by Steve Hayes | Jun 29, 2021 | Emotion, Happiness, Relationships
A good man died a few days ago at the age of 87. He was one of the single most important persons in my life, and indeed he’s why I am a psychologist. I never met him. I corresponded with him only once – when I sent him a thank you note nearly 50 years after he’d...
by Steve Hayes | Mar 10, 2021 | Emotion, Relationships
When people talk about love, they often mean the intense kind of involuntary emotional states you “fall” into that go by that name. It’s a model of love you see in Disney movies, hear about in pop songs, and read about in corny romance novels. It’s the kind that...
by Steve Hayes | Dec 8, 2020 | ACT, psychological flexibility, Relationships
There are few things in life more important to your overall happiness than the quality of your relationships. And among all the relationships you build and foster throughout your lifetime, few stand out as the one with your significant other. Your partner gets to...
by Steve Hayes | Dec 18, 2014 | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT, Child Development, Evidence-Based Psychotherapy, Happiness, Human Suffering, Relationships, Self-as-Context
Is it important to love yourself? It seems that depends on how you do it. Few concepts in popular psychology have gotten more attention over the last few decades than self-esteem and its importance in life success and long-term mental health. Of course, much of this...
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...