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Reappraisal training can help hugely in coping with difficult experiences

Originally added on 27th August 2017
Last updated on 14th April 2020

Reappraisal (changing the meaning we give to experiences) has been repeatedly shown to be one of the most effective ways we have to regulate our emotions.  It's one of the star components of effective emotion-regulation, coping-skill toolkits ... and it's important to realise that these toolkits can be very helpful (De Castella, 2017).  Reappraisal is important across a variety of difficult states ... depression (Cheng, 2017), anxiety (Goldin, 2017), anger, interpersonal conflict, minor hassles (Richardson, 2017), and major life difficulties.

Sleep: what is it, why does it matter, and how much do we need?

Originally added on 28th July 2017
Last updated on 26th August 2017

Yesterday I listened to Professor Colin Espie lecture on "What is sleep ... and why does it matter?".   I then went on to his packed two hour workshop on "Assessing and treating insomnia in everyday clinical practice".  I've heard Colin lecture before and been to a full day workshop with him as well, but it's great to get an update on where sleep research & treatment has got to.  Colin is a professor of Sleep Medicine linked with the Oxford 'Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute' and is very much a world expert in this area. 

42 Healthy lifestyle & healthy ageing relevant abstracts: July '17 newsletter

Originally added on 25th July 2017
Last updated on 25th July 2017

Here is a downloadable PDF of these abstracts.

U.S, Food & Drug Administration. (2017). Eating fish: What pregnant women and parents should know. U. S. F. D. Administration.

            FDA and EPA have issued advice regarding eating fish. This advice is geared toward helping women who are pregnant or may become pregnant - as well as breastfeeding mothers and parents of young children - make informed choices when it comes to fish that is healthy and safe to eat (however pretty much anyone can benefit by being aware of this information).  The advice includes a chart that makes it easier than ever to choose dozens of healthy and safe options, and a set of frequently asked questions & answers.

 

26 Mindfulness & Compassion-relevant research studies: July '17 newsletter

Originally added on 25th July 2017
Last updated on 25th July 2017

Here is a downloadable PDF of these 26 abstracts.

Ainsworth, B., H. Bolderston, et al. (2017). "Testing the differential effects of acceptance and attention-based psychological interventions on intrusive thoughts and worry." Behaviour Research and Therapy 91: 72-77. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796717300190

Recent research: articles from spring/summer journals

Originally added on 23rd July 2017
Last updated on 23rd October 2017

I read a lot of research.  When I find an article of particular interest I download it to my bibliographic database - Endnote - which currently contains over 25,000 abstracts.  I also regularly tweet about emerging research, so following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ (click on the relevant icon at the top of this web page) will keep you up to speed with some of what I'm finding interesting. Additionally you can view this highlighted research by visiting Scoop.it (click on the "it!" icon at the top of the page).  At Scoop.it, I stream publications into five overlapping topic areas: Cognitive & General Psychotherapy, Depression, Compassion & Mindfulness, Healthy Living & Healthy Aging, and Positive Psychology.

Compassion lecture: what? why? how? so ... ?

Originally added on 1st June 2017
Last updated on 1st July 2017

I'm due to give a short lecture tomorrow on "Compassion".  Here is a downloadable copy of the slides ... sadly with most of the images removed for copyright reasons.  The event is a "Collider session".  It's a kind of upmarket brainstorming exercise with an invited group of participants to look at how compassionate ideas & interventions might be helpfully introduced when the new Edinburgh university student intake arrives this autumn.  I'm being wheeled on to give a brief introductory overview.

Useful to have Paul Gilbert's very recently published book to refer to:

Balanced meditation practice: an overview

Originally added on 22nd May 2017
Last updated on 18th June 2017

Taking our attention inwards can be done helpfully in so many ways.  We can relax; we can be mindfully aware; we can use visualisations; we can deeply savour present time experience; we can process difficulties from our pasts or prepare ourselves for challenges in the future.  There are so many useful ways of using our minds to help ourselves.  In the diagram below, one can think of "mindfulness' as representing "content irrelevant" - it's how we're relating to mind-body content rather than what the mind-body content is that's important.  "Exploring & processing" however is very much "content relevant" - whether one is gaining perspective by seeing what the content is and "naming" it, or seeing what the content is and learning from it (as in focusing).