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Janet Paterson <[log in to unmask]> wrote and included an article on :Psychotherapy and Brain Changes on 15 February I continue to remain very interested in this topic. I will comment a bit. The news service "grabber" label for the article "Study suggests psychotherapy can produce brain changes" strikes me as containing amazement in the reporter. The first paragraph/sentence conveys that sensation as well as an apparent belief that medication (I will note that using "psychiatric" as an adjective to medication roils my semantic sensitivity - and might cause Alfred Korzybski to turn over in his tomb as some say) is preferred to "treat" aberrant or less-than-adult mentation. The second paragraph: ["This tells us that effective behavioral treatments can have biological effects, not just psychological ones," said Dr. Eric Hollander, director of the obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan.] furthers the inexactness and "sloppy" word usage. EFFECTIVE BEHAVIORIAL TREATMENT (psychotherapy) *MUST* PRODUCE CHANGES IN BRAIN FUNCTION. Any change in psychological functioning IS biological change in the brain! Of course, one can change his/her own biology. If the person does this via self analysis, self study, following written advice, help from a world renouned famous psychiatrist, or the wisdom of the ancients, or heeding the advice of a drunk who recalls what someone advised him, the change is a normal process of the human brain. It is normal that there is variation from conception to death of each of us. How much of the capability we learn to use to optimum benefit of self and species is certainly dependent upon our seeking and learning and attentiveness to living our best. I apologize for the frankness and bluntness of my critique being less than laudatory. Janet, I appreciate your finds being put into the hopper. I am looking forward to more information and data. Perhaps I can refrain from belaboring the inaccuracy and lack of precision in the articles, but it would please me if scientists learned to write and think in that manner labeled "good semantics" . ron 1936, dz PD 1984 Ronald F. Vetter <[log in to unmask]> http://www1.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter/