by Steve Hayes | Jun 15, 2022 | Acceptance, Anxiety, Avoidance, Cognition, Depression, Emotion
Life is constantly teaching you to be smarter and wiser. With every consequence you face, you learn more about which actions likely lead to pleasure, and which actions likely result in pain. For instance, if you see a glowing, red circle on top of a stove, and you...
by Steve Hayes | Feb 8, 2022 | Acceptance, Anxiety, Avoidance, Depression, Mindfulness
“In mindfulness one is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926-2022) There are lots of benefits to be gained from meditation in all of its various forms: From Christian...
by Steve Hayes | Jan 22, 2019 | Avoidance, Commitment
The first of January is a significant date. Not only is it the beginning of a new calendar year, it’s also a psychological turning point, where millions of people commit themselves to making a change. Some people might feel motivated to leave sweets and alcohol...
by Steve Hayes | Feb 1, 2016 | Acceptance, ACT, Anxiety, Avoidance, Biographical Sketch, psychological flexibility
How love turns pain into purpose What can we do to prosper when facing pain and suffering in our lives? More than a thousand studies suggest that a major part of the answer is learning psychological flexibility. Steven C. Hayes is one of the researchers who first...
by Steve Hayes | Oct 29, 2014 | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT, Avoidance, Cognitive Defusion, Denial, Emotion, Evidence-Based Psychotherapy, Guilt, Present Moment, Relationships, Values
Why Our National Conversation is Wrong and What to Do about It In the wake of the NFL domestic violence scandal the media has exploded with questions about what we need to do governmentally, institutionally, and politically to better manage partner abuse. Some have...
by Steve Hayes | Oct 6, 2014 | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT, Avoidance, Biographical Sketch, Clinicians, Cognitive Defusion, Evidence-Based Psychotherapy, Health, Human Beings, Human Suffering, Pain, Relationships, Uncategorized, Values
The West African Ebola crisis is holding up a mirror to the world, and what it is reflecting back is worrisome. I was listening to the news reporting yesterday with a mixture of interest and horror. The horror was not just about what is going on in these West African...