The golden rule prescribes that we treat others how we would like to be treated. Yet, it does not offer guidance on how we should treat ourselves. Oftentimes, a puzzling phenomenon emerges—people treat others with kindness and consideration yet treat themselves harshly. We may, for example, call ourselves names that we would never dare utter … Read more
“Is compassion important?” may seem like a no-brainer question, akin to “Do you like puppies?” But just how important is compassion in the medical profession? Dr. Stephen Trzeciak, a physician in an intensive care unit and self-proclaimed ‘research nerd’ dove into the evidence base to investigate. After reading more than 1000 abstracts and 200 papers, … Read more
Newer forms of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies are on the rise. These therapies share certain elements (e.g. an active and collaborative therapeutic alliance, the use of traditional behavioral strategies and an understanding that cognition can maintain behaviors). Yet, each type of therapy is distinct in important ways, with unique underlying theories, assumptions, mechanisms of change and … Read more
Many researchers and theorists discuss shame as an inherently negative emotion that is always problematic. In this view, shame involves negatively evaluating one’s self and is often contrasted with guilt, which involves negatively evaluating one’s behavior. According to this view, shame motivates people to avoid situations and withdraw from others so that they can protect … Read more
Regret is a common and painful experience. This is especially true for our therapy clients. Regret is also a common part of shame. Many clients ruminate endlessly about regrets – things they wish they did but didn’t or things they didn’t do that they wish they had. People who have experienced trauma often express regrets … Read more
It’s commonly believed that shame, which involves viewing one’s self as flawed or inferior, leads people to drink as a means of escaping the painful emotion. However, there are few studies that have looked at whether shame directly precedes drinking. In fact, some researchers think that shame may actually inhibit drinking for some people. We … Read more
In countries, such as the USA, the “Golden Rule” (“treat others how you want to be treated”) is a common maxim. Yet, this rule is seldom accompanied by advice on how people should treat themselves. This may reflect how compassion is typically conceptualized in America—be kind to others, but not necessarily to oneself. In countries … Read more
Virtual reality could be a valuable therapeutic tool and already has preliminary evidence for helping people who struggle with social anxiety, eating disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. In virtual reality, sensors detect a person’s movements; when a person moves their real body, they move an embodied virtual body. From this first-person perspective, people have an … Read more
Without realizing it, for most of my life I followed the maxim “If it’s the hard thing, it’s the right thing.” I often pushed myself too far. Exercise would result in injury when I didn’t pay attention to my body’s needs for rest and recovery. I’d get burned out at work when I forced myself … Read more
Extending compassion to others is undoubtedly important. Especially since America is, arguably, more divided now than ever. But being able to receive compassion is important, too. In fact, research suggests that it may be a crucial factor in promoting wellbeing. If we’re unkind to others, we’ll likely receive some immediate feedback – perhaps a disappointed … Read more