Going back for a university reunion: emotional intelligence, group work & learning to relate more deeply (3rd post)
19th August 2012
"God guard me from those thoughts men think in the mind alone; he that sings a lasting song, thinks in a marrow bone." W. B. Yeats "We camouflage our true being before others to protect ourselves against criticism or rejection. This protection comes at a steep price. When we are …
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. …