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Icebreakers are little exercises that help relax tensions and loosen up a formal atmosphere in a meeting where you want to have creative ideas and group participation.

The "Visual Puns" game is a fun activity that gets people thinking creatively. Pick an ordinary object such as a stapler or trashcan. As you pass the object around the room, each person must think of something that the object looks or acts like. For example, a stapler could be an alligator, some castanets or a catapult. A trashcan could be a hat, a soup bowl or a swimming pool for a beetle. Let your imaginations run wild and encourage wild ideas.

in-vo-lute

adj :: Intricate or complex.

"The possible moves being not only manifold but involute, the chances of such oversights are multiplied; and in nine cases out of ten it is the more concentrative rather than the more acute player who conquers." --Poe, Edgar Allan

A repressed memory is one that is still stored in the brain, but is not accessible by the conscious mind. Because these memories are usual of traumatic events, the theory is that the mind represses them to protect the individual from undue psychological stress. When a repressed memory is brought back into consciousness, it is called a recovered memory.

Due to the relative ease with which a practitioner can intentionally or unintentionally implant false memories via the power of suggestion, there is currently a great debate among psychologists as to whether or not repressed memories actually exist.

Cortisol is a hormone that is release by the body in response to stress. Its effect on the body is to increase blood pressure and blood sugar levels. It also causes the immune system to get weaker, bone formation to decrease and inflammation to lessen. In fact, artificial cortisol, called hydrocortisone, is intentionally used to fight inflammation.

Short-term exposure to cortisol can actually improve memory. This is the method by which flashbulb memories are believed to be formed. Additionally, a small amount of stress can increase the mind's ability to focus on a task. However, long-term exposure to high levels of cortisol can damage the hippocampus which can cause serious memory problems. It is unclear how much time it takes to cause permanent memory impairment, but finding ways to reduce stress in your life is always a good idea.