Mindfulness is Associated with Reduced Inflexibility and Psychopathology in Adolescents By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “As present-moment focused, mindfulness, acceptance, and defusion interventions alter the context, behavioral flexibility emerges and, with it, increased sensitivity to context, including that aspect of context we call consequences.” – Kelly Wilson Adolescence should be a […]
Improve Prisoner Mental Health with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Through meditation, prisoners come to recognize their conditioning as their own and take responsibility for it, and ultimately step outside of it so their thoughts and actions can come from a space of freedom. For some it’s like a light bulb […]
Reduce Burnout in Palliative Care Teams with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “The fullness of life, tuned-in “being” and focused work that result from mindfulness have significant health and well-being consequences for hospice and palliative care professionals.” – Ellen Langer Stress is epidemic in the western workplace with almost two […]
Improve Adolescent Mental Health and School Performance with Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “school-based yoga cultivates competencies in mind-body awareness, self-regulation, and physical fitness. And classroom teachers benefit as well. Taken together, these competencies may lead to improvements in students’ behavior, mental state, health, and performance, as well as teacher resilience, […]
Improve Well-Being with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “We believe that mindfulness—with its many benefits being increasingly corroborated through an array of scholarly approaches—is reaching a tipping point of being accepted, like physical exercise, as an essential element of well-being.” – Shalini Bahl “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying […]
Help Reduce Psychopathology with Severe Skin Conditions with Spirituality By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Spiritual practices tend to improve coping skills and social support, foster feelings of optimism and hope, promote healthy behavior, reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and encourage a sense of relaxation. By alleviating stressful feelings and promoting healing […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “A common factor in the healing effect of yoga for all of these issues is its ability to develop increased awareness of the body and its inner sensations- called “interoception”–which is central to emotion awareness and emotion regulation and to self-regulation in general.” – Frank Schwoeri Therapists […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Self-deprecating comedians and complainers wear their neuroticism as a badge of honor. In truth, the negatively biased are more prone to depression, anxiety, self-consciousness and hypochondria, to name just a few behavioral tripwires. Neuroticism is no fun for anyone.” – Psychology Today We often speak of people […]
Improve Psychological Health of Veterans with a Mantra By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Asking for clarity provides a way to begin to see a path out of the pain of personal issues. With spiritual support the pain begins to be released, the path becomes clearer and the next step to create the […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Tai Chi exercise had positive effects on the self-assessed physical and mental health of college students. Scores on the mental health dimension appeared to be particularly sensitive to change. Colleges/universities might consider offering Tai Chi as a component of their ongoing physical activity programs available to students.” […]