“Addiction tries to make a spiritual experience static. When we are in an addictive process, we want to hold on to the moment, not feeling the discomfort of the longing but attempting to maintain what we feel in an instant. Our spirituality becomes stagnate and the addiction leads us into a deep bondage with […]
“I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering.” – Steven Wright We spend a tremendous amount of our time with our minds wandering and not on the task or the environment at hand. We daydream, plan for the future, review the past, ruminate on our failures, exalt in our successes. […]
Anxiety is a very common emotional state. It is a state characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. For most people occasional anxiety is manageable. But for many it is chronic or extreme in magnitude and can have a major disruptive effect on […]
Reduce Opioid Dependence in Chronic Pain Patients with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “meditation involves endogenous opioid pathways, mediating its analgesic effect and growing resilient with increasing practice to external suggestion.” – Haggai Sharon Substance abuse is a major health and social problem. There are estimated 22.2 million people in […]
Psychedelic Drug Treatments have Little or No Adverse Side Effects By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Flashbacks and psychosis can happen to anyone, but research has shown that they are more often observed in patients with a history of psychological problems.” – Buddy T Psychedelic substances such as peyote, mescaline, LSD, Bufotoxin, ayahuasca and psilocybin have […]
Reduce Opioid Dosage in Chronic Pain Patients with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It’s clear that when it comes to tackling pain, it takes all of the tools in the toolkit. And when it comes to opioids, the approach needn’t be all or nothing. . . the combination of medicine plus […]
Improve Alcohol Treatment Completion with Spirituality By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “spiritual experiences and spiritual practices, including prayer and mindfulness meditation, may be helpful in reducing hazardous drinking and in the treatment of [Alcohol Use Disorder].” – Katie Witkiewitz Inappropriate use of alcohol is a major societal problem. In fact, about […]
Mindfulness Improve Social Media Control While Social Media Control Improves Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “social media overuse is increasingly commonplace today, and it may have some serious repercussions to your physical and mental health.” – Kristeen Cherney Over the last few decades, the internet has gone from a rare curiosity […]
Mindfulness Improves Physical and Mental Well-Being By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “scientists have found that practicing mindfulness is associated with changes in the structure and function of the brain as well as changes in our body’s response to stress, suggesting that this practice has important impacts on our physical and emotional health.” – University […]
Reduce Opioid-Treated Pain and Opioid Dosage with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mind-body therapies — including meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnosis — were associated with improvements in pain and reduced opioid doses.” – Erin Michael We all have to deal with pain. It’s inevitable, but hopefully it’s mild and […]