Reduce Substance Abuse with Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “When people take substances, they’re seeking a certain experience, whether it’s escapist or transcendental or just wanting a different psychological state, to get away from whatever is making them unhappy. Yoga is an alternative, a positive way to generate a change in consciousness […]
Improve Bipolar Disorder with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy appears to have lasting benefits for people with bipolar disorder, a new study . . surveyed participants two years after the training and found that incorporating mindfulness practices and mindful breathing into daily life on a regular basis was associated with better prevention […]
Reduce Depression During and After Pregnancy with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness practice, when attention increases in one area of life, the awareness expands in many other areas, as well. A mother who is able to care for and attend to her own vulnerabilities will have much more access to those […]
Reduce Depression by Improving Brain Responses with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “If we accept that you can’t control your thoughts or feelings, but rather focus on cultivating your awareness of them, and regulate their impact, without getting caught up with them, then life can be far less stressful. The important […]
Depressions Interferes with Mindfulness’ Relationship to Smoking By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “There’s lots of self-judgment that goes on when you’re trying to do something difficult, like trying to quit smoking. Also, if we judge others, that can get us riled up, which can lead to smoking. We teach it as a […]
Improve Depression with Diabetes with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “There is reasonable evidence that mindfulness training decreases anxiety and depression in people with medical conditions like diabetes. On the other hand, what little evidence exists seems to suggest that this alone will not result in better self-management in chronic diseases […]
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is Effective Regardless of Teacher Competence By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Over the past 15 years, the results of numerous randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that MBCT can be a powerful intervention for people who have experienced clinical depression three or more times. Evidence indicates MBCT may reduce the […]
Correct Brain Rhythms and Reduce Depression with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness, or paying full attention to the present moment, can be very helpful in improving the cognitive symptoms of depression. . . Through mindfulness, individuals start to see their thoughts as less powerful. These distorted thoughts – such as “I […]
Stay Abstinent from Smoking Mindfully By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “I liken it to having weeds in your garden. Standard treatments—for example, avoiding triggers such as ashtrays and lighters or using substitutes such as eating carrot sticks and chewing on your pen—just pull the heads off the weeds, so they grow back. […]
Improve Major depression with Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Yoga gives us an active role in healing. And by slowing down mental chatter through breath work, it helps facilitate self-acceptance. In other words, through practicing yoga, we become quieter and more grounded. Yoga can help perfectionists as well as those who […]