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11 papers
This 2011 review looked at many studies on mindfulness and mental health. It defines mindfulness as paying attention in the present with nonjudgmental acceptance and says this involves both focusing attention and an open, curious attitude. The authors examined three kinds of research—correlational studies, intervention trials, and lab experiments—and concluded…
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, often debilitating mental health disorder that may develop after a traumatic life event. Fortunately, effective psychological treatments for PTSD exist. In 2017, the Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) and the American Psychological Association (APA) each published treatment guidelines for PTSD,…
This paper reviews research showing that belonging is a basic human need and explains why it matters for schools. It summarizes many studies that link school belonging with better mental health, higher achievement, and lower dropout, and it includes an email interview with Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary about their…
This review looked at smartphone apps made for treating eating disorders. The authors found that research on whether these apps work is scarce. They also found that most existing apps include few proven treatment methods and do not use the special abilities of smartphones (like real-time interaction and sensors). The…
This systematic review looked at clinical studies that paired psychedelics with a structured psychotherapy. It found that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy can give promising results across many clinical conditions when given to carefully screened people in controlled settings, but some patients relapse or do not respond. The review highlights that individual and…
The authors reviewed 83 papers and guides about how therapists prepare people for substance-assisted psychotherapy — therapy that uses drugs like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, or ketamine together with psychological support. They found clear agreement that good preparation before a drug session is important for safety and for helping people get…
Researchers tested 269 people (about 76% female, median age 21) using a virtual ball-tossing game that simulated social rejection. They measured two kinds of pathological narcissism (vulnerable and grandiose), adult attachment style, and emotional reactivity before and after the rejection. People higher in vulnerable narcissism tended to feel more insecure…
This study asked 161 adults (57% women, average age 33.24 years) who had experienced at least one traumatic event to fill out questionnaires about perfectionism, perceived control, personality, and PTSD symptoms. The researchers found that feeling pressured by others to be perfect (called socially prescribed perfectionism) was linked to higher…
This was a small, preliminary study that tested two short mindfulness setups: (a) an audio-only guided practice and (b) a multisensory experience (smell, sound, light) followed by a biofeedback display of the user’s heartbeat. Sixty-eight people took part. Heart-rate variability (HRV) data showed an increase in parasympathetic activity after the…
This study asked 16 experienced international trauma experts about the final ‘‘reintegration’’ phase in treatment for complex PTSD. Experts disagreed about the exact definition and which activities reintegration should include. They did agree, however, on important principles for how reintegration should be delivered. The authors say these findings help build…
