Tag Archives: Mindfulness

29Oct/26

Why Positive Thinking Backfires

October 29, 2026HealthcareAcceptance and commitment therapy, Alan Watts, Articles, Behavioural sciences, Cognitive behavioral therapy, Cyril Connolly, dopamine, Emergence, Experiential avoidance, Flexibility, Frank Bond, G.W.F. Hegel, Human behavior, Iglesias, Implementing Evidence, Jack, Jacobus Johannes van der Leeuw, John Welwood, Kierkegaard, Levitt, Mental health, Mind–body interventions, Mindfulness, Psychologyadmin

Cultivating Psychological Flexibility: Synthesizing Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Science, and Existential Thought

Thu, July 29 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Psychological Flexibility and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Psychological flexibility—defined as consciously contacting the present moment as a human being and guiding action based on chosen values—serves as the foundational mechanism of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Derived from Relational Frame Theory (RFT), ACT addresses the core problematic process of experiential avoidance, wherein individuals expend immense energy attempting to suppress, escape, or alter unpleasant thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. Cognitive fusion occurs when literal language and internal verbal rules dominate behavior, pulling individuals away from direct contingencies in their environment. Through core processes such as cognitive defusion, acceptance, present-moment awareness, self-as-context, values clarification, and committed action, ACT fundamentally alters an individual’s relationship to their internal experiences rather than attempting to forcibly modify cognitive content. Empirical research confirms that workplace interventions increasing psychological flexibility enhance employee health, innovation, software mastery, and performance targets while outperforming traditional individual-difference constructs like Emotional Intelligence or the Big Five personality traits. Continue reading →

22Oct/26

Why Your Brain Fights Stillness

October 22, 2026HealthAcademic disciplines, Acceptance and commitment therapy, Articles, Branches of philosophy, Cognition, Cognitive science, Eckhart Tolle, Flexibility, Mind–body interventions, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, Reddit, Self, Steven C. Hayes, Thought, Yakusan Igen, Zenjiadmin

Altering the Relationship to Thought: How Zen and ACT Deconstruct the Narrative Self Without Thought Suppression

Thu Oct. 22, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Non-conceptual awareness practices in Sōtō Zen Buddhism and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) share the core premise that human psychological distress often stems from over-identifying with discursive thought and rigid cognitive labeling. In Sōtō Zen, formalized by Dōgen Zenji, this state of unfiltered perception is embodied in the principle of hishiryō (“non-thinking” or “beyond thinking”), representing a non-dual posture where thoughts and sensations arise and pass naturally without cognitive interference, measurement, or judgment. ACT, a third-wave cognitive behavioral therapy developed by Steven C. Hayes, operationalizes non-conceptual awareness through cognitive defusion and self-as-context. Cognitive defusion teaches individuals to view thoughts as transient verbal events rather than literal truths or mandatory instructions, while self-as-context accesses an observing self—frequently illustrated by the metaphor of a spacious sky holding passing weather patterns—that remains distinct and enduring from running self-narratives. Continue reading →

09Jul/26

Why your biology needs other people

July 9, 2026Human InterestAdult development, Annie Wright, Attachment theory, Boston, Emotional self-regulation, Emotions, Evolutionary biology, Glueck, Happiness, Human development, Interpersonal relationships, Loneliness, Love, Mindfulness, Neuroscience, oxytocin, Polyvagal theory, Psychological resilience, Robert Waldinger, Secure attachment, Stephen Porges, Sunitaadmin

The Stoic Philosophy of Friendship: Autonomy from Fullness

Thur, July 09 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Seneca’s moral essays resolve the apparent contradiction between radical mental self-sufficiency (autarkeia) and the human yearning for companionship. In Letter 9, Seneca distinguishes between “needing” others to patch over an internal void (which breeds fragile, “fair-weather” utility friendships) and “desiring” friends to share a life that is already complete. The Stoic sage possesses the ultimate psychological autonomy—relying on internal virtue rather than external Fortune. Yet, because humans are naturally social cosmopolitans, we seek friendship for its own sake. True friendship is an active theater for projecting virtue and kindness, beautifully summarized by Hecato’s timeless formula: “If you would be loved, love”. Practically, Seneca’s Letter 3 sets out a strict temporal blueprint for relationships: exercise rigorous, analytical judgment before admitting someone to your life, but once they are chosen, trust them unconditionally, removing all defensive barriers. This framing invites us to connect from fullness, rather than lack.

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