John F Shackelford, PsyD

07/08/2016

7/08/16 We Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This!

Above is the title of comedian Bob Newhart’s autobiography. Of course there is a dry joke behind his title, but I will leave that to your imagination.This blog entry is about catching ourselfves when doing something we shouldn’t even be doing. I’m not even talking about addictions. I’m talking about normal things people do.
One of my favorite tests, the Enneagram presents three modes of personality operation.These three modes or triads include: the Thinkers, the Feelers, and the Doers. Some call it the Head Types, the Heart Types, and the Gut Types. Each triad comes to action in their own way.
Feeler Types tend to be very affected by the feelings of others and how people feel about them. As a Feeler Type myself I may have some experience or perceive a problem. First I go inside and have feelings and begin thinking about what I could do. For a feeler this can become over-complicated and bog down so much that I never get to taking action.
Now the Doers, as you might guess, often do or act rather quickly, based on their gut instincts. While they may be good in a crisis, they may err at times from acting too hastily. As they mature they learn to think and feel more before they act. Their weak triad is Thinking.
The Thinkers tend to go to their thinking, sometimes over-evaluating a problem before they act. Thinkers may be quicker to take action than Feelers since Doing is usually stronger for them with their Feeling ability being least developed.
Back to the point of this blog: when we do take action, we also have to consider the appropriateness of what we do. Are we doing constructive-productive things that match our goals and fulfill our responsibilities? Or are we off on a rabbit trail, wasting time doing something, but not doing what needs to be done. Sometimes we’re just staying busy because we are avoiding what really needs to be done. I’m not talking about down time or play time. We all need to take a break from work and responsibilities and rest and relax with enjoyable activities.
We make better decisions when we take the full triad into consideration: Thinking, Feeling, and Doing. Doers need to slow down a bit and think before they act. Feelers need to be aware of how they give too much weight to approval of others. And they can learn more objectivity, thereby doing what is important. Thinkers need to let their actions be informed more by considering their feelings. And they need to learn to truly think rather than worry or obsess. We need to consider all parts of the triad, if we are to act and do what we need to do.

We need to consider all parts of the triad, if we are to act and do what we need to do. We may all come to the realization at times “We (or I) shouldn’t even be doing this!”
Examples: Spending too much time on Facebook or surfing the web when we need to make an important call or clean up the kitchen. Or what about going from store to store looking for some non-essential item when we need to attend to a plumbing problem or spend time with a family member. Think about what you might do or over-do when you are avoiding doing something important.

To learn more about the Enneagram, go to www.EnneagramInstitute.com or check out my book at www.KnowingYourselfKnowingGod.com

07/03/2016

7/03/16 Blog – Medical Breakthrough, Broken Bones Now Heal in Three Weeks!
That news would be a medical breakthrough – if it were true – but I confess, it was a shameless way to draw your attention. As far as I know it still takes about six weeks for bones to mend.

But there has been a breakthrough in my field – neurotherapy. What is that? Neurotherapy is biofeedback for the brain. It's a non-medication treatment and has been used for twenty-five years to treat ADHD, seizure disorder, anxiety, depression, and concussion. Neurotherapy can also help with various learning disabilities and PTSD.
A course of treatment has usually been 35 to 40 sessions of 30 minutes. Now, a novel approach developed by Dr. Robert Coben, shows significant improvement in 12 to 24 sessions, and each is only 15 minutes! Thus, faster progress, in shorter sessions!
The treatment is called 4-Channel Multivariate Coherence Training. I plan to be offering this treatment in Richardson and in Glen Rose in July..
To hear Dr. Cobin explain this treatment, check out:

Recording of a live webinar given by Dr. Rob Coben on 9/25/15. Learn about a new form of neurofeedback that enables training of multivariate coherence and po...

03/26/2016

3/26/16 The Difference between E’s and I’s
Extraverts are weird. They’re always talking and sharing with people they hardly know. To introverts, that doesn’t seem right. Why talk to some stranger when you can go inside and think about whatever you want to in complete privacy? Another advantage of being an Introvert is how much time we save shopping. A few years ago I was home when my son came in from school. He asked, “Where’s Mom?” I told him she ran to the grocery to pick up a few things. He groaned, “She’ll start talking to people and be there forever.” I sadly nodded. A couple of years later I came home from the grocery store and told my wife I saw Joe Dunham, whom we had not seen in several years, at the store. My dear extraverted wife perked up and asked, “Well how is Joe and his family?” I proved my efficiency in shopping and my staunch introversion when I replied, “Well, I didn’t talk to him. I just saw him across the store.”

Remember, if you want to know yourself, your personality better, check out my book on Amazon, Knowing Yourself Knowing God.(book or Kindle)

11/12/2015

Decided to create the "professional presence" on Facebook. I specialize in testing children and adults for ADHD. Did you know there are different types of ADHD? I also provide a non-medication treatment called neurotherapy. Check out my website: www.ADHDTherapyDallasTBI.com