Research suggests that about one-half of us will experience, in our life time, an event so traumatic, so disastrous, that it will meet criteria A for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Knowing that fact, then why is it that most of us do not prepare for disasters?

Anyone who knows the comic will know about the characters and what they represent: 1) The Joker = chaos, 2) The Batman = order; 3) Two Face = pure chance. There are many lines in the film which "spank your face" with these metaphors, and if the acting was not so good, the joker's lines could have easily been over the top in making the deeper, existential questions within the film too obvious and contrived for most moviegoers.

Parts 1 and 2 of this post gave several helpful tips on how to think in a disaster situation. This part reviews two important topics: understanding how disasters happen and how your behavior affects disaster situations. Here are a few tips for acting productively in a disaster.

A person's attitude has a lot to do with his or her chances of survival in a disaster. Here are some tips for productive ways of thinking that can assist you when disaster strikes.

Resilience is someting that most people need to make it through the rougher times of life.

Dance therapy has recently been recognized in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, autism, and posttraumatic stress. And dance—whether you can move and groove with the best or not-- offers more than just good medicine; it unites the heart and soul of humanity on a global level. Enjoy a compelling film, a testament to the power of dance, that was 14 months in the making, spans 42 countries, and includes an international cast of thousands.

In the "Ugly Duckling", a young swan goes from awkward and ugly to graceful and beautiful. This kind of transformation is also seen in abilities, and those who go from average to extraordinary are typically labelled "late bloomers". How are late bloomers possible? How can a nuanced understanding of genes contribute to our understanding?

Dara Torres broke all stereotypical thinking over the weekend. At 41, she has the world in awe as she beat her own record from only a couple of decades earlier. . . Both men and women look up to her and wonder: she was 17 in her first Olympics and she's ready for the next, 24 years later.

Would you feel like you'd still like to be president after you have just been liberated from six years of captivity?

In China and Myanmar, the innate impulse to communicate through art, play, and imagination is emerging as children begin the long process of recovery. But what about those who don’t want to remember what happened or discuss the terror they have experienced? Some children are so traumatized they may never learn to be children again.

Disasters are upsetting for everyone, but particularly for children. Probably one of the most important factors in determining how a child adapts to a disaster relates to how the child's parent or other caregiver responds. Let's take a look at some ways children react to disasters and discuss some suggestions on what we, as parents, can do to help.

High gas prices and global warming got you down? Humor is a natural stress-reducer and symptom-reliever that has been related to improved health, increased life expectancy, and overall well being. Whether you get a deep belly laugh from watching a comedy routine or “you fake it ‘til you make it”-- it’s all good.

Everyone wondered what Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's farewell would sound like as she prepared to deliver her "exit" speech.

I heard this broadcast on NPR's 'This I Believe' this afternoon.  I have no comment.  The words of this wise and magnificient child speak for themselves...

Nobody's exempt from pain. Not even self-help book authors!

Many of us wonder, why would Hillary Clinton continue to compete for what seems to be a lost cause? Ambition? Power? Or maybe a true desire to help others?

 Unlike the better-known isms, singlism is often practiced without apology or even awareness. Also, although singlism is not likely to be as scathing as racism, the steady drip, drip, drip of it could drive single people over the edge - if they were not so amazingly resilient.

The hard-wired threat-detector embedded in our central nervous systems makes a lot of sense in terms of keeping us safe from physical threats. Unfortunately, it has been hijacked in modern times to include threats to the ego. When ego grows, emotional pollution flows.

Our perceptions of severe or chronic pain aren’t always apparent on a CT scan or MRI. When chronic pain is inexpressible, art conveys—and transcends—suffering.

Maybe you don’t take it with you, but you’ve got soul. Keeping it central to daily life can be a path to a sense of wellness. So go ahead, sing that silly song.