The overarching goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility, which can be enhanced through mechanisms such as acceptance, valued-driven actions, or mindfulness. Several meta-analyses confirm the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the treatment of clinical and subclinical populations, including patients diagnosed with depressive disorder and insomnia, largely...
Current AI benchmarks often equate mimicry with genuine intelligence, emphasizing task performance over the underlying cognitive processes that enable human-like understanding. The Machine Perturbational Complexity & Agency Battery (mPCAB) introduces a new, substrate-independent framework that applies neurophysiological methods used initially to assess consciousness in artificial systems....
Integrative neuroscience increasingly recognizes that the brain evolved primarily as a biological system for generating movement. Viewed as a complex oscillator, the brain is now widely investigated through electroencephalography (EEG), which occupies a central position in both motor neuroscience and cognitive research, particularly in the study of consciousness. In this perspective article, we...
Mental health disorders such as depression are a rising issue among university students. Some of them use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as self-administered therapy instead of or together with professional care. Defining the scale of the problem, its underlying reasons and possible implications are crucial for addressing it in clinical psychiatry and public health strategies. A...
Chronic pain is an individual experience with physical and psychological dimensions. Ketamine is used in sub-anesthetic doses to treat chronic pain. We describe a proposed multidisciplinary approach with combined treatment of low-dose ketamine and pain-focused psychological and somatic therapies to benefit quality of life of disabled chronic pain patients. Beyond pain reduction, within the...
This paper proposes a transpersonal reframing of the Hard Problem of Consciousness by positing that consciousness is ontologically primary-not an emergent property of neural processes, but the foundational reality from which mind and matter arise. Integrating insights from non-dual spiritual traditions such as Advaita Vedanta and Tibetan Buddhism, contemplative science, and the work of...
Chronic pain has been linked to increased awareness of but decreased accuracy in detecting internal sensations. Interoception, the sense of signals from inside the body, may be a therapeutic target to improve pain. No studies have examined the feasibility of targeting interoceptive skills within a yoga intervention for chronic pain - where direct engagement with challenging sensations may be...
Objective: This study compared the long-term effects of a mindful compassion program on improving depression in lung cancer patients, both in patient-caregiver dyads and in patient-only groups, and examined the moderating roles of anxiety and quality of life (QOL). Method: Participants consisted of 56 dyads, who were randomly assigned to either the dyadic or patient-only groups. Data collection...
In the rural villages of the Sierra Madre region of Chiapas, women experiencing hardship show signs of emotional distress that are diagnosed as depression and anxiety by health professionals. In this study, we critically analyze the impact of a pilot mental health group intervention (Women's Circles) facilitated by community mental health workers. The intervention consisted of eight structured...
This essay employs the Icarus myth as a metaphor to examine the role of transcendence in addiction. Icarus' disregard for boundaries, driven by his quest for transcendence, mirrors the behavior of individuals with addictive tendencies. Addiction, a chronic disorder marked by compulsive substance use or behaviors, is characterized by loss of control, tolerance, withdrawal, and life disruptions....