BETSHY

Tag: Review

  • 💎 My Experience with Mimosa: It’s Beneficial

    💎 My Experience with Mimosa: It’s Beneficial

    Mimosa combines energising sativa traits with subtle indica effects, resulting in a versatile strain often called Purple Mimosa due to its striking purple-tinged buds. My personal experience with this strain is only available to paid subscribers below, as I narrate intimate details. But first, let’s explore the strain.

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    Strain Profile  ·  Sativa-Dominant Hybrid
    Mimosa
    Purple Mimosa  ·  Symbiotic Genetics  ·  California, 2017

    The citrus-forward, award-winning hybrid that turns every morning into a brunch worth savouring.

    THC Content
    19–27%
    Genetics
    70% Sativa / 30% Indica
    Parentage
    Clementine × Purple Punch
    Best Time
    Daytime use

    🏆
    High Times Cannabis Cup — 2nd Place, California 2018 Recognised as one of the finest cultivars of its generation among the industry’s most celebrated strains.
    Overview

    Mimosa, also known as Purple Mimosa, is a sativa-dominant hybrid born from a cross between Purple Punch and Clementine, developed by Symbiotic Genetics in California in 2017. It combines Clementine’s tangy citrus aroma with Purple Punch’s relaxing, berry-like qualities — resulting in a strain comprising 70% sativa and 30% indica genetics, with THC content typically ranging from 19% to 27%.

    Mimosa is characterised by bright green buds with orange pistils covered in dense crystal trichomes. In larger doses, the flowers can display striking flecks of purple — particularly pronounced when grown in regions with significant temperature shifts between day and night.

    Quick Reference

    BreederSymbiotic Genetics
    Also Known AsPurple Mimosa
    Dominant TerpeneMyrcene
    Indica / Sativa Split30% / 70%
    Cup Award2nd — High Times CA 2018
    Flavour & Aroma

    The flavour profile is citrus-forward, often compared to orange zest with sweet fruit notes and a light herbal or earthy edge. The aroma is intensely fruity — strong notes of lemon and sweet citrusy orange, mellowed by earthiness and subtle hints of pine — a profile that lives up to its namesake cocktail of champagne and fresh juice.

    Dominant Terpenes
    Myrcene
    Herbal, earthy depth; calming undercurrent
    Limonene
    Bright citrus peel; uplifting & mood-enhancing
    β-Caryophyllene
    Peppery spice; warm edge beneath the citrus
    Recreational Effects
    Uplifted Energised Focused Creative Happy Sociable Motivated
    Therapeutic Uses
    Stress relief Depression Anxiety Fatigue Pain management Mood uplift
    Effects Profile

    In small doses, Mimosa produces happy, level-headed effects that leave users feeling uplifted and motivated, while larger doses can tip into sleepiness and relaxation. Its energising qualities make it popular among those dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression, while its indica genetics bring enough calm to prevent jitteriness — making it an ideal daytime strain for creative work, social situations, or powering through a productive morning.

    ⓘ  This content is intended for informational purposes only. Cannabis laws vary by jurisdiction. Please consult a qualified medical professional before using cannabis for any health condition. Individual responses may vary.

    Obviously, in the UK cannabis is criminalised, and although it is medically acceptable; those who ever had a history of psychosis are rejected from such services as it is assumed that it will lead to psychosis. The prospect of Cannabis becoming legal in the UK are poor at the moment. This has not stopped the population from continuing to consume it. More and more people are using it for therapeutic reasons, including medical reasons. And people like me have many sides. Some sides are experiencing ADHD and I struggle to get things done. Other sides of me are in remission from any psychotic disorder, I have proof of my sanity. I am a complex human being. I cannot be standardised with a blanket rule that dismisses individual differences. I am…

    My Experience with Mimosa

    Of course, circumstances change, bio-make-up transforms at epigenetic level… First of all, let me begin by saying that I’ve never felt more egodystonic than when it comes to having to…

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  • Book Review: Lacanian Psychoanalysis: Revolutions in Subjectivity (2011)

    Book Review: Lacanian Psychoanalysis: Revolutions in Subjectivity (2011)

    Psychoanalysis as a field has undergone various transformations since its inception with Freud’s groundbreaking work. Among the various schools of thought within psychoanalysis, the Lacanian approach has gained significant attention for its unique interpretation of human psyche. Developed by the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, Lacanian psychoanalysis offers a thought-provoking perspective on the subconscious and its impact on human behaviour. This is why I decided to read the Book by Parker (2011) Lacanian Psychoanalysis: Revolutions in Subjectivity.

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    Parker (2011) makes Lacanians sound alien in the way he describes them and compares them to other forms of psychoanalysts. He describes them somewhat as mystical standard deviations. Furthermore, Parker (2011) explains how society psychiatrises, psychologises, and psychotherapeutises things in general. He also makes a clear distinction between all of these psych sciences and psychoanalysis; as well as between general psychoanalysis and Lacanian psychoanalysis.

    Moreover, he attempted to draw a relationship between psychoanalysis and politics, although that relationship was not made as clear as one would have expected which to some extent reinforces the outdated idea that psychoanalysis does not go well with politics, a perspective also mentioned in the book. It was precisely his obsessive focus on the psychoanalytical relationship that made it most difficult to touch base with politics.

    Finally, he also deconstructed the relation between analyst and analysand, the roles of signifiers in psychoanalytical interpretation, and how such signification has an effect on the dynamics of transference. It is my opinion that he could have used simpler language to reach a wider audience, and could have briefly explained some of these concepts which might be new to analysands, for example.

    Key Concepts of the Book

    The Mirror Stage: Lacan posits that infants, between six and eighteen months, experience a critical stage in their development. During this period, when an infant encounters their reflection in a mirror or any other reflective surface, they construct an ego or self-image that is unified and coherent.

    The Unconscious and Language: For Lacan, the unconscious is structured like a language, operating beyond our conscious awareness. Through symbols and signifiers, individual desires and drives emerge, often conflicting with societal norms and expectations.

    The Phallus and Lack: The phallus represents not only the male sexual organ but also functions as a broader symbol of desire and lack. In Lacan’s view, the phallus is a symbolic representation of power, authority, and object of desire. All individuals, regardless of gender, experience a sense of lack and desire rooted in the absence of the phallus. Such a lack fuels our ongoing quest for fulfilment and drives the complexities of human relationships.

    The Role of Therapy: Therapy in the Lacanian tradition involves a distinct approach, departing from traditional psychoanalysis. Unlike Freudian techniques that emphasise free association and dream analysis, Lacanian therapy focuses on linguistic analysis and attempts to unravel the unconscious desires hidden within language.

    Favourite Quotes from The Book

    • “While the unconscious is structured by thing presentations – images, impressions, sensations – consciousness combines the two kinds of representation, and so the process of speaking of something brings it into language and into consciousness. There is therefore an intimation of the ‘truth’ of the subject before it is put into words, but it is not nearly fully-formed enough and available for the subject to articulate as such” (Parker, 2011, p. 27)
    • “Under capitalism we are necessarily falsely-conscious about the world and our place in it precisely because that consciousness of the world is actually a fairly accurate way of mapping and moving about the symbolic now (Sohn-Rethel 1978; Zizek 1989)” (Parker, 2011, p. 42)

    Conclusion

    The book by Parker (2011) shows that a Lacanian approach to psychoanalysis offers a unique perspective on the complexities of the human psyche. From the mirror stage to the phallus and the role of language, Lacanian theory sheds light on the power of symbols, language, and unconscious desires in shaping our experiences and relationships. Understanding these concepts can provide individuals with valuable insights into their own psyche and potentially foster personal growth and transformation. Whether one is a psychoanalysis enthusiast or simply curious about the intricacies of the human mind, exploring Lacanian theory can be an intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking journey.

    Reference

    Parker, I. (2011) Lacanian Psychoanalysis: Revolutions in Subjectivity, New York, Routledge.

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  • Film Review: We Are Monster (2014)

    Film Review: We Are Monster (2014)

    This film directed by Antony Petrou is rich in forensic psychological detail. It really shows the dark side of the criminal justice system (CJS). Based on a true story, We are Monster tells the story of the murder of Zahid Mubarek by Robert Stewart.

    Psychoanalytic film theory: It is clear that many of the attitudes Stewart displayed were inherited from his father’s personality. In other words, the film captures the phenomenon of introjection, a defence mechanism which consists of internalising and adopting personality traits and/or behaviour of other people, especially authority figures. The film shows Stewart recalling a memory of his father arguing with his mother about her having been sexually involved with a person of a darker skin. From this scene it is clear that his father had an extremist and antisocial attitude towards people of different skin colours, and he is heard using racial slur. Consequently, Stewart came to associate a darker skin with ‘filth’ and ‘evil’, having internalised his father’s attitudes. The film constantly shows him having a conversation with a hallucination of himself similar to the way his father used to speak in general. In psychoanalytical terms, it could be said that the film shows Stewart’s ID talking to him all the time. The ego or self is shown to negotiate with this hallucination, and to be led and manipulated towards specific behaviours. It is difficult to say whether the introjection was accompanied by reaction formation, because it is difficult to differentiate Stewart’s criminogenic attitudes and/or actions from those of his father. The film portrays his childhood as self-less, cold, and full of trauma. Therefore, it is unclear whether these behaviours constitute an exploration of his father’s ego through a primary regression to a narcissistic state in which the superego is formed based on values learned from the world; or whether it is his self that has become established as a personality (i.e. whether this would be his behaviour if he was not experiencing a psychotic break). The film captures his schizophrenic crisis quite well. It allows the viewer to enter the criminal mind from thought to action. Petrou manages to illustrate the criminal insanity perspective by placing emphasis on the hallucination as the drive towards criminogenic activity.

    Political anchors: This case was a huge scandal in the year 2000 and many inquiries were launched at Feltham Young Offender Institution in order to investigate the steps the government of the UK could have taken in order to prevent this tragedy, and what steps could be taken to prevent it from ever happening again. It was concluded that legally, there was much more the system could have done to prevent this re-offending, and the death of Zahid Mubarek. This case was a scandal when it occurred, and it is perceived as a double-edged cumulative failure.

  • PM-cube: The Best Android Mental Health App for Academics

    PM-cube: The Best Android Mental Health App for Academics

    Cubisma website

    For a while, I had been looking for an app that immediately had a foundational, cognitively constructive effect on my experience. I must say this is not an app to go to if you are having a mental health crisis. Instead, it is an app that works wonders for anyone with a workload. Since human memory can be so unreliable as demonstrated by Loftus’ work on eyewitness and episodic memory, and being a student of Forensic Psychology, I wanted an app that soothed the academic in me, and that helped me successfully make sense of my thoughts, which are many; I mean, let’s be honest, I am a student, and I am an artist; and I have to think a lot about my future because I am trying to implement my plan of action to upgrade my quality of life, and to improve my mental health in the evergreen way. And well, that entails absorbing a lot of information. This is why I would like to recommend the app PM-cube. Every single time I use the app, there are immediate constructive results. 

    Relevant Questions & Answers

    Here are some questions you might be wondering in relation to what I mean about academic mental health.

    Is this a ‘relax and meditate’ app?

    No, at least not in the conventional way. I am a university student, I don’t have the time, money or luxury to relax. If I relax for too long, I freak out. The only thing that gives me inner peace is to learn more about lifeology, and to develop the skills necessary to sustain myself in peace with people and the environment. If you, like me, have been feeling stuck in uncertain times; then this app might help you premeditate, and boost your executive functions.

    But, is this app designed for mental health?

    I don’t know at this stage what the intent was with the creation of the app; however, I assume that it was designed to help people manage their lives and projects better. I have found it very helpful when I am feeling stuck. It makes a difference, and gets me out of the cognitive paralysis that can happen when I have 99 problems and finding an app that works for me is just 1 of them.

    Will it work for every academic?

    Probably not, although I assume that most academics are very busy people , so maybe it will soothe them.

    What is an academic?

    Funny you ask. According to the Macquarie Dictionary (2017), an academic is a person who is “a teacher or a researcher in a university or college”. For instance, Professor Loftus is an academic who is very much loved and respected internationally for all of her contributions to psychology and criminology (and who gave expert testimony for Ted Bundy‘s defence in court).

    Should I meditate?

    Meditation does not work for me, but premeditation does. Nevertheless, just because it does not work for me, it does not mean that it will not work for you.  However, if meditation apps are NOT what you are looking for, then you should defo try PM-CUBE (Marxer, 2015).

    Are you okay?

    Absolutely. Thanks for asking. Life is going relatively steady, and PM-Cube really helps me make it better. 

    Is this an ad? 

    No. I actually think this app is truly helpful. Hopefully you will find it helpful too. 

    References

    Butler, S. (2017) ‘Academic’, In Macquarie Dictionary, 7th ed [Online].Available at http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/macqdict/academic/0?institutionId=292  (Accessed 2 February 2020).

    Loftus, E. (2020) Professional Profile, UCI School of Social Ecology [Online]. Available at https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/eloftus/ (Accessed 2 February 2020). 

    Marxer, C. G. (2015) The Project Management Cube [Android App]. Available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.cubisma.thepm_cube (Accessed 2 February 2020). 

  • Book Review: Ted Bundy: Conversations With a Killer

    Book Review: Ted Bundy: Conversations With a Killer

    Because simply watching the docuseries on Netflix is not enough, I decided to read the book by Michaud and Aynesworth (2019) which contains the transcripts from conversations with Theodore Robert Bundy, also known as the All-American Boy (Loftus and Ketcham, 1991).

    This book provides real insight into Bundy’s psychological discourse, and it can be observed that his superego mainly served as a reminder not to get caught. He could not control his impulses, and this is why he left such a high death toll. His moral degeneracy can be appreciated in his described thinking process, where he expresses how he felt it was not difficult at all to maintain such secret life hidden away from the consciousness of those who were part of his personal circle: “I became expert at projecting something very different. That I was very busy. It is clear now, I think, that a huge part of my life was hidden from everyone – secret, as it were. It didn’t take much effort” (p. 16). One thing that can be noticed throughout the conversations is that Ted Bundy had a form of self-serving bias which was compounded by his belief about what he called the psychological “condition”. He expressed his states of narcissistic melancholia mixed with helplessness in relation to what can be described as his criminogenic, sadistic needs and the satisficing of these. He expressed that at times he would lay with the corpses he created until these were putrid.

    What I find particularly difficult to comprehend when it comes to studying Ted Bundy as a prototypical psychopath is that at times some of the statements he made about his experience posited that he had the capacity to feel fear, which goes beyond the scope of primary psychopathy: “I thought I was going to die every night the first few days I was in jail back in October of 1975. I was scared to death! Daily. I thought they were going to kill me” (p. 23). Was he saying the truth? I don’t know. However, some of his other statements did reveal his malignant personality, such as when speaking about the way in which he perceived his victims as objects: “Except he is not killing a person. He is killing an image” (p. 65). Whose image? is the question I have. Psychodynamic theorists would of course instantly say that perhaps he wanted to recreate the image of the woman who he had the most contempt against, his own mother.

    Bundy truly believed that this “condition”- as he called it- was to blame for all of his behaviour; nevertheless, unable to meet the M’Naghtan rules, he was not found to be eligible to claim criminal insanity and even prominent expert witnesses and forensic psychologists such as Elizabeth Loftus (1991) describe having been disturbed by his sophisticated mannerisms and inappropriate body language and responses to contexts. In other words, Bundy had a theory of mind (ToM) deficit, and a surplus of self-esteem. Moreover, his construct of reality was based on self-justifications and false beliefs. The way in which he described his “disease” in third person was as follows: “what’s happening is that we’re building up the condition and what may have been a predisposition for violence becomes a disposition. And as the condition develops and its purposes or its characteristics become more well defined, it begins to demand more of the attention and time of the individual” (p. 71). Such cluster of personality traits and behaviour is classed in the DSM-5 as antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).

    What’s interesting is that Bundy describes having been influenced by his peers’ concepts of the attractive woman when choosing his victims. This was perhaps the case because as a malignant narcissist, his desire to have complete control over such beautiful images meant that he needed to kill them in order to control everything about their interaction. According to Bundy he murdered his victims because he wanted to leave no living witness of his sexual atrocities. As the moral imbecile that he was, he even washed some of his victims’ hair and did their make up in order to have sex with their corpses until the rotting nature of death made it impossible to do so. This shows the utter perversion of this individual, and this is synthesised by his own words: “A certain amount of the need of that malignant condition had been satisfied through the sexual release. That driving force would recede somewhat, allowing the normal individual’s mental mechanisms to again begin to take hold” (p. 90).

    What makes this a great book is that it is made up of transcripts mainly and this allows the reader to see the pathetically perverse side of Bundy that is so easily forgotten when watching his charming ways on camera right until the evening before he was finally executed in 1989. It truly feels like talking with this serial killer. A truly recommended reading for anyone interested in this particular case study or in understanding antisocial personality disorder more deeply.

    References

    Michaud, S.G. and Aynesworth, H. (2019) Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer, London, Mirror Books.

    Loftus, E. and Ketcham, K. (1991) Witness for the Defense: The Accused, the Eyewitness, and the Expert Who Puts Memory on Trial, New York, St. Martin’s Press, pp. 61-91.