment of fluoxetine and CBT, 61 percent responded to the fluoxetine only treatment, 43 percent responded to the CBT only treatment, and 35 percent responded to the placebo treatment.

At the beginning of the study, 29 percent of the TADS participants were having clinically significant suicidal thoughts. Although the rate of suicidal thinking decreased among all the treatment groups, those in the fluoxetine/CBT combination treatment group showed the greatest reduction in suicidal thinking.

Researchers are working to better understand the relationship between antidepressant medications and suicide. So far, results are mixed. One study, using national Medicaid files, found that among adults, the use of antidepressants does not seem to be related to suicide attempts or deaths. However, the analysis found that the use of antidepressant medications may be related to suicide attempts and deaths among children and adolescents.3"

(Congress held hearings in 1991 about the rash of suicides which resulted in these drug makers being forced to put "Black Box" warnings on them.  In 2010 Congress held more hearings into why so many soldiers were doing the same while using the drugs.)

"Another study analyzed health plan records for 65,103 patients treated for depression.4 It found no significant increase among adults and young people in the risk for suicide after starting treatment with newer antidepressant medications.

A third study analyzed suicide data from the National Vital Statistics and commercial prescription data. It found that among children ages five to 14, suicide rates from 1996 to 1998 were actually lower in areas of the country with higher rates of SSRI antidepressant prescriptions. The relationship between the suicide rates and the SSRI use rates, however, is unclear.5


New NIMH-funded research will help clarify the complex interplay between suicide and antidepressant medications. In addition, the NIMH-funded Treatment of Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA ) study, will investigate how best to treat adolescents whose depression is resistant to the first SSRI medication they have tried. Finally, NIMH also is supporting the Treatment of Adolescent Suicide Attempters (TASA ) study, which is investigating the treatment of adolescents who have attempted suicide. Treatments include antidepressant medications, CBT or both.">>>>>>> (end of article)


So there you have it.  They know they're being over prescribed. They know that doctors are prescribing SSRI drugs to children that haven't been tested.  And I'll be damned - they're not warning the parents. 

 WELL I'M WARNING THE PARENTS.

If your kid is precribed SSRI drugs GRAB THE DOCTOR BY THE shoulder and shake them. SHOUT "ARE YOU CRAZY???? WHAT ABOUT MEDITATION? HAVE YOU LOOKED INTO THE RESULTS THAT SHOW THAT MEDITATION CAN ALLEVIATE OR CURE THE EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION????"

Then hand them an article you've downloaded from the internet about the work of Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin which proves his results in a scientific setting.

I don't know how else to put it. 

The Finish Line

We're almost there.

Why two volumes? Why not?  Twice as much fun. Here's the artwork from Doug Martin. Keyhole. Universe. Flipside. What's not to love?

I'm told that "Flipside The Film" will be available through Netflix in August. Whee!

Volume one includes interviews with scientists talking about how consciousness appears to exist outside the body.  It includes between life sessions, near death experiences and more.

Volume two includes interviews with people who've had both near death experiences and between life session and more.  For those of you who've been eager to hear the latest research about the afterlife, this will combine both science and eyewitness reports.

Hopefully will be in print in a couple of weeks.  Thanks for your patience!  




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