ExperiMentations

Reflections on the human condition.

Grant Hilary Brenner MD, FAPA

6 Factors That Block Friendship

New research identifies the reasons people may have trouble making friends.

Brain Activity of Bodily Symptoms in Anxiety Disorders

Neuroscience research sheds light on why bodily discomfort is common in anxiety, with discussion of avenues for relief and resolution.

How Parents May Turn Children Into Narcissistic Young Adults

New research connects specific parenting approaches with maladaptive personality development.

Attachment, Borderline, and Transference-Focused Therapy

New research defines paths from insecure to secure attachment.

How Authenticity Eases Social Rejection

New research explores the impact of being in touch with our core values.

What Can 9/11 Teach Us About Mental Health for COVID-19?

Disaster mental health experts share learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect May Be a Statistical Illusion

Sophisticated research suggests that self-assessment accuracy is more stable over time than believed. The DK effect may be exaggerated.

8 Challenges to Self-Forgiveness

Sometimes, forgiving oneself means swimming against the current when other people aren't on the same page. Pace yourself, and prepare.

Virtual Therapy: 9 New Lessons for Patients and Therapists

Coronavirus has catapulted therapy into the virtual realm. There are drawbacks but also benefits. What can we learn from therapy's sudden pivot to teletherapy?

7 Keys to Making the Most of Lockdown

When life gives you lemons, plant lemon trees. Without being pressured, make the most of the opportunities offered by adversity.

Fire Drill for the Apocalypse or Wake-Up Call?

Seven lessons to learn from dealing with a global threat together.

What Makes Unhappy Couples Stay Together?

Research on attachment style reveals the underlying factors which can keep people in unsatisfying relationships long after the expiration date.

Is Social Safeness a Basic Emotional State?

Emerging research makes plain the third dimension of emotion, an inherently social experience we may not fully appreciate until it is clearly identified.

Accommodating Children's Anxiety Can Do More Harm Than Good

Insightful research on positive and negative parenting for childhood anxiety.

4 Factors That May Lower PTSD Risk and Bolster Resilience

A new meta-analysis highlights potential approaches to overcoming trauma with resilience and post-traumatic growth.

A Simple & Powerful Brainhack Puts You In The Driver's Seat

Getting control of your mind gives you better choices when you most need them.

Eight Fundamental Tools to Crazy-Proof Yourself

Learning to protect ourselves from destructive chaos without losing the spark.

Is This What Makes Trump Unstoppable?

Using research on leadership and information control to understand politics provides insight and opportunity.

Why Are Narcissistic People Prone to Depression?

Early research on depression, emotions, and narcissism provides useful insights for those contemplating the next steps toward change.

4 Possible Subtypes of PTSD

Powerful statistical tools advance our understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder, identifying subtypes and correlations that may be clinically useful.

How Therapists Use the Self During Therapy

How therapists "use the self" to enhance the therapeutic process and outcomes is poorly understood but very important. Research spells out three key aspects.

The Adult Impact of Childhood Abuse, Neglect and Bullying

Expanded research on childhood adversity and neglect draws connections with adult outcomes and clarifies bullying issues.

The 6 Primary Kinds of Sexual Disgust

Transformative new research examines sexual disgust—including where it comes from, what behaviors evoke it, and the main ways we experience it.

How Is Individual Identity Shaped by Collective Knowledge?

The fog of mysticism evaporates in light of research showing how the brain connects us with collective sources of information, invisibly shaping who we (think we) are.

5 Ways Women Address Mismatched Sexual Desire with Partners

Qualitative research gives voice to hidden narratives around female sexuality.

30 Core Disagreements Couples Encounter

Emerging research spells out the common sources of disagreement in relationships, and begins to identify how they impact satisfaction.

How to Keep Blame from Ruining Your World

Relinquishing blame and replacing it with forgiveness enhances personal responsibility.

Five Ways Self-Dislike Runs Destructively in the Background

Self-hatred, often hidden and expressed in uncontrolled self-destructive enactments, underlies many thorny problems of living. Divining what is happening is the first step.

5 Types of Unwanted Sex and Their Consequences

Research from the Kinsey Institute on coercive and consensual, unwanted sex.

Can You Get PTSD from Attempted Suicide?

How identifying suicide attempt-related PTSD is an important step forward in understanding and preventing suicide.

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