Blog 5

Blood Drive

Today I took part in our school Wide blood drive run by the American Red Cross Association. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised in all that I learned today from beginning to end. For starters, giving one bag of blood can save up to three lives. Personally, I found it amazing that one person can save three lives, and not only that, but also, the fact that we have so much blood in our system that donating it does absolutely no damage to our bodies. Sure, you have to deal with having your finger pricked and having a large needle (which I managed not to see at all) in your arm, but that’s an awfully small price to pay in order to save other. Also, I became aware of the fact that there are many more requirements than expected in order to donate. Things such as not having tattoos less than a year old, only having piercings professionally done, having a certain blood pressure, and acquiring an iron level of at least 12.5 (which a low iron can be boosted by eating certain foods like raisins) all have to be in order if one wants to donate. The “aftermath” of giving blood was also very interesting. Post blood donation, one is required to eat a snack, things like trail mix and crackers and drink a beverage such as orange juice or punch; however, not everyone reaches this stage. Not only did I see fainting, but vomiting, and then there were those who were completely unharmed. All in all, my day assisting the nurses and other workers of the Red Cross was a complete success and left me with that “you made a difference” feeling. I can definitely say that I will be not only giving my time, but also my blood at all my high school blood drives from this day forth.

http://www.redcross.org/

Research Blog

In my future, I intend on becoming a psychotherapist, someone who helps patients cope with disorders such as anorexia, depression, and other sicknesses. They use many therapy secessions, and tactics to help nurse their patients back to mental help. I have chosen to do my research paper on psychodynamic psychotherapy, more commonly known as psychodynamic therapy. Even as complicated and medical it sounds; psychodynamic therapy is simply an insight to unconscious processes that a person’s behavior may contain. What it does mainly, is allow a patient to understand how their past is currently influencing their present life. By becoming aware of their “sickness,” not only can they easily get healthy, but also they can learn to fix those unresolved conflicts from their past. Psychodynamic therapy has evolved from a number of different therapies, but mainly it has emerged from psychoanalytic therapy. Psychodynamic therapy is simply a less in depth version of psychoanalytic therapy. Psychodynamic therapy is a long term therapy (generally at least two years) and encases a range of varieties of therapies such a group, individual, and family therapy. Despite the long period of time and countless hours of therapy, psychodynamic therapy is said to be one of the most effective types of therapy and is proven to be extremely helpful over a wide range of patients. Many believe that psychodynamic therapy is one of the most effective because it is also one of the oldest therapies of its kind and has many years of trial and error to perfect itself. I hope to one day master psychodynamic therapy as a tactic of being a psychotherapist.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/psychodynamic-therapy/