Life as I know it.

I’ve decided to break up the monotony of my poetic rambling and talk about my life as it actually is. I suppose I will lose some readers to this post, but I also suppose I will gain a few.  Before I begin, I believe it is of high importance to state that I do not say any of this from a religious standpoint, but due to mere factually-based articles I have read and first-hand experience in speaking with individuals who struggle deeply with any of the 'issues' mentioned below.  Let me begin…

I am currently pursuing my Bachelors of Science in Psychology at The University of Utah. I have a substantial interest in attending Graduate School with respect to Clinical Psychology. I have not yet decided as to whether I'm more interested in a clinically-based career or something more research-oriented. Through time and experience, I believe that I will come to know what is more fitting.

As I mentioned, I am avidly working to become a Clinical Psychologist. I’m regularly asked, “So what’s the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?” Good question!  Both professionals treat people with widely varying ‘issues’ per se; things like mild depression to schizophrenia. Both professionals can practice psychotherapy and do research as well. 

However, psychiatrists are medical doctors and psychologists have received doctorate degrees (PhD or PsyD). The suffix "-iatry" means "medical treatment," and "-logy" means "science" or "theory." With that being said, psychiatry is the medical treatment of psyche, and psychology is the science of psyche.

After having explained this, I often am told that I “chose the easier route.” This is actually quite false; as it has been proven that Clinical Psychology Graduate programs are more difficult to get into than Medical School nowadays. While Medical School is 4 years and residency for psychiatry is an additional 4 years, we can conclude this path is about 8 years.  Clinical Psychology programs take anywhere from 5-7 years, depending on both internal and external factors. I would say that the difference of one year would not qualify the route of becoming a Psychologist any ‘easier.’

I am beyond passionate about the work; and am not concerned about the time it will take to reach my ultimate goal. I believe that I can provide the necessary courage and strength to help others through life's challenges. I am an irrepressibly cheerful individual, but my dedication to changing the world of mental health surpasses my desires among everything else. I am fascinated with addiction as a generality and am very open to every aspect of Psychology. I would love to not only learn more about addiction related to chemical dependency, but also delve deeper into the realm of addiction in relation to pornography. I have not delayed my studies in either of these regards; in fact, I read an article in a scholarly journal daily. 

I also have been looking to be placed within organizations to gain more field experience. Upon looking over Utah’s mental-illness organizations, I found myself to be incredibly interested in two of them. These two organizations being: LifeStone Center and NAMI.

I (also) have a fascination with psychopathic behavior (homicidal ideation specifically); much like that of Ted Bundy’s. Ted Bundy was raised in a healthy Christian home.   He led a very normal life, besides one very small and potent segment that he chose to keep highly secretive. That segment being: pornography.

Being exposed to soft-core pornography at age 12, then gradually exposed to pornography of a more graphic nature, he became enslaved. He states, “It happened in stages; gradually. It doesn’t happen, well necessarily to me, overnight. Once you become addicted to it, you crave something more potent or graphic. Like an addiction, you crave something that is harder, and harder, and harder.” His addiction led to compulsive thinking that soon translated into compulsive action.

I deem his statement, “Those who are influenced largely by violence in the media are not some type of inherent monsters. We are your sons, your brothers, and your husband’s” to be incredibly powerful. He brings up the controversy that arises when talking about pornography. Pornography doesn’t have the same ghastly effects on everyone, as it did on him. This causes me to wonder why he was particularly so vulnerable to its harmful effects? Could there be some type of genetic pre-disposition that is triggered when viewing this type of media?

It isn’t about “blaming” pornography for this type of behavior. We are all conscious in making our own decisions. The real question is that of how this type of literature can contribute to violent behavior. For those who are seeking help with any type of addiction, it is known that prevention is best. However, many of us become enslaved in addiction and need help to find our way out.  

I am so thrilled to be looking at Graduate programs as of recent, and have began to find a few that have significantly sparked my interest. Those being: University of Maryland, Berkeley, and Vanderbilt. **Cross your fingers that I am accepted!!**