A long time ago, I almost lost my life at work. My dad sold aluminium to aircraft manufacturers in San Diego, and I was working in the factory to put myself through college. Among other things, they produced aluminium foil, which required house-sized machines to squeeze thick aluminium sheets on gigantic multi-ton spools as they …
What I Learned About Pain From Almost Being Killed Read More »
The history of psychedelics is deeply intertwined with the history of humanity. Indigenous cultures often ingested hallucinogenic substances in spiritual rituals to build deeper connections with nature and different deities. They used them to heal wounds, to prepare for battles, and also just to have fun. Nowadays, however, the practice of psychedelics has shifted. Even …
Why does psychotherapy work? Until relatively recently, many scientists studying methods of improving mental and behavioral health have delayed answering that question. Instead, they argued, it’s better first to ask if a method works, and when we know that it does, then we can ask why. It’s not an irrational strategy, but as the decades …
The internet is full of advice. I’ve written a few self-help books myself and I’ve created many scores of blogs and podcasts focused on processes of change. The psychological flexibility model that undergirds ACT is one of the most important sets of helpful psychological processes known, and often these skills have been the focus of …
Emotions are like the warning signal’s on your car’s dashboard. Here’s why you use them wrong.
Do you toss and turn in bed? Can’t get to sleep (or go back to sleep) no matter what you do? I’ve been there and one thing is sure: insomnia is frustrating! It’s also bad for your health. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, …
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 countries. It was the horror …
Behavioral Science and Local Empowerment Are Needed to Help Solve the Ebola Crisis Read More »
Will You Commit and Act in the Fight Against Ebola? Among the problems countries like Sierra Leone face in the battle against Ebola, two strike the American mind as all but incomprehensible: 1.) the widespread skepticism that the disease actually exists and 2.) burial practices that to our eyes are not only clear disease vectors …
