Brain

This issue examines whether our increasing knowledge of all those multisyllabic brain processes has really made us more effective practitioners. Read more

In the 1970s, the rise of Prozac, the DSM-III, and "evidence-based" therapies brought the appearance of coherence and order to mental health professions under... Read more

As we learn more about the brain, it becomes apparent that therapists need to pay at least as much attention to the body and nervous system (both their own and... Read more

For the firs time, we're beginning to understand how to directly delete emotional meanings attributed to disturbing past events. Read more

As unlikely as it may sound, the mathematics of complexity theory could offer us the key to the elusive secrets of mental health and personal well-being. Read more

Treating depression requires a commitment to working with mind, body, and spirit. Read more

How to get through to clients caught in fight-flight-freeze mode. Read more

More and more chronic pain patients are being referred to therapists after their physicians conclude that they show every appearance of being healed. Read more

1. Ride the Rhythms of Rest Fine-tune your circadian rhythms with exposure to morning light. Regularly engage in rest breaks and practices. Consider daily... Read more

This article first appeared in the September/October 2008 issue. Anyone who’s ever worked with trauma survivors knows the therapeutic challenge of... Read more

The human brain is an anachronistic menagerie that confronts the psychotherapist with the challenge of treating a human, a horse, and a crocodile, all... Read more

Far from being a relic of Psych 101, the theory of cognitive dissonance may have more relevance in understanding today's world than ever. Read more

Making "contact" with our partner means first recognizing a subtle inner substrate where we encounter everything from boredom to anxiety to sexual interest to... Read more

Letting go of our childlike fascination with the promise of the future is one of the hardest challenges of truly being in the moment. Read more

There's increasing evidence that mindfulness helps depressed people fight relapse. Read more

Learning to accept our fears as guideposts to who we really want to be. Read more

At last count, therapists could choose from among 500 different treatment techniques. But after all these years, there's still no evidence that the overall... Read more

A psychiatrist who's worked in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Israel leads a team of healthcare professionals into war-ravaged Gaza to see if Western healing methods can... Read more

EMDR helps a young Irag War vet and his wife emerge from the nightmare of his war experience. Read more

A therapist helps his anxious clients discover that be not resisting what the present moment offers, they can find a way out of their suffering. Read more

All of us ruminate, bringing up the cud of old, unresolved problems. But far from being idle mind chatter, most of these mental distractions are actually the... Read more

The search for the elusive experience of being "in the moment" isn't as complicated as you think. All it takes is a cup of tea, a walk, a question, a blessing... Read more

How would it feel to sit completely still for a week, not communicating with anyone, just tuning in to the seemingly chaotic jumble of your own thoughts? A... Read more

In Washington, D.C., this fall, the Dalai Lama brought together a distinguished group of contemplatives and world-class scientists to explore the links between... Read more

As neuroscience was becoming the topic du jour of the therapy field, we sent Senior Editor Katy Butler to MIT on a mission. The result was, literally, a... Read more

I'm interested in integrating meditation into my psychotherapy practice. What's the best way of doing this, and are there situations in which meditation can be? Read more

Empathy may be the life's blood of good therapy, but scientifically, it's remained a rather fuzzy concept. Now a serendipitous lab discovery is showing how... Read more

Increasingly, neuroscience is making it clear that therapists rely too much on the consulting room drama of insight and not enough on good, old-fashioned... Read more

Neurofeedback is one of a group of new technologies that promises not only to treat the symptoms of mood, attention, and learning disorders, but to address the... Read more

Therapy can too easily become reduced to two talking heads, spinning out tales. But treatment can be intensified and enlivened by tapping into our immediate... Read more