We all know the feeling. It starts as a whisper: “Just one cookie.” “Just one text to your ex.” “Just one scroll through TikTok.” Within seconds, the whisper becomes a scream. Your heart races. Your focus narrows. It feels like if you don’t give in right now, you will explode. This is the Craving Loop. […]
Stop the Urge: Exploring the Science of Impulse Control with Craving Crusher Read More »
Have you ever received 10 compliments and 1 insult, but you could only think about the insult? This is the Sticky Attention problem. Negative information is “sticky.” Evolutionary speaking, a tiger in the bushes is more important than a berry on the tree. So, our brains are hardwired to latch onto threats and hold on
Ignoring the Negative: Training Your Brain to Disengage from Threat Read More »
For someone with PTSD or high anxiety, the world looks like a battlefield. You walk into a restaurant, and you immediately spot the exit. You notice the loud guy at the bar. You see the knife on the table. Your brain is stuck in Threat Detection Mode. This is called Hypervigilance. It is exhausting. It
Finding Safety: A Visual Training Game to Reduce Hypervigilance Read More »
Panic feels like being swept out to sea. One minute you are fine, and the next, a wave of emotion hits you. You lose touch with where you are. Your thoughts race so fast you can’t catch them. You feel untethered, floating in a storm of “What ifs” and “Oh nos.” In therapy, the antidote
Visual Grounding: Using the ‘Safe Harbor’ Game to Anchor Yourself Read More »
PTSD isn’t just about remembering a bad event. It is about reliving it. A car backfires, and suddenly you aren’t on the street anymore; you are back in the war zone. A specific smell hits you, and you are back in that room. These are intrusive memories or flashbacks. They happen because the memory of
Disrupting Traumatic Memories: How Visual Tasks Can Reduce Flashbacks Read More »
For someone with Panic Disorder, the body is a terrifying place. A slight jump in heart rate isn’t just exercise; it’s a heart attack. A moment of dizziness isn’t just hunger; it’s a stroke. A shortness of breath isn’t just humidity; it’s suffocation. This is called Catastrophic Misinterpretation. You aren’t afraid of the grocery store
Facing the Fear: A Gentle Exposure Game for Panic Symptoms Read More »
Imagine walking into a party. There are 20 people smiling and having a good time, but one person in the corner is frowning and looking at their phone. If you have anxiety, who does your brain focus on? You ignore the 20 smiles and zoom in on the frown. You think, “They hate me. I
Can a Game Reduce Anxiety? How ‘Calm Shift’ Retrains Your Attention Bias Read More »
We wear our ability to “multitask” like a badge of honor. We answer emails while on Zoom calls. We cook dinner while listening to podcasts and texting our friends. We think we are being incredibly productive, juggling five balls at once. But neuroscience tells us a different, harsher truth: Human beings cannot multitask. What we
Multitasking Master: Improve Your Cognitive Flexibility with Task-Switching Read More »
For most people, eye contact is natural. But for someone with Social Anxiety or Autism, it can feel like staring into the sun. It feels burning, invasive, and overwhelming. You might look at the floor, or over the person’s shoulder, just to relieve the pressure. But avoiding eye contact sends the wrong signal—it makes you
Eye Contact Anxiety? Practice Comfortably with Gaze Trainer Read More »
We live in the age of the “Notification.” Ping. Buzz. Ding. Every few minutes, something pulls your attention away. Over time, your brain actually forgets how to sustain attention. You might sit down to work, but your mind feels like a browser with 50 tabs open—jumping from one thought to another, never truly landing. Psychologists
Train Your Brain to Focus: A Simple Game to Enter the “Flow State” Read More »
Primary care visits are short. By the time you measure height, check weight, and give vaccines, the appointment is often over. There is barely enough time to ask, “So, how are things at home?” That is why the PSC-17 exists. While the full 35-question checklist is thorough, busy clinics and overwhelmed parents needed something faster—something
The 5-Minute Check-Up: Screening Child Mental Health with the PSC-17 Read More »
Parenting often feels like a guessing game. Is your 8-year-old quiet because they are tired, or because they are sad? Is your 10-year-old “acting out” because they are being difficult, or because they are anxious and don’t know how to say it? Children are masters at hiding their feelings. They don’t usually sit you down
Is My Child Struggling? Using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) Read More »
For millions of Indians with disabilities, the Disability Certificate is not just a piece of paper. It is a lifeline. It grants access to scholarships, railway concessions, government jobs, and specialized equipment. But for years, the process of getting one was a bureaucratic nightmare—paper forms, different rules in different states, and endless trips to the
Getting Certified in 2026: The New DEPwD Disability Assessment Guidelines Read More »
For decades, the metric of a “good school” in India was simple: Board Exam Results. If the marks were high, the school was succeeding. But in recent years, the Directorate of Education (DoE), Delhi, flipped the script. They asked a radical question: What is the point of a 98% score if the student is anxious,
The Delhi Model: Understanding Student Screening Checklists for Teachers Read More »
When we talk about Intellectual Disability (ID), we often focus on children. We worry about schools, early intervention, and speech therapy. But children grow up. A standard IQ test (like the Binet or WISC) might tell you a 25-year-old has the “mental age” of an 8-year-old, but that number is useless for real life. It
Assessing Intellectual Disability in Adults: The CAT-AID / CVAT Guide Read More »
