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What Causes Disease, Part 2

The Physiological Effects of Persistent Emotional Distress It is normal to experience emotional distress brought on by the events and circumstances of everyday life. When this happens sporadically, it is not a problem—the body is resilient…
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What Causes Disease? Part 1

Almost everyone I have ever known who was diagnosed with cancer or any other serious chronic medical condition wondered: “Why me?” Most people think they may have done something to cause the disease. To make matters worse, well-meaning friends…

Authentic Self-Expression and Health Part 3

Expressive Writing and Immune Function Research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky found in her psychotherapy practice that those who write are happier. Adopting the creative writing exercises of psychoneuroimmunology researcher James Pennebaker,…

Video: Being Present with Our Experience

The importance for health and well-being of being in full contact with our inner subjective experience.

Authentic Self-Expression and Health Part 2

During the 1950s, psychologist Lawrence LeShan discovered that one way he could know his psychotherapy sessions with hospitalized patients were working was that the nursing staff would begin to complain about those patients—once deemed compliant,…
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Authentic Self-Expression and Health Part 1

In the book, Cancer as a Turning Point, research psychologist Lawrence LeShan describes how he pioneered the application of psychotherapy to working with advanced metastatic cancer patients, with the goal of improving longevity. In his lengthy…
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Practicing in the Eye of the Hurricane: Part Two

Ordinarily, when we are fully engaged in the activity at hand, fully aware in the peaceful eye of the present moment, we are unflappable when things go wrong and we can actually thrive when they do. We accomplish this by training ourselves to…

Practicing in the Eye of the Hurricane: Part One

Growing up in New England, I was always fascinated by the eye of a hurricane—the peaceful realm at the center of a rampaging storm. When a hurricane blew up in our area, its destructive winds and heavy rain battered us. But then there was…
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Meditation Reduces Age-related Cognitive Decline

Brain research Brain researcher Sara Lazar has demonstrated that a serious meditation practice protects against the cortical thinning that normally occurs in old age. This is believed to result in higher cognitive functioning in an age group…