Cliff Heegel Ph.D.

Hey- I posted this about a year ago. This version is an update. Enjoy. Post your feedback in the ‘comments’ below. Thanks! This handout outlines ways you can change your behavior patterns. But first, some words from a former President of the United States: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I [...]

Behavioral scientists are quite interested in mindfulness. Here’s some research-based info. A researcher named Baer derived five aspects, or dimensions, of mindfulness after a lot of quantitative analysis. Baer describes these five aspects as Observing, Describing, Acting with awareness/non-auto pilot, Nonjudging of experiences, and Nonreacting to inner experiences. Here’s an easy to read layout. The [...]

Here’s a link to a 9 minute mindful walking audio I made a few weeks ago. While I talk about getting calm and grounded in the audio, I should note that mindful walking is a way to contact the present moment- it is a great way to get out of your head and into your [...]

Are you hooked or unhooked at the moment? This is a helpful thing to notice. When we are unhooked, we are in a space of open focus. We are not focused, we are not hooked, on mental experiencing or 5 senses experiencing. Just open. Unhooked by anything. Not really noticing anything in particular. Broad, open [...]

Our unconscious automatic reactions make us miserable. What’s wrong when you’ve tried and you just don’t seem to change? Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) sees psychological flexibility as central to living a mentally and emotionally healthy life. Managing the moment you are actually living in right this second requires you to be psychologically nimble and adaptive. [...]