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.
What dystopian fiction can reveal about power, ideology, and the danger of turning people into abstractions
What if a society became so committed to fairness that it decided parents should no longer raise their own children? That is the chilling premise behind Progeny, a dystopian novel written by Dr. Peter Weiss, built on a brutal idea: in the name of equity, every newborn...
Stop Trying and Start Doing: A Small Shift That Changes Everything
Recently on MindTricks Radio, I had a lively conversation with author and speaker Carla Ondrasik about a surprisingly powerful idea: the difference between trying and doing. At first glance it sounds like semantics. After all, isn’t trying the first step toward doing?...
Connection Is the Antidote to Modern Loneliness: Four Ways to Rebuild It in Your Life
In an age where we can instantly message someone across the globe, scroll through hundreds of social media updates, and join online communities in seconds, you might assume we are more connected than ever. But the opposite often feels true. Loneliness has become one...
Don’t Take It Personally!: — Breaking Down The Cognitive Distortion of Personalization
In Episode 85 of Mind Tricks Radio, I sat down with Dr. Tyler Ralston to talk about a cognitive distortion that quietly shapes a surprising amount of mental anguish: Personalization. That conversation inspired this post. Personalization is the tendency to assume that...
When Earth Blinked (a novel) cover announcement!
I’m excited to announce that the book cover survey for my upcoming debut novel, When Earth Blinked, is officially complete! Huge thanks to everyone who took the time to vote and share feedback. Your input genuinely mattered, and it was exciting to see such strong...
Critical Thinking — Beyond Basics, a conversation with Dr. Christopher Dwyer
In a recent MindTricks Radio conversation with critical thinking researcher Dr. Christopher Dwyer, we kept returning to a deceptively simple question: what does it actually mean to know something? His new book title, Knowledge Doesn’t Exist, is intentionally...
AI and the Future of Psychotherapy
Artificial intelligence is pushing deeper into the mental health world, and it is forcing all of us to reconsider what therapy actually is. Tools like Woebot and Wysa are already helping people regulate anxiety and depression at any hour of the day. They are...
Understanding and Supporting Children Who Grieve
Few experiences are more difficult to witness than a grieving child. Adults often feel helpless, uncertain of what to say or how to provide comfort. Yet, as clinician and grief expert Cynthia White has shown through decades of work with bereaved children, grief in...
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...