Mind Tricks Blog
Aloha and welcome to Mind Tricks Blog! I hope to share with you a random assortment of interesting and engaging material that falls within the inner and outer limits of psychology. These Blog entries will include:
- Thought provoking research I’ve encountered in the field of psychology and how it may apply to understanding ourselves and the world around us.
- Q & A sessions I’ve conducted with psychologists and professionals in the field with really interesting things to say.
- Reactions to recent MIND TRICKS podcast episodes I’ve recorded.
- Random musings on psychological topics – really just whatever I find to be interesting and at least tangentially related to the psychological realm.
I hope this Blog provides interesting, informative, and entertaining material for your educational enrichment, and an occasional laugh.
Untangling PTSD: Understanding Trauma and What It Isn’t
When people hear “PTSD,” they often picture combat veterans or first responders — those who’ve faced life-threatening situations and come home with invisible scars. But as Dr. Tyler Ralston and I explored in our recent Mind Tricks Radio conversation, Post-Traumatic...
How Exposure to Different Cultures Expands the Mind, A Conversation with Neuroscientist Dr. Aditi Subramaniam
What actually happens in your brain when you step outside your cultural comfort zone? In this episode of Mind Tricks Radio, I sit down with neuroscientist and science writer Dr. Aditi Subramaniam to explore how immersing yourself in different cultures can literally...
Ten Core Principles for Psychological Well-Being
Noam Shpancer’s Mental Fitness: 101 Principles for Psychological Well-Being is a straight-talking guide to building a healthier mind. He boils human motivation down to two core drives: the need to belong (connection, love, community) and the need to be (agency,...
The Banality of Obedience: A Conversation with Stanley Milgram
In times like ours—marked by political polarization, rising authoritarian movements, and the subtle power of algorithms—the question of why people obey authority feels more urgent than ever. As a follow-up to my recent AI-generated interview with Stanley Milgram on...
Taming the Amygdala: Managing Fear and anxiety. A Conversation with Dr. Catherine Pittman
Have you ever wondered why your body seems to panic before your mind has time to catch up? That sudden jolt of fear, the racing heart, or even the freeze response is all thanks to the amygdala. In this episode of Mind Tricks Radio, I sit down with Dr. Catherine...
The Weaponizing of Therapy Speak
I sat down with Dr. Isabel Morley—clinical psychologist, EFT-certified couples therapist, and author of They’re Not Gaslighting You. We unpacked how “therapy speak” has exploded into everyday conversation. The upside: people are finally talking about mental health....
How We Use Playing-It-Safe-Moves to Cope with Anxiety
Anxiety is part of being human—but what if the way we try to get rid of it is exactly what keeps us stuck? That’s the big question at the heart of my conversation with Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (“Dr. Z”) on the latest episode of Mind Tricks Radio (FULL TRANSCRIPT...
Jumping to Conclusions
Today's post is about a common cognitive distortion that causes us much more grief than any of us need -- Jumping to conclusions. The reason why Jumping to Conclusions can be such a problem is it can cause you to make rash or wrong decisions based on a lack of...
Black and White Thinking
Today I’m talking briefly about a very common cognitive distortion that can make life for you, and the people around you hard to deal with. This is Black and White thinking, also known as Absolute thinking, All or Nothing Thinking, or dichotomous thinking. When you...
Catastrophic Thinking
Today I’m writing about a very common cognitive distortion that we all use from time to time – Catastrophic Thinking. It is a form of erroneous thinking that can cause great stress and anxiety to people. When you engage in catastrophic thinking, you’re basically...