Flash back to your first crush, your first real love, where the whole universe revolved around him or her. Every breath, every move, every moment an obsession as every love song on the radio spoke directly to you. The sky was bluer, the air was crisper, the food tasted better as the world was happy […]

Nearly 50,000 thoughts barrage your mind daily, inundating you with a flood of feelings and emotions:  thinking, musing, fantasizing, planning, anticipating, worrying, liking, disliking, remembering, forgetting, evaluating, reacting, story telling and fabricating reality to conveniently fit your own truth.  You are doing this all day, every day, nonstop mental commentary.  Even more remarkable, 98% of […]

In the 17th century, French philosopher Rene Descartes famously pronounced his philosophy of mind-body dualism, declaring that body and mind were two separate entities.  As a man of science, he struck a deal with the Roman Catholic Church: Descartes would focus on human anatomy, leaving the church to focus on caring for the mind and […]

Hey, isn’t that Jim over there? I’m sure he saw me, why didn’t he say hello? I bet he’s mad at me, because of what I said at the party. Whatever. I don’t really care about Jim anyways. But…is he really mad at me? In case you haven’t noticed, you have a mental dialogue going on […]

The doctor gently tapped on the door and casually strolled in.  We shook hands, briefly making eye contact as he introduced himself while simultaneously reaching for his computer that rolled on an odd contraption with wheels.  “So, what brings you in today?” He asked, never looking up as he furiously typed on the keyboard.  “Well, […]

300…297…294…291…288…Every night when my head hits the pillow, I try to lull myself to sleep by counting backwards. Doing simple math like counting sheep is not enough for active minds so research shows you have to make more complicated calculations, such as mine where I start at 300 and go backwards by threes. Yes, I […]

We all have an innate desire to seek happiness and fulfillment. But how we define these nebulous terms and go about our quest for the good life can vary dramatically among us. Many of us follow the path of materialism to the very end, perfectly exemplified by the maxim, He who dies with the most […]

Imagine biting into a juicy orange.  Can you taste it bursting onto your tongue and roof of your mouth?  It’s just one small example of the ability of the mind to conjure up that sensation just by merely introducing the thought, sight unseen of any orange trees.  Applying this to the broader spectrum of all […]

On solemn days, I often go to my favorite lookout point that offers a sweeping view of the valley below. There’s a small bench nestled between two large bushes that only the locals know, providing perfect solitude and tranquility . Across the valley are rows of houses perched on the hillside in the distance. I transport my mind […]

Two monkeys in a glass cage are separated by a see-through barrier. Both are given the same task, for which they are rewarded a slice of cucumber. This process repeats over and over, with each monkey happily accepting the cucumber for their identical task. But then, one monkey is rewarded with a delicious grape while […]