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The Hope Archive

Miscellaneous Writings

This is the second Hope Archive page. Like the first, the content is a little whimsical, very much depending on the mood and direction of my web surfing.

Leitrim Animal Welfare.
Leitrim Animal Welfare was established in 1997 by David & Christine Coulson. Since then they have, with the help of supporters, fundraising, donations from people that have adopted a dog, plus money from their own bank account, developed one of the largest rescue centres in Ireland. Leitrim Animal Welfare operates a "no kill" policy meaning all healthy animals stay at the centre until they are rehomed. I saw a recent documentary about this centre on RTE television (in Ireland) and it looks like they are doing wonderful work.

Irish Society for Autism.
Following the example of developments in the U.K. and France, the Irish Society for Autism has been engaging in a number of community-based rural projects, which are detailed on this site, and they seem to be having some success.

Emotional Alchemy.
This book by Tara Bennett-Goleman, which I haven't read yet but intend to, addresses ways in which we can work through moments of confusion or emotional turmoil. The author take insights from cognitive therapy and finds correlations with a number of helpful ways of thinking found in buddhism.

Buddhism Without Beliefs
This book, by Stephen Batchelor is a strong statement on the idea that 'buddhism is not buddhism', an approach that eschews institutionalism in favour of fluidity, non-fixity, and an openness to uncertainty. He emphasises the 'secular' relevance of much thinking in buddhist traditions in and through a statement of 'agnostic buddhism'. Batchelor's position is one of the closest I've found so far to what I'm trying to get to with my negotiation approach in social theory. He also has some articles up on the web, and there are some interviews as well, here and here.

Majorie L. Silverman's thesis
Majorie L. Silverman has written a thesis, 'A Critical Examination of the Agnostic Buddhism of Stephen Batchelor'. Very much looking forward to reading it.

Psychological Self-Help
This is a balanced and well-researched summary of much that is out there in the burgeoning field of self-help literature, written by Clayton Tucker-Ladd. It's free, all online, and well worth a browse. It is hosted by MentalHelp.Net.

Optimum Nutrition. This is a heavily-branded site, dedicated to the work of Patrick Holford. I am not a great fan of aspirations to 100% anything, never mind 100% health as this site encourages. Still, the information in the "Optimum Nutrition Bible" and "Optimum Nutrition for the Mind" is pretty helpful, as long as you don't get sucked into the vortex of hype. Basic message, hardly new: you are what you eat. The extra bit: what you eat effects how you think about who you are and what you do in subtle but very important ways. The books on this site allow to to get a lot more complicated about it if you wish to, or a lot more sophisticated about it, depending on your perspective.

Nutritional Therapy.
This is a brief introduction to the principles of nutritional therapy on the BBC website. Includes a link to helpful information on Vitamins and Minerals.

Nutritional Influences on Mental Illness. This is the introduction to Melvyn R. Werbach's book, "Nutritional Influences on Mental Illness" (2nd ed., 1999). There is also, "Foundations of Nutritional Medicine: A Sourcebook of Clinical Research", available at amazon.com.

A Revolution in Kindness.
Anita Roddick's The Body Shop has earned a reputation as a leader in corporate business with a human face. Some people have raised doubts and more doubts about the rhetorics and practices of The Body Shop (read one answer to criticism). It's always difficult to see the wood for the trees when it comes to corporate ethics, despite the best of intentions. Still, this collection, "A Revolution in Kindness" is a joy to read. Yes, it may suffer an occasional twitch of fluffiness, and a few musicians (excepting Annie Lennox) undermine the project with abstract platitudes, but overall this is a seriously challenging package of rapid-fire reality checks. Great for dipping in and out of.

Anxiety, Phobia, and Obsession.
An informative page on the www.sane.org.uk site, which provides information on causal factors and treatments of anxiety, phobias, and obsession. The page also has a brief but helpful bibliography.

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook.
Does what it says on the tin. There are also links to similar books.

Social Anxiety UK.
A volunteer-led organisation, founded in March 2000, for sufferers of social anxiety (SA). "Despite being the most common type of anxiety disorder and the cause of much impairment and suffering, it is under-recognised and under-treated. Yet virtually everyone knows what it is like to feel shy or lacking in social confidence, often to an extent that can limit opportunities and happiness. Because social anxiety issues are still relatively unknown amongst the wider public, most aren't even aware that the thing which can have such a huge impact on their lives has a name."

Reducing Anxiety: Tips to Combat Trauma.
A few delightfully simple, practical ways to reduce anxiety in your life. No rocket science here, just good advice that works for psychotherapist Belleruth Naparstek in her own life, with the invitation to see if it works for you.

Anxiety-Relieving Techniques. Again, just basic techniques for anxiety reduction, including bottom drawer techniques in case of panic attacks. Simple. Helpful.

The Cognitive Model of Anxiety.
If you want to delve a little deeper into the whys and wherefores of anxiety and emotional distress, this article by Robert Westermeyer might be for you. Working from a Cognitive Therapy approach, this article focuses on stuff like the "self-feeding cycle of anxiety", which I tend to call "snowballing" or, more formally, "norm cascades".

Relaxation Techniques.
Nothing radical here, just simple breathing, visualization, and muscle tension-release techniques.

Anxiety Infocenter.
Holistic-online.com's page on anxiety and anxiety reduction, covering lots of things, from recently coined "General Anxiety Disorder" to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Also has links to lots of information on holistic/alternative therapies, on depression, and on sleep disorders. Also check out their page on stress management.

The Alternatives to Marriage Project.
This is a US-based nonprofit organization advocating for equality and fairness for unmarried people, including people who choose not to marry, cannot marry, or live together before marriage. Founded by Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot, this group has been formed by and for people who believe that marriage is only one of many acceptable family forms, and that healthy relationships should be fostered and facilitated in all their diversity. They are not against marriage, but believe that unmarried relationships also deserve validation and support. I would particularly recommend Miller and Solot's book, Unmarried to Each Other: The Essential Guide to Living Together as an Unmarried Couple, which is a great read.

Midnight Run.
Thanks to Fred Gillen, Jr. for this one. Midnight Run is a volunteer organization in New York "dedicated to finding common ground between the housed and the homeless." As Fred describes it, the emphasis isn't just on providing people with food and clothing, but importantly on spending time with people to chat and hang out while doing the food run. If there were more volunteers, even more time could be spent on the hanging out bit, which is always the bit in life that allows us to feel acknowledged in our humanity. Sounds like a solid project. If you're in the New York area and have some time you could spare, it could be worth your while to check it out.

The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT).
The US-based Center for Victims of Torture exists to heal the wounds of government-sponsored torture on individuals, their families, and communities and to stop its practice. They work locally, nationally and internationally to build healing communities where torture survivors feel welcomed, protected and healed. Also check out a UK organisation with a similar remit, The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.

Locks of Love.
Thanks to Tes Thraves for this one. The simplest things can make such a big difference. Locks of Love is a non-profit organization in the US that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss. They use donated hair to create high quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses make a big difference in kids lives with regard to self-esteem, confidence, and general quality of life.

Teaching for Change
Teaching for Change is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC. They provide teachers and parents with tools to help schools become socially transformative centers of learning where students become architects of a better future. This site has a great links page, and their resource catalogue is well worth checking out on a regular basis.

Bruderhof Communities Forgiveness Resources
A service offered by the Bruderhof Communities, an international movement of intentional communities committed to promoting nonviolence, forgiveness and reconciliation, grounded in a Christian perspective.

Partners in Health
Their Mission ... is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations based in settings of poverty, Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair. They draw on the resources of the world’s elite medical and academic institutions and on the lived experience of the world’s poorest and sickest communities.