Lives In Progress

    The American Journal of Psychiatry  recently published  one of the first long-term studies of the impact of bullying which - unsurprisingly -  found it to have serious consequences well into adult life. Individuals at age 50 who were targets of this kind of aggression in childhood had measurable deficits to physical, psychological and cognitive health. They were also at increased risk of  depression, anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts, lower educational levels, longer periods of unemployment, lower overall earnings and lower quality of life and life satisfaction. And despite increased awareness about the prevalence and power of this problem, a 2014 report published by the Hazelden Foundation described bullying as "one of the most pressing issue facing our nation's youth."       A culture in which this kind of social aggression is both common and countenanced can Senior Public Health Educator John Martin - he will be a featured storyteller in the Feb 28 perfor

   The four fears that hold us back from trying new things,  making strong, committed moves toward a personal vision or goal, or generally making positive change are:  by Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, RMT, CGP fear of the messy unknown; fear of being judged; fear of the first step;  fear of losing control . This is according to Stanford's  Hasso Plattner School of Design  founder David Kelley and his brother Tom Kelley, general manager of IDEO, who specialize in empowering people and organizations to engage with their creative capacities in order to reap the remarkable benefits.   And these are what many people describe as the fears that rise up when learning to improvise, in which we agree to a situation rife with discomfort but also riddled with delightful possibilities.  Fear of the messy unknown.  Because we are collaborating with other people in an improvisation, and based on the rules of the game, we step into a "messy unknown" which we do not contr

      "You should bring something into the world that wasn't in the world before.  It doesn't matter what that is. It doesn't matter if it's a table or a film or gardening--everyone should create.  You should do something, then sit back and say, ‘I did that.’” Ricky Gervais       Funny story. 'I was hired to do a private party for a Pakastani family," states Long Island comic Stevie GB, who performs regularly in the  Long Island Comedy Festival  and has opened by Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, RMT, CGP for comedy legends such as Louis Anderson, Uncle Floyd and Bobby Collins. "The son had become a doctor. I arrive at their house to discover the show is in their living room. For 7 people. I'm thinking 'they won't understand my jokes.' 'This is so strange and uncomfortable.' I almost bailed out.:     And there there was the time he was hired to perform a half hour of stand-up at an outdoor 4th of July party. 'It w