Search the web
Sign In
New User? Sign Up
acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy · Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
? Already a member? Sign in to Yahoo!

Yahoo! Groups Tips

Did you know...
Hear how Yahoo! Groups has changed the lives of others. Take me there.

Best of Y! Groups

   Check them out and nominate your group.
Having problems with message search? Fill out this form to ensure your group is one of the first to be migrated to the new message search system.

Messages

  Messages Help
Advanced
Messages 17739 - 17768 of 18114   Newest  |  < Newer  |  Older >  |  Oldest
Messages: Show Message Summaries   (Group by Topic) Sort by Date v  
#17768 From: Chris Wemple <cwemple@...>
Date: Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:51 am
Subject: Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness
cywdoc123
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
I think so.  I read “Out of Our Heads” after hearing Alva Noe interviewed on the “The Brain Science Podcast,” and had the feeling that he is describing language, among other things,  as behavior in a functional contextualist way, without using behavioral terminology.  I.e., he describes language as a “habit,”  one that is basically dependent on the situations  in which it occurs (which seemed like contextual control).     I enjoyed the book, and found that I was wondering what he would be saying if knew anything about RFT.

Chris  

I





 




#17767 From: louiseshepherd@...
Date: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:27 am
Subject: Re: Something amazing is happening down under
louisemshepherd
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
It sure was an amazing conference! From talking to a number of people it seemed
that whether it was your first or fifth conference there was plenty of inspiring
and interesting material. Bring on Adelaide 2010!!

It has been suggested that some of you may be interested to see some photos from
our conference:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161274&id=658445718&l=e115b7dfcb

Most of these were taken at the follies and many are not the best quality but i
think they help to capture the sense of fun and community that was developed.
Going to an ACT conference is truly one of the highlights of my year :-)

Thanks to all involved for a truly wonderful 5 days!

Warmest regards from Sydney

Louise

> joseph_ciarrochi <joseph_ciarrochi@...> wrote:
>
> Steve thought some of you might want to know what has been happening
> down under.
>
>
> We just completed our largest conference ever, over 300 people. this is
> already as large as the conferences for much older organizations (e.g.,
> australian CBT).
>
> I was amazed to hear how much was being done all over australia. People
> are conducting top research in both ACT and RFT, people are creating new
> materials (e.g., ACT comic book for kids, new ACT songs, websites),
> people are stepping into some difficult populations with the attempt to
> reduce suffering and promote caring relationships. People are coming
> into ACBS from everywhere, psychology, counseling,eductation,
> organizations.
>
> Really, I am in shock. I mean, I always give these idealistic talks at
> the ACT conferences, but (i am embarressed to admit) my mind is telling
> me that there is no way we can really improve the human condition.
> people have been spouting this crazy-arse utopian stuff for decades.Can
> something new really happen here?
>
> And I really want to single out one australian researcher/practitioner
> here, Darin Cairns in Perth, Australia. I know you folks have been
> hearing that RFT is practical, and maybe you have not quite believed it.
> You reasonabley expect to see some proof that RFT is useful.
>
>
> Well, Darin runs a large clinic for kids with Autism. He has been seeing
> amazing progress using RFT enhanced interventions. I mean, he sees kids
> going from not being able to relate at all, to being able to have
> empathy and connectedness with their parents. His clinic seems to be
> outperforming the other, more standard behavioral clinics. He has a huge
> waitlist.
>
> He is changing lives with RFT...and his workshop convinced me that we
> can absolutely not have ACT without RFT.  RFT is---gasp---practical.
>
> I have now made it my mission to prod darin into publishing his data
> asap. I think it will be this kind of data that helps return behaviorism
> to the main stream....
>
>
> perhaps many of you, like me, have minds that say "this whole ACBS thing
> is a bunch of idealistic poopie. We humans will always make war. When
> not making war, we will find ways to make psychological war and hurt our
> fellow humans."
>
> Here is a report, prepared by expert minds. It organized by King
> Ferdinand of Spain to study Columbus' plans to find a shorter route to
> India. This voyage is similar to the voyage we are trying to make with
> ACBS (risky, we can't be certain we are traveling in a good direction).
> The experts recommended that columbus not attempt so difficult a voyage
> because:
>
> I A Voyage to Asia would require three years.
>
> (it will take centuries to increase human empathy. We will be extinct
> before then).
>
> II. The western Ocean is infinite and perhaps unnavigable.
>
> (human nature is too dark and evil to be saved)
>
> III. If he reached the Antipodes he could not get back.
>
> (We need to act mean and selfish to survive. evolution requires it)
>
> IV There are no Antipodes because the greater part of the globe is
> covered with water, and because St. Augustine said so.
>
> (everybody is nasty everywhere. nietzchie said so.)
>
> V. Of the five zones, only three are habitable.
>
> (only australia is habitable )
>
> VI. So many centuries after the Creation, it is unlikely that anyone
> could find hitherto unknown lands of any value.
>
> (the world has never seen an "ideal" human state where people mostly
> care about each other, so therefore such a state can never be.)
>
> we don't have to believe the hype...
>
> best
> J
>
>
>
> Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi
> Department of Psychology
> University of Wollongong
> NSW, Australia, 2522
>
> My publications
> http://acceptandchange.com/publications.html
>
> Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
> Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
>
> William Shakespeare

Louise Shepherd
Clinical Psychologist
Suite 8 / Level 3, 44 Bridge St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 0417 130672
Fax: +61 2 92477955

IMPORTANT: Confidentiality cannot be
guaranteed, as email is not a secure medium.
To discuss any personal concerns, please call
during working hours. Please be aware that I do
not maintain 24-hour access to email accounts
and do not usually view emails over the
weekend.

This e-mail, including any attachments, may
contain private or confidential information. If
you think you may not be the intended
recipient, or if you have received this e-mail in
error, please contact the sender immediately
and delete all copies of this e-mail.   If you are
not the intended recipient, you must not
reproduce any part of this e-mail or disclose its
contents to any other party

#17766 From: "joseph_ciarrochi" <joseph_ciarrochi@...>
Date: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:26 am
Subject: I recommend Derived Relational Responding as a way into RFT
joseph_ciarr...
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
I have been meaning to recommend this book for awhile to ACT folks.

Derived Relational Responding Applications for Learners with Autism and Other
Developmental Disabilities: A Progressive Guide to Change
~ Ruth Anne Rehfeldt (Editor), Yvonne Barnes-Holmes (Editor)
New Harbinger Pubns; 1 edition (February 2, 2009)

http://www.amazon.com/Relational-Responding-Applications-Developmental-Disabilit\
ies/dp/1572245360/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258334167&sr=8-1


I know the title sounds incredibly boring if you are not working in Autism.
(Don't RFT folks have a way of making exciting things sound dull). I recommend
it because, to quote Darin Cairns, autism allows you to see language in slow
motion (and therefore see more clearly what is going on).  The book is intended
for a wide audience (e.g., parents of an autistic child), so it is remarkably
clear.

The book walks you through the development of language, from a largely RFT
perspective (about 90% of the chapters are RFT). It shows the specific
interventions you would use to train frames, ranging from the simple (e.g.,
naming) to the more complex (perspective taking frames). It does not focus so
much on clinical psych. implications, since it is about autism, but it does give
the clearest description of RFT I've found so far. You might want to read this
book and then read some of the articles and chapters that have been written
about the implications of RFT for clinical practice.


best
Joseph





Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi
Department of Psychology
University of Wollongong
NSW, Australia, 2522

My publications
http://acceptandchange.com/publications.html

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;

William Shakespeare

#17765 From: "John P Forsyth" <Forsyth@...>
Date: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:19 am
Subject: Re: Something amazing is happening down under
drjohnforsyth
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Way cool to see ACT taking off down under.  Thanks for sharing.  Let's continue to act to make a difference and ontogenic evolution will take care of itself.  -John

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 15, 2009, at 8:13 PM, "joseph_ciarrochi" <joseph_ciarrochi@...> wrote:

 

Steve thought some of you might want to know what has been happening down under.

We just completed our largest conference ever, over 300 people. this is already as large as the conferences for much older organizations (e.g., australian CBT).

I was amazed to hear how much was being done all over australia. People are conducting top research in both ACT and RFT, people are creating new materials (e.g., ACT comic book for kids, new ACT songs, websites), people are stepping into some difficult populations with the attempt to reduce suffering and promote caring relationships. People are coming into ACBS from everywhere, psychology, counseling,eductation, organizations.

Really, I am in shock. I mean, I always give these idealistic talks at the ACT conferences, but (i am embarressed to admit) my mind is telling me that there is no way we can really improve the human condition. people have been spouting this crazy-arse utopian stuff for decades.Can something new really happen here?

And I really want to single out one australian researcher/practitioner here, Darin Cairns in Perth, Australia. I know you folks have been hearing that RFT is practical, and maybe you have not quite believed it. You reasonabley expect to see some proof that RFT is useful.

Well, Darin runs a large clinic for kids with Autism. He has been seeing amazing progress using RFT enhanced interventions. I mean, he sees kids going from not being able to relate at all, to being able to have empathy and connectedness with their parents. His clinic seems to be outperforming the other, more standard behavioral clinics. He has a huge waitlist.

He is changing lives with RFT...and his workshop convinced me that we can absolutely not have ACT without RFT. RFT is---gasp---practical.

I have now made it my mission to prod darin into publishing his data asap. I think it will be this kind of data that helps return behaviorism to the main stream....

perhaps many of you, like me, have minds that say "this whole ACBS thing is a bunch of idealistic poopie. We humans will always make war. When not making war, we will find ways to make psychological war and hurt our fellow humans."

Here is a report, prepared by expert minds. It organized by King Ferdinand of Spain to study Columbus' plans to find a shorter route to India. This voyage is similar to the voyage we are trying to make with ACBS (risky, we can't be certain we are traveling in a good direction). The experts recommended that columbus not attempt so difficult a voyage because:

I A Voyage to Asia would require three years.

(it will take centuries to increase human empathy. We will be extinct before then).

II. The western Ocean is infinite and perhaps unnavigable.

(human nature is too dark and evil to be saved)

III. If he reached the Antipodes he could not get back.

(We need to act mean and selfish to survive. evolution requires it)

IV There are no Antipodes because the greater part of the globe is covered with water, and because St. Augustine said so.

(everybody is nasty everywhere. nietzchie said so.)

V. Of the five zones, only three are habitable.

(only australia is habitable )

VI. So many centuries after the Creation, it is unlikely that anyone could find hitherto unknown lands of any value.

(the world has never seen an "ideal" human state where people mostly care about each other, so therefore such a state can never be.)

we don't have to believe the hype...

best
J

Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi
Department of Psychology
University of Wollongong
NSW, Australia, 2522

My publications
http://acceptandchange.com/publications.html

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;

William Shakespeare


#17764 From: "joseph_ciarrochi" <joseph_ciarrochi@...>
Date: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:11 am
Subject: Something amazing is happening down under
joseph_ciarr...
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Steve thought some of you might want to know what has been happening down under.


We just completed our largest conference ever, over 300 people. this is already
as large as the conferences for much older organizations (e.g., australian CBT).

I was amazed to hear how much was being done all over australia. People are
conducting top research in both ACT and RFT, people are creating new materials
(e.g., ACT comic book for kids, new ACT songs, websites), people are stepping
into some difficult populations with the attempt to reduce suffering and promote
caring relationships. People are coming into ACBS from everywhere, psychology,
counseling,eductation, organizations.

Really, I am in shock. I mean, I always give these idealistic talks at the ACT
conferences, but (i am embarressed to admit) my mind is telling me that there is
no way we can really improve the human condition. people have been spouting this
crazy-arse utopian stuff for decades.Can something new really happen here?

And I really want to single out one australian researcher/practitioner here,
Darin Cairns in Perth, Australia. I know you folks have been hearing that RFT is
practical, and maybe you have not quite believed it. You reasonabley expect to
see some proof that RFT is useful.


Well, Darin runs a large clinic for kids with Autism. He has been seeing amazing
progress using RFT enhanced interventions. I mean, he sees kids going from not
being able to relate at all, to being able to have empathy and connectedness
with their parents. His clinic seems to be outperforming the other, more
standard behavioral clinics. He has a huge waitlist.

He is changing lives with RFT...and his workshop convinced me that we can
absolutely not have ACT without RFT.  RFT is---gasp---practical.

I have now made it my mission to prod darin into publishing his data asap. I
think it will be this kind of data that helps return behaviorism to the main
stream....


perhaps many of you, like me, have minds that say "this whole ACBS thing is a
bunch of idealistic poopie. We humans will always make war. When not making war,
we will find ways to make psychological war and hurt our fellow humans."

Here is a report, prepared by expert minds. It organized by King Ferdinand of
Spain to study Columbus' plans to find a shorter route to India. This voyage is
similar to the voyage we are trying to make with ACBS (risky, we can't be
certain we are traveling in a good direction). The experts recommended that
columbus not attempt so difficult a voyage because:

I A Voyage to Asia would require three years.

(it will take centuries to increase human empathy. We will be extinct before
then).

II. The western Ocean is infinite and perhaps unnavigable.

(human nature is too dark and evil to be saved)

III. If he reached the Antipodes he could not get back.

(We need to act mean and selfish to survive. evolution requires it)

IV There are no Antipodes because the greater part of the globe is covered with
water, and because St. Augustine said so.

(everybody is nasty everywhere. nietzchie said so.)

V. Of the five zones, only three are habitable.

(only australia is habitable )

VI. So many centuries after the Creation, it is unlikely that anyone could find
hitherto unknown lands of any value.

(the world has never seen an "ideal" human state where people mostly care about
each other, so therefore such a state can never be.)

we don't have to believe the hype...

best
J



Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi
Department of Psychology
University of Wollongong
NSW, Australia, 2522

My publications
http://acceptandchange.com/publications.html

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;

William Shakespeare

#17763 From: "Maarten" <maarten.aalberse@...>
Date: Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:58 am
Subject: Re: RE: About motivation - intrinsic and extri
holddans
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Francis: "But more important: the distinction intrinsic-extrinsic is a bit
arbitrary. Probably more to do with history and point in the history (newer
behaviour with newer experiences, reinforcements are experienced as being more
extrinsic motivated, I guess).
Intrinsic motivation is something that probably doesn't exist. Motivation is
largely contextually influenced. A RFT-analysis of this subject would be more
than welcome."

Maarten: To pick up this thread: from the 1999 ACT book  (p41): " ... one of the
major consequences for derived relational responding is "sense making". Even
without any external feedback, subjects will create orderly stimulus relations
between arbitrary stimulus events, and..."

Isn't this an example of "intrinsic motivation"?

Best to all,

Maarten

--- In acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com, "De Groot, Francis"
<francis.de.groot@...> wrote:
>
> There has been some interesting behavioral research on intrinsic-extrinsic
motivation and the influence of rewards: eg see Cameron ea (2001) Pervasive
negative effects of rewards on intrinsic motivation: the myth continues. The
Behavior Analyst, 24, 1-44.
>
> But more important: the distinction intrinsic-extrinsic is a bit arbitrary.
Probably more to do with history and point in the history (newer behaviour with
newer experiences, reinforcements are experienced as being more extrinsic
motivated, I guess).
>
> Intrinsic motivation is something that probably doesn’t exist. Motivation is
largely contextually influenced. A RFT-analysis of this subject would be more
than welcome.
>
>
>
> The same goes for token economies: mostly a token economy is being seen as a
system of operant conditioning, leading to contingency shaped behavior.
>
> My idea is that mostly this isn’t the case: it’s an example of verbal
learning (in the RFT-sense of the word).
>
> Most often the reinforcement (vouchers, stamps, …) are given far too late to
be contingent on the behavior.
>
> Roughly speaking token economies do 2 things:
>
> 1. Pull the attention to a certain behavior (important function); people learn
to notice what others want and can decide what they do. The exact contingencies
don’t matter. That’s why some studies found that even noncontingent token
delivery works. This is a matter of verbally relating things.
> 2. Learn people how they can get rewards. This is the less important part of
it.
>
> My point: token economy isn’t operant conditioning, it’s relational
framing.
>
>
>
> I know: there are exceptions. You can use token economies with animals and
very small children. But if you read those articles you’ll notice they work in
a very different way (much more immediately reinforcing, much more frequent,
much more slower learning, …).
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> Francis
>
>
>
> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com] Namens Marco
> Verzonden: woensdag 4 november 2009 14:44
> Aan: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
> Onderwerp: Re: RE : [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] About motivation
>
>
>
>
>
> If it's correct what's said in the video this conversation started with,
couldn't it be the case that token economy would work better if the tasks asked
from the persons in question are simple, and would work worse if the tasks
increase in complexity?
>
> Best,
> Marco
>
> --- In acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com> , Benjamin Schoendorff
<benjamin.schoendorff@> wrote:
> >
> > Tango, that¹s a beautiful personal story, thanks for sharing.
> >
> > In case I was unclear I don¹t recommend token economies when communication
> > is good and natural reinforcers are in effect.
> >
> > I was referring to situations of counterpliance which is what walks through
> > my door. In those situations, I find token economies really help keeping
> > parents consistent and shifting communications from aversive to appetitive.
> >
> > Warm regards,
> >
> > benji
> >
> >
> > Le 04/11/09 13:36, « Tango » <tango@> a écrit :
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Hi all, just a few thoughts about how I¹ve seen it work at home.
> > >
> > > My children (10 and 13  year old) like reading and spend some time at it,
> > > almost daily. At first ( three or four years ago) we had to encourage them
in
> > > several ways to spend about one hour a day in their afternoon work
(dedicated
> > > to study, homework and all ³reading and writing stuff². If homework was
> > > finished, they still had to fill that time with reading of their choice).
> > >
> > > We tried to provide modelling reading visibly or commenting what, or how
much
> > > we have read, making ³informal comments² such as ³wow, that was heavy
to read,
> > > ³last night I read  'til my head was drowsy², or ³I laughed my head
off when I
> > > was reading in the bus, and people stared at me puzzled².
> > > Probably there was a lot of pliance in the initial phases, but comments
about
> > > the ³reading world² probably have shifted the focus towards more natural
> > > intrinsic reinforcers.
> > >
> > > Natural reinforcing can occur due to content, but also to reading per se,
that
> > > is: reading so many pages (my son usually makes many comments on this
regard)
> > > or finishing so many books or getting to finish a really ³tough brick². 
I
> > > have found that it has also worked to have a good reinforcing environment
(in
> > > order to produce good memories related to reading (augmentals?) as well):
> > > ³reading a book while sipping a cup of tea on a cold winter¹s day, or
going to
> > > the library or bookshop eager to see if our book has arrived, making a big
> > > celebration about our amazon delivery, commenting things or stories we
have
> > > read during supper, etc.²
> > >
> > >  This has proved to be effective to my kid¹s who have developed an
³unusual²
> > > (for their peer¹s environment) positive attitude/motivation towards
reading.
> > >
> > >
> > > Token economy is far too artificial and IMO it should be used in a very
> > > careful way and dosing, and be retired as soon as possible J
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > > G. Tango
> > >
> > > PS. I recommend ³Diary of a Wimpy Kid² by Jeff Kinney. I had a lot of
fun
> > > reading it, and one can almost read it completely in one or two
³sittings².
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > De: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > [mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com> ] En nombre de Robb,
> > > Harold B.
> > > Enviado el: miércoles, 04 de noviembre de 2009 5:24
> > > CC: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Asunto: RE: RE : [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] About motivation
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Actually, as I recall, there was some pretty good behavioral work on this
> > > regarding reading in the 1970's. It showed that if you provided a reward
> > > independent of what children got out of what they were reading, e.g. tokes
> > > that could be cashed in for "goodies", then reading behavior would drop
off
> > > after the reward was withdrawn. I think it was possible to use a fading
> > > proceedure but I am not sure about that. The point of the work was, "don't
use
> > > a token economy system to teach reading in the classroom. Use a system
that
> > > the reader finds what is read is, itself, reinforcing. Otherwise, reading
> > > behavior will not be maintained outside the classroom token economy. This
> > > problem shows up in a lot of token economy work because the behaviors that
are
> > > learned and not brought under control of the natural reinforcers that
ought to
> > > be intrisically related to them.
> > >
> > > The better educated among us can provide support or rebuttal for my
claims.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > >
> > > Hank
> > > ________________________________________
> > > From: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > <mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > <mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of
> > > Maarten Aalberse [maarten.aalberse@ <mailto:maarten.aalberse%40ime.fr> ]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 9:08 PM
> > > To: Thomas Gustavsson
> > > Cc: Kevin Polk; acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > <mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Subject: RE : RE : [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] About motivation
> > >
> > > This crucial distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was,
in
> > > earlier times, exactly a main cause of war between behavioristic and
> > > "humanistic" approaches.
> > >
> > > For Maslow (or at least how I read him) intrinsic motivation came to the
> > > foreground, after "deficiency needs" had been sufficiently met.
> > > I think he was wrong here - and that our clients who "drive their bus
despite
> > > the bastards" show him wrong every day.
> > >
> > > My question is: has there ever been a written ACT rebuttal of Maslow's
model?
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > A somewhat related question, about ACT and the workplace:
> > >
> > > Is there a book in the pireline that's more accessible than the 2006 book
for
> > > those not knowledgeable about behaviorism?
> > >
> > > I'm sure that ACT has lots to offer to companies/ managers, and an easier
and
> > > more reader-friendly book could make a huge difference, I think.
> > >
> > > Best to all,
> > >
> > > Maarten
> > >
> > > -------- Message d'origine--------
> > > De: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > <mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com> de la part de
Thomas
> > > Gustavsson
> > > Date: mar. 03/11/2009 19:08
> > > À: Maarten Aalberse
> > > Cc: Kevin Polk; acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > <mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Objet : Re: RE : [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] About motivation
> > >
> > > Hi
> > > Well I would say that values v/s tracking would be one way. Vital
> > > personal goals v/s rules another way to view the same distinction.
> > > Positive v/s aversive control another more Skinnerian way.
> > > Best!
> > > Thomas
> > > 3 nov 2009 kl. 18.55 skrev Maarten Aalberse:
> > >
> > >> > Interesting!
> > >> >
> > >> > What would be an easy to understand description of intrinsic resp.
> > >> > extrinsic incentives?
> > >> >
> > >> > Best to all,
> > >> >
> > >> > Maarten
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > -------- Message d'origine--------
> > >> > De: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > >> <mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com> de la part de
> > >> > Kevin Polk
> > >> > Date: mar. 03/11/2009 17:25
> > >> > À: Thomas Gustavsson
> > >> > Cc: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > >> <mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy%40yahoogroups.com>
> > >> > Objet : Re: [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] About motivation
> > >> >
> > >> > Thomas,
> > >> >
> > >> > Thanks for the link to the video.
> > >> >
> > >> > Yes, we can help people notice the difference between intrinsic and
> > >> > extrinsic incentives.
> > >> >
> > >> > Take care,
> > >> >
> > >> > Kevin
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >
> > > ___________________
> > > PSYKOLOGPARTNERS
> > > Thomas Gustavsson leg psykolog, Regionchef SYD/DK
> > > 042-400 45 50
> > > thomas.gustavsson@
> > > <mailto:thomas.gustavsson%40psykologpartners.se>
> > > Besöksadresser:
> > > Kalendegatan 20 Malmö
> > > Norra strandgatan 13 Helsingborg
> > > www.psykologpartners.se
> > >
> > > __________ Información de ESET NOD32 Antivirus, versión de la base de
firmas
> > > de virus 4571 (20091104) __________
> > >
> > > ESET NOD32 Antivirus ha comprobado este mensaje.
> > >
> > > http://www.eset.com <http://www.eset.com>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>
> > >
> > > --
> > > Benjamin Schoendorff MA MSc
> > > Psychologue, Psychothérapeute, Master en Neuropsychologie
> > > Thérapies Comportementales et Cognitives, Thérapie d¹Acceptation et
> > > d¹Engagement
> > > Cabinet Calypsy, 171 cours Lafayette, 69006 Lyon
> > > Tel: +33(0)627683330
> > > Site de mon livre : http://fairefacealasouffrance.com/
<http://fairefacealasouffrance.com/>
> > > Mon blog: http://souffranceaction.blogspot.com/
<http://souffranceaction.blogspot.com/>
> > > Site dont je suis le webmestre: http://afforthecc.org
<http://afforthecc.org>
> > >
> > > ATTENTION :
> > > - Le contenu de ce courriel est confidentiel et ne peut être lu ou
divulgué
> > > par d'autres que son auteur ou destinataire.
> > > - Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire de ce courriel ou bien si vous
l'avez
> > > reçu par erreur, merci de le retourner à benjamin.schoendorff@ et
> > > d'en détruire toute copie.
> > > - Si vous choisissez d¹utiliser le courrier électronique pour
communiquer avec
> > > moi sur vos difficultés, sachez que l¹email n¹est pas considéré comme
un mode
> > > de communication complètement sécurisé.
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> Dit bericht wordt verzonden vanuit een e-mailadres voor professioneel gebruik.
De verantwoordelijken binnen de organisatie kunnen kennis nemen van alle
berichten verzonden naar dit adres.
> Le présent message est envoyé d'une adresse e-mail pour usage professionnel.
Les responsables de l'organisation peuvent prendre connaissance de tous les
messages envoyés à cette adresse.
> This message is sent from an e-mail address for professional use only. The
persons in charge of the organisation may take note of all messages sent to this
address.
>

#17762 From: Nico van der Meijden <NicovanderMeijden@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 9:07 pm
Subject: Re: Happily Hopeless: Adaptation to a Permanent, But Not to a Temporary, Disability
nicovanderme...
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

Here a newspaper article describing the study...


Best wishes,

Nico


 

There is an interesting brief report in this month's Health Psychology (journal of APA Div 38) that many of us may miss but is worth checking out.  From the Conclusion:  "...knowing an adverse situation is temporary can interfere with adaptation, leading to a paradoxical situation in which people who are better off objectively are worse off subjectively (p. 787)."  

In sum, study participants with known irreversible colostomies adapt more fully than others with conditions that might be reversible.  Paradoxical in a sense, yes, but I think we can imagine the processes at work here.  Interesting. 

The last line of the Discussion is quotable:  "The natural tendency to provide hope, even when a situation is inherently hopeless, may help the bearer of news but have adverse long-term consequences for the recipient of such news (p. 791)."

Smith, DM, et al.  (2009).  Happily Hopeless:  Adaptation to a Permanent, But Not to a Temporary, Disability.  Health Psychology, 28 (6), 787-791.



--
-----------------------------------------------------
Joel Guarna, PhD  
Licensed Psychologist
25 Middle St, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 272-8500

Psychology Practice: www.whitepinepsych.com
Professional Trainings: www.whitepineinstitute.com
-----------------------------------------------------

**Email is not a secure form of communication**

STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY

This e-mail communication and any attachments is intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify Joel Guarna, PhD, at 207-272-8500 or reply to joel@whitepinepsych.com and destroy all copies of this message and any attachments.



#17761 From: Joel Guarna <joel@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:12 pm
Subject: Happily Hopeless: Adaptation to a Permanent, But Not to a Temporary, Disability
joelguarna
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
There is an interesting brief report in this month's Health Psychology (journal of APA Div 38) that many of us may miss but is worth checking out. From the Conclusion: "...knowing an adverse situation is temporary can interfere with adaptation, leading to a paradoxical situation in which people who are better off objectively are worse off subjectively (p. 787)."

In sum, study participants with known irreversible colostomies adapt more fully than others with conditions that might be reversible. Paradoxical in a sense, yes, but I think we can imagine the processes at work here. Interesting.

The last line of the Discussion is quotable: "The natural tendency to provide hope, even when a situation is inherently hopeless, may help the bearer of news but have adverse long-term consequences for the recipient of such news (p. 791)."

Smith, DM, et al. (2009). Happily Hopeless: Adaptation to a Permanent, But Not to a Temporary, Disability. Health Psychology, 28 (6), 787-791.



--
-----------------------------------------------------
Joel Guarna, PhD
Licensed Psychologist
25 Middle St, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 272-8500

Psychology Practice: www.whitepinepsych.com
Professional Trainings: www.whitepineinstitute.com
-----------------------------------------------------

**Email is not a secure form of communication**

STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY

This e-mail communication and any attachments is intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify Joel Guarna, PhD, at 207-272-8500 or reply to joel@... and destroy all copies of this message and any attachments.

#17760 From: "Marco" <marcokleen@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 5:21 pm
Subject: AAQ-II-P. Was: Re: AAQ-TS
marcokleen
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Offtopic on trauma but ontopic on category specific AAQ-II's: I've created a
pain specific AAQ-II (called it the AAQ-II-P) and am doing research with it as
we speak. The questionnaire is being applied in several pain clinics and I'm in
the phase of receiving data from a normal population, for validation reasons. I
expect a paper to be submitted within the comming months.

Best,
Marco

#17759 From: Rebecca Pasillas <rpasillas@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:52 pm
Subject: VA Maryland (Baltimore) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position
r_pasillas
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Please note: The VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program will have a table at the Postdoctoral Training Networking Session (Friday, Nov. 20th) at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Convention in NYC. We look forward to meeting potential applicants & answering questions about the fellowship program.

Thanks,
Rebecca M. Pasillas, Ph.D.

VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
VA Maryland Health Care System
10 North Greene Street (6A)
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 605-7000 ext. 4013
Rebecca.Pasillas@...


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post-Doctoral Fellowships
Clinical Psychology

http://www.va.gov/visn5mirecc/research/fellowship.asp

The VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) in Baltimore, Maryland is offering a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology and a post-residency fellowship in psychiatry. The VISN 5 MIRECC is based at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and is a partnership between the VA and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The goal of the fellowship is to train psychologists and psychiatrists to become leading clinical researchers in the area of serious mental illness. The fellowship program provides opportunities for excellent training in psychosocial treatment development, family and community intervention, health services research, neurocognition /psychophysiology, and psychopharmacology in an outstanding collaborative and interdisciplinary setting. The distribution of the fellows effort is approximately 75% research and 25% clinical.

Start Date: Summer, 2010 (exact start date is flexible)
Stipend: $42,888.00
Benefits: Health Insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, federal holidays.
Location: The VA Medical Center in downtown Baltimore is located on the West side of the city about 4 blocks from Camden Yards and Ravens Stadium. We are in walking distance to the Inner Harbor, the Hippodrome, the Walters Art Museum, and various historic landmarks. Baltimore has an active live music scene, interesting neighborhoods with unique shopping, and a vital downtown arts program (www.baltimore.org).

Psychology fellows must have graduated from an APA accredited graduate program, completed an APA accredited internship, and be U.S. citizens. Contact Dr. Alison Cernich at alison.cernich@... or 410-605-7408.

To apply: Submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of your research interests and career goals, 3 letters of recommendation, reprints of relevant publications and a graduate school transcript to:

Alison Cernich, Ph.D.
10 North Greene Street, BT/MIRECC
Baltimore, MD 21201

Application deadline: Friday, January 8, 2010.


#17758 From: "Sonja V. Batten" <svbatten@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:42 pm
Subject: Re: AAQ-TS
svbatten
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

No psychometric data that I'm aware of. A group of trauma "experts" came up with the questions and vetted them with colleagues. But I don't think it has gotten to the pilot or validation phase, unless there are recent efforts of which I'm not aware.

 

Would love to have someone take this on!!!

Sonja




 

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Weinstein
Sent: Oct 19, 2009 3:26 PM
To: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] AAQ-TS

 

I am looking for psychometric data for the trauma specific AAQ (AAQ-TS). I didn't find this version of the AAQ on the ACBS website. Is there anyone out there who might be able to point me in the right direction?

 
thanks!
--
Jonathan Weinstein
Psychological Intern
Veterans Affairs Hospital Maryland Health Care Service
jonathan.h.weinstein@...
(662) 380-0247



#17757 From: Rebecca Pasillas <rpasillas@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:37 pm
Subject: VA Maryland (Baltimore) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position
r_pasillas
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Please note: The VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program will have a table at the Postdoctoral Training Networking Session (Friday, Nov. 20th) at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Convention in NYC. We look forward to meeting potential applicants & answering questions about the fellowship program.

Thanks,
Rebecca M. Pasillas, Ph.D.

VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
VA Maryland Health Care System
10 North Greene Street (6A)
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 605-7000 ext. 4013
Rebecca.Pasillas@...


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post-Doctoral Fellowships
Clinical Psychology

http://www.va.gov/visn5mirecc/research/fellowship.asp

The VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) in Baltimore, Maryland is offering a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology and a post-residency fellowship in psychiatry. The VISN 5 MIRECC is based at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and is a partnership between the VA and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The goal of the fellowship is to train psychologists and psychiatrists to become leading clinical researchers in the area of serious mental illness. The fellowship program provides opportunities for excellent training in psychosocial treatment development, family and community intervention, health services research, neurocognition /psychophysiology, and psychopharmacology in an outstanding collaborative and interdisciplinary setting. The distribution of the fellows effort is approximately 75% research and 25% clinical.

Start Date: Summer, 2010 (exact start date is flexible)
Stipend: $42,888.00
Benefits: Health Insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, federal holidays.
Location: The VA Medical Center in downtown Baltimore is located on the West side of the city about 4 blocks from Camden Yards and Ravens Stadium. We are in walking distance to the Inner Harbor, the Hippodrome, the Walters Art Museum, and various historic landmarks. Baltimore has an active live music scene, interesting neighborhoods with unique shopping, and a vital downtown arts program (www.baltimore.org).

Psychology fellows must have graduated from an APA accredited graduate program, completed an APA accredited internship, and be U.S. citizens. Contact Dr. Alison Cernich at alison.cernich@... or 410-605-7408.

To apply: Submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of your research interests and career goals, 3 letters of recommendation, reprints of relevant publications and a graduate school transcript to:

Alison Cernich, Ph.D.
10 North Greene Street, BT/MIRECC
Baltimore, MD 21201

Application deadline: Friday, January 8, 2010.

#17756 From: "Weil, Timothy" <tweil@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:17 pm
Subject: (No subject)
tweil3733
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

 

 

Position Announcement

 

Text Box: Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s Program

Department of Child and Family Studies

College of Behavioral and Community Sciences

University of South Florida

Tampa, Florida

 

 Assistant / Associate Professor

 

The University of South Florida is searching for an assistant or associate professor to join the Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s Program.  The candidate will be expected to teach two courses each semester, mentor graduate students, conduct a productive, independent line of scholarly research consistent with the mission of the ABA program and the Department of Child and Family Studies, and secure external funding.

 

This 12-month tenure-earning position is offered at the rank of assistant or associate professor depending on the candidate’s experience and credentials. The qualified candidate will have a Ph.D. in a discipline related to applied behavior analysis (e.g., behavior analysis, psychology, education, special education) and be certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). The candidate is expected to have broad training in behavior analysis (applied and conceptual or experimental) and expertise in a specific area of applied behavior analysis as evidenced by publications in refereed journals and presentations at professional conferences. In addition to conducting an independent line of thematic research, the candidate should demonstrate the ability to supervise graduate student research, including master’s theses (the candidate will be expected to supervise a number of master’s theses each year). The candidate also is expected to have experience in writing extramural grants and have secured funding or show promise for securing funding while in the position.  After 2 years in the position, the candidate will be expected to secure 25% of his or her salary though extramural funding. In terms of teaching, the candidate is expected to have prior university teaching experience and be prepared to teach two courses in behavior analysis in the fall semester and two in the spring semester.

 

Minimum Qualifications: An earned Doctoral degree in a discipline related to applied behavior analysis (e.g., behavior analysis, psychology, education, special education) from an accredited institution, certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, teaching experience, and a demonstrated record of achievement in scholarly research in behavior analysis published in refereed journals.  For applicants at the associate level, a scholarly record commensurate with appointment at the associate level is expected.

 

 

Preferred Qualifications: Experience in grant writing and securing external funding, success in supervising theses or dissertations, and expertise and/or teaching experience in: 1) ABA research methods, 2) behavior theory or conceptual foundations of behavior analysis, 3) intervention or treatment design, 4) experimental analysis of behavior. 

 

 

Start Date for the Position – August 7, 2010

 

 

About the ABA Master’s Program at USF

The Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s Program at USF is a two year, full time program with a course sequence and practicum experience approved by the BACB. Students take six core courses and two elective courses, conduct 1000 hours of supervised practicum in community agencies, participate in a practicum seminar each semester, and conduct a data based thesis in applied behavior analysis.  The candidate will join four faculty members who currently teach in the program.

 

About the College

The College of Behavioral and Community Sciences prepares students, scholars, human service providers, policy makers, and other professionals to improve the quality of life, health, and safety of diverse populations and to promote positive change in individuals, groups, communities, organizations and systems. Through multidisciplinary teaching and research, service, and engagement with community partners, the College focuses on the rigorous development, dissemination/implementation, and analysis of innovative solutions to the complex challenges that affect the behavior and well-being of individuals, families, populations, and communities in which we live.

 

About the University

The University of South Florida system is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.  USF was awarded $380.4 million in research contracts and grants in FY 2008/2009.  The system offers 232 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine.  It has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 47,000 students on institutions/campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.  USF is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

 

About the Application Process

Applicants must apply for this position through the USF on-line employment application system Careers@USF https://employment.usf.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp, enter basic demographic information and upload cover letters, CVs, and other requested information on-line.  The posting is open until filled but the review of applications will begin on January 15, 2010 with the expectation of making an offer by the end of March, 2010.  Applications must include a cover letter detailing the applicant’s qualifications for the position including a description of the applicant’s research program and plans for external funding; full contact information for at least three references; and a current curriculum vita. For additional information, please contact Dr. Raymond Miltenberger, Professor and Director, rmiltenberger@...  (813) 974-5079.

 

If you have any difficulty submitting your application, please contact Human Resources at USFCareersHelp@...

 

 

Best, Tim

 

Timothy M. Weil, Ph.D., BCBA

Faculty/Practicum Coordinator

Masters Program in Applied Behavior Analysis

Department of Child & Family Studies

College of Behavioral & Community Sciences

University of South Florida

 

813-974-2408 (O)

813-388-1051 (C)

 

Links of Interest:

 

USF-ABA Program

http://aba.bcs.usf.edu/

 

Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

To learn more about ACT, RFT,

the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), and the scientific and

practical program we are creating together as a world community,

be sure to visit www.contextualpsychology.org

 

Association for Behavior Analysis International

www.abainternational.org

 

Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies

www.behavior.org

 

Florida Association for Behavior Analysis www.fabaworld.org

 


#17755 From: linda hamilton <iammiracling@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 1:00 pm
Subject: Re: Diet Switching Can Activate Brain's Stress System, Lead To 'Withdrawal' Symptoms
retreat4smok...
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
yes, just the thought of switching can activate the brains stress system. In smokers just the thought of stopping can stress them to the point that they begin to smoke more. Which leads into my next venture. I have a 8 day smoking cessation retreat center here in north carolina just opening next month,. Groups will not be more than 10 and probably only 8 individuals per clinic. If anyone has any referrarls I would be glad to communicate with the individual and do a phone assessment.my web site is not quite finished but here is the link: www.lindahamilton.org/nicotinedependence.shtml
thanks, Linda
On Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 4:27 AM, Maarten Aalberse <maarten.aalberse@...> wrote:

ACT relevant research:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1783974/scripps_team_shows_diet_switching_can_activate_brains_stress_system/index.html?source=r_health

PS eliminating "extrinsic" sugar from out diet is among the best things we can do to boost our immune system and protect us against flues of all kinds...

What if we add a little "intrinsic sweetness" to our lives?

Best to all,
Maarten



#17754 From: "Maarten Aalberse" <maarten.aalberse@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 9:42 am
Subject: 10-year follow-up of diabetes incidence and weight loss in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study
holddans
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

FYI, Maarten


The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9702, Pages 1677 - 1686, 14 November 2009 <Previous Article|Next Article>doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61457-4Cite or Link Using DOI

10-year follow-up of diabetes incidence and weight loss in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study

Summary

Background
In the 28 years of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) randomised clinical trial, diabetes incidence in high-risk adults was reduced by 58% with intensive lifestyle intervention and by 31% with metformin, compared with placebo. We investigated the persistence of these effects in the long term.
Methods
All active DPP participants were eligible for continued follow-up. 2766 of 3150 (88%) enrolled for a median additional follow-up of 57 years (IQR 55—58). 910 participants were from the lifestyle, 924 from the metformin, and 932 were from the original placebo groups. On the basis of the benefits from the intensive lifestyle intervention in the DPP, all three groups were offered group-implemented lifestyle intervention. Metformin treatment was continued in the original metformin group (850 mg twice daily as tolerated), with participants unmasked to assignment, and the original lifestyle intervention group was offered additional lifestyle support. The primary outcome was development of diabetes according to American Diabetes Association criteria. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00038727.
Findings
During the 100-year (IQR 90—105) follow-up since randomisation to DPP, the original lifestyle group lost, then partly regained weight. The modest weight loss with metformin was maintained. Diabetes incidence rates during the DPP were 48 cases per 100 person-years (95% CI 41—57) in the intensive lifestyle intervention group, 78 (68—88) in the metformin group, and 110 (98—123) in the placebo group. Diabetes incidence rates in this follow-up study were similar between treatment groups: 59 per 100 person-years (51—68) for lifestyle, 49 (42—57) for metformin, and 56 (48—65) for placebo. Diabetes incidence in the 10 years since DPP randomisation was reduced by 34% (24—42) in the lifestyle group and 18% (7—28) in the metformin group compared with placebo.
Interpretation
During follow-up after DPP, incidences in the former placebo and metformin groups fell to equal those in the former lifestyle group, but the cumulative incidence of diabetes remained lowest in the lifestyle group. Prevention or delay of diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin can persist for at least 10 years.
Funding
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).


#17753 From: Mary Englert <maryenglert@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:47 am
Subject: referral - Rhode Island
maryenglert
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
I am looking for a therapist for a 21 year old female college student in
Providence, Rhode Island, who has Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance. She appears
to be struggling with depression precipitated by a recent relationship break up.

Please backchannel if interested.

Mary Englert LPC
Portland, Oregon

#17752 From: "Murrell, Amy" <amurrell@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:46 pm
Subject: UNT clinical Psych program needs a DCT
amy_murrell
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
I wanted to let you know about an Associate or Full Professor Director of
Clinical Training position we are searching for this year. If you know anyone
who might be interested please forward the announcement to them.

Associate or Full Professor
Director of Clinical Training (DCT) Position, Clinical Psychology Program

The Department of Psychology at the University of North Texas (UNT) invites
applications for a tenure track
associate or full professor to be Director of Clinical Training (DCT) of the
Clinical Psychology Program.

For complete qualifications, additional information and to apply please visit:
https://facultyjobs.unt.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=50465

AA/ADA/EOE

#17751 From: Peter Thorne <contactpeterthorne@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:51 pm
Subject: Re: victims of violence in Juárez, Mexico
contactpeter...
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Dear Patricia

What a ghastly event.  The literature on critical incident debriefing overall cautions against intervening at this stage with any specific psychological intervention - may do more harm than good by pathologising normal processes of adjustment.  Have a look at the NICE Guidelines for PTSD - they're free and very thorough and based on extensive reviews of evidence.

http://www.nice.org.uk/CG26   Also check out the Contextual website for PTSD reading refs.

The great majority of the children and adults will react naturally to the event - i.e. by having some reliving experiences (dreams, nightmares, intrusive recollections etc), feeling shocked, vulnerable, tearful, etc - this is all natural normal and healthy stuff.  Clean suffering.  Perhaps the most appropriate help is reassurance of normal reactions, encouraging the school community to acknowledge collective distress via a school assembly, prayers, singing, etc, and embracing the idea that together we will get through these horrors.  Allowing normal distress.  Avoiding pathologising. Validating.

Having some agreed plans for where to refer those later on who may need it - but a period of watchful waiting of at least a month is recommended, and even then many people will still have significant re-experiencing without us having to think in PTSD terms.

It may also be helpful to identify some reading resources for staff.

I hope your support goes well, and they can get the message that experiential avoidance isn't the way, and nor is ruminating at length.

Best wishes

Peter Thorne
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dorset UK



From: Patricia Juarez <ppaattyy08@...>
To: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy <acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, 12 November, 2009 2:29:19
Subject: [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] victims of violence in Juárez, Mexico

 


 
Hi everyone,
 
I am writing to the list to see if some of you may be willing to share ideas and/or group exercises you would recommend for a group of children (ages ranging from 8-10), who last Wednesday witnessed an execution of 4 men right behind their school backyard while they were in physical ed. They didn’t actually see it, but they heard the gunshots and then found out what had happened. Now the kids are experiencing PTSD-like symptoms and behaviors, and the school asked us to go and intervene, not only with this group of kids, but with the entire elementary school (eighteen classrooms of around 40 students each), including the teachers who are themselves shocked and don’t know what to do to help their students.
 
Given that they live in an area of the city which has a lot of problems, that the situation of violence in Juárez doesn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon (realistically speaking), and that I have no experience in working with kids, I would very much welcome any feedback  (back channel if you prefer).
 
Thank you very much in advance!
 

 

Paty Juárez

 
Mtra. Patricia Juárez Mendoza
Centro de Atención Psicológica SURÉ
Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez
 
"Once we recognize that thoughts are empty, the mind will no longer have the power to deceive us."  Khyetse Rinpoche



Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.

#17750 From: "Maarten Aalberse" <maarten.aalberse@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:27 am
Subject: Diet Switching Can Activate Brain's Stress System, Lead To 'Withdrawal' Symptoms
holddans
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

ACT relevant research:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1783974/scripps_team_shows_diet_switching_can_activate_brains_stress_system/index.html?source=r_health

PS eliminating "extrinsic" sugar from out diet is among the best things we can do to boost our immune system and protect us against flues of all kinds...

What if we add a little "intrinsic sweetness" to our lives?

Best to all,
Maarten


#17749 From: Peter <contactpeterthorne@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:50 am
Subject: victims of violence in Jurez, Mexico
contactpeter...
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
This is a truly horrible event. Research tells us that

#17748 From: "Maarten Aalberse" <maarten.aalberse@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:41 am
Subject: RE: victims of violence in Jurez, Mexico
holddans
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

Hi Paty

You might want to try contact Ignacio Jarero (see below), who has done a lot of work with grouptreatments of children (and parents) suffering from trauma.
I have met them some 15 years ago, and was very impressed by their work, and their care and generosity. I think they're still around...
I don't have recent contact info, but if you have difficulties contacting them, please feel free to contact me by backchannel and i'll see what I can do.

Even if some of the protocols they use might need some adaptation for these to become ACT consistent, their long experience in Latin America may be herlpful for you.

Bon courage!
Maarten

---

EMDR Integrative Group Treatment Protocol: A Postdisaster Trauma Intervention for Children and Adults

Ignacio Jarero
AMAMECRISIS, Mexico City, Mexico (IJ, LA); Colorado School of Professional Psychology, Colorado Springs, CO, USA (JH); informes@...

Lucina Artigas

John Hartung

AMAMECRISIS, Mexico City, Mexico (IJ, LA); Colorado School of Professional Psychology, Colorado Springs, CO, USA (JH)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is recognized as an effective and efficient treatment for trauma-related issues. This article describes an integrated EMDR and group treatment for children and adults traumatized by natural disasters in several Latin American countries. This protocol combines the eight standard EMDR treatment phases with a group therapy model. The hypothesis is that the resulting hybrid offers more extensive reach than did the original EMDR model, which was intended for use with individuals, and takes treatment efficacy and efficiency well beyond that expected from traditional group process. To illustrate the application of the model, one formally measured field study and nine pilot projects are described. The promising results of this intervention suggest that EMDR is an effective means of providing treatment to large groups of people impacted by large-scale traumatic events (e.g., natural disasters). Controlled research is needed to clarify this issue.

Key Words: EMDR • Latin America • natural disaster • posttraumatic stress • trauma • children


Traumatology, Vol. 12, No. 2, 121-129 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1534765606294561


-------- Message d'origine--------
De: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com de la part de Patricia Juarez
Date: jeu. 12/11/2009 03:29
: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy
Objet : [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] victims of violence in Jurez, Mexico





Hi everyone,



I am writing to the list to see if some of you may be willing to share ideas and/or group exercises you would recommend for a group of children (ages ranging from 8-10), who last Wednesday witnessed an execution of 4 men right behind their school backyard while they were in physical ed. They didn't actually see it, but they heard the gunshots and then found out what had happened. Now the kids are experiencing PTSD-like symptoms and behaviors, and the school asked us to go and intervene, not only with this group of kids, but with the entire elementary school (eighteen classrooms of around 40 students each), including the teachers who are themselves shocked and don't know what to do to help their students.



Given that they live in an area of the city which has a lot of problems, that the situation of violence in Jurez doesn't seem to be coming to an end any time soon (realistically speaking), and that I have no experience in working with kids, I would very much welcome any feedback  (back channel if you prefer).



Thank you very much in advance!





Paty Jurez

Mtra. Patricia Jurez Mendoza
Centro de Atencin Psicolgica SUR
Universidad Autnoma de Ciudad Jurez

"Once we recognize that thoughts are empty, the mind will no longer have the power to deceive us."  Khyetse Rinpoche
                                         
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/


#17747 From: Joseph Cautilli <jcautilli2003@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 5:34 am
Subject: Fw: [ABA-B-Med-SIG] Position Florida
jcautilli2003
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 


--- On Wed, 11/11/09, Joseph Cautilli <jcautilli2003@...> wrote:

From: Joseph Cautilli <jcautilli2003@...>
Subject: [ABA-B-Med-SIG] Position Florida

 

Department of Mental Health Law and Policy
Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
College
of Behavioral and Community Sciences
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida

Faculty Vacancy
Three Assistant Professor Positions

The Department of Mental Health Law and Policy is partnering with three campus departments to hire three faculty members: one with a joint appointment with the Department of Psychology (a 9-month appointment) , one with a joint appointment with the Department of Criminology (a 12-month appointment) , and one with a joint appointment with the College of Public Health's Department of Community and Family Health (a 12-month appointment) .  As joint appointments, successful candidates will split duties between MHLP and one other department.  Exact duties will depend upon the specific partnering department, but all three positions are tenure-earning faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor.  Successful candidates will conduct programmatic research, teach classes (beginning in the third year), and fulfill obligations for service (beginning in the third year).  After four years, the faculty members will be expected to earn a minimum of 25 percent of their salary from external funding (12-month positions).  Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

 

The successful candidates will bring, or demonstrate the potential for, a program of research focused on co-occurring mental and substance use disorders within the justice system.  Within this area, we are particularly interested in investigators with experience or interest in one or more of the following areas: implementation science/translation al research, trauma, or veteran’s issues.  Substantial support will accompany each faculty position during the first four years of employment, including graduate research assistants, research consultants, a “Virtual Collaboratory” network, funding for pilot studies, conference travel and travel to participate in external research mentorships, and other research and training support.   

 

The faculty members will participate in a multidisciplinary NIDA-funded Research Core Center and will receive research mentorship within USF and from external mentor sites, including partners from the NIDA CJDATS-2 research network (http://www.cjdats. org).  The faculty member will be expected to secure ongoing external support for their research program and to promote and disseminate research findings at the national and international levels.  In addition to securing sponsored research funds, the faculty member will be active in professional outreach related to behavioral health services, and will develop collaborative research partnerships with University colleagues, as well as local, state, and federal agencies.

 

Websites for each department:

 

Minimum Qualifications

A terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., J.D., Dr.PH.) in social/behavioral sciences, law, or equivalent, or have completed all requirements for a terminal degree within three months of the date of hire.  As a requirement of the NIDA-funded Research Core Center, eligibility for these positions is restricted to those who have not previously held a tenure-earning faculty position at an academic institution.

 

Preferred Qualifications

Established or demonstrated potential to secure external funding for a program of research in behavioral health services focused on co-occurring disorders in the justice system, and related areas of implementation science, trauma, or veterans services; excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work collaboratively both within and outside the University; knowledge of and experience with health policy and services research related to mental health and substance abuse programs, including services provided within the justice system.

 

Start Date for Position

Negotiable, but we hope to have these positions filled by January 1, 2010.

 

Salary

$80,000 - negotiable

 

About the University of South Florida

The University of South Florida is one of the nation's top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.  USF was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants in fiscal year 2007/2008.  The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine.  The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 46,000 students on institutions/ campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.  USF's diverse population reflects the ethnic and cultural heritage of the economically dynamic Tampa Bay region, a community of some 2.5 million persons.

 

About the Application Process

Applicants must apply for these positions through the on-line employment application system Careers@USF. Click on, or copy and paste the following into your web browser internet address bar: employment.usf. edu/applicants/ Central?quickFin d=50943, and then press enter and you will go directly to the position #10567 posting on Careers@USF.  In applying for this position you apply for all three positions.  Applicants will complete an application, enter basic demographic information and upload cover letters, CVs, and other requested information on-line.  The postings are open until filled but the review of applications will begin on October 26, 2009. Applications must include a cover letter detailing the applicant’s qualifications for the position; include a description of the applicant’s research program and obtained or pending external funding; full contact information for at least three references (approval to contact references is assumed unless otherwise stated); a current curriculum vita; and a maximum of three reprints of representative publications.  For additional information you may contact Roger H. Peters, Ph.D., Chair and Professor, Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, peters@fmhi. usf.edu or (813) 974-9299.

 

If you have any difficulties submitting your application, please contact Human Resources at USFCareersHelp@ admin.usf. edu

 




#17746 From: Patricia Juarez <ppaattyy08@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:29 am
Subject: victims of violence in Jurez, Mexico
pajuarez
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

 
Hi everyone,
 
I am writing to the list to see if some of you may be willing to share ideas and/or group exercises you would recommend for a group of children (ages ranging from 8-10), who last Wednesday witnessed an execution of 4 men right behind their school backyard while they were in physical ed. They didnt actually see it, but they heard the gunshots and then found out what had happened. Now the kids are experiencing PTSD-like symptoms and behaviors, and the school asked us to go and intervene, not only with this group of kids, but with the entire elementary school (eighteen classrooms of around 40 students each), including the teachers who are themselves shocked and dont know what to do to help their students.
 
Given that they live in an area of the city which has a lot of problems, that the situation of violence in Jurez doesnt seem to be coming to an end any time soon (realistically speaking), and that I have no experience in working with kids, I would very much welcome any feedback  (back channel if you prefer).
 
Thank you very much in advance!
 
 

Paty Jurez

 
Mtra. Patricia Jurez Mendoza
Centro de Atencin Psicolgica SUR
Universidad Autnoma de Ciudad Jurez
 
"Once we recognize that thoughts are empty, the mind will no longer have the power to deceive us."  Khyetse Rinpoche



Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.

#17745 From: Jen Plumb <jcplumb@...>
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:50 pm
Subject: Latest "New Skills for Living" shows available for the public
jen_plumb
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Hi all,

Just a note that our resident psychotherapist and television show host, Tom Lavin, has posted two of the latest interviews with ACT folks intended for public consuption:

Victoria Follette discusses coping with PTSD

Steve Hayes discusses ACT in daily life

These are two of a larger series on ACT which has already hosted several ACT folks and will continue to air and be posted for viewing through the next few months. Other shows that have aired so far have included nutrition, obesity, diabetes management, mindfulness, substance abuse and related topics. More are to come.

The link to Tom's site is up on contextualpsychology.org in the ACT for the Public section of the site (http://www.contextualpsychology.org/act_for_the_public), and can be viewed directly fromhttp://www.easeap.com/watch.htmlso let your clients and interested others know about it. They are great for anyone interested in learning more about ACT and are intended to help the public.

Best,
Jen

Jennifer Plumb, M.A.
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Department of Psychology/298
University of Nevada
Reno, NV 89557-0062
Phone: (775) 682-8662
FAX: (775) 327-5043

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. --Proust

#17744 From: "Beate Ebert" <be@...>
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:54 pm
Subject: Transformation in Psychotherapy - The file that didnt work
beate_ebert
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

Hi everybody!

Thank you very much for every response to my first email in the ACT-list.

I know that I am very slow in responding… L and exercise acceptance with myself J. I will respond to all your emails.

I got the message that my word document did not work, so I copied the text into this email for the people who want to read it. It was a talk at the Conference “Health and Happiness for Humanity” in Gstrow, 24th of October, hosted from a big psychiatry, this year. And it says more about transformation and ACT how I see it. People were very interested and came to my ACT-workshops in the afternoon.

Thanks for your interest.

Love

Beate

 

 

 

 

TRANSFORMATION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

 

Vortrag Gstrow, 24. Oktober 2009

 

 

My name is Beate Ebert, I am a psychologist and I am happy to stand here and speak publicly for the first time about a subject that really moves me:

Transformation in psychotherapy – what could that mean?

I have this question in my mind for years. I talked to colleagues about it and got answers like: “You have to separate transformation and psychotherapy, this is something completely different.” or “We had that before, this is not new.” or “What are you talking about? That sounds like African Woodoo.” 11 times I flew to Los Angeles and San Francisco for seminars and looked for an answer.

What I found was a promise, my promise to the world, that in 2024 all human beings are experiencing their natural love, relatedness and passion for each others greatness.

I would like to share with you some aspects I saw about realizing this promise in the area of psychotherapy.

 

Since I am adult I always did transformational work like body-therapy, Gestalt-therapy or the educational work of Landmark Education. And I had these amazing experiences of having an insight that altered my view on life, shifted the possibilities I saw and the actions that I took. The last one I had about two weeks ago in a session with my homeopath when I got that now it is time for me to give up my deep wish to have a child by birth. I have had this wish for 14 years and it has never been fulfilled. And I gave everything for it. Now I was ready to let that go. I was very sad and in the same moment something new opened up. I could not name it. It was huge and it gave me a big inner peace. Afterwards I was uncertain, how would my husband react on my experience and what does it mean for us after all these years, not working on being parents any more. We are still in the process, sometimes it is not easy but there is a new freedom in our life, no need to get somewhere anymore.

 

Experiences like that are precious and as a psychotherapist I am interested that my clients have insights like that.

But the methods I learned at university were more about adding knowledge instead of focussing on unexpected openings.

 

“Transforming” according to the dictionary means to alter something, to reorganize or reshape something. And “transformation” means the act and the result of transforming, so it is the way and the goal.

 

As transformation is an experience, not a concept, I would like to ask you to please do a little exercise with me.

So please close your eyes - and if you feel uncomfortable to close your eyes with so many people, you can just look at the ground. And then please get aware, what thoughts are in your mind: may be something like

“She is a psychologist – don’t they all have mental problem themselves?”,

“This is only the second presentation and I need to go to the bathroom – could I stand up and go?”

“Why did I come here, I would rather have a weekend off”….

 

And please try not to evaluate your thoughts but just watch them, like a friendly observer.

Realize that you are having these thoughts, realize your feelings and body sensations. Be aware that you are sitting on your chair and notice where your body is touching the chair.

 

Experience your breathing, in and out, and how your body moves with it.

Be aware with closed eyes, that you are in a room with about 200 people, doing the same thing you do.

Listen how calm it is in the room now.

 

Now you are present in the moment, aware of yourself, connected to yourself and to the other people in the room. Open all your cells for this experience. Take it in so you can reconnect to it whenever you want.

 

And now realize – before you open your eyes again – whether this little excursion made a difference in how you are sitting here, how present you feel, how relaxed you are and how connected you feel.

 

Now you can open your eyes again.

 

In the beginning of our exercise you could watch this little voice in your head, we all have it. It is commenting everything we experience, based on our knowledge.

 

This voice is very useful to classify things or to tell us that we should buy apples on the way home but it rarely tells us something really new.

Even if we have no severe mental problems this voice can be very annoying or at least boaring.

 

Now imagine someone is having an obsessive compulsive disorder, like one of my clients. His little voice told him again and again, every day, for years, that he needs to call his wife for something might has happened. So he made up a reason to call her just to hear her voice and know all is well. If he could not reach her, he had to leave his workplace, drive to his village and look around until he found her. The little voice also told him, “you better don’t tell anybody, they could think you are crazy”. Actually he himself thought, this was a little bit crazy. But he could not help doing it, otherwise he felt so bad and scared, he thought he could not stand that.

 

As an intelligent person, this client tried everything he knew. He told himself: “Today I will resist, I will be strong and not do it.” He talked to himself and tried to calm himself down. He postponed the phonecall and the pressure got stronger and stronger. And in the end he did it again.

He tried to talk about it with his wife, but she could not really understand what he meant or how to help him.

He ruminated why this was like that, what was wrong with him.

2 or 3 times he drank himself into unconsciousness because he could not stand it any more and he could have died in the wintertime, drunk outside in the night only with a shirt.

Then he decided to look for professional help and he came to my practice.

 

Unluckily we automatically consult our knowledge to solve a problem. And our knowledge often would recommend us to do the same things again and again even if they dont work.

To solve a problem like that it needs something outside your knowledge. Your knowledge more often is an obstacle on the way.

We can say, it needs a transformation.

 

I love the picture of a caterpillar: a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly by pupating and then all the cells get loose and then all the same cells connect in a brand new way. After that there is a new animal, a new way to move, the butterfly can fly instead of crawl. The world looks completely different from the perspective of a caterpillar or a butterfly. This is not a change, this is much more.

I like this picture for psychotherapy. People are coming with the experience of feeling like a caterpillar, crawling around the same problem or symptom for years. And from the perspective of a caterpillar there is no solution, but may be from the perspective of a butterfly.

 

One problem is that people come to psychotherapy, “knowing” they are a caterpillar, for example a caterpillar with a huge fear. And they don’t come to psychotherapy to become a butterfly. They want to become a caterpillar without that fear. Our automatic thinking is not transformational. So if you not even can think something, how could you pursue it?

 

The normal point of view in psychotherapy is: clients and therapists want to reduce symptoms. This is the most important measure for a successful therapy.

 

The picture behind it is: the normal state is trouble-free, we could say healthy and happy. Why would we have a conference like that if this was the normal state.

May be this picture is one of our biggest problems. According to the statistics of the World Health Organisation around 25% of all people in the world will develop one or more mental disorder in their lifetime.

 

So may be mental health problems are just part of the normal human life and there is a continuum from mental health to mental disorders. From that point of view may be we don’t have to fight symptoms and give a lot of energy to them. We all know that fighting is tiring. What if we don’t focus on the symptoms but on a valuable and fulfilled life, whatever the symptoms are?

Most mental disorders have something to do with the little voice in our head, panic and depressive disorders, schizophrenic disorders, personality disorders

 

What if we create a new relationship to this voice instead of fighting it?

In my therapy method, the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, this is a behavior method developed by Steven Hayes and many others, in the ACT-Therapy the goal is not freedom of symptoms but psychological flexibility, that means to deal powerfully with whatever life presents you.

 

In the ACT-Therapy we investigate with our clients: What are you avoiding? What could you accept? What concepts about yourself, about life, about others could you give up? Could you become somebody aware of your symptoms, watching your symptoms but not fixed on them? Could you become aware of your values in life and act committed to these values, whatever symptoms you have?

 

In an investigation like that, in a non-judgemental, accepting environment we can have authentic conversations with our clients and things hidden from our view until then can become visible. Very often, there are blocked emotions from our childhood, because nobody taught us how to deal with overwhelming emotions. So we resist them and get stuck.

If in a therapy session an emotion like that comes up with a client and we lead our client to allow the experience in the body, to breathe it in, to give space to it, then the emotion can release and something new opens up. And nobody knows what that is before. This is in the area of not knowing. My experience is that it has something to do with freedom and peace and power.

And I say: it is our first job as psychotherapists, to say that such a transformation is possible – whatever the situation looks like.

 

 

If you remember the patient who had to phone his wife all the time – after I gave him some principles of my therapy he accepted very quickly the experience of his strong fear when he did not react on his fearful thoughts any more. He discovered an old experience as a child, how he always had to look after his mother in the night whether she is still alive. He was so afraid because his father had died so early. And the wife of my patient started a therapy too. She gave him a hard time because he had been so drunk two or three times and she was convinced he was an alcoholic. He brought her to one of our sessions and she saw that she was stuck in her own past - she has had an alcoholic father. The marriage got much better with her therapy. So my client had his last session four weeks ago and he said he rarely has some fearful thoughts and does not react on them. He takes care for his health, rarely drinks a little alcohol, works out and lost weight, smokes only half of what he smoked before and stopped drinking coffee because this reduced the fear. One big breakthrough for him was to tell a neighbour that he does not want him to drive with high speed in the street where all the children play. He had wanted to do that for years and did not dare and all the other neighbours did not dare either. The man still goes slowly, my client told me in the last session.

 

I know, this is only one case that went well. But I think it illustrates how simple and how complex in the same time it is to cause the transformation I am talking about. And it shows the impact one therapy can have on a life, a family, a community.

 

It is something missing in our entire society that we never learned how to deal powerfully with hurtful experiences. As human beings we automatically avoid painful feelings.

 

The good new is: It is simple to learn. The principle of dealing powerfully with difficult emotions or situations is awareness. You can deal with anything when you are aware of it and accept it.

And this kind of dealing with emotions leads to a natural compassion and relatedness to other peoples hurtful feelings because they are all the same for us human beings.

 

Imagine we would teach children at school how to deal with emotions like that. It would be easy, they are so flexible and they would stay flexible because they dont get stuck in their past experiences.

 

We could teach couples when they start their relationship, how to use tools like that. I am sure the divorce-statistics would go down.

 

We would use these principles ourselves, as psychotherapists, to be nurtured and happy, to create a new relationship to ourselves as therapists and with each other, not based on our opinions but on our commitments.

 

I think the principles I described, being present, awareness, acceptance, are not new, they are already there and many therapists use them, they work for all methods.

What I want to bring to it is the idea of transformation, transformational thinking, and the focus on it.

 

If we advance in this direction therapists would be known as a source of wellbeing in society and we would be proud of the difference, our work makes.

 

Clients instead of hiding their therapy or being excluded of private health insurances would be appreciated for their training in dealing powerfully with painful thoughts and feelings – and for the contribution they make to their families, friends and workplaces.

If we are really thinking big, our social, political and economic life would look different.

 

My last question is: what steps are we going to take today to have this possibility our reality? You could just exercise to be aware of your body sensations and thoughts and feelings, not take them so serious but accept them and act according to your values.

 

And if you want to know more about it how it works you can come to the workshop in the afternoon and experience it. Thank you very much for your attendance!

 

 

Dipl.-Psych. Beate Ebert

Psychologische Psychotherapeutin (VT)

Rossmarkt 33a

D-63739 Aschaffenburg

+49 - (0) 60 21 - 583 48 35

+49 - (0) 178 - 533 77 30

www.beate-ebert.de

By 2024 all human beings experience their natural love, relatedness and passion for each others greatness.

 


#17743 From: "Maarten Aalberse" <maarten.aalberse@...>
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:26 pm
Subject: Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness
holddans
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

A fellow-traveller?

Best to all,
Maarten

Alva Noe: "Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness",Hill and Wang; 1 edition (February 17, 2009)

"No turns Descartes's famous statement on its head: I am, therefore I think, says No. The author, a philosopher at UC-Berkeley, challenges the assumptions underlying neuroscientific studies of consciousness, rejecting popular mechanistic theories that our experience of the world stems from the firing of the neurons in our brains. No (Action in Perception) argues that we are not our brains, that consciousness arises from interactions with our surroundings: Consciousness is not something that happens inside us. It is something we do or make. No points out that many of our habits, like language, are foundational aspects of our mental experience, but at the same time many, if not most, habits are environmental in nature—we behave a particular way in a particular situation. He goes on to challenge popular theories of perception, in particular the claim that the world is just a grand illusion conjured up by the brain. Readers interested in how science can intersect with and profit from philosophy will find much food for thought in No's groundbreaking study." (Feb. 24)


#17742 From: "Marg Vandermost" <marg_v@...>
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:06 am
Subject: ACT and chronic pain - some nice feedback
mags6569
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

Hi there

 

Just wanted to share feedback from a client received yesterday via a colleague.

 

As background, I attended Russ’ workshops – beginners and advanced in November last year and as a result was determined to provide an ACT based chronic pain program. Previously I had co-presented the program with a physio and was primarily using CBT –challenging etc.

 

Using Living beyond your pain by Joann Dahl and Tobias Lundgren, I worked on new content with my physiotherapy colleague and we presented our first trial run in Feb 09. The first group had a number of ex-tradies, so our values sheet was the car battery form (not sure where we grabbed that from) which they related to. The course over 4 intensive weeks and with follow up 3 weeks later went exceptionally well and we were both excited with the prospect of continuing to refine the exercises.

 

Anyway, yesterday – 9 months later, colleague was talking to one of the participants who has a severe back injury. He has been back at work for over 3 months now and credits the course with “changing his life”. Pretty full on stuff but then he elaborated and said he now accepts his pain and can manage it – he quoted the defusion technique of leaves floating down the river as something he does every day and in his words “it really works”. He told my colleague he was initially skeptical when ACT was first proposed in the course, thinking I was a tree hugging hippy that would get everyone to sit around and meditate (paraphrasing from his quote) but said he is glad he stayed and found it incredibly beneficial.

 

I am no longer running the course – have passed on the baton after further refinement – but thought I would share this great example of the impact of ACT and the fact it is so sustainable.

 

Thanks Russ for being such a good teacher and Joann and Tobias for such a wonderful text.

 

Cheers

 

Marg

 


From: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com [mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Maarten Aalberse
Sent: Wednesday, 11 November 2009 3:20 PM
To: tkashdan@...; acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] Curiosity, mindfulness and self-as-context

 

 

Hi Todd and all

I find this connection between curiosity and mindful awareness very interesting and important.
And I think we can connect this with another thread, that of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
My take on some of your work is that for you curiosity is intrinsically motivating; or in slightly different terms, that curiosity is intrinsically reinforcing.
Do you, or anybody else, have any comments on this?


From my part, one of the things that struck me watching Kevin Polk work was, how frequently in his trauma-groups he would respond to his members sharing some stuff:
"Ah, you noticed that... Interesting!" (or: "Isn't that interesting?"). And then this interest (maybe weak at first, maybe the persons couldn't quite go along with that) would be further activated by all the "sorting-and-deriving" he engages his patients in, via the matrix.

Seems to me that this  "Ah, you noticed that... Interesting!" is reinforcing "noticing" as well as the "self that is doing the noticing", as well as highlighting (reinforcing) the intrinsic reinforcement of interest/ curiosity.
And so, key elements of mindfulness are trained in an almost "offhand", informal, playful and conversational way.

What I'd better add, here, is that for Kevin whatever the patient notices is genuinely interesting; so it's much more than just a clever set of words, his own curiosity and care "shines through", very much so.

Best to all,

Maarten


-------- Message d'origine--------
De: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com de la part de tkashdan@YAHOO.COM
Date: mar. 10/11/2009 16:30
: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
Objet : [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] Re: Question about mindfulness and self-as-context

Hi all,

If you look at the consensus operational definitions of mindfulness (Shaprio, Bishop, Teasdale, etc.), you find that there are 2 components:

1. self-regulation of attention- the awareness component
2. the quality of one's attention- paying attention with openness and curiosity

Most self-report scales focus on the awareness component and not the openness, curiosity, and receptivity to what is being attended to. Thus, it is not surprising that the correlations are small with openness measures. The problem with Openness scales is they are black boxes filled with facets that have little to do with each other. Being imaginative? Artistic preferences and sensibilities? Daydreaming? Creativity? Put these all together and you get non-random error with artistic minded people with artificially higher scores. We only get what the items tap. I think there are benefits to moving away from the globular beast of openness to capture the exact dimensions of interest.

I have some data being written up showing a synergistic interaction between curiosity and mindful awareness in predicting receptivity to difficult emotional material (reminders of death in a terror mgmt paradigm). In fact, we are presenting a poster with these findings at ABCT next week in the mindfulness SIG.

I am not sure why people are apt to neglect curiosity and openness as parts of mindfulness, not antecedents, correlates, or consequences, but part of being mindful.

Most experimental manipulations of mindfulness focus heavily on the first component of mindfulness but don't nab the first and second components. In the ACT model, curiosity is implicitly embedded in acceptance, defusion, and self-as-context but I argue it should be made more explicit. The person who does the best job of making it explicit is Russ Harris. He has at right at the forefront with being present and doing what matters.

cheers,
Todd

--
Todd B. Kashdan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology
George Mason University
Mail Stop 3F5
Fairfax, VA  22030
Office: 703-993-9486
Fax: 703-993-1359
Lab: http://mason.gmu.edu/~tkashdan/
Homepage: http://toddkashdan.com/
Blog: huffingtonpost.com/todd-kashdan



--- In acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com, "amielanger" <amie-langer@...> wrote:
>
> A recent article in Clinical Psychology Review titled "Mindful emotion regulation: An integrative review" (Chambers, Gullone, & Allen, 2009) includes a review of the different conceptualizations of mindfulness and emotion regulation, and then focuses on two aspects of mindfulness:
>
> 1.    nonjudgmental and nonelaborative awareness
> 2.    awareness of, or perception of, awareness itself
>
> The article delineates how mainstream psychology has thus far tended to focus more on the first process (i.e., developing nonjudgmental nonelaborative awareness) and has not engaged to any significant degree with the notion of the second (i.e., direct perception of awareness). The authors note the second process has been variously referred to as "choiceless awareness," "mental freedom," and even "cognitive defusion." Throughout the article, the authors assert that this second process has not been incorporated into mainstream mindfulness-based interventions, with the exception of MBSR. The article concludes that future research should focus more on this aspect of mindfulness because, among other things, it fosters recognition that sensory phenomena occur within awareness yet do not alter or harm that awareness, and as such, it reduces the tendency to respond to stimuli either appetitively or avoidantly.
>
> So my question is.even though ACT as a technology does not explicitly focus on this second process, is it not embedded within the notion of self-as-context (and psychological flexibility more generally)?  My mind is puzzled that the authors claim this process has been referred to as "cognitive defusion" yet do not note its inclusion in ACT, particularly given they reference ACT in other portions of the article. I am wondering if the authors do not agree that ACT incorporates this process, or if I have misunderstood the function of developing self-as-context within an ACT framework. I realize that the authors can only speak to the former, so I am hoping to get feedback from the ACT community on the latter.
>
> Thank you,
> Amie
>
>
> *****************************************
> Amie N. Langer, M.A.
> Clinical Psychology Graduate Student
> The University of Iowa
> E11 Seashore Hall
> Iowa City, IA  52246
> amie-langer@...
>



#17741 From: "Maarten Aalberse" <maarten.aalberse@...>
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:20 am
Subject: Curiosity, mindfulness and self-as-context
holddans
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

Hi Todd and all

I find this connection between curiosity and mindful awareness very interesting and important.
And I think we can connect this with another thread, that of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
My take on some of your work is that for you curiosity is intrinsically motivating; or in slightly different terms, that curiosity is intrinsically reinforcing.
Do you, or anybody else, have any comments on this?


From my part, one of the things that struck me watching Kevin Polk work was, how frequently in his trauma-groups he would respond to his members sharing some stuff:
"Ah, you noticed that... Interesting!" (or: "Isn't that interesting?"). And then this interest (maybe weak at first, maybe the persons couldn't quite go along with that) would be further activated by all the "sorting-and-deriving" he engages his patients in, via the matrix.

Seems to me that this  "Ah, you noticed that... Interesting!" is reinforcing "noticing" as well as the "self that is doing the noticing", as well as highlighting (reinforcing) the intrinsic reinforcement of interest/ curiosity.
And so, key elements of mindfulness are trained in an almost "offhand", informal, playful and conversational way.

What I'd better add, here, is that for Kevin whatever the patient notices is genuinely interesting; so it's much more than just a clever set of words, his own curiosity and care "shines through", very much so.

Best to all,

Maarten


-------- Message d'origine--------
De: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com de la part de tkashdan@...
Date: mar. 10/11/2009 16:30
: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
Objet : [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] Re: Question about mindfulness and self-as-context

Hi all,

If you look at the consensus operational definitions of mindfulness (Shaprio, Bishop, Teasdale, etc.), you find that there are 2 components:

1. self-regulation of attention- the awareness component
2. the quality of one's attention- paying attention with openness and curiosity

Most self-report scales focus on the awareness component and not the openness, curiosity, and receptivity to what is being attended to. Thus, it is not surprising that the correlations are small with openness measures. The problem with Openness scales is they are black boxes filled with facets that have little to do with each other. Being imaginative? Artistic preferences and sensibilities? Daydreaming? Creativity? Put these all together and you get non-random error with artistic minded people with artificially higher scores. We only get what the items tap. I think there are benefits to moving away from the globular beast of openness to capture the exact dimensions of interest.

I have some data being written up showing a synergistic interaction between curiosity and mindful awareness in predicting receptivity to difficult emotional material (reminders of death in a terror mgmt paradigm). In fact, we are presenting a poster with these findings at ABCT next week in the mindfulness SIG.

I am not sure why people are apt to neglect curiosity and openness as parts of mindfulness, not antecedents, correlates, or consequences, but part of being mindful.

Most experimental manipulations of mindfulness focus heavily on the first component of mindfulness but don't nab the first and second components. In the ACT model, curiosity is implicitly embedded in acceptance, defusion, and self-as-context but I argue it should be made more explicit. The person who does the best job of making it explicit is Russ Harris. He has at right at the forefront with being present and doing what matters.

cheers,
Todd

--
Todd B. Kashdan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology
George Mason University
Mail Stop 3F5
Fairfax, VA  22030
Office: 703-993-9486
Fax: 703-993-1359
Lab: http://mason.gmu.edu/~tkashdan/
Homepage: http://toddkashdan.com/
Blog: huffingtonpost.com/todd-kashdan



--- In acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com, "amielanger" <amie-langer@...> wrote:
>
> A recent article in Clinical Psychology Review titled "Mindful emotion regulation: An integrative review" (Chambers, Gullone, & Allen, 2009) includes a review of the different conceptualizations of mindfulness and emotion regulation, and then focuses on two aspects of mindfulness:
>
> 1.    nonjudgmental and nonelaborative awareness
> 2.    awareness of, or perception of, awareness itself
>
> The article delineates how mainstream psychology has thus far tended to focus more on the first process (i.e., developing nonjudgmental nonelaborative awareness) and has not engaged to any significant degree with the notion of the second (i.e., direct perception of awareness). The authors note the second process has been variously referred to as "choiceless awareness," "mental freedom," and even "cognitive defusion." Throughout the article, the authors assert that this second process has not been incorporated into mainstream mindfulness-based interventions, with the exception of MBSR. The article concludes that future research should focus more on this aspect of mindfulness because, among other things, it fosters recognition that sensory phenomena occur within awareness yet do not alter or harm that awareness, and as such, it reduces the tendency to respond to stimuli either appetitively or avoidantly.
>
> So my question is.even though ACT as a technology does not explicitly focus on this second process, is it not embedded within the notion of self-as-context (and psychological flexibility more generally)?  My mind is puzzled that the authors claim this process has been referred to as "cognitive defusion" yet do not note its inclusion in ACT, particularly given they reference ACT in other portions of the article. I am wondering if the authors do not agree that ACT incorporates this process, or if I have misunderstood the function of developing self-as-context within an ACT framework. I realize that the authors can only speak to the former, so I am hoping to get feedback from the ACT community on the latter.
>
> Thank you,
> Amie
>
>
> *****************************************
> Amie N. Langer, M.A.
> Clinical Psychology Graduate Student
> The University of Iowa
> E11 Seashore Hall
> Iowa City, IA  52246
> amie-langer@...
>




#17740 From: "Robb, Harold B." <robbhb@...>
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:58 am
Subject: RE: "Without resistance"
robbhb
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Jacqueline,

Yes, it makes sense and seems "right on" to me. And from a "bigger picture" of a
Leading Principle such as, "Be the best parent I can be," all of the stuff can
be seen as dove tailing together. Making your son's shopping experience as
pleasant as possible isn't just in the service of "have a good time," or "keep
him from being such a pain to me as he is when he as a 'bad' time." Rather, it
seems more in the service of "don't let other stuff interfere with the skills
that I think will help him life his life well." By aiming to "help them grow up"
you do things that "help them grow up" and those things are reinforcing not just
in and of themselves but because they are part and parcel of "help them grow
up." I think that is precisely Kelly's definition of values in ACT.


I'll soon be off traveling so it may be awhile before I respond again.

Best,

Hank

________________________________________
From: Jacqueline A-Tjak [a-tjak.turk@...]
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 11:31 PM
To: Robb, Harold B.
Cc: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [english 100%] [Spam][english 100%] Re:
[acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] "Without resistance"

Hi Hank,

Yes, this is helpful. Thanks. I guess that what confuses me is when I try to
understand a small operant as being values consistent. Let me check if I get
this right:

For example: Two weeks ago I went shopping with my children for clothes. The
small picture would be: the reinforcement is in having the clothes they
needed after the shopping. The big picture would be: I tried to let my kids
make their own decisions, they had their own money so they can learn to
spend it wisely, I tried to make it a pleasant enterprise (since my son
hates shopping for clothes, that takes some skill). And even that is only a
small picture because my kids will not learn to spend their money wisely
when they go shopping with their own money once. It is part of a process.
But since I know what I am doing it for, and that is mostly a verbal thing,
I will feel reinforced by the act of letting them make their own decisions,
knowing (verbally) this will probably help them to learn to do that wisely
over time.

Makes sense?

Best,

Jacqueline

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com] Namens Robb, Harold
B.
Verzonden: zondag 8 november 2009 18:57
CC: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
Onderwerp: [english 100%] [Spam][english 100%] Re:
[acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] "Without resistance"

Jacqueline,

"Means-ends" analysis is a relational frame. It can be arbitrarily applied
to anything. "Means" ar not somehow "inately means" and "ends" are not
somehow "inately ends;" at least not from a functionalist perspective.. The
usual BIG main feature is that "means" temporally preceed "ends." This is
why the concept of "reinforcement" is often so hard to get one's head
around. The "reinforcement" comes after, not before, the behavior and by
that "placement" tends to make the probability of the behavior more likely
in a similar context; and if it doesn't, it wasn't a "reinforcer."

When you note, "and they respond to me in an open friendly manner" might be
a "result," yes it could. And you don't have to stop the analysis there. You
can look at a "bigger" picture. "An operant" can be a big or as small as one
cares to make it. It is a "way of looking," not "the thing looked at."
Operants can have ANY size. So, you COULD stop with the "friendly manner,"
and you could look "bigger." "Be the most likable person I can be" might be
the self-chosen Leading Principle I am following, and there might be some
other Leading Principle such as "Be as conected with the folks you are with
as you can." Likely, the way, "and they respond to me in an open friendly
manner," fits with the first is likely not the way it fits with the second.
With regard to the first, the response is likely to be the whole point. With
the second, it is a "signal of connection" which links to something bigger
than the immediate response itself which is why it is a "signal" - both an
R+ and an SD+ for "more of that"  where "that" is "connecting" "stuff."

If you look at Kelly's definition, he is talking about "BIG" operants from
the point of view of "time and size." So, you will have to look at something
"long enough and wide enough" to see if what he is describing is what's
going on. The thing is, there are also short cuts because we claim that
"valued action" is vitalizing and you can contact "vitalizing" rather
quickly, either with yourself or with others. The "just going through the
motions" experience vs. the "WAY COOL" experience sort of hits you in the
face when you have enough discrimination history. You can even notice, "Well
this isn't much for me, but s/he sure seems to be getting off on it," or
vice versa.

The main point I would make is that if you make an operant analysis "big
enough" you will be able to ANALYTICALLY "break it into smaller pieces." The
"smaller pieces" aren't "real pieces," that's just how you broke it up. So
you go back to, "What was the point of breaking up that way?" If you answer,
" to find the REAL reinforcers," the heart of Functional Contnextualism has
slipped away - and it is easy to do in a system that has taught us about
"reality and how sciece cuts realty at its joints." "THERE ARE NO JOINTS!,"
he said with perhaps too much enthusiasm. :)

So, according to Kelly (and his definition seems fine enough to me), "In
ACT, values are freely chosen, verbally constructed consequences of ongoing,
dynamic, evolving patterns of activity, which establish predominant
reinforcers for that activity that are intrinsic in engagement in the valued
behavioral pattern itself." OK, if you want to see if what you are looking
at is about "values," as defined, then look "big enough" so that the
definition can apply. If you look "smaller," it can't. If you look "big" and
then "break big into smaller," don't get trapped in the "reality of the
pieces." Go back and ask what the point of making the pieces was in the
first place. If the answer is, "to find the REAL/TRUE analysis," smile, sigh
and notice, "Yea, metaphysical realism suckered me again!"

Hope this helps.

H
________________________________________
From: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
[acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jacqueline
A-Tjak [a-tjak.turk@...]
Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2009 8:37 AM
To: 'Kelly Wilson'; 'William Kordonski'
Cc: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com; 'Maarten Aalberse'
Subject: RE: [english 100%] [Spam][english 100%] Re:
[acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] "Without resistance"

Hi all,

I am very grateful for this discussion about reinforcement. I am confused
and hope to de-confuse.

I learned from Kelly this about values: In ACT, values are freely chosen,
verbally constructed consequences of ongoing, dynamic, evolving patterns of
activity, which establish predominant reinforcers for that activity that are
intrinsic in engagement in the valued behavioral pattern itself.

Intrinsic is explained as: Independent of results or outcome.

Here is where I get lost.

Hank wrote: 'If I am trying to have a conversation with someone and they
respond to me in an open friendly manner, that ought to be reinforcing to
me. How people respond is an intrinsic part of the action of conversing and
not something extrinsic to it.'
But that could be considered a result, right? So what confuses me is: what
do we consider a result or outcome and what not? What is a natural part of a
response pattern and what is not?

HELP!

Best,
Jacqueline


Van: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com] Namens Kelly Wilson
Verzonden: vrijdag 6 november 2009 21:14
Aan: William Kordonski
CC: acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com Listserve; Maarten
Aalberse
Onderwerp: [english 100%] [Spam][english 100%] Re:
[acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] "Without resistance"


One thing at a time please BIll. Hmmmm. Widely accepted. Dunno.
Theoretically coherent. I would argue it with anyone anytime. Try the
alternative - discrete objects or events are the reinforcers. I can readily
find examples where that just doesn't work, but that are clearly examples of
reinforcement. Here is a pretty simple explication from Mindfulness for Two
- pages 31-33 with examples of why responses as movements and stimuli as
objects are insufficiently flexible ways of speaking.

Two Common Errors in Understanding Responses and Stimuli
Two common misconceptions about responses and stimuli are that responses are
movements and stimuli are discrete objects. From a contex- tual behavioral
perspective, these are both incorrect in the most techni-

p. 31
A Clinician's Guide to Stimulus ControlMindfulness for Two
cal sense. On the response side, standing still is defined as a response if
I can demonstrate that standing still, as the response of interest, is
capable of being organized by context, which is to say, capable of being
provoked by some kind of stimulus. For example, if I give you a five-dollar
bill when you stand still and take five dollars when you move and thereby
alter the probability that you'll stand still, then "standing still" meets
our defini- tion of behavior: it's something the organism can do. Also,
standing still can be brought under contextual control-that is, it's in
dynamic inter- action with a stimulating environment.
On the stimulus side, the most common error is to think of a stimu- lus as
an object. We might, for example, see the five-dollar bill as the stimulus
that organizes behavior. In a limited sense, this is true, but a more
sophisticated way to think of this is that standing still changes the world
from one where you can't buy things to one in which, with your crisp, new
fiver, you can. It is that transition from not having the power to buy
things to having that power that organizes behavior, not the bill per se.
For example, if I gave you a billion dollars, the promise of an extra five
bucks would likely no longer organize your behavior, and you would stand
still or move as it pleased you. Or if I locked you in a cell where money
couldn't be spent or given away, five dollars (or even a billion) wouldn't
do much to organize your behavior. Why not? Because receiv- ing the
five-dollar bill in either of those two contexts wouldn't change your world
in any significant way.
In many applications, calling the five-dollar bill a reinforcer of behavior
is probably workable. (We should remember that, despite the leaps and bounds
of contemporary physics, Newton's classical mechanics work just fine in most
instances too.) However, we want a more sophis- ticated understanding of the
dynamic interaction of responding and stimulating.
Why does it matter? The distinction matters because sometimes there's no
object or immediate discrete event to which we can point. Richard Herrnstein
and Philip Hineline (1966) carried out a classic experimental example that
illustrates this point nicely. In their study, rats were placed in an
experimental chamber, and the floor of the chamber was briefly electrified
at random intervals. If the rats pressed a certain lever within the chamber,
the shocks would come at a slightly reduced, though still random, interval.
What Herrnstein and Hineline found in the experiment was that lever pressing
was maintained in the rats. We cannot understand the maintenance of the
lever pressing by appealing to the immediate effects of lever pressing. The
most common immediate effect of a lever press was that nothing would happen.
In fact, as result
P. 32

of the shocks coming at random intervals, the lever press was sometimes
followed immediately by a shock. Why did the rats press the lever? In simple
terms, the rat pressed the lever because doing so precipitated a transition
in context from one in which shocks are more frequent to one in which they
are less frequent.


best,
kelly


On Nov 6, 2009, at 2:02 PM, William Kordonski wrote:


Transition from one context to another is the rein forcer? Is this a
generally accepted view in BA?

And so, if I may look at intrinsic vs. extrinsic reinforcement: There is
really no difference.

Ex: playing a guitar for an audience vs for oneself is just a change in
context from non-playing to playing. Extrinsic then is something you can
identify in the environment to distinguish one context from another. Is that
right?

Bill

________________________________
From:
acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmen
ttherapy@yahoogroups.com>
[mailto:acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kelly
Wilson
Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 9:33 AM
To: Maarten Aalberse
Cc:
acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com<mailto:acceptanceandcommitmen
ttherapy@yahoogroups.com> Listserve
Subject: Re: [acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy] "Without resistance"



Maarten - I truly do not think anyone is in opposition to the concern you
express. There is just too much contrary evidence. People have said again
and again on the list, me too, that avoidance is not inherently bad, that
people ought to pick their own pace, that movement is always relative to the
client's values and pace.

IMO ACT in Practice is just talking about openness to experience. In my
view, openness does not involve complete and inflexible absorption - I have
seen clients who indulge in that and plenty of "feel your feelings"
therapists ready to help them do it. I have been guilty of it
myself--intoxicated by the potency of emotion. ACT is not a feel your
feelings for it's own sake therapy though. I think, and individual authors
can correct me if I am wrong, that it is probably just a matter of economy
of words.

Here is an example from behavior analysis. I train people to always always
always think of reinforcers as transit ions in context. The food pellet is
not the reinforcer for the rat's lever press. The reinforcer is the
transition in context from one in which eating is not possible to one in
which eating is possible. This conception of reinforcement is much more
flexible than an object oriented understanding of reinforcement. It allows
us to talk sensibly about both the rat lever pressing for food and the rat
lever pressing to transition from higher density of shocks to a lower
density of shocks even when any particular press might be followed by an
immediate shock. It allows for a scaling up or down or our understanding of
relevant context (molar vs molecular) without changing the analytic
sensibilities.

That said, you can find me talking about reinforcers as if they are objects
or discreet events sometimes because the transition in context language is
cumbersome. I wonder if what you are seeing is like that. I just cannot
think of any major ACT treatment develope r who would say "resisting
feelings is always pathogenic" - I can easily imagine them saying, about
avoidance, about fusion, about turning away from values, that there is a
risk involved, but not a blanket always pathogenic claim.

perhaps the discussion can serve to remind us to come back frequently to the
always contextualized, functional understanding of what is and is not
pathogenic.

anyhow, my two cents,

kelly




On Nov 6, 2009, at 2:41 AM, Maarten Aalberse wrote:







Oh dear.

With a little trepidation I come back to this diffciult discussion on
"without needless defense".

It's because in looking up something completely different, I stumbled on
this, in ACT in Practice, P; 128:

"(...) rather the aim is to embrace what is currently being felt without
resistance".

I don't think I'm playing wordgames when I say that this implies that
resistance is pathogenic.

This I can't agree with, for both theoretical and clinical reasons.

A little detail to add to the above, resistance in psychoanalysis refers to
resisting the therapist's interventions....

So where "without defense" is problematic for me, "without resistance" is
IMO even more off track.

As a little aside: "without" is dead-man's territory for me.

Best to all (really!)

Maarten


Kelly G. Wilson
205 Peabody Building
Psychology Department
University of Mississippi
Oxford, MS 38677

fax: 662.915.5398
(do not use during summer)
ph: 662.816.5189

academic homepage:
www.olemiss.edu/working/kwilson/kwilson.htm<http://www.olemiss.edu/working/k
wilson/kwilson.htm%0d%0a%20>
also check out
www.onelifellc.com<http://www.onelifellc.com/>
www.mindfulnessfortwo.com<http://www.mindfulnessfortwo.com/>






Kelly G. Wilson
205 Peabody Building
Psychology Department
University of Mississippi
Oxford, MS 38677

fax: 662.915.5398
(do not use during summer)
ph: 662.816.5189

academic homepage:
www.olemiss.edu/working/kwilson/kwilson.htm<http://www.olemiss.edu/working/k
wilson/kwilson.htm>
also check out
www.onelifellc.com<http://www.onelifellc.com/>
www.mindfulnessfortwo.com<http://www.mindfulnessfortwo.com/>









------------------------------------

To learn more about ACT, RFT, the Association for Contextual Behavioral
Science (ACBS), and the scientific and practical program we are creating
together as a world community, be sure to visit
http://www.contextualpsychology.org.

If you wish to participate in ACT/RFT/ACBS forum discussions (similar to
this list serve, but with an easily accessible permanent record)
periodically visit http://www.contextualpsychology.org/forum


-Yahoo! Groups Links

#17739 From: "Marco" <marcokleen@...>
Date: Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:14 pm
Subject: Re: Question about mindfulness and self-as-context
marcokleen
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Good one, curiosity as part of the ACT model, although I think that it depends
on how you apply the model in the first place. I suppose a lot of ACT therapists
would use it implicitly. Personally, I apply the concept curiosity to one's own
mind, experiences and thoughts as part of being aware in the present and
defusing from content of thoughts in clients a lot, although I might use other
words for it (f.i. friendliness, compassion). I use curiosity a lot in treating
OCD, as part of 'being curious to the strange working of your mind and its
creativity for creating difficult thoughts', or something.

Best,
Marco

--- In acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com, tkashdan@... wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> If you look at the consensus operational definitions of mindfulness (Shaprio,
Bishop, Teasdale, etc.), you find that there are 2 components:
>
> 1. self-regulation of attention- the awareness component
> 2. the quality of one's attention- paying attention with openness and
curiosity
>
> Most self-report scales focus on the awareness component and not the openness,
curiosity, and receptivity to what is being attended to. Thus, it is not
surprising that the correlations are small with openness measures. The problem
with Openness scales is they are black boxes filled with facets that have little
to do with each other. Being imaginative? Artistic preferences and
sensibilities? Daydreaming? Creativity? Put these all together and you get
non-random error with artistic minded people with artificially higher scores. We
only get what the items tap. I think there are benefits to moving away from the
globular beast of openness to capture the exact dimensions of interest.
>
> I have some data being written up showing a synergistic interaction between
curiosity and mindful awareness in predicting receptivity to difficult emotional
material (reminders of death in a terror mgmt paradigm). In fact, we are
presenting a poster with these findings at ABCT next week in the mindfulness
SIG.
>
> I am not sure why people are apt to neglect curiosity and openness as parts of
mindfulness, not antecedents, correlates, or consequences, but part of being
mindful.
>
> Most experimental manipulations of mindfulness focus heavily on the first
component of mindfulness but don't nab the first and second components. In the
ACT model, curiosity is implicitly embedded in acceptance, defusion, and
self-as-context but I argue it should be made more explicit. The person who does
the best job of making it explicit is Russ Harris. He has at right at the
forefront with being present and doing what matters.
>
> cheers,
> Todd
>
> --
> Todd B. Kashdan, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor
> Department of Psychology
> George Mason University
> Mail Stop 3F5
> Fairfax, VA  22030
> Office: 703-993-9486
> Fax: 703-993-1359
> Lab: http://mason.gmu.edu/~tkashdan/
> Homepage: http://toddkashdan.com/
> Blog: huffingtonpost.com/todd-kashdan
>
>
>
> --- In acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com, "amielanger"
<amie-langer@> wrote:
> >
> > A recent article in Clinical Psychology Review titled "Mindful emotion
regulation: An integrative review" (Chambers, Gullone, & Allen, 2009) includes a
review of the different conceptualizations of mindfulness and emotion
regulation, and then focuses on two aspects of mindfulness:
> >
> > 1. nonjudgmental and nonelaborative awareness
> > 2. awareness of, or perception of, awareness itself
> >
> > The article delineates how mainstream psychology has thus far tended to
focus more on the first process (i.e., developing nonjudgmental nonelaborative
awareness) and has not engaged to any significant degree with the notion of the
second (i.e., direct perception of awareness). The authors note the second
process has been variously referred to as "choiceless awareness," "mental
freedom," and even "cognitive defusion." Throughout the article, the authors
assert that this second process has not been incorporated into mainstream
mindfulness-based interventions, with the exception of MBSR. The article
concludes that future research should focus more on this aspect of mindfulness
because, among other things, it fosters recognition that sensory phenomena occur
within awareness yet do not alter or harm that awareness, and as such, it
reduces the tendency to respond to stimuli either appetitively or avoidantly.
> >
> > So my question iseven though ACT as a technology does not explicitly focus
on this second process, is it not embedded within the notion of self-as-context
(and psychological flexibility more generally)?  My mind is puzzled that the
authors claim this process has been referred to as "cognitive defusion" yet do
not note its inclusion in ACT, particularly given they reference ACT in other
portions of the article. I am wondering if the authors do not agree that ACT
incorporates this process, or if I have misunderstood the function of developing
self-as-context within an ACT framework. I realize that the authors can only
speak to the former, so I am hoping to get feedback from the ACT community on
the latter.
> >
> > Thank you,
> > Amie
> >
> >
> > *****************************************
> > Amie N. Langer, M.A.
> > Clinical Psychology Graduate Student
> > The University of Iowa
> > E11 Seashore Hall
> > Iowa City, IA  52246
> > amie-langer@
> >
>

Messages 17739 - 17768 of 18114   Newest  |  < Newer  |  Older >  |  Oldest
Advanced
Add to My Yahoo!      XML What's This?

Copyright 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Guidelines - Help