Stimulate Your Mind By Earning a Doctorate Degree

A doctorate is the highest educational achievement that you can earn and there is much respect associated with having those letters behind your name. Only one out of a hundred people have a doctorate, so that reverence is certainly due. Also, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, someone with a doctorate degree earns one to two million dollars in lifetime earnings more than someone with a master’s degree. With numbers like that, what are you waiting for?

Ph.D. or Doctorate?

It seems that there is some confusion when it comes to the difference between a doctorate and a Ph.D., or Doctor of Philosophy. Actually, a Ph.D. is one of several doctorate degrees that you can earn. Doctorate degrees can be broken down into two types: professional doctorates and research doctorates.

People who earn professional doctorates apply their degree to a specific profession, as opposed to an academic field of study. These include M.D. (Doctor of Medicine), J.D. (Juris Doctor), DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine), and PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) among many others.

Research doctorates include the Ph.D. and are often focused on a particular subject. Here is a breakdown of some of the more popular doctorates available in the United States:

  • Ph.D. or Doctor of Philosophy: This degree is normally earned by those who want to go into research or Academia. There are many fields in which you can earn a Ph.D. including history, mathematics, and chemistry.

  • Psy.D. or Doctor of Psychology: If you want to be a psychologist, than you can either earn a Ph.D. in psychology or this degree.

  • DBA or Doctor of Business Administration: This degree is for people who are interested in the theory of management. Those who earn this degree normally go into research or teach on a college level.

  • Ed.D. or Doctor of Education: If you are looking to become a school administrator than this degree is for you.

  • D.A. or Doctorate of Arts: This degree emerged in the 1960s and is offered in many of the same subjects as a Ph.D, particularly arts and humanities. It is often labeled the “teaching doctorate.”

What does a doctorate entail?

Most doctorates require that you have a master’s degree in a related field of study. Once you are accepted you begin with a rigorous course of study, especially for the professional degrees such as M.D. or J.D. The professional degrees are normally followed by an exam, such as the bar examination, and/or an internship, such as a residency. With Ph.Ds and other research doctorates, courses are normally followed by an exam and then the writing of a thesis or dissertation. These dissertations can be anywhere from 50 to 450 pages in length and commonly focus on a particular area of expertise. For example, someone pursuing a doctorate in U.S. Economic History might write a dissertation on the effects of Soviet Union socialism on U.S. economic policies during the Great Depression. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average time it takes a student to earn their doctorate is seven years. However, there are some accelerated programs out there and a lot depends on how long it takes you to write your dissertation.

Online Study is a Great Option

If you are interested in a doctorate degree, do not rule out online colleges. Three of the five most popular doctorate degrees (according to the Department of Education) are available through online study; these are Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Engineering and Doctor of Education. Online learning is an extremely convenient way to learn. The courses are offered in a format that works around your schedule. This is perfect for people who have a career that they do not want to take time off from, or if they have a family. In fact, online doctorates are so flexible that there really is no reason not to finally reach this highest level of achievement.  Find free enrollment information at Online PHD Degrees, Online PHD Education or Online PHD Psychology.

Keep Your Mind Sharp and Earn that College Degree!

Choosing an online college can be very overwhelming. How do you know which ones are worth going to with so many of them to choose from? The best way to find out is to choose several different schools that have programs that you are interested in, and then speak in depth to their admissions advisors. Below are eight must-haves for a good online college; you can base your talking points on this list.

  1. Must be accredited. It is important that the online college that you choose be accredited because this is a way that you can ensure that the school meets established standards. This makes a difference if you want to transfer your credits or prove the worth of your degree to an employer. There are two types of accreditation: institutional and specialized. An institutional accreditation applies to the entire school and its programs, while a specialized accreditation generally applies to a specific degree program or school of study within the college or university. This is further broken down into national accreditation or regional accreditation. Regional accreditations are the most widely recognized.

  2. Platform must be easy to use. The “platform” is where you will find your classes, chat rooms, even your virtual library. Every online college has a different online learning platform, and they all work a little differently. You should make sure that the school’s platform is intuitive and easy for you to use. Ask the admissions advisor if you can have a demonstration of their platform and if they offer online tutorials to students.

  3. Must have tech support. Since all of your studies are done on your computer in an online environment, the chances that you will run into some sort of technical issue are pretty good. Make sure that the school you choose has 24/7 tech support. You can ask the admissions advisor how long the average wait time is to speak to tech support – chances are when you run into problems you won’t have that much time to figure them out.

  4. Must provide student services. A good online college has student services to make sure that their students have the optimal chance at success. This includes offering tutoring services for a small fee or even for free.

  5. Must accept CLEP credits. You may hear many online schools advertising credits for “life experience.” In general, the only legitimate way to offer this is through CLEP testing. These credits are accepted at many online colleges and traditional universities. They are a great way to test out of classes on subjects that you may already have mastered.

  6. Must have small class sizes. A good online college will have a small number of students in each class. This is because online students need a lot of individual attention to ensure that they do not feel isolated. A smaller class size makes this more manageable for the instructor, which brings me to my next must have …

  7. Instructors must be accessible. Make sure that the school that you choose requires instructors to allot a certain amount of time to give students the chance to speak with them on an individual basis.

  8. Must have a variety of financial aid options. If you are in need of some type of help to pay for school, like most of us, make sure that the school you choose has plenty of financial aid options. These include federal grants, scholarships, and student loans. Ask the admission advisor specifically about this – for each school has different financial aid opportunities.

All these discussion points will probably make for a long conversation, so make sure that you put aside some time to get to each of them. Don’t worry about asking the admissions advisors at your school choices too many questions – that is what they are there for! Also have a pen and paper ready (or your laptop) to write down notes, that way you can compare the different schools. Good luck with your decision!  For more information, please visit Graduate College Online, Find Online College and Best Online MBA Programs.

What is a Panic Attack and How to Identify It

If you want to understand more about what a panic attack actually is, you first have to gain some knowledge of the many definitions of an attack. This can be one of the most frightening things that can happen to any individual that has never experienced it before. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense anxiety, mounting fear, stomach problems, general discomfort and are associated with a variety of somatic and cognitive symptoms.

The onset of these episodes is typically abrupt and may have no apparent reasons behind it. Some research suggests that the symptoms of a panic attack usually last for about thirty minutes. They can also be of only fifteen seconds duration. But at times, the attack may form a cyclic series of episodes lasting for an extended period, some times hours. The afflicted person experiences anticipatory anxieties and limited symptom attacks in between the panic attacks.

Attacks are often linked to some sort of fear. Often it is a fear of not being able to escape a particular situation that you are dreading. A feeling of being trapped and being unable to get free is very common. How intense the feeling of anxiety gets until panic ensues, will very from person to person. The first thing that first-time sufferers normally do is to reach for the phone and call emergency services. They believe that they are having nervous breakdown or heart attack as they feel nauseated, faint, or lose control over themselves.

Common symptoms include: heart palpitations, trembling or shivering continually, chest pain and a shortness of breathe. Such physical symptoms are interpreted with alarm in many people the first time them experience them. Panic attacks can be distinguished from other attacks of anxiety by the intensity and the sudden yet cyclical nature. A link to it panic disorders being hereditary has been revealed in certain research reports. Environmental factors such as overtly cautious view of the world expressed by elders / parents and cumulative stress have been found to be the reason.

Biological deficiencies or Vitamin B deficiency owing to inadequate diet can also trigger anxiety attacks. Sometimes the feeling of panic can be brought on by triggers such as being in situations that they are prone to have a phobic response in. Incidents of personal loss, significant life change or even the intake of stimulants like nicotine, caffeine or drugs can trigger an attack.

People who suffer from attacks can be successfully treated with therapy and anti-anxiety medicines or anti-depressants. There are also many natural remedies for panic attacks Other treatments include diaphragmatic breathing that is slow breathing through the nose using the diaphragm and abdomen, acceptance and acknowledgment and floating with the symptoms as well as talking to supportive persons. Panic attacks are frightening but fortunately physically harmless. They are often random in their occurrence and they don’t necessarily need any medical assistance or intervention to go away by themselves.

Astral Projection - You Can Do It!

Generally speaking, the majority of people have at one point in their life heard the term ‘astral projection.’ This could’ve been from an enlightened friend, a book or a movie. Few people though understand that astral projection is a real event, and that it is something that everyone can do. Chances are very high that you have astral projected and didn’t even realize it.

First we need to understand what astral projection really is. Simply put, astral projection is the ability a person has to leave their body. This is an ability that every person has, and that every person does when they go to sleep at night. When you are a sleep our physical mind is at rest and the subconscious mind takes over. When this happens that is when a person astral projects. Most people simply don’t remember doing this.

You go wherever you want to go when you project. If you can recall your childhood you may be able to remember having the ability to do this after going to sleep, eventually you forgot, as you got older. There is no such thing as time and distance when it concerns astral projection, you can go anywhere. While you are sleeping, your physical body is asleep. Your astral body travels.

The next question is what the astral body is. It is the ethereal body. The astral body is the invisible duplicate of the body. It houses all our desires and feelings. Does the astral body leave and not return? A silver cord connects the physical and astral bodies together.

The silver cord first connects as the astral body enters the physical body. This is not exhausted until after death when the astral body leaves the physical body for the last time. This silver cord prevents the astral body from not returning.

You may wonder where you may go when you astral project. The astral body goes to the astral plane. It is the invisible double of the Earth. It has a faster vibration than the physical Earth and its vibrations penetrate to the center of the Earth. Some define it as another dimension of reality. However, the majority agree that there are many levels of the astral plane.

It is only natural at this point to question whether or not there are any dangers to astral projection. The answer is yes and no. We have established that astral projection is something everyone is capable of doing. We have also stated that there isn’t a way that the astral body can leave the physical body and not come back. But as with anything you do, you need to keep your head about you. This means that you need to make sure you have solid thinking skills so that you are going where you want and you know what you want.

Astral projection can be dangerous if you practice it with an unsound mind. Anyone under the influence of drugs and alcohol can wind up involved in an undesirable predicament at lower levels of the astral plane.

It is essential that you know what it is you do and where it is you want to go. Your goal is to consciously astral project. You need to have complete control of what your astral body is doing. Your thoughts control your astral projection.

When you prepare yourself properly, beforehand you can train yourself to astral project very quickly. Some individuals prefer doing astral projection alone in their homes. Meanwhile, others learn various methods that help them gain control and enjoy their experiences while being lead by numerous professionals in the astral projection field.

There are various types of online resources such as books available. You can create the proper state of mind when you listen to quality astral projection hypnosis recordings. These can enhance your relaxation and take you through the variety of stages. You can repeatedly play these recordings over again until your subconscious mind understands the message that it is fine for you to leave your body. They are most beneficial.

There have been great advances recently in a sound technology called ‘binaural beats’. This works by playing slightly different sound frequencies in each ear. This has the effect of very quickly relaxing you into a deep state of meditation which is necessary for successful astral projection.

Don’t get frustrated if you are not able to successfully astral project the first time or even the second or third time. This is something that you must practice. It is not an ability that you have to acquire, we are all capable of doing it, many have just forgotten how and need to fine tune the natural skill.

Still need to be convinced? When did you last dream you were flying and then felt as though you were falling? As the astral body, moves through the astral plane it, feels like flying. The sensation of falling comes when the astral body comes back into the physical body. Astral projection is very real. Anyone can do it and find benefit in it. However, you do have to invest time in fine-tuning your natural ability in order to reach the kind of success you desire with astral projection. It will become easier to do once you begin your journey while projecting.

4 Reasons Why You MIght Be suffering From Panic Attacks

Knowing the four main causes of panic attacks listed in this article can help you to deal more effectively with the problem.Below, we will go into detail about four of the main causes people suffer from feelings of anxiety and panic and we will also detail ways of treating the problem.

Suspected Cause #1:  Medicine Usage and Bad Habits

The use of over-the-counter and prescribed medications, cigarettes, and caffeine abuse are all suspected causes of anxiety and the onset of panic attacks.Certain things can upset the delicate balance of your mind and nervous system, and certain medicines that you take can definitely have an adverse effect on how you deal with anxiety and can even help to cause the feelings of anxiety.  When this happens, attacks are more likely and it can be more difficult to figure out how to control your panic attacks.

Some medicines that are prescribed can be cited as causes of panic attacks;  medicines like Catovit, Mazindol, Prolintate, and Mazindol are sometimes associated with panic attacks.While trying to establish why you suffer with panic attacks, one of the first things to do is to start to take a regular note of your habits and this also includes any medicines that you take on a regular basis.

Suspected Cause #2:  Stress Related Issues

When an individual suffers the effects associated with high stress levels, he or she is also more likely to have attacks.Some of the more well know symptoms of stress are: digestive problems, sleep problems, lack of focus and being able to concentrate and a rapid heart rate.  Reducing and minimizing the stress that is experienced on a frequent basis can also diminish the panic and anxiety triggers one is exposed to daily.

Suspected Cause #3: Illegal Drug Use

There are illegal drugs that are cited for the onset of anxiety and panic attacks too.  The use of drugs like Ecstasy, marijuana, which  can induce issues related to paranoia, and stimulant usage, like the use of cocaine, are cited as causes of panic attacks.If you are a regular user of hard or recreational drugs, then this might be one of the main things that are contributing to the way you are feeling.

Suspected Cause #4:  Circumstantial Instigation

Sometimes, specific situations and different environmental factors can serve as causes of panic attacks.  If an individual is working in a high stress job or if he or she is involved in a toxic relationship, these situations will need to be addressed.When you are repeatedly in stressful situations it is likely that you will be constantly in a state of high anxiety.If you can make your first priority to get your life under control and your house in order then the likelihood of you having a panic attack decreases because there will be less stressors.