Have you ever found yourself coming out of a dream, unable to move or speak no matter how much you tried? You may have been experiencing sleep paralysis. This phenomenon occurs when a person starts to wake up and experiences a temporary loss of muscle function, typically during transitions into and out of REM sleep. While the condition is not dangerous, sleep paralysis can be terrifying if you suffer from it, especially if you find yourself awake in the darkness of night, completely paralyzed and unable to speak or fully open your eyes....

Have you ever wondered why you remember mundane events that occurred when you were a toddler, but you can’t seem to remember an activity from the previous week? Or, when you meet new people, you don’t understand why you remember some names and forget others. Well, it has to do with cognitive psychology, a branch of psychology that encourages a close observation of the things that we do and why we do them....

One of the biggest questions of the age and any age is: How can one be truly happy? This is the question positive psychology and its related research aims to answer. Recent global developments — including the coronavirus pandemic and witnessing the killings of unarmed Black people at the hands of police — have brought many of us to a state of misery and despair. Many of us who feel the weight of these events are seeking to focus on ways that we can emphasize positivity in our communities and in ourselves — highlighting the very things that give life more meaning....

While you may have heard someone say they’re “being introspective,” did you know this is a process you can try out for yourself? “Introspection is a thinking style in which one observes and reflects upon various aspects of themselves and their existence in order to gain insight into their lives and purpose. It is used in order to help people feel more connected to who they are, clarify life choices and gain perspective on life’s challenges,” saysHaley Neidich, LCSW....

It’s perfectly normal to feel angry. When you express anger in a healthy way, it helps diminish negative emotions, and it can also serve as a source of motivation or inspiration. On the other hand, when anger becomes destructive, or out of control — in levels that surpass a healthy expression of anger — it can lead to issues in life, career, and your relationships with other people. It can also adversely affect your physical and mental health....

Social psychology is a valuable tool for understanding both ourselves and others. It shows us the value of positive influences and the dangers of negative influences. By knowing how others try to manipulate our thoughts, feelings and behaviors — from advertising to political exterminism — we can make adjustments to gain better control and clarity. We can also see how disruptions to our social groups cause long-term mental health issues, and find ways to heal those wounds....

Updated 3/28/2022 Sleeping well when you’re stressed can be tough. Sleeping well when you’re stressed due to the pandemic can feel impossible. If you’re experiencing insomnia symptoms due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, you’re not alone. Many people have reportedsleep disorderssince the beginning of COVID. In fact, it’s become so prevalent, there’s now even a name for this phenomenon — “COVIDsomnia” or “coronasomnia.”Here, we’re taking a deep dive into what COVID insomnia, or COVIDsomnia, actually is....

When you imagine a clinical psychologist, you perhaps picture a person dressed in tweed, meticulously taking notes while across the desk in a cluttered office filled with books, on a couch, lies a patient pouring out their feelings. While this has been the image we’ve seen ofclinical psychologistsin pop culture, movies likeGood Will HuntingandA Beautiful Mind, it probably shouldn’t be. But what is clinical psychology exactly? And how can it help you and your mental health?...

Updated 08/17/23 Words like funk, gloom, and melancholy can describe how we feel when we are not particularly happy but can’t quite put our finger on the reason. As it turns out, there’s a clinical term for this feeling. It is called dysphoria. So what is dysphoria exactly? Talkspace Senior Therapist Cynthia Catchings, LCSW-S, CFTP, defined dysphoria as “a state of generalized unhappiness, agitation, displeasure, or frustration.” Dysphoria can either be attached to a health disorder, acting as a symptom of a deeper condition, or it can take place on its own, since moods are not always a result of a clinical condition....

Updated 7/23/2024 Navigating life’s stressful moments effectively often depends on knowing how to use coping skills. These skills are crucial for processing and healing from trauma or stress, and there are numerous healthy coping skills available, such as working out, journaling, meditation, deep breathing, therapy, and more.While stress is a normal response to challenges and can sometimes be beneficial, it’s important to recognize when it starts to impact your daily functioning, relationships, or mental health....

Every once in a while, you may find yourself wondering how you became the person you are today, or why some people act differently from others. You also may have thought about why a cheerful child might grow into a rebellious teenager, or why people adopt different views, values, or principles as they grow older. These are some examples of questions that form the basis of developmental psychology. What is Developmental Psychology?...

From natural disasters to rising sea levels, climate change is undoubtedly affecting our planet. According to many psychology professionals, it’s also affecting our mental health. Specifically, a2017 report from the American Psychological Association(APA) brought attention to both the major and subtle ways that environmental degradation can be a source of trauma. For some, they experience symptoms ofpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)due to injuries, loss of personal property and threats to income. For others, it’s what the APA calls, “a chronic fear of environmental doom” that’s been dubbed “eco-anxiety....

Before the coronavirus outbreak, which now has me impulsively checking the news, drinking alcohol used to be my impulse of choice. Although I’ve had instances of other impulsive behaviors such as eating and shopping, drinking alcohol has always seemed to have the greatest hold on me. In the past, I’ve taken year-long breaks from drinking alcohol due to concern about my impulsive decisions to drink. These impulsive decisions were a way of avoiding underlying issues in my life — work stress, relationship struggles, or simply being anxious about a big decision or my future....

Never in a million years did I expect to be parenting two children through a global pandemic. Sure, I’d experienced parenting struggles, and anticipated I’d be tackling more as the years progressed. My older son just turned 13, and I expected the next few years to be a little tumultuous, to put it mildly. But the level of uncertainty and upheaval our family — and so many families across the globe — has experienced over the past few weeks is almost surreal....

“Workaholism is the one form of addiction that is worn as a medal rather than a ribbon that says, ‘dysfunction’.” —Virginia-based Talkspace therapist Cynthia Catchings, LMFT-S This statement hit me hard. I’ve struggled for most of my life with workaholism. I can remember doing homework until midnight as early as the fifth grade. People would often comment that I put too much pressure on myself. “You need to know when something is “good enough,” they’d say....