Sciencing the s**t out of MS

How do we accommodate new or worsening disability and what can get in the way of that process? We've got new seeds to plant, so let's get our gloves on, and Science the S**t out of MS!!!

In a drive to feel more self esteem, self efficacy, and an internal locus of control I decided to do something really reckless. Sometimes thriving requires a little risk; did I survive? Let's find out together as we Science the S**t out of MS.

A new wheelchair and a whole new world opens up, a world of inacessibility and ableism; but maybe there's a way to see the barriers to access as barriers to a whole community, and maybe there's a way for us all to find a place to belong.

This week I bought a wheelchair and was supported a great deal in the effort by my other half; time to consider how I can best support her as we look to the qualitative literature about caregiver experiences. References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

For the first time this week I started to see myself as a disabled person, as a woman on the train, despite my protests, called for someone to give up their seat for me. Today, we talk about agency and identity, and the social model of disability; together, let's science the s**t out of MS. References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

What we say to ourselves makes a difference to how we feel, and might even help us to play darts better. Let's Science the s**t out of MS! References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

This week sees us reach the end of Season 1, and for the final episode of this season we do something rather different. Now I preface this episode by saying that I'm no medical doctor, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist, but I am a complex problem solver by trade and this week I aim to solve the problem my mobility poses to building my strength and exercising 20 minutes per day, and I apply all my skills to solving it. There are failures, and some tears, but in the end through the fires of trial and error I find a way to build up my strength and fitness in a way that is completely new to me. It features an exercise bike, virtual reality, and skeletons. Next season we'll head back to the books to find whole new ways to flourish in the context of MS; we solve one problem, we solve the next, and if we solve enough problems we get to thrive with this condition.

In 2015 Hudson wrote of creative writing: 'Yes, this is made up but this is also the most truthful thing I have to give you'. Creative writing, particularly in groups, lends a perfect opportunity to increase our autonomy, competence, and relatedness; we look to the research to understand the potential benefits and risks of creative writing and, planting a new seed in the garden of her mental health, Cora writes and performs a poem; we do whatever it takes when we're 'sciencing the s**t out of MS'.

The quantity and quality of social connections are pretty important, both physically and psychologically, but things might be a little more complex than we realise. We're going to take a look at some systematic reviews and the longest study on happiness ever conducted to understand the relationship between social relationships and happiness. The TED talk referenced in the episode: https://youtu.be/8KkKuTCFvzI References for this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

While we have a bunch of stuff we're aiming to do to make us happier and healthier, there's something of a gap between the intent and the action which can make it hard to turn the former into the latter. Helpfully, there's an intervention known tongue-twistingly as Implementation Intention. Today, we take a look at this intervention and how to use it to make changes; for me, I use it to aim to claw back some of the losses from my last relapse. References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

Everyone has their own signature strengths and it turns out that understanding yours and deploying them frequently in your week, especially in pursuit of your goals, can yield happiness rewards. Today, we take a look at characteristic strengths, how you work out what yours might be, and how to deploy them more frequently. The episode features Authentic Happiness: www.authentichappiness.org - the test we take is the 'VIA survey of character strengths'. References for this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

Chronic illness creates a unique context in which our attention is pulled frequently in the direction of our disabilities. Gratitude, it seems, might behave as a counterweight, balancing our attention by pulling it away from our disabilities in our lives and toward the experiences, the activities, the people, for which and for whom we can be truly grateful. Today, together, we take a look at gratitude. References for this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

It turns out that little acts of kindness has benefits for those receiving the kindness, those giving the kindness, and those witnessing it; there's even some evidence that kindness might even yield some ripple effects out into the world as recipients might then spontaneously go out to do their own acts of kindness. We dive into the kindness literature to wonder what kinds of kindness are best, how frequent they need to be, and how we can best plant this seed as a regular act in the garden of our mental health. References for this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

We all knew it was coming and here it is, a mindfulness episode! How can mindfulness be of benefit, what kind of mindfulness might best help? We take a look at the literature to wonder how we might plant a mindful seed in the garden of our mental health. References for this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

Optimism turns out to be quite an important factor in helping people to grow following a trauma, but if you're anything like me it might be difficult to be optimistic in the context of an MS diagnosis. Happily, there might be a couple of good ideas in the literature for how we plant the seed of optimism in the garden of our mental health; first, we consider the Best Possible Self intervention, and then we start to consider Mindfulness. References for this episode (there are too many for the dooblydoo): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xfL2gEoy_90Wuuc0TTAgBg7c9xh6q1i6XPOBiWe02gk/edit?usp=sharing

Today we take a look at the possibilities for growth that might emerge from trauma, a field of research known as post-traumatic growth. We take a look at how MS might be fertile ground for growth in this way, and we consider what the science can teach us about how we can get some of that sweet, sweet growth. The references for today's episode: Ackroyd, K., Fortune, D. G., Price, S., Howell, S., Sharrack, B., & Isaac, C. L. (2011). Adversarial growth in patients with multiple sclerosis and their partners: Relationships with illness perceptions, disability and distress. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 18(4), 372–379. https://doi-org.soton.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10880-011-9265-0 Aflakseir, A., & Manafi, F. (2018). Posttraumatic growth and its relationship with cognitive emotion regulation strategies in multiple sclerosis patients in Shiraz. Journal of Practice in Clinical Psychology, 6(1), 57–62. https://doi-org.soton.idm.oclc.org/10.29252/nirp.jpcp.6.1.57 ( you can find this one at: https://www.academia.edu/35984312/Research_Paper_Posttraumatic_Growth_and_Its_Relationship_With_Cognitive_Emotion_Regulation_Strategies_in_Multiple_Sclerosis_Patients_in_Shiraz) Barskova, T., & Oesterreich, R. (2009). Post-traumatic growth in people living with a serious medical condition and its relations to physical and mental health: A systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation: An International, Multidisciplinary Journal, 31(21), 1709–1733. https://doi-org.soton.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09638280902738441 Esposito, J. (2017). Understanding unpredictable chronic illness and its links to posttraumatic stress and growth: The case of multiple sclerosis [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering (Vol. 78, Issue 5–B(E)). Schwartz, D. D. (2014). Posttraumatic growth and perceived social support among individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering (Vol. 74, Issue 12–B(E)). Younesi, J., Kazemi, J., Khanjani, M. S., Dadkhah, A., Biglarian, A., & Barmi, B. E. (2020). The effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on the sense of coherence, locus of control, and posttraumatic growth in patients with multiple sclerosis. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal, 18(4), 445–454. https://doi-org.soton.idm.oclc.org/10.32598/irj.18.4.1016.2 Zeltser, J. C. (2018). Living with multiple sclerosis: How impact relates to psychological growth [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering (Vol. 79, Issue 5–B(E)).

Today we take a look at the temptation to avoid and push away difficult and unpleasant internal experience (something of a personal specialty of mine) and how if we accept the experiences we have we can reduce their volume. Activation, then, is the act of pursuing the circumstances of life we enjoy and from which we can grow, the act of planting the seeds of mental health in our brain... garden... ok so the analogy lost steam at the end there but you get the idea. Our references for today: Fernández-Rodríguez, C., Paz-Caballero, D., González-Fernández, S., & Pérez-Álvarez, M. (2018). Activation vs. Experiential Avoidance as a Transdiagnostic Condition of Emotional Distress: An Empirical Study. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1618. (You can find the article here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01618https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01618/full) Our link to the TEDx talk we describe in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZidGozDhOjg&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

We introduce this new podcast, aiming to understand how the science of Psychology can help us to thrive in the context of MS.