This one is not about politics...well maybe indirectly. You decide.

There is a fascinating interview in the November issue of The Sun with child and adolescent psychologist and neuroscientist Bruce Perry. It's entitled, "The Long Shadow: Bruce Perry on the Lingering Effects of Childhood Trauma." I recommend it highly for its thoughtful insights into how childhood experiences of trauma affect our adult responses to stress.

The interview with Perry concludes this way:

"Perry: Fear is the most common reason our brain shuts down, but exhaustion, hunger, and thirst have a similar effect. If you're tired and poor, you're less able to think about the future of humankind. It's hard to be reflective if you don't know where your child's next meal is coming from. Your brain says, Get food first. If you can't find a safe place to raise your children, then reflection and learning probably seem like indulgences you can't afford. This isn't about biology or genetics. It's about the relative health and richness of our relationships and environment.

"Busyness can also shut down our higher reasoning–being overscheduled and living in an overstimulating environment, the TV always on, the phone buzzing, loud cars driving by.

"(Interviewer Jeanne) Supin: If Headline News is perpetually on, you may think it's making you smarter...

"Perry: But basically it's making you dumber. It's continually bombarding you and distracting you from thinking. You're unable to reflect on what you're hearing, and you end up believing anything you are told on TV. This is compounded when news stories are emotionally charged. Just hearing a story delivered in a more emotional tone of voice or with an intense image will hinder our ability to absorb and reflect on that information. It's the reflective part of the brain that helps us heal. It's the part that makes us most human."

I can think of many questions and issues in response to this exchange, some political, some not. What about you? How does it strike you?