Hybrid Imagery

Hybrid Imagery combines the low spatial frequencies of one picture with the high spatial frequencies of another. The end result is an optical illusion that can be perceived in two ways.

Can you see Albert Einstein?

Who else do you see?

High Profile People Who Talk Openly About Mental Illness

Take a look at some of the celebrities who live with a mental illness.

My book, "Living with Depression" is officially on sale, and includes a list of over 400 high profile people that live with a mood disorder. Actors, artists, athletes, comedians, entrepreneurs, musicians, world leaders, sports legends and many famous others from all different fields - and all different countries.

The more that high profile people share their experiences with depression, the more stigma gets its butt kicked. There's no shame living with a mental illness - and after you learn about the well-known men and women who do, you're sure to decide you're in good company.

For more information, link here.

Out of Body Experiences

Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are typically associated with individuals who have certain kinds of dissociative or post traumatic disorders. Though people who are generally in good health also report having OBEs, the experience is poorly understood. Often, out-of-body experiences are met by others with skepticism and stigma.

A new study, published in the July 2011 issue of Cortex, has shown that OBEs are related to anomalies in the neural systems in the brain's temporal lobes - and that the body's sense of itself, called body awareness, misfires. Data from this study has enabled scientists to better understand how normal "in-the-body" mental processes work... and why, when they break down, they produce such striking experiences.

We know that epilepsy, headaches and seizures have a basis in brain neuro-circuitry, but psychological disorders also greatly influence the workings of the brain. Trauma, anxiety, depression and dissociation can have a profound effect, with out-of-body experiences being one of them.

Now science backs this up.

But You're Not a Real Doctor

I've heard this expression many times in my life, "But you're not a real doctor."

It's funny how this phrase has come to mean that you're somehow misusing your professional title, even though you've gone through years of schooling, extensive training and supervision in your selected career. This phrase sorta implies that only an M.D. (medical doctor) is the singular measure for what a "real doctor" is.

But the truth, as defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is that a doctor is "a person who has earned the highest academic degree awarded by a college or university in a specified discipline." From the fields of art to zoology, and every profession in between, students work very hard in their chosen profession to achieve this degree. In addition, many have to jump through further hurdles by passing rigorous licensing exams.

It's always nice to be recognized for who you are and the things that you've done. Next time you meet a person who has the title "doctor", remember that much went into obtaining that degree.

Purple Nurple Illusion

The Purple Nurple Optical Illusion by Walter Anthony

Time for more fun with illusions. Created by Walter Anthony, this vivid optical illusion moves despite being a still life creation.

Illusions like these are part-psychology (interpretation, imagination and memory) and part-physiology (depth perception, focus, attention and eye movement). But looking too much into the neuroscience of illusions can take the fun out of the experience.

So, just marvel in the magic of how this static object swirls, contracts and expands. And visit Mr. Anthony's webpage for more fun.