Improve the Psychological Health of Patients with Early Psychosis with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “for people with psychosis without severe social anxiety, learning mindfulness strategies in a group format is greatly appreciated and offers clear benefits—in terms of participants being more active, less depressed and less anxious.” – Tania Lecomte […]
Spirituality is Associated with Better Psychological Well-Being but also Cognitive Distortions By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “No causal link has been established, but higher levels of spirituality have been linked to increased compassion, strengthened relationships, and improved self-esteem.” – Psychology Today Spirituality is defined as “one’s personal affirmation of and relationship to a […]
Improve Major Mental Illnesses with Mindfulness and Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “for many patients dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress, yoga may be a very appealing way to better manage symptoms. Indeed, the scientific study of yoga demonstrates that mental and physical health are not just closely allied, but are […]
Improve Psychiatric Disorders with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Is mindfulness better than medication or other therapies? No, probably not; But if you are someone who doesn’t believe in taking medication or seeing an individual therapist you might be more inclined to engage in the practice of mindfulness. So, it becomes, […]
Improve Severe Mental Illness with Yoga and Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “yoga does in fact have positive effects on mild depression and sleep problems, and it improves the symptoms of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and ADHD among patients using medication.” – Alexandra Sifferin Psychoses are mental health problems that cause people […]
Reduce Distress at Hearing Voices with Self-Compassion and Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness is increasingly being used for psychological approaches to voice-hearing and other experiences that can be seen as ‘psychotic’ . . The aim of mindfulness is to develop an accepting approach to thoughts and feelings and through understanding […]
Reduce Paranoia with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “people who receive Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) are taught how to detach from their feelings of paranoia and social discomfort and to recognize that the feelings are simply feelings, and are not reality.” – Jen Wilson Paranoia is a tendency to […]
Improve Mental Illness with Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “for the general person, yoga greatly enhances mental health: mood, sense of self, motivation, sense of inner direction and purpose, as well as physical health—and physical health is so important for mental health.“– Eleanor Criswell Yoga is a complex of practices including […]
Reduce Suspiciousness and Excessive Social Anxiety with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Our nervous system is like the soundtrack for every scene in life that we encounter. It is all but impossible to experience a scene as safe and happy when the music tells us otherwise. With a mindful, body-based approach, clients can […]
Reduce Psychotic Symptoms with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “While meditating the last day I finally could see love as an underlying force in the universe, and I had a waking dream of some fractal patterns realigning, it is hard to describe with words. It is still embarrassing to remember all […]