"The genius of Tulku Urgyen was that he could point out the nature of mind with precision and matter-of-factness of teaching a person how to thread a needle and could get an ordinary meditator like me to recognize that consciousness is intrinsically free of self ... I came to Tulku Urgyen yearning for the experience of self-transcendence, and in a few minutes he showed me I had no self to transcend ... Tulku Urgyen simply handed me the ability to cut through the illusion of the self directly, even in ordinary states of consciousness.  This instruction was, without question, the most important thing I have ever been explicitly taught by another human being.  It has given me a way to escape the usual tides of psychological suffering - fear, anger, shame - in an instant. "

Sam Harris

Recent research: half a dozen studies on aspects of CBT

11th September 2008

Here are half a dozen recent research studies broadly on aspects of cognitive-behavioural therapy - computer delivery for addiction, a couple on therapist competence, CBT for compulsive shopping, a systematic review of CBT and chronic fatigue syndrome, and a broad based depression education and problem solving intervention for people suffering …

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Autism research centre

10th September 2008

I spent a bit of time exploring Cambridge University's Autism Research Centre (ARC) website recently. It's fascinating and helpful in so many ways. ARC apparently has over 30 research scientists and support staff. The website links to a series of freely downloadable research papers and assessment questionnaires. One of the …

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Handouts & questionnaires for assessing & building good relationship networks

8th September 2008

Relationships are crucial. They are crucial in promoting resilience to stress, and they are crucial in enhancing wellbeing and happiness. Research suggests that all three of social support, social integration and (inversely) social conflict contribute to self-esteem and health. The relationship questionnaire & scoring provides a helpful way of assessing …

wellbeing stress assessment conflict relationships couples friendship

Goal setting and wellbeing

7th September 2008

It has seemed likely for some time that skilful goal setting boosts wellbeing. A couple of small recent research studies from the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London reinforce this understanding (MacLeod, Coates et al. 2008). Wellbeing was assessed by an often used conglomerate measure which adds …

wellbeing assessment life satisfaction goals questionnaires

Self-determination theory

6th September 2008

I'm a big fan of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT is a general theory of motivation and personality that has evolved over the past three decades. SDT suggests that humans, like plants or other animals, intrinsically 'strive' for need satisfaction & flourishing. Social context and personal choices can support or thwart …

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Recent research: exercise, diet, and smoking

4th September 2008

There are a series of interesting recent research studies here highlighting the drastic reduction in physical exercise taken by young people as they move into their teenage years, the fascinating protective association between muscular strength and mortality in men even allowing for cardiorespiratory fitness and other potentially confounding factors, the …

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Some mindfulness resources on the internet

3rd September 2008

There was an interesting request on JISCmail (see note below), the listserv for BABCP cognitive-behavioural therapists, asking about podcasts on mindfulness. Several people wrote in with useful suggestions. These included: I don't know if this is exactly what you are looking for, but you can listen to Matthiew Richard on …

mindfulness internet meditation

Handouts & questionnaires for panic, agoraphobia & depersonalization

1st September 2008

I've been working on the 'Panic & depersonalization' handouts list in the Good Knowledge section of this website. The list contains most of the handouts and questionnaires I currently use when working with people suffering from panic disorder, agoraphobia or depersonalization/ derealization disorder. Here they are with brief descriptions: Panic …

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