Moral Imagination and "Unhope" After Trauma

Many people come to therapy when they are struggling with loneliness. They ask questions like:. “Why do I feel lonelier now than ever before, despite being more connected online?”. “How can I make meaningful connections with others when everything is done online?”. “Why do I feel like social media is...

Not everyone realizes how powerful words can be. One negative statement can negate thousands of kind and thoughtful words we have said to someone. It's important to consider how our words—both negative and positive—will affect others and ourselves before we use them. I think everyone agrees that words...

There is unavoidable emotional pain when those we care about are threatened or suffer. Most of our stresses and upsets come from needless suffering that we cause ourselves, which is the opposite of being at peace. Strengthen neural networks in the brain that support spacious mindfulness, staying in the present,...

People often co-opt mental health terminology to describe everyday behavior. These terms are used loosely, although the mental health community is specific about how they define these conditions. This can trivialize complex conditions and perpetuate harmful and misleading stereotypes and myths. People often borrow terminology from the language of mental...

Bronia Rubin Brandman survived unimaginable horrors at the hands of the Nazis. After most of her family was murdered, Bronia decided she would never laugh or cry. The inability to cry is not uncommon among survivors. Many Holocaust survivors refused to speak about it for decades. The silence can actually...

Awe is an emotional experience felt when individuals encounter powerful experiences, such as works of art, giving birth, or nature. The feeling of awe evokes a sense of wonder and can transform the way we see the world. The experience of awe can make us feel diminished and insignificant. Encountering...

Patients with facial paralysis have an impaired ability to communicate and express their emotions. Depression and anxiety have been found to be much more prevalent in this patient population. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can help mitigate the impact of long-standing disease. Bell’s palsy, or idiopathic facial paralysis, can have a...

I've learned that when my autistic son has an outburst or meltdown, we must summon our empathy. Our focus must not be on making him stop. When he is upset, we must listen wisely to find the key to calming him. Our response must be "can do," not "we can't."...

Why is it so challenging for adults to find joy in the everyday, yet so easy for children? We enter the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Because we are constantly in the present moment, our eyes see only what is right in front of us, making us little masters of mindfulness. We engage freely and smile easily. As we move from infancy through toddlerhood, we play ceaselessly and ask endless questions.

During the pandemic, TikTok served as a way for teens to connect with others over sharing a mental health illness. Predatory advertising and popularity incentives drove creation of content that promoted self-diagnosis and misinformation. Parents and clinicians can assist teens who are identifying with mental illnesses with non-judgmental questions and...

Borderline personality disorder is typically regarded as a disorder making its first appearance before the age of 30, if not earlier. New research challenges this conventional wisdom, showing that cases can arise for the first time well into the years of adulthood. Early attachment issues reawakened by key events, especially...

The way we perceive gender has evolved since the Middle Ages and varies across societies. Part of greater equality for women can be explained by changes in norms around marriage. Research suggests that plough usage in agricultural societies is linked with men-as-breadwinners gender stereotypes. This post was written by Anirudh...

A person’s stress is connected to the stress of the people in their social circle. The link is stronger when the people in a social circle have comparable levels of stress to each other. This may happen because people base conclusions on others’ reactions and because they try to...

The health benefits of meditation are innumerable including potentially increasing one's lifespan. Eliminating what the Buddhists call monkey mind is a surefire way to become more present to your life. Higher social standing, once measured by leisure, is now measured by busyness. I have a confession: I once was a...

Moments of human connection have a positive psychological impact, but they do not always feel joyful. Meaningful interactions are often characterized by a complex mix of emotions—sometimes a mix of happy feelings and difficult ones. No matter what feelings we experience in the process of connecting, we tend to...

The Ponzo perspective illusion is a classic illusion in which two identical objects appear to be different sizes. Measuring the strength of the illusion can seem arbitrary and subjective. A fun, hands-on group activity teaches students about the scientific method and individual differences in perception. The Ponzo perspective illusion was...

Parents can learn from marketing tactics by influencing their children with short teaching moments. Reactive parenting with frustration may be emotionally disruptive to the child impairing their ability to learn new behaviors. Short frequent guidance can build a strong bond and allow parents to model empathy and calmness and provide...

Moms are often blamed when their kids behave in unwelcome ways. Some kids suffer from complicated conditions that aren’t easily seen or understood. Kids who act out in school aren’t necessarily naughty. They might be struggling with ADHD, anxiety, autism, or an undiagnosed disease. When I was pregnant,...

Emotional individuals tend to make poorer decisions. It’s normal to want what others have, but this can become deceptively destructive. Measuring one's present self against one's past self, instead of against others, is a good way to combat envy. Envy has long been a destructive force in human relationships...

Behavioral economists have long spoken about mental labor in terms of economics—people usually think of effort in terms of costs and payoffs. According to the "law of least effort," people find exerting either physical or cognitive effort aversive or costly. Some people—such as mountaineers and Rubik's cubers—choose to exert...