cheap effective ways to heal distress

Super cool that this guy is gathering empirical evidence for something I have wanted to do for a long time - build peer support structures taht are self-sustaining. And I love that he knocks out the "that's just the West" crap too. Communities post-conflict can heal themselves, without a fleet of psychiatrists.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/health/11psych.html?ex=1205985600&en=a6d9538886106bea&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Link to article about psychodrama

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-74221526.html

Just re-read this paper today and still like it

And this is where you can find it ifyou want to read it too:
http://usoni.com/documents/DismantlingDomination.pdf

It's about how we see violence.

meta-analysis of online dating, evolutionary psychology of attraction

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/science/10tier.html?ex=1176955200&en=83169f0843f56347&ei=5070&emc=eta1

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/health/10gene.html?ex=1177041600&en=bcdfa91d1c5944fb&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Give Peace a Chance Psychodrama Conference

The myspace link is: http://www.myspace.com/asgppgivepeaceachance.

The YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNA3xnuzon8.

ASGPP 65TH ANNUAL AMERICAN SOCIETY OF GROUP PSYCHODRAMA & GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY CONFERENCE

New York, NY April 26-30, 2007
www.asgpp.org

Development Poetry from an Anonymous Source

Research

Well labored data
Finely honed theory
Carefully manicured prose
Color splashed pie charts
Elegant boxes in raconteur verse


Trumpet noble achievements
Lament persistent deprivation
Bemoan inadequate resources
Chide corrupt leaders
And validate the wisdom
Of the policy cognoscenti

Forming magnificent tomes
Lining the repositories of academe
And the shelves of think tanks,
consultants and ministries

Admire their gifts of equivocation!
And force of exhortation!
No one can fault
The art of balanced judgment!

Conference papers
Symposium proceedings
Book reviews and journal articles
Breathe new life
To each passing analysis

What wonderfully self sustaining
Industries of thought, speech and print
Words and data
Which never reach
Nomads of Timbuktu
Urchins of Sao Paolo
Peasants of East Bengal
Results

Wielding tools of grand design
The masters of a Newtonian universe
Draw pretty boxes
Each another dollar
Another decree
Another agency
Another procurement contract


Behold the grand matrix
With great chains of causation
Linking inputs to outputs
To outcomes and impact

With well laid logic
Our initial conditions
Are set to traverse
The planners plotted course
And magnificently morph
Into project outputs and policy outcomes

No fear of undue expectations
For risks are identified
And mitigation considered
And the weighty wisdom of wise peers
Leaves the planner’s document
Tight, neat, and complete

The planner can now hand responsibility
To the officials
The consultants
The beneficiaries

Years later
We look back
The matrix now forgotten
Evaluation may not be forgiving
But it is not disabling

We are back to the drawing board
Lessons are considered
New outcomes are sought
And new boxes drawn

Christmas Op-ed by Howard Zehr

CHRISTMAS LESSON: DEATH PENALTY FUELS CRIME
I am with a group of men in prison. We are in a seminar I have beenleading for some weeks. Most are many years into serving life sentences.One young man, however, expects to be released soon.We get to talking about justice. “When we were outside,” the older mensay, “if someone dis’ed (wronged) us, we had to fight but we didn’t haveto win. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be a man.”“You’re out of touch,” says the younger man. “If someone dis’s me, I haveto waste them – I have to kill them.” His classmates – all of whom havebeen convicted of taking a life – are appalled.My argument is this: the death penalty fuels the very phenomenon it claimsto suppress. Taking a life – whether on the streets or in the courtroom –is driven by the same motive: to do justice. Both are part of the samecycle of violence.At this Christmas season, it bears considering that this cycle of violenceis what Jesus was trying to break when he preached against vengeance, evenwhen someone is clearly wronged, as Jesus was when put to death. This isnot just mushy idealism or preachy Christianity. Actually the lesson Jesustaught is supported by current experience.In Canada, homicides actually decreased when the death penalty waseliminated. Homicides sometimes rise after executions and homicide ratesare often higher in locales that use the death penalty. Why?Perhaps it is linked to an observation made by James Gilligan, auniversity-based psychiatrist who treated and studied Massachusettsprisoners for more than 10 years: “All violence is an effort to dojustice, or to undo injustice.” In my experience, Gilligan’s observationrings true – whether it is ordinary street crime or terrorism. Violencereflects a tit-for-tat worldview: it is people giving to other people whatthey “deserve.”No credible evidence exists that the death penalty deters would-be killersor causes the murder rate to go down. Gilligan offers a possibleexplanation for why the contrary seems to be true. Rather than undermine atit-for-tat worldview – as Jesus tried to do – it confirms it. Rather thanslowing the cycle, it feeds it.Giving people what they deserve – death for death – thus does not makerational or empirical sense. But it does make emotional and intuitivesense. In working with victims of crimes over many years, I have come tosome understanding of why they wish the one who killed their loved one tosuffer. Unlike Jesus who said, “Father, forgive them, for they know notwhat they do,” I too feel the urge for vengeance sometimes. But I try toresist the urge to act on this feeling, as I believe our society shouldsimilarly resist it.I don’t discount the need for victims to “balance the score.” In fact, Ithink it reflects the human need for making things even. When you receivea gift, don’t you feel an obligation to return the favor in most cases?Ironically, the urge to exchange Christmas gifts and the urge to revengemay come from the same instinct: a need for reciprocity or balance. Yetthere are other, more life-giving, ways to achieve this sense ofreciprocity and justice.Victims and society at large need validation and vindication after murderor other violent crimes. The death penalty, however, is not the way toaccomplish this. In fact, it apparently leads to more murders. What ifJesus had taught the opposite – if he had told his followers to exact an“eye for an eye” for every wrongdoing committed against them? If so, Idoubt many of us Christians would be around to celebrate his birth at this season.##
Howard Zehr studied the history of crime for his PhD. He has written oredited numerous books and other publications on “restorative justice,”including the top-selling book in the field, The Little Book ofRestorative Justice (Good Books, 2nd edition, 2005). His bookTranscending: Reflections of Crime Victims (Good Books, 2001) explores theperspectives and needs of crime victims. He is co-director of the Centerfor Justice and Peacbuilding at Eastern Mennonite University inHarrisonburg, Virginia.# # # #CONTACT INFO:Howard's e-mail is zehrh@emu.edu and his office phone no is (540)432-4492. He responds to messages promptly.His professional bio and photo is at http://www.emu.edu/ctp/ctp-all.html.(He graduated from Morehouse College, the first white person to do so.)