A Brief Introduction to Stress Mitigation in Children

This paper presents a brief introduction to stress-mitigation in children by addressing stress assessment considerations specific to working with children and the use of behavioral interventions. Of behavioral intervention studies reviewed: biofeedback cases outline positive results in children with tension-type headaches and those with trauma; guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation yield variable results; studies discussing the use of yoga show positive results with little negative side-effects, slow-paced diaphragmatic respiration training proves to be a valuable tool in teaching children how to relax and hypnosis could potentially positively inform other interventions. Future papers would benefit from specifying their review, honing in on one modality so as to better ascertain its clinical utility.

PaperMadeline SteinJuly 14, 2020psychophysiology

Cortisol and Children

This paper provides an introduction to cortisol production in children. A brief discussion is presented, noting moderators in the production of cortisol in children, such as age, biological sex, and caregiver attachment. Specifically identifying differences in cortisol production amongst securely attached, insecurely attached, and neglected/abused children. Finally, considerations for future investigators are overviewed. Future papers would benefit from narrowing their search to a sub-population of children (i.e., abused/maltreated).

PaperMadeline SteinJune 30, 2020psychophysiology

Oxytocin and Time Perception

The physiological mechanisms that modulate the intersubjective experience of time are still being understood. This paper provides an overview of recent investigations that elucidate oxytocin’s role in time perception, noting the intersubjective variables that, along with oxytocin, modulate a time dilation effect, including context, emotional salience, and character traits (Colonnello, Domes, & Heinrichs, 2016; Liu, Yuan, Chen, Jiang, & Zhou, 2018). Finally, a brief discussion is presented noting considerations for future investigators interested in integrating what we understand of oxytocin’s role in time perception into a psychobiological theoretical understanding of hypnosis.

PaperMadeline SteinJune 16, 2020psychophysiology

Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, & Your Brain

Mindfulness and meditation are getting so much hype nowadays! The term mindfulness is used in so many different contexts. At a certain point when a word means everything it can seem like it really means nothing. So, what do the practices of mindfulness and meditation actually look like? How does meditation or mindfulness actually promote change? And how is mindfulness relevant to therapy?

blogMadeline SteinJanuary 17, 2020psychophysiology, mindfulness, psychotherapyComment