COGSCI 115 Final - UC Berkeley

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Related Techniques

CBT focuses on changing maladaptive thinking1 . Newer forms of CBT focus on changing one's relationship to maladaptive thinking1 .

"Taking in the Good"

involves holding positive experiences in awareness2 . The longer something is held in awareness and the more emotionally stimulating it is, the stronger the memory trace3 .

Emotional arousal

facilitates learning by increasing excitation and consolidating synaptic change3 .

Amygdala responses

send activation down "descending" pathways to brainstem and hypothalamic centers3 .

Positive affect facilitates creativity

by increasing attentional scope to include weakly activated solution possibilities4 . Dopamine release may mediate this effect4 .The stress response causes attention to narrow and focus on negative information5 .

General positive affirmations

can help broaden perspective6 .

"Don't-Know Mind" practice

Recognize that you don't really know how things should be6 .

Cognitive reappraisal

involves changing the meaning given to a stimulus7 . This can shorten cardiovascular reactivity and increase positive emotions8 .

Neuroimaging studies

show that reappraisal dampens activity in the amygdala9 . It activates the PFC (including dmPFC, dlPFC, vlPFC)7 , lateral temporal cortex, and posterior parietal cortex7 . The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is also important in the evaluation of emotional salience7 .

Reframing

View situations as challenges or games10 11 . Consider how setbacks could lead to a better outcome11 .

Optimism

Seeing challenges as stepping stones to success11 .

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

High EI is associated with greater subjective stress, but also better after-task recovery12 .

Start small

When trying to motivate yourself or change a habit, begin with very small steps13 .

Behavioral activation

was associated with functional changes in structures that mediate responses to rewards14 .

CBT for OCD includes

relabeling and reattributing

Relabeling

Identifying what's real and what isn't15 . For example, saying "That compulsion is bothering me again" instead of "I feel like I need to wash my hands again"15 .

Reattributing

Understanding that obsessive thoughts are false messages from the brain15 .

CBT for major depressive disorder (MDD) includes

Recognizing the habit of catastrophizing16 .Regarding depressive thoughts as electrical events in the brain16 .Experiencing sadness without elaboration (mindfulness component)16 .

CBT for depression

Increased prefrontal activity; decreased activation in hippocampus and subgenual cingulate17 .

CBT for OCD

Decreased metabolic activity in a caudate-orbital-thalamic brain circuit18 .

CBT for phobias

Reduced activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus after treatment19 .

Tailoring treatment

Neuroimaging data may help tailor treatments20 .

OCD

Higher metabolism in left frontal orbital cortex before treatment predicts response to behavioral therapy; lower activity predicts better response to fluoxetine20 .

Social anxiety

Activity in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex can predict CBT success21 .

Mindfulness

involves awareness of the present moment with acceptance22 .

Labeling emotions

transforms them from objects of fear to objects of scrutiny23 . Labeling anxiety can lower physiological reactivity24 .

Focused meditation

helps calm "monkey mind"25 . It enables connection with the "suchness" of experience and produces a sense of general "Okness"25 .

Calm Abiding Practice

involves sitting in a comfortable position with a straight spine26 . Attention is moved slowly down the body, then focused on an object or the breath26 27 .

Meditation positions

sitting, lying down, standing, and walking28 .

External object or feet

for people with trauma histories, focus on an external object or the feet during meditation instead of the breath29 .

Intention

traditionally, practitioners would bring to mind spiritual teachers, truth, and good company30 .

Attention

is the ability to focus on one thing and ignore others, and it is a building block for happiness31 .

Mindfulness meditation

can minimize activation in regions not relevant to the object of attention32 .

Expert meditators

have greater activation in attention regions, but those with the most experience show less activation33 .

Mindfulness meditation

after stabilizing attention, shift awareness to the process of thinking itself, perceiving thoughts as "events" in the mind34 35 .

Working with difficult emotions

start with calm-abiding meditation, then bring attention to a difficult emotion or sensation in the body36 . Notice and breathe, then return to the centered stillness37 . Cast a "sidelong glance" at the difficult area38 .

Guided meditations

available on websites like UCLA MARC and Ronald Siegel's site39 .

Sitting meditation

be aware of thoughts, emotions, and sensations without elaborating on them40 41 .

Open, nonjudgmental awareness

taking in signals without getting stuck42 .

Attentional blink test

measures nonjudgmental awareness43 44 . The extent to which people can minimize "blinking" reflects this quality44 . Nonjudgmental awareness and better performance on attentional blink was associated with a P300 event-related potential that is neither too strong nor too weak45 .

Default Mode Network (DMN)

Meditators show reduced activity in DMN, suggesting less rumination about the self46 47 .

Mahamudra

Practice aimed at accessing the nature of mind47 . When a thought arises, see where it came from; when it disappears, ask where it went48 . Look directly at the nature of the thought itself, not its content49 .

Mindful eating

Examine food as if you had never seen it before51 .

Awe

may confer the greatest health benefits52 .

Flow

Structure tasks to be challenging but not too challenging; have clear goals; choose active over passive activities53 54 .

Lovingkindness meditation

extend love to all beings, beginning with those closest to you55 . Visualize sending happiness on your breath, then taking on the suffering of others56 57 .

Gamma waves

involved in concentration, sleep, perception, and movement; can be induced through sound and light stimulation58 .

Meditation

is associated with increased left prefrontal activity which is associated with positive outlook59 . can reduce cortisol levels69 . It is associated with a "wakeful, hypometabolic state of parasympathetic activity"69

Microexpressions

Meditators show enhanced ability to identify microexpressions60 .

Startle response

Meditators show enhanced ability to control startle response61 62 .

Mindfulness therapies

aim to cultivate present-moment awareness with acceptance22 .

MBSR

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program63 .

Mountain Meditation

Visualize a mountain and become that mountain64 65 .

Changing habits

mindfully focus on the actual experience of a craving to compare with the promise of happiness66 .

Mindfulness and pain

The mind reacts to pain with fear or powerlessness, which compounds pain67 . Meditators showed greater activity in somatosensory cortex and insula when experiencing pain67 .

Somatic therapies

Focus on helping clients reconnect with emotions "frozen" in the body68

Mortality rates

Meditation has been linked to higher survival rates in elderly populations70 .

Gene expression

Meditation can modulate expression of pro-inflammatory genes71 .

Adverse effects of meditation

include uncomfortable sensations, anxiety, dissociation, or psychosis-like symptoms71 .

Dream yoga

uses dream experiences for spiritual progress74 .

Lucid dreams

dreams in which one is aware that one is dreaming and can direct the course of the dream74 .

Dream recall

set intention to remember dreams before sleeping and set aside time in the morning for dream recall75 . Ask, "What was I dreaming?" upon waking75 .

Lucid dream induction techniques

reality testing, autosuggestion, MILD, Preventing premature awakening, transforming nightmares

Reality testing

Ask "Am I dreaming?" and test your state76 .

Autosuggestion

Imagine surroundings are a dream; think that all things are of the substance of dreams77 78 .

MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams)

Recall a dream, see yourself becoming lucid, focus intent79 80 .

Preventing premature awakening

remain calm and create sensation of motion80 81 .

Transforming nightmares

rehearse the dream and select a part where you imagine carrying out a task while stating you are dreaming82 .

Neurological correlates of lucid dreams

involve the prefrontal and parietal regions83 84 .

Letting go

During meditation, say "No need" when trying to grab for things or avoid other things86 .

"Who is meditating?"

Ask this question to realize that there is only witnessing, awareness itself86 .

Stages of concentration

intellectual, emotional, spiritual87 .

Self-esteem

bogus ego inflation is contingent on external evaluation; sensitive tests like the IAT can distinguish between different types of self-esteem88 .

Sentence completion

Quickly generate endings to sentence stems89 .

Self-esteem

correlated with happiness and well-being90 .

Identifying and using strengths

Take Martin Seligman's inventory of character strengths, or recall past successes and identify strengths demonstrated91 92

Hallucinogens

Used in ancient cultures for healing and spiritual experiences93 .

LSD

Can treat anxiety, alcoholism, and cluster headaches94 . Adverse effects include panic attacks, anxiety, and flashbacks94 .

MDMA

Positive effects include emotional elevation, disinhibition, feelings of connectedness94 . May treat PTSD. Adverse effects: dehydration, overheating, damage to serotonin neurons95 .

Psilocybin

Positive effects include euphoria, perceptual distortions, spiritual experiences96 . Adverse effects include nausea, panic attacks, confusion, and psychotic episodes96 .

5-HT2A

Serotonin receptors that are stimulated by psychedelics97 .

Psychedelics

perturb brain processes that normally constrain neural systems98 . They may promote simultaneous activation of brain networks that are normally mutually exclusive98 .

Integrated Information Theory

The more information that is processed between brain components in response to a single experience, the higher the level of consciousness99 .

Psychedelic therapy

may be helpful for disorders that are a product of "a stuck brain"99 .

Social relationships

a key factor in happiness100 . Quality of relationships is most important101 .

Beliefs about social support

appear to exert stronger effects on mental health than the actual receipt of support101 .

Kindness

Generous decisions engage the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), which is associated with empathy102 .

Autism

may involve hypersensitivity to experience, inducing an overwhelming fear response103 .

Social Intuition

People on the "puzzled" end of social intuition may have difficulty with relationships104 .

Love vs. Lust

Love is associated with increased eye fixations on the face; lust, with increased eye fixations on the body105 .

Changing behavior

accentuate the positive and ignore the negative105 .

Gratitude

Write gratitude letters and keep a gratitude journal106 107 .

Forgiveness

trying to force yourself to forgive is not helpful108 .

Self-disclosure

Sharing personal information activates reward centers of the brain109 110 .

Mind-body connection

What we do with our bodies influences our mind111 .

Facial feedback theory

sensory feedback from facial expressions produces particular emotions111 .

Humor

associated with increased activation of the reward system112 . Laughter causes blood vessels to expand112 .

Sleep

plays a role in emotion regulation113 . Sleep deprivation impairs prefrontal cortex activity113 .

Dietary interventions

can reduce depression symptoms114 .

Nature

Walking in nature can improve cognitive function115 .