Improve Psychological Health with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness exercises are ways of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing, and yoga. Training helps people to become more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and body sensations so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, they are […]
Improve Type II Diabetes with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness works not by eliminating guilt, shame, or depression but by guiding people to work though these emotions and accomplish what they need to do to feel better — either by pushing through a workout, passing up an extra piece of […]
Decrease Chronic Pain with HIV Infection with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “When it came to processing my HIV diagnosis, meditation offered me a framework for reflection, self-forgiveness, forgiving others and moving toward a place of acceptance.” – Seb Stuart More than 35 million people worldwide and 1.2 million people […]
Improve Inflammatory Responses in Breast Cancer Survivors with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Several studies have documented the value of meditation in managing both psychological and physical symptoms associated with cancer and its treatments. But it is important for patients considering meditation to note that regular, ongoing practice is essential for […]
Improve Acute Respiratory Infections (Colds) with Mindfulness and Exercise By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “A recent study . . .has found that exercising or practicing meditation can be an effective way to reduce acute respiratory infections. These infections, such as influenza, are incredibly common and can account for millions of doctor visits […]
Improve Connectivity of Brain Areas Underlying Executive Cognitive Function with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Think of mindfulness practices as short routines or “gym” sessions that exercise your executive functions. Performed consistently, mindfulness practices strengthen your executive function muscles and help you to be more mindful when you need to be. “ […]
Improve Athletic Performance with Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment Therapy By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “The crowd gets quiet, and the moment starts to become the moment for me . . . that’s part of that Zen Buddhism stuff. Once you get into the moment, you know when you are there. Things start to move slowly, […]
Improve Depression in Overweight Adolescent Girls with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “By practicing meditation, you’re able to gently develop a capacity to witness pain as it happens inside you without letting the stories your mind tells you cause you to act self-destructively. Meditation teaches us to wake up from the […]
Reduce Emotional Eating with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It wasn’t until I began to eat mindfully that I realized why I was eating so much, and why it was so hard to change. I started to realize how much of a crutch food was for me, and how I used […]
Mindfulness Improves Psychological and Physical Health in South Africans By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) can be seen as a public health intervention, designed to over time move the bell curve of society as a whole toward greater health.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn Mindfulness training has been shown to […]