Conversations in My Head Overview
- Written by: Dave Pughe-Parry
Whether we dwell on negative thoughts or daydream about an amazing future, our minds are constantly engaged with vivid imagery. The majority of our brain activity occurs in the occipital lobe, located at the back of the right side of our brains.
It is in this area where we think in pictures. When we recall a memory, the only element we cannot recreate are the smells or odors associated with that memory. Similarly, when we imagine a future event, we envision it with remarkable clarity, complete with audio that is akin to listening to music through top-of-the-line speakers.
This exceptional ability sets us apart from roughly 80% of the world's population and helps us understand why we have Conversations in our Heads. However, like most things, there are positive and negative aspects to this ability.
On the downside, we are prone to concocting elaborate falsehoods that we wholeheartedly believe because they feel real within our minds. On the flip side, we possess an innate capacity for creativity and innovation—although we may struggle when it comes to administrative tasks.
Here, in "Conversations in My Head" you will find a wealth of reading and listening material, while specialized content tailored to specific groups of people can be found elsewhere in the website menu.
Is a beingTemporizer Better Than a Procrastinator?
- Written by: Dave Pughe-Parry
I am a great fan of word-apps and websites. This is probably because I enjoy writing and public speaking. The more I write and speak though, the more aware I become of how critically important the meanings of words are - it´s communication that creates understanding!
We use words to define people and places, emotions and reality, states of mind and body, and so on. In this vein, I recently came across an unfamiliar word that describes people with ADHD.
Temporizer or temporiser - depending on which flavour of English you are speak or write.
A temporizer is someone who waits for a favourable time to do something, tries to gain time, or gets ahead of time. This is a good thing as there are no batteries in which we can ‟save” time!
On the negative side, temporizers will also delay doing things, and even cause projects to run late. In this sense, we are simply procrastinators!
I hereby propose that when we are trying to get ahead of time - by whatever method, we refer to ourselves as temporizers. In the negative sense, we shall be known as simple procrastinators.
Let the word temporizer make a difference in your life. Get ahead of time.
The Living ADDventure ADHD Basic Treatment Wheel
- Written by: Dave Pughe-Parry
How does one treat a complex condition like ADHD? Living ADDventure® has created a multidisciplinary programme that works. Everybody has an opinion, and usually a product or service to sell, and it is usually touted as the only one. So how do you distinguish between the offerings of profiteers and what is genuine help?
Firstly, there is no magic bullet. Read that short sentence again and embed it deep in your ADHD brain. There is no one thing that works.
Secondly, ADHD is optimally treated when more than a single therapy and/or treatment is used at the appropriate time, which is normally at the same time wherever possible.
Thirdly, the treatment takes place over years, not months or days. It is an ongoing way of planning, living sustainably, and achieving carefully thought goals. There is no cure for the condition, you can only manage it
The MTA Study published in 1999 was the largest study ever done on ADHD. It tracked 4 different styles or modes of treatment over a 14 month period. In my mind, the most important result of that study is that a multi-modal is the best treatment.
We have devised our treatment wheel in the spirit of this landmark study - that a multi-disciplinary treatment program is best for all people with ADHD. The results will of course vary - no two people are alike, and that applies to ADDers as well.
The components of our basic program were selected after analysing our own data over a 15 year period.
Our Living ADDventure® Basic Treatment Wheel has 8 different components which are all underpinned by PAL - Powerful Affirming Love. These components consistently deliver the best results over time. Four of these components are family-based treatments.
There are of course other therapies and treatments that can be added to the program at the appropriate time. These could include things like play therapy, addiction treatment, etc. Treaments for the most common co-occurring conditions are implemented when appropriate. These must of necessity, be applied to suit each individual case. These are discussed in some depth in the next section; co-occurring conditions.
You can watch the video below to see a brief overview of the components of the Living ADDventure® ADHD Treatment Wheel, before looking at each component in-depth.
You can read more about each component by clicking on the following links. The Treatment Wheel is round because no one component is more important than the other, and you can start with any component, just don't choose one!
- Powerful Affirming Love.
- Medication
- ADHD Coaching
- Focus on Strengths
- Occupational Therapy
- Track Record Of Success
- Family Involvement
- Pragmatic Lifestyle
- Exercise