Visit From a Physical Therapist!

                 Earlier this summer the Health Science Explores were visited by a rather interesting physical therapist, Dr. Craig Hensley. When he first got into the lab room on the east side of the second floor, he showed us some facts about how to follow the path on becoming a physical therapist. What seemed to be a presentation that lasted a little under an hour turned out to be a experience changer and an eye opener to some of these teens. Within Dr. Hensley's presentation of the life of a PT (physical therapist), he told us about his adventures to Ghana and how this career field can work with the common Joe, war veterans, and babies to professional athletes. 

            
     Not only did he show us the fun of being a therapist, but the struggles of actually becoming a PT. On one of his slides there was a visual map of all the schooling he went through and HOLY COW, it was a lot! Dr. Hensley currently works at The University of Chicago Medicine and when he can, he likes to travel so he can help and teach people.  By the end of his presentation he let us volunteer to try out his cool gadgets and learn some procedures for a common PT check-up. At the end of the day, all of us were left with a little more knowledge in our noggins.   

An 'Out of this World' Experience

Photo from http://dreamstudies.org/2011/02/24
/binaural-beats-for-lucid-dreaming-is-it-just-pseudoscience/

You’re lying on the cold floor, you open your eyes and all you see is darkness. There is a bright set of terrifying eyes staring right at you. Once you adjust, you notice; he’s coming towards you, but you can’t seem to move. You try to scream, but nothing comes out. Panicking at an extreme trying to get away from this creature. Crawling away, you fall. Fast. AAAAAAHHHHHH. Wait--you’re in your bed. Opening your eyes and realize you’re sweating. Taking a sigh of relief since what just seemed to happen was only a dream.

Dreams seem to be a topic of health that may never be fully understood. From the subjects of our dreams to why we seem not to fully remember them all are some things that most people wonder about. The first and most important question of most about dreams are: why do we have dreams? There are many theories as to what function dreams serve us, ranging from believing that "dreams serve as a means for cleansing and release" (Dreammoods) to "dreams serve positive functions like giving insights to neglected thoughts." (Bulkeley, 109). Because of the fact that dreams provide us with an outlet to explore our minds out of consciousness, it allows us to release emotions that we might not allow ourselves to express during the day. "Research has shown that people who were prevented from entering the dream state and woken up before they can dream were more easily irritated, jittery, and performed far below average." (Dreammoods) Thus, expressing our emotions during the dreaming stage of sleep actually allows for a better performance throughout the day. 

The second main question that most have about dreams is: what do they mean? Dreams, after all, are "phenomena that offer a means to explore mental structures and processes that are inaccessible to normal waking awareness. (Bulkeley, 2). Often times, the subjects of our dreams are very symbolic. Since the brain is still conscious, it tends to go back and visualize things that may be constantly in the back of the mind. All dream subjects are personalized to the dreamer, so there can be no definite meaning to all dreams. 

Even to this day, there still remains things about our human body that go unknown. While there are many theories about dreaming, the concept seems to always be changing. If there is a certain need to find the meaning behind your dream, it will lie in the thoughts and personal experiences of the dreamer, you. Maybe your dreams are trying to send you a message. Think of a deeper meaning within yourself and you will find the answer.

To learn more about dreaming, please watch this video:

Works Cited

Bulkeley, Kelly. An Introduction to the Psychology of Dreaming. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1997. Print.        
Vigo, Michael. "Analyzing Your Daydrams." Dream Moods. 2001. http://www.dreammoods.com/ dreaminformation/dreamtypes/daydreams.htm (29 Jul 2014)

 

Dreams and Goals of Kyra

Ni Hao Peng You! My name is Kyra. Maybe you care about this blog post maybe you don't, but just keep reading. I graduated from Lindblom Academic Center and I am freshman at Whitney Young Magnet High School . I am not really worried about freshman year though. I really wanted to go there, and now that I am I feel like I am on the way to conquering all of my dreams. And boy do I have dreams, some a little more in reach than others but still they are dreams

I have always loved school, although I went to a school that is not all that great. While in school I developed a passion for science, math and writing. Although I am good at reading and geography they are not really my thing. As I got older, I started to realize what I wanted to do with my life, realistically.  I want to go to Stanford University (if that's realistic) and major in Chemistry. Then I would like to go to University of Chicago or Oxford for medical school. My realistic career choice is to be a neonatologist.  That is what inspired me to join the Health Science Explorers Program, through After School Matters. I hope to learn more about that of the health field and further my interest in the medical career.
Unrealistically, I would love to go into performing arts. I really enjoy music and theater; enough to purse a career in them. If I was to get a career in performing arts I would still go to college.
Outside of academics I like to write, specifically poems, sing,dance and basically talk to people. I have never been someone who keeps to themselves. I consider myself outgoing and out of the box. I am very metaphoric and love challenges. Sometimes I can be a little stubborn but I try to be as kind as possible.