News & Events

A study investigated the effects of going to bed 2 hours later than normal but getting up at the usual time. It found that people not only became more impulsive and prone to mistakes the following day but also experienced a flattening of normally pleasurable feelings. Missing out on a good night’s sleep is a well-known cause of cognitive and emotional problems and making people more accident-prone the next day. Over longer periods, sleep deprivation is associated with worse mental and physical health. The National Sleep Foundation in the United States recommend that teenagers get 8–10 hours of sleep a night and [...]

Resuming some version of normal life is incredibly appealing, especially for psychotherapy. Like I wrote about for the American Psychological Association (APA), what takes place on screens, while workable, is fundamentally different and more difficult than when people are together. But mid-pandemic in-person psychotherapy may not be such a good solution for the limitations of screens and speakers, and it’s not at all a return to normal life. In fact, and it’s not obvious, the balance of risks and rewards argues against returning to the office however much one may want to. For almost everyone, video or audio [...]

Tools and techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The Corona pandemic is putting us all in front of new challenges. There are economic challenges, because entire businesses can no longer operate, putting millions of people out of work. And there are health challenges – not only due to Corona itself, but because the pandemic strains the resources of our healthcare system, leading to the illness and death of people who otherwise would have received proper treatment. And as if this wasn’t enough, we also face mental health challenges. Because of Corona, going outside is no longer [...]