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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist

@soulsoothing.bsky.social
3.7K followers 4.8K following 1.5K posts

Bosnian in UK AuDHD NoPlanetB. 325 ppm. #HumanRights #FBPE #BosnianGenocide #disability Psych doctoral student ❤️ everything Indigenous. Refugees matter. Melem za Dušu=Bosnian for soul soothing. Own views. Work / Activism DMs only.

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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Huh. Does Andrew maybe think these things known as schools and universities might be ‘gyms for the brain’ Just a thought, Andy. Just a thought.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Genuine Qs: To what extent, if any, do you think Neurodivergent children and adults are mostly struggling with sensory, social, and cognitive overwhelm? Are their reactions to it what we then see as diagnostic criteria? Is the environment too much and are ND individuals canaries in coalmine?
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
There is something special about being a student at the same time your adult children are. I would definitely recommend it. Going back to uni whilst parenting is hard work but extra rewarding. #freshers
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Interesting. I like cooking and eat plant based Bosnian dishes so glad it's protective. Doesn't this study also have political implications as highly processed food is often cheaper and more convenient than unprocessed? Why is healthy food expensive? In the UK anyway. We need food justice.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
DeirdreWritesOn @deirdre100.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
#writesky #medium #psychology You’re Not Addicted to Your Phone. You’re Addicted to What Happens Next. The same variable reward system that traps casino gamblers is built into every little green, red or blue screen notification button. medium.com/psychology-h...
medium.com
You’re Not Addicted to Your Phone. You’re Addicted to What Happens Next
The same variable reward system that traps casino gamblers is built into every little green, red or blue screen notification button
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Penn NeuroKnow 🧠 @pennneuroknow.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This one is for the chocolate lovers. Some scientists are researching if dark chocolate can be good for your brain health (on top of the clear benefit of it bringing joy). Read more about it in this week's post by Carly Seligman: pennneuroknow.com/2026/09/01/c... #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧠🟦 🧪
pennneuroknow.com
Can chocolate make you smarter?
I have some good news for all my fellow chocolate lovers out there: chocolate might help your brain function better!
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I will never have have enough of Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise". Individuals, groups, and even countries can see themselves in it. Her delivery of it is a legend "You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air I rise."
poetryfoundation.org
Still I Rise
You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Just like moons and…
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Chris Dabbs, Ph.D. @dabbspsych.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am pleased to present my new Article Collection, "Autistic Flourishing: Beyond the Deficit Model". This Collection is now live in Cogent Mental Health, a gold open access journal currently waiving Article Processing Charges. The deadline to submit is June 4th, 2027. #psychscisky #autismresearch
An banner colored eggshell with black sans-serif font that reads: 
Submit your Manuscript to Autistic Flourishing: Beyond the Deficit Model. An Article Collection for Cogent Mental Health. Submission Deadline: June 4th, 2027. At the bottom of the banner is the logo for Taylor & Francis publishers.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I wanted to share about allotment (communal garden run by local government so public land) rent @£1 per week. Then I thought communal gardens are v hard to come by. Then I thought how land billions of years old seems to have been grabbed by people who at most can live to a 100. #senseless
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Jo at MNB @joatmnb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Scientists start to understand how stressed children’s brains develop. Could this explain the effect ketamine has on neuroplasticity? medicalnewsbulletin.com/critical-per... 🧪 🧠 #ketamine #childdevelopment #neuroplasticity
medicalnewsbulletin.com
Scientists link stress hormone, Cortisol, to end of neuroplasticity | Medical News Bulletin
Brain scientists have discovered that the stress hormone, cortisol, has a key role in triggering the end of kids' heightened neuroplasticity.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Lysistrata’s Stone Phallus @lubottom.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Disability benefits are paltry. This seems to get lost in all the propaganda. Even when you do receive them, you’re suffering and starving.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"The legal and regulatory hurdles that might prevent people from receiving a psychiatric diagnosis and treatment from artificial intelligence will quickly collapse under the weight of Big Pharma’s marketing might." Apparently psychologists will also have a similar demise.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Courtesy of Leslie Lopez on Facebook. It is both hilarious and true. #socialbattery #rest
Picture of a white lady on a slow moving train with following writing in covering the page 

Honestly, we should cancel plans like 1800 explorers: my dear and n trusted friend, it is with the heaviest if hearts that I must withdraw from our engagement. This week has taken a most unforgiving toll, and I fear I no longer possess the strength to leave my dwelling. 

Please do not mistake my absence for indifference. I remain deeply fond of you - merely exhausted, overwhelmed, and entirely unfit for society.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
🟣 SUBSTACK The Two Professors and a ‘War On Ideas’ By @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social Read below. ↓
bylinesupplement.com
The Two Professors and a ‘War On Ideas’
The different stories of the Cambridge academics Jason Arday and James Orr reveal the wider cultural and ideological forces around hierarchies and structural power – and who gets to belong
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 19/09/2026
The Guardian view on youth unemployment: too few jobs in too many places | Editorial
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on youth unemployment: too few jobs in too many places | Editorial
Editorial: Young people in Britain’s poorer towns have far fewer opportunities. Changing this will require targeted support – and industrial strategy
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I read somewhere recently that sleep is the capitalism's last frontier. It made sense then why getting enough sleep gives me so much joy. I give sleep 10/10 and daytime rest also 10/10. I thank my cat for teaching me this. FOMO doesn't even come into it. #unplugged #selfcare #joy
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18/09/2026
What on earth is happening?
  This had become the new normal. RNLI crew members had been forced to take their permits off their cars after their tyres have been repeatedly slashed. Most of them have been pilloried at the school gates or turned away from local pubs. One man who worked in search and rescue had been beaten unconscious and hospitalised, recognised for TV interviews he had done.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
When we ourseleves/others blame the alarm instead of finding fire, we miss an important opportunity. All is not lost though. We can always take preservational steps for ourselves or those who need help: Rest helps. Emotional validation helps. Time for interests helps. Nourishment helps.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I was wondering what the world would look like if the focus was preservation and not consumption. My local oak trees have made me think that. Several hundred years old and must have seen a lot. Still collaborating with other trees. I know many of us already value preservation over consumption.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
The Sarajevo Times @sarajevo-times.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
sarajevotimes.com/bosnia-and-h...
sarajevotimes.com
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Constitutional Order is not open to Unilateral Revision - Sarajevo Times
Unilateral calls for the abolition of an entity, just like calls for secession, independence, or unification with another state, are contrary to the constitutional framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
‘The report is expected to say that there is no direct evidence of widespread overdiagnosis of autism and ADHD in Britain’ Preview of what is expected in the independent review led by @britishacademy.bsky.social Fellow Peter Fonagy liveapp.inews.co.uk/category/476...
liveapp.inews.co.uk
ADHD is not being overdiagnosed, major Government report set to find
Landmark report expected to rule out mass overdiagnosis but warn support can be hard to obtain
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 15/09/2026
One in five black, Asian and minority ethnic NHS managers in England plan to quit amid racism, report finds
theguardian.com
One in five black, Asian and minority ethnic NHS managers in England plan to quit amid racism, report finds
Health service faces exodus as almost four-fifths of BAME managers surveyed reported racism, exclusion and barriers to career progression The NHS in England is facing an exodus of minority ethnic managers who have suffered racism, exclusion and discrimination during their working lives, a report has found. Almost four-fifths of managers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds have experienced racism, exclusion and obstacles to progressing in their careers, according to a survey carried out by the NHS Alliance. Continue reading...
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
An excellent and empowering article. Personally, Earth is my only home, and all living brings are my relatives, both worth protecting. Also, life in a tin can in the cold of the space is so unappealing. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Words fail me regarding Prof. Jason Arday's death. Here is the link to NewsCord complaint page. It's the least we can do. Prof Arday didn't deserve the hounding. Please do complain. It takes a second.
newscord.org
The Mail printed a psychiatrist's guess at Jason Arday's mind. Hours later he was found dead.
A diagnosis-shaped headline at 1:01am on the day he died. His childhood disability interrogated one minute before the ambulance call. A mockery column deleted without a word. File five IPSO complaints...
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
A random question on joy, and autistic joy at that.. how much time should one be "allowed" to spend in joyful activities? What would happen if joy became more prominent? I don't know. Just reading at present.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
One of the things I do for joy and psychological respite is grow plants on my balcony. I wanted something for the pollinators so bought nepeta, which bees love. But it is also known as cat mint. LMAO. My cat is in heaven. Cat mint on the left.
Open patio doors of a small French balcony with black railings. Fluffy cream cat facing out towards two cat mint plants on her left.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Passed the last Y3 doctoral essay. Passed the placement. Data analysis paused as coresearchers are busy with their children. Got an extension. Knee deep in literature review of joy, autism, and families. If you have an impossible task just keep going. Progress over perfection. Life is short.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
There are 2 spaces left in my online Circle of Joy for Global Majority diaspora (ethnic minority) parents of autistic children, living in England. It is research about joy. You can talk, write, draw, bring objects. It is inspired by Indigenous Sharing Circles. Thu and Fri, 28 & 29 May at 10am to 12
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
There is stunning beauty at the intersections of each of our identities. Individual combinations of hopes, fears, passions, and triggers (yes, even those) are all unique . At the same time, we all have the same humanity thread. Undeniable. Grateful my mama and tata taught me this.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
It might be all coming together. 🙏 3 participants/ coresearchers signed up. Waiting for more confirmations. Need 8 in total. ✅️ Decolonising EP practice research adviser confirmed. ✅️ Speaking to Global Majority mums of autistic children yesterday totally felt like home. IYKYK.✅️ Yay.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Excited to be recruiting for my research: exploring joy of Global Majority diaspora families of autistic children. Using Transformative and Indigenous worldviews, relational knowledge, and Indigenous methodologies. Feeling joy in self and community, despite suffering, reveals a lot.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Reflecting on world events, violence, and economic oppression... 1. IPCC reports on climate change have pointed to this repeatedly. 2. There are ways to turn things around: key players need a mindset change. 3. For us mere mortals, we need to learn from the oppressed.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
If you are at the DECP TEP conference. I didnt know my abstract was accepted. I didn't get emails and checking the form I thought I hadn't completed it properly (ADHD tax). I was going to discuss refugees and offer a unique EP view as I found myself displaced at start and during Bosnian genocide
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Thank you all for great posts in 2025. I have learnt a lot and made friends. I wish us all good (enough) health, world peace (yes, I do mean it), justice, equity, harmony, and curiosity about the world and each other. Life is so short and so precious.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
MASSIVE thanks to @tanialt.bsky.social and SNJ team from the bottom of my heart for always excellent resources. I learnt so much from you as a SEND mama. And I had to advocate super hard for my two children. I feel more confident as a Trainee EP because of your writing. More wind to your sails
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
As I read for my thesis, I am genuinely worried about the validity of the new papers i find and have to double-check their bibliography. Otherwise, in the siege of Sarajevo in the 90s, our National Library was targeted as Serb / Yugoslav National Army aggressors wanted to destroy our knowledge.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
“A better understanding of how cultures evolve—how info is transmitted & modified, how we make decisions, how culture interacts with biology & other species—is a pressing issue in an increasingly interdependent world where cultural activities are causing rapid, drastic social & environmental change”
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
Highly recommended read about the politicisation of science in the US and how this will help the resurgence of eugenic ideology and scientific racism. “For the first time, there is a political appointee in the NIH communications operations” www.statnews.com/2025/12/18/t...
statnews.com
As dangerous eugenic ideas spread, NIH falls silent
Federal research agencies are pulling back from fostering public discussions about science after the hollowing out of government communications offices.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Alfie Kohn @alfiekohn.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
When you look at the research, it's remarkable how inefficient deliberate practice and study are for increasing kids' vocabularies. Free reading generally turns out to be more effective than direct, explicit instruction, even for learning academic words: bit.ly/3qFtPbO
bit.ly
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
I am still.reading this paper but wanted to share as Y9 and Y10 are so critical for English GCSEs. Comprehension is everything. Otherwise, as a doctoral student, my experience is that AI typically misses details in papers that really stand out to me. Super important for academic work.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Finally had Disabled Students Allowance assessment. 2 hours of focusing on my difficulties and supports needed. Assessor was ace. Also disabled. Insights: 1. Aren't all disabled people already pushing boundaries? 2. If men can't truly know about labour, who can best understand disabled people?
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
I mean the following most seriously: my cat could write a book on negotiation, being present in the moment, and taking over a sofa. I must take notes. 📝📝 Ps. My feline research assistant is teaching me lots about joy
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Me on LinkedIn. TLDR: Labels are useful BECAUSE precision opens the door to person-centred care. Also just because someone doesn't have a label, it doesn't mean they have no needs.
Image of a  LinkedIn post with following text:

In discussions about diagnostic labels, a current refrain seems to be that labels risk reducing the individual. As psychologists, we agree the *whole person* is paramount—and this is precisely why we must challenge the idea that precise language is antithetical to this goal.

Our professional duty, as outlined by the BPS Ethics Code and HCPC standards, requires competence, evidence-based practice, and acting in the best interests of those we serve. A validated diagnosis is a tool of **scientific/clinical precision**. This precision transforms amorphous struggle into a navigable profile of strengths and needs, guiding the most effective intervention. 

To withhold or dismiss accurate description of needs in favour of well-intentioned vagueness can itself be an ethical lapse, as it impedes access to targeted support, accommodations, and valid research pathways. The needs will remain but support may be withdrawn without the precision.

Some argue labels can create self-fulfilling prophecies. Yes, I hear you. There are worries that labels hamper ambition.

Yet the greater risk is leaving children, teenagers, and their families without a framework for understanding their own experiences—a framework that often unlocks **community validation** and self-advocacy. 

The scientific utility or usefulness of a category is **not** in boxing people in, but in providing the key to a more tailored, effective, and ethically sound path forward. 

As professionals in helping professions, we shound not see commitment to labels for their own sake, but to the **accuracy and utility** they provide in fulfilling our fundamental professional obligations.

**Precision is the foundation of ethical, person-centred care.**
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 14/12/2025
Yet another example of what happens if we allow LLMs to become a form of epistemic grounding for society.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Bondi beach 😢 all the killings leave me speechless. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.
bbc.co.uk
Bondi Beach: Twelve killed in shooting targeting Australia’s Jewish community
A Hanukkah event with over 1,000 attendees was taking place on the beach at the time of the shooting - 29 people have been taken to hospital.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Structural Analysis is important for: 1. Anyone seeking to make any positive changes in society, and 2. Anyone working in any psychology branch. Psychology is a mere reflection of the rest of society. Psychologists are people. To quote Donna Mertens, if you are in water, you will get wet.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
British Psychological Society @bpsofficial.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Psychology has a key role in safeguarding human rights. In a new interview, Dr Shakiba Moghadam & Dr Carlotta Raby discuss culturally informed practice & psychology’s future in crises from displacement to climate trauma. Full piece in @psychmag.bsky.social: www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...
Quote reads: Psychology professionals will face new
scenarios in the future and will need to be prepared to understand and recognise the importance of human rights in their work from multiple lenses Dr Shakiba Moghadam Trustee and Chair of BPS Human Rights Coordinating Group. BPS logo. Photo of people with raised hands at a protest.
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Reposted by Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist
JESP @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
This @psychologytoday.com piece by @rossgwhite.com explores what fuels dehumanization, citing past work by Francesca Prati, Richard Crisp, & Monica Rubini showing that counter-stereotype exposure reduces prejudice and helps re‑humanize others. 🧠💙 www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
psychologytoday.com
Dehumanization: The Catastrophic Loss of Our Shared Humanity
Autoimmune diseases misidentify parts of the body as a threat. Dehumanization mirrors this error. Here's why we dismiss others’ humanity and how to break the cycle.
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Trainee EPs, Assistant EPs, and anyone doing academic writing. This is a must read. TLDR: predatory journals are publishing AI written fake systematic reviews of "paper shaped objects" with fake AI "reference shaped lists" Multiple self referenced layers of hallucinated rubbish. #posttruth
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Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist @soulsoothing.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
What troubles me is the narrative that distress itself is a personal failure; a moral lapse rather than a clinical or environmental reality. If this shift takes hold, help seeking will fall, diagnoses will be delayed, disorders will worsen, and suicide among adolescents and young adults will rise.
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