Everyone would like to increase their mental performance. A new study shows a simple way to boost cognitive performance markedly without resorting to cognitive enhancing or sweating over difficult mental exercises to strengthen your grey matter. Simply

Play therapy is a type of therapy that, as the name suggests, involves playing. It has been around for a long time, even in an academic context.Recently, play therapy has been refined and targeted to a variety of different disorders, from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Play therapy has also been used in normal functioning children and adults to great effect.Read on to learn what play therapy is and some of its benefits, as well as how to

Abnormal psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with psychopathology and abnormal behavior, often in a clinical context. The term covers a broad range of disorders, from depression to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to personality disorders. Counselors, clinical psychologists, and psychotherapists often work directly in this field.OverviewIn order to understand abnormal psychology, it's essential to first understand what we mean by the term "abnormal." On the surface, the meaning

Article SummaryXTo have an out of body experience, prepare your mind by repeatedly telling yourself that you will have an OBE. Try setting your alarm for 4 hours after you go to bed for your OBE since this is a time when your mind and body are relaxed and open to new experiences. When your alarm goes off, move to a new area so you don’t simply fall back asleep. Then, sit quietly for 15 minutes while focusing on your desire to have an OBE. As you get comfortable, close your eyes and visualize

Preliminary study indicates that the drug outperforms conventional therapies in preventing relapse. We talk to Dr Ben Sessa, adolescent and adult addictions psychiatrist at Imperial College London and the University of Bristol.AdvertisementHow did the research come about?As a psychiatrist working with children and adolescents, I spent years working with abused and maltreated children. Then I moved into adult addictions, and realised that adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s with cocaine, opiate and

If you are suffering from depression, but would prefer to try something natural before going the traditional pharmaceutical route, here are some remedies that have stood up to rigorous testing.1. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy seeks to help people change how they think about things. Unlike more traditional forms of therapy, it focuses on “here and now” problems and difficulties. Numerous clinical studies throughout the world have consistently demonstrated

"By adopting a certain physical posture, a resonant chord is struck in spirit." – Bruce Lee"I have to get my workout in. If I don’t exercise, I won’t be healthy. I don’t want to end up like my parents. I should be smaller and more toned, I need to work harder. I should be ashamed of myself, I have let myself go." These were just some of the thoughts, beliefs and emotions that motivated my own personal physical activity from age 15 to age 27. Every dance class I took, fitness group exercise I

Perhaps you’ve had this feeling when everything seems like it’s too much. Sometimes there are days, weeks, months and even years when getting through the day, doing your job or getting out of bed feels unbearable for no particular reason. It might be due to anxiety, depression or another mental illness. It might be due to a physical or mental distress. It might be because you broke up with the love of your life. It might be because you are in grief. It might be for no vivid reason as well – you

A professor of cognitive science argues that the world is nothing like the one we experience through our senses.As we go about our daily lives, we tend to assume that our perceptions—sights, sounds, textures, tastes—are an accurate portrayal of the real world. Sure, when we stop and think about it—or when we find ourselves fooled by a perceptual illusion—we realize with a jolt that what we perceive is never the world directly, but rather our brain’s best guess at what that world is like, a kind

A mental map is a first-person perspective of an area and how they interact with it. An easy example would be the image you have of your neighborhood. Your mental map of where you live allows you to know how to get to your favorite coffee shop. It is what you use to plan activities and routes to travel. This kind of mapping is studied by behavioral geographers to help them create things like improved driving directions.Does Everyone Have a Mental Map?Yes, everyone has mental maps. We use them

A paper in The British Medical Journal in December reported that cognitive behavioral therapy — a means of coaxing people into changing the way they think — is as effective as Prozac or Zoloft in treating major depression.In ways no one understands, talk therapy reaches down into the biological plumbing and affects the flow of neurotransmitters in the brain. Other studies have found similar results for “mindfulness” — Buddhist-inspired meditation in which one’s thoughts are allowed to drift