MORE Mindfulness for Stopping Smoking 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. […]
Remove Mental Sets to Improve Depression with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “This new evidence for mindfulness-based cognitive therapy … is very heartening. While MBCT is not a panacea, it does clearly offer those with a substantial history of depression a new approach to learning skills to stay well in the long-term.” […]
Reduce Obsessions with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness may be very beneficial for those of us who struggle with obsessive impulses, not just because it makes us more aware of them, but also because it enables our brains to deal with them better, in the same way that exercising makes […]
Improve Emotions in Quitting Smokers by Increasing Relaxation with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Depressed individuals tend to smoke at higher rates; at the same time, depressive symptoms make it more difficult to quit. Consequently, depressed individuals suffer from a higher rate of smoking-related diseases. Developing and implementing effective smoking cessation […]
Improve Drug Resistant Major Depressive Disorder with Yoga Breathing Exercises By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Yoga breathing can help you manage the symptoms of both anxiety and depression. After years of meditating, and learning to observe my anxiety-based depression, I actually recovered from a condition that literally almost killed me. I regained […]
Improve Treatment Resistant Depression with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “People at risk for depression are dealing with a lot of negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs about themselves and this can easily slide into a depressive relapse. MBCT helps them to recognize that’s happening, engage with it in a different way […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness, which is commonly described as present-moment, nonjudgmental awareness, can be an effective tool for riding out cravings and “sitting with” the distress associated with the quitting process. Furthermore, mindfulness can help foster an attitude of acceptance of present-moment challenges and thoughts (such as, “Quitting feels extremely […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Depression is not only the most common mental illness, it’s also one of the most tenacious. Up to 80 percent of people who experience a major depressive episode may relapse. Drugs may lose their effectiveness over time, if they work at all. But a growing body of […]
Mindfulness Training Equals Drugs in Effectiveness for Depression By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “People at risk for depression are dealing with a lot of negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs about themselves and this can easily slide into a depressive relapse. MBCT helps them to recognize that’s happening, engage with it in a […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “The idea behind mindfulness meditation is to observe the present moment by paying attention to the breath and body, as well as thoughts and emotions. People with challenges related to addiction tend to act out on addictive behaviors to avoid uncomfortable feelings and to bring pleasure. . […]