Tag Archives: Psychotherapy

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 →

17Oct/26

Why Couples Therapy Fails Diverse Relationships

October 17, 2026FamilyArticles, Attachment theory, Bernal, Carter, Charles, Couples therapy, Emotional safety, Emotionally focused therapy, Emotions, Family therapy, Glaser, Hardy, Human behavior, Interpersonal relationships, J. J., J. J. Lataillade, Janay, Louie, Mark, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Relational Distress, Relationship counseling, Smithadmin

Healing Black and Inter-Ethnoracial Partnerships: Bridging Systems Theory, Critical Race Principles, and Emotionally Focused Therapy

Sat Oct. 16, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Standard evidence-based couples therapies, including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), demonstrate high overall efficacy in reducing relationship distress, yet their foundational frameworks were developed almost exclusively around White, middle-class, heterosexual norms. The assumption that adult attachment principles operate universally without regard to race, power, and cultural context fails to account for how chronic exposure to structural racism, microaggressions, and systemic oppression creates cumulative racial stress that directly impairs intimate relationships. When clinicians apply unadapted Western models to African American or inter-ethnoracial couples, they risk pathologizing culturally socialized protective behaviors or misinterpreting coping strategies as individual deficits or treatment resistance. Culturally responsive therapy requires moving beyond a purely dyadic attachment lens to integrate a network-oriented, socioculturally attuned framework that explicitly acknowledges how external societal hostility intersects with internal relational dynamics. Continue reading →

17Oct/23

Watching movies could be good for your mental health

October 17, 2023FilmsAristotle, Couples therapy, Creative Commons, Emotion, Empathy, Interpersonal relationships, Jenny Hamilton, Limbic system, Moral psychology, Music therapy, Psychotherapy, SHUTTERSTOCK, Subjective experienceadmin

Jenny Hamilton, University of Lincoln

Many of us enjoy sitting down to watch a good film because of the way movies can make us feel. A sad film might help us release our emotions or a comedy might lift our mood. Movies can also offer a chance to connect with and explore our emotions in a safe way.

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