iACToR Weekly Newsletter #18

[James Cullen]

Opening Statement

Hello iACToR members,

After a brief hiatus during the summer, the iACToR weekly newsletter is back and prepared to bring you the latest news and updates on the world of cyberpsychology, training, and rehabilitation.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Top CyberPsychology News

Virtual Reality Food Could be Used in Therapy for Eating Disorders
UK Telegraph Sufferers of anorexia and bulimia could reduce their fear and anxieties around food by visiting a computer generated restaurant and pretending to dine, a study shows. Researchers believe that the technique could reverse their unhealthy relationship with food to the point where they can eventually be reintroduced to the real thing. The novel approach could be developed after scientists found that food presented in a virtual reality environment causes the same emotional responses as real food. To read more, visit http://bit.ly/9Z04T9.

Researcher: Narcissism's Alive and Well on Facebook
CBS News – September 10, 2010 - How many times have you logged onto Facebook only to find that (fill in the name here) has updated their page for the upteenth time with yet another entirely forgettable, wonder of me moment?
It would be easy to assume from the anecdotal evidence that a legion of insufferable narcissists has found the perfect sounding board. But maybe it's not just your impression. A new study by researchers working at York University in Canada has indeed found that Facebook users were more likely to be narcissistic. It also found that those Facebook users who checked the site frequently throughout the day tended to be more likely to suffer from low self-esteem. To read more, visit http://bit.ly/dxg77q.

Russia: 520 day Simulated Trip to Mars, Locked in a Room
Moscow, Russia, August 26, 2010 - A Russian research team attempts an unprecedented study. Six volunteer astronauts will spend 520 days locked in a room, and perform different tests in what will be a simulated trip to Mars. This is the Mars space program 500, in which the subjects inhabit a "capsule" specially designed in Moscow. There, in addition to living together for about a year and a half, need to consider how factors such as stress of work overload, boredom and limitations of social contact alter cognitive functioning, emotional and even the overall moral of the team. To read more, please visit http://bit.ly/94QG3v.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 Ways to Get More Involved in the iACToR Members Website

1. Become a Premium Member of iACToR!
   • Get extensive discounts off registration for the World Health Care Congress in Washington D.C., World Health Care Congress in Brussels, Belgium, Med-E-Tel Conference, and the 15th Annual CyberPsychology and CyberTherapy Conference.
   • Get discounted subscriptions to your favorite CyberPsychology publications
   • Enjoy free online access to the largest online CyberPsychology Database on the Internet (Being launched soon!)
   • Take part in the annual iACToR General Assembly
   • Receive discounted membership to affiliated associations and societies.
2. Join your local iACToR Chapter! Please visit the Chapter page to request membership to the appropriate iACToR Chapter. This is an excellent way to become acquainted and introduced to colleagues in your area!
   
   
3. Begin the discussion! Please visit the Forum, find the appropriate category, and click Add a Discussion! As this field is rapidly growing, collaboration and discussion is vital to the growth and progress. Some have begun already, and we hope to see you post as well.
   
   
4. Invite your colleagues! On the right hand side, under your name, next to the friends hyperlink is an Invite hyperlink. We encourage you to invite your colleagues to join in the discussion.
   
   
5. Update Your Profile and Comment on Others! Keep members up to date with your latest information. Post a blog, update your status, add a picture of yourself, and let the community know your area of expertise. All can be done with in your Profile page and we encourage you to do so!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you all and I look forward to shaping our community with your help and valuable input!

Create your own reality!

Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCIA
Secretary General
International Association of CyberPsychology, Training, & Rehabilitation (iACToR)