Welcome to the archive. Here you will find all my blog articles since 2019 on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Process-Based Therapy, new advances in psychology, personal stories, and much more. You can find all my blog articles in reverse chronological order. Enjoy.
Blog Articles
A simple exercise to rediscover your purpose and find meaning
Revolutionizing Mental Health Care With MindGrapher
Everyone is familiar with the struggle to retain skills once learned. It’s a process that is ever present in psychotherapy …
Practicing the Skills You Need to Change Your Life Read More »
Last Sunday, February 12, was Darwin Day and it is worth a moment to think again about his relevance to …
The Darwin Effect: How Evolution Can Guide Your Success Read More »
A long time ago, I almost lost my life at work. My dad sold aluminium to aircraft manufacturers in San …
What I Learned About Pain From Almost Being Killed Read More »
The holidays are often the time of year where family comes together. Distant and close relatives show up …
If you get lost in painful thoughts and feelings, it often helps to do this simple technique.
When you ask high achievers why they succeed where others fail, they often reply with what psychologists call “self-efficacy” – …
The history of psychedelics is deeply intertwined with the history of humanity. Indigenous cultures often ingested hallucinogenic substances in spiritual …
How can you become more mentally resilient? I think it’s possible to give an answer that covers almost everything science …
Everything Important About Mental Health You Learned In The Gym Read More »
When you think about visiting a therapist for the first time, you might feel quite uncomfortable. After all, why should …
Why does psychotherapy work? Until relatively recently, many scientists studying methods of improving mental and behavioral health have delayed answering …
The internet is full of advice. I’ve written a few self-help books myself and I’ve created many scores of blogs …
Life is constantly teaching you to be smarter and wiser. With every consequence you face, you learn more about which …
Imagine you had a friend who is there for you whenever you need them. Someone who cares about you, who …
Doing what matters comes with pain. But we can learn to be more effective about it. Here’s how.
Why do we lash out at our partner, when we want to be kind and caring? Why do we isolate …
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It’s nearing the end of October, and Halloween is about to begin. This is the time of monsters. The time …
In 100 years, no method could reliably improve people’s Intelligence. Until now.
Emotions seldom do what we want them to. Here’s what you can do to get in control.
Emotions are like the warning signal’s on your car’s dashboard. Here’s why you use them wrong.
After an 11-year effort, my 15-year old son earned his Black Belt in mixed martial arts yesterday. My wife and …
How my Son’s Black Belt Reveals the Biggest Scientific Error in Our Culture Today Read More »
When people talk about love, they often mean the intense kind of involuntary emotional states you “fall” into that go …
I drove my son on a 25 minute ride to his Dojo for his karate class tonight. I waited and …
There are few things in life more important to your overall happiness than the quality of your relationships. And among …
In today’s world, apps and websites are how people get a great deal of their mental and behavioral health information. …
Why Science Matters: The Uncommon Sense of ACT and Psychological Flexibility Read More »
Your body knows the secret to dealing with difficult challenges. Here’s how it works.
The Coronavirus has changed all of our lives, and – depending on the country you are in – also your …
Why It’s So Damn Difficult To Wear A Mask (And How To Do It Anyway) Read More »
We all have people in our lives that we look up to, that inspire us, and that make us want …
Knowing your values is important for a meaningful life. But what if your values are bad?
In the 13th century, medics commonly treated mental illness by drilling a hole into a person’s head, thus releasing demons …
Racism runs deep in the fabric of our cognitive networks, driven by fear, objectification, failures of perspective taking, and self-avoidance. …
The Corona pandemic is a mental challenge. Here’s how to come out on top!
How staying at home can affect your mental health, as well as what you can do about it.
There is a scientifically proven trick to getting control over your bad habits.
We all have goals we want to achieve and habits we want to change. Yet too often we stand in …
Decades ago, as a rising academic, I had to choose between two universities: The prestigious Washington University in St. Louis, …
I’ve taught dozens of people to play the guitar, and I’ve learned to predict who will learn to play well: …
I once had a client who, when asked about her deepest values, paused for a long time, before she finally …
A song I like to listen to reminds me in its lyrics that in 5 billion years the Andromeda galaxy …
The human mind is a problem-solving machine. It can come up with creative solutions for the most complex problems, helping …
Your mind can be your biggest enemy. On a daily basis, it spews out difficult thoughts like “I’m not good …
What do you think is the most frequent complaint when people seek therapy? In my experience, it is a variant …
We all yearn to belong to others. You can see it in infants who cry out for their mother. You …
Question #1 What is the central theme of the book? The central theme of A Liberated Mind is that …
How to escape the prison of your mind and enjoy true inner freedom.
The first of January is a significant date. Not only is it the beginning of a new calendar year, it’s …
In every area of life science if you stop and ask the question about a structure or process “why is …
When ACT first appeared on the scene in a big way, mainstream CBT was not exactly thrilled. In 2004 I’d …
The key to the human mind is to understand human symbolic communication. That is not an original idea – in …
Do you toss and turn in bed? Can’t get to sleep (or go back to sleep) no matter what you …
The following is an interview between Steve Hayes and Jonathan Bricker on the occasion of Jonathan’s TEDx talk passing the …
