• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Wessely's next pie

TiredSam

The wise nematode hibernates
Messages
2,677
Location
Germany
I have just found a fabulous app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livehappy.android.happy&hl=de

Bringing you scientifically proven tips and ideas to live a happier and more meaningful life through interviews with positive psychology and well-being thought leaders.

The editors of Live happy magazine bring you best-selling authors and happiness gurus that share their knowledge on topics such as wellness, gratitude, well-being and mindfulness. Interviews are conducted with people like Shawn Achor, Michelle Gielan, Dr. Christine Carter, Margaret Greenberg, Dr. Drew Ramsey, Gretchen Rubin, Barbara Fredrickson, Tal Ben-Shahar, Deepak Chopra ...

Oh Deepak's in it, it must be good. Bear with me and keep reading please, it gets interesting.

What are these livehappy people going to do next? How about supporting a world-wide organisation and see if they can influence government policy everywhere, get into schools and capture the minds / custom of the world's youth?

I give you the International Positive Education Network:

http://www.ipositive-education.net/

See anyone interesting in those mugshots?

WHAT IS IPEN
The aim of the International Positive Education Network (IPEN) is to bring together teachers, parents, academics, students, schools, colleges, universities, charities, companies and governments to promote positive education. Our goals are to support collaboration, change education practice and reform government policy.

Read their web-page and be impressed by the sciency bits. Read their report. Does this sound familiar:

upload_2017-5-1_14-33-27.png



And just in case you were thinking of voting labour in the UK in the hope of reducing the influence of establishment megalomaniacs on government policy, read what this affable chap has to say:

(EDIT - sorry about the smallprint, but please read it, it contains a fascinating insight, or you can download their report and read it in larger print. Full report downloadable here
http://www.ipositive-education.net/ipens-state-of-positive-education-report/
following excerpt is from page 8)

upload_2017-5-1_14-35-46.png


Look - they do studies and measure things so it must be science:

upload_2017-5-1_14-38-27.png


upload_2017-5-1_14-41-11.png


etc ...

Any questions? If you hurry you can sign up for their conference on May 5th and ask the good lord himself:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ul...h-in-education-conference-tickets-32582840152
 
Last edited:

TiredSam

The wise nematode hibernates
Messages
2,677
Location
Germany
Excepts from Layard’s Wikepedia page:

Layard assisted Claus Moser on the Robbins enquiry, and later developed a reputation in the economics of education (with Mark Blaug at LSE), and labour economics (in particular with Stephen Nickell). He advocated many of the policies which characterised the New Labour government, particularly the New Deal, partly by founding the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. One approach he took is based on the idea of welfare-to-work, where social welfare payments are structured in a way that encourages (or forces) recipients back into the job market.

His mental health work[2] resulted in the development of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), an initiative to improve access to psychological therapies in the United Kingdom.[3] In 2014, with the clinical psychologist David M Clark, he published the book Thrive: The Power of Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies, in which the authors demonstrate the potential value of the wider availability of modern talking therapies.[4]

Now it looks like he's joining forces with Wessely to take over / psychologise education in the UK and the rest of the world.
 

Art Vandelay

Senior Member
Messages
470
Location
Australia
Peter Richard Grenville Layard, Baron Layard FBA (born 15 March 1934) is a British labour economist, currently working as programme director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.

I'm not at all surprised. The London School of Economics does not have a good reputation amongst serious economists these days.

A lot of their focus is on trendy areas of research (which aren't backed by empirical evidence) that paint the masses as too unsophisticated and stupid to be able to make decisions that are in their own best interests. Thus, they conclude that 'benevolent bureaucrats' and 'experts' like Wessely should be given the power to control our lives and make decisions for us. Scary stuff indeed.

EDIT:
Now it looks like he's joining forces with Wessely to take over / psychologise education in the UK and the rest of the world.

It's already happening. My niece is in primary school in Australia and told me about some of the inane mindfulness exercises she has been taught at school. Apparently they are intended to help her keep a positive attitude and improve concentration levels. They were complete bollocks.
 
Last edited:

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
Please excuse me all the lovely gentlemen on these boards for this observation -- all of the Mental Health and Wellbeing proponents shown are very privileged, very white men. I believe at least for the Brits mentioned that they were born into that privilege or had a privileged upbringing.

That's not to say that is what confers happiness but it does smooth the path in life in being able to avoid the kind and number of challenges that the less privileged face.

What they really want here is for the 99% to be content with what they have and when gramma goes into a state care facility that is inadequate while their dear mother gets round the clock care at home from well trained staff we should -- Be Happy -- It's all good -- Chillax --pop a pill -- Zen out.

These things on their own are not wrong or bad but they are being abused (no surprise there) as a political tool to keep the masses in line.
Don't cooperate.
 
Last edited:

Mohawk1995

Senior Member
Messages
287
I am neither a fan of "Positive" thinking nor "Negative" thinking. I prefer "right" thinking which is looking at both the good and bad in life and then choosing to pursue something good. It is based in reality. Positive thinking only works while life is going well in your definition. It is not based in reality and the same applies to Negative thinking.

It gets scarier when those in Authority start pushing a "Positive" thinking (Chopra) or a "Negative" thinking (Hitler) mindset. The first one is far more dangerous than it appears at first glance. Here is a quote that says it best:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be "cured" against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.” CS Lewis
 

Mohawk1995

Senior Member
Messages
287
It's already happening. My niece is in primary school in Australia and told me about some of the inane mindfulness exercises she has been taught at school. Apparently they are intended to help her keep a positive attitude and improve concentration levels. They were complete bollocks.

Don't get me started on "mindfulness"! If anyone is mindful of and in their own circumstances, a person with ME/CFS would be at the top of the list!!! Not wrong to count your blessings. Not wrong to live in the moment the best you can. But reality is not all roses and happy feasts! Sometimes it is brutal. Often so for people with chronic disease.
 
Last edited:

TiredSam

The wise nematode hibernates
Messages
2,677
Location
Germany
Please excuse me all the lovely gentlemen on these boards for this observation -- all of the Mental Health and Wellbeing proponents shown are very privileged, very white men.
Esther Crawley? Trudie Chalder? Rona Moss Morris? Live Landmark? Lord Laylard's wife is in the Lords with him. Simon Wessely is part of a power couple. I could go on and on, but don't want to be accused of being defensive, shrill and hysterical.
 

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
I agree entirely. It is equal opportunity. And I know Claire Gerada is every bit as much behind it.
What I guess I wasn't making clear was that they are the front men. The face of the movement. The established and traditional 'look' if you will of those set apart from the hoi polloi.
 
Last edited:

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
They are a unique type of nauseating aren't they?

Nauseating yes, unique no. What we are talking about is the human condition.

In pointing out the 'demographic' of the people fronting the 'movement' if that's what it is I was pointing out something that has been around a good while.

To me the privilege part (because they can pronounce/enact things like austerity without ever having to give anything up etc) is the real horror the white and male part can easily change in different times/places/circumstances.

This is PR material so one would assume that the aim is to project something particular to the intended audience.

Again my statement was just about what it is they want to project. Privileged women are no less culpable -- the issue being one of privilege dictating to the masses to shut up and accept the rules as laid out from the top.
 

CFS_for_19_years

Hoarder of biscuits
Messages
2,396
Location
USA
In the 1980s in California there was a self-esteem project that became policy in the schools. Eventually there was a lot of criticism.
http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_199109_beane.pdf

I think the reasoning behind self-esteem projects and similar measures is faulty. It's boils down to thinking that changing something on the outside (repeating phrases like "I am a wonderful person") changes how one feels on the inside. Actual achievement and mastery have far better consequences and more lasting consequences to bolstering one's psyche than going through the motions of repeating stuff.

It would be like saying that zebras are faster than white horses and an owner of a white horse thinking, "Well I've got a bucket of black paint here." :jaw-drop: :whistle:
 

RogerBlack

Senior Member
Messages
902
Common sense is a terrible thing.
I am reminded of 'Scared Straight'. A program which gave 'troubled teens' a visit to a high security prison, in the idea they would be scared into avoiding prison.
Unfortunately, when you actually looked at the numbers, it had precisely the opposite effect, and made it more likely these troubled teens would go on to be in prison.

'Common sense', when it drives the science needs to be held on a short rein.