Seven recent research studies: folate & depression; grain, cancer & weight control; protein & increased cardiovascular disease
16th August 2012
It's been a while since I wrote a blog post on diet. However there is a good deal of accuracy in the comment "You are what you eat". This is definitely an area it's crucial to consider for improvements in stress, health & wellbeing. So in previous posts, I have …
Using Williams & Penman's book "Mindfulness: a practical guide" as a self-help resource - overview of 10 supporting blog posts
14th August 2012
Earlier this year I wrote a sequence of ten blog posts to support people working their way through Mark Williams & Danny Penman's fine book "Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world" as a self-help training in mindfulness practice. I've referred lots of people to these …
Going back for a university reunion: reconstructing our personal stories (2nd post)
12th August 2012
"Those who do not have the power over the story that dominates their lives - the power to retell it, reexperience it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change - truly are powerless because they cannot think new thoughts" Salman Rushdie I wrote a first post …
Mindfulness and the therapeutic relationship: does it make any difference?
10th August 2012
I've been asked to give a talk on "Mindfulness and the healing relationship" at a seminar later this autumn. The brief is to approach the subject via the emerging research evidence. The seminar organizer may well reduce the number of words involved, but the information I sent him read: "James …
Recent research: articles from July journals
9th August 2012
I read a lot of research. When I find an article of particular interest I download it to my bibliographic database - EndNote - which currently contains over 18,000 abstracts. Every few weeks I scan through all the articles I've found interesting in the previous month (in the general areas …
Update on website traffic: my own favourite top 15 (11-15) - exercise, lifestyle, writing, goal setting & positive psychology
7th August 2012
Earlier this year I used Google Analytics to identify the most read pages on this website and I wrote the post "Update on website traffic: the ten most popular blog posts". I then wondered - "What are my own personal favourites?" and I quickly realised that the posts that I've …
Going back for a university reunion: stirring up memories, avoidant attachment, "puffing up" and kindness (1st post)
5th August 2012
"The spirit of a man is constructed out of his choices." Irvin Yalom "I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or …
Leeds BABCP conference: compassion focused therapy & CBT, John Vlaeyen & treating chronic pain problems (8th post)
2nd August 2012
In June I wrote a series of five posts reporting on a pre-conference workshop (about treating chronic fatigue) and the first day of the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) main annual conference, held this year in Leeds. Then last month I wrote a further couple of posts. …
Commitment contracts: they really can help us achieve personally difficult goals
22nd July 2012
Four months ago I wrote a post entitled "Commitment contracts: another good way of helping us reach our goals" where I introduced some of the recent research on how helpful making a "commitment contract" can be when we're trying to attain particularly challenging personal goals. I mentioned the website www.stickK.com …
Power objects, power postures, power clothes, power prayers: all ways to facilitate change (2nd post)
21st July 2012
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work" Thomas Edison In yesterday's post - "Power objects, power postures, power clothes, power prayers: all ways to facilitate change (1st post)" - I introduced recent research highlighting how we can use physical objects and …