1. FIVE FACTORS FOR MENTAL FITNESS by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"Mental fitness flows from a process that begins with taking a break, relax. And regain perspective on what is important. Employ imagery to construct a future living your personal values. Work in synergy with others in activities that allow those values to be expressed and fulfilled. Finally, integrate it all with a sense of self that includes not only exercise of options, but also the options to exercise these factors in daily living." more...

2. MARTIAL ARTS METAPHORS FOR LIVING A FULL LIFE by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych., 4^thdan judo  

"This article proposes that metaphors of personal integrity and systemic harmony derived from the Martial Arts can be utilized to promote personal growth, peace, and a philosophical basis for living a full life." more...

3. MANAGING THE EXPECTATION GRADIENT, PART 1: ARRANGEMENTS WE MAKE WITH OURSELVES by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"Managing the expectation gradient is important in maintaining a spirit of enthusiasm, passion, and purpose in every project we undertake. From what we know from research about enjoyment and happiness, several crucial factors about expectations and goal setting and attainment are outlined." more...

4. MANAGING THE EXPECTATION GRADIENT, PART 2: ARRANGEMENTS WE MAKE WITH OTHERS by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"In this article we examine how we manage others’ expectations about our commitments to them. These are principles of integrity, margin and boundary management, and ultimately, self-esteem based on a record of following through. While many of the examples are from a career context, these principles of mental fitness also apply in family and social relationships as well. Topics include benchmarking, regarding yourself as a precision instrument in achieving team objectives, negotiating technical support, adjustments, building social capital, and learning from lessons." more...

5. MANAGING THE EXPECTATION GRADIENT, PART 3: THE POWER OF SINCERE APOLOGY by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"This article examines how to apologize when you disappoint others to regain their regard. It also discusses abuses of apology, such as the apology lifestyle, and how to deal with people who refuse to apologize. It outlines the four elements of an adequate apology, and how to structure this interview to optimize the restoration of trust in a relationship." more...

6. DON’T READ THIS ARTICLE: How the Mind Understands Instructions by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

 "Because of how the brain processes language and images, we have ingrained programming to make a picture or concept of an instruction or command sequence, even if preceded by the word “don’t.” The mind remembers the positive image, and drops the negative qualifier ‘not’ and the body inadvertently executes the imaged action. The same effect occurs in warnings or commands stated negatively in child rearing and in work settings. Furthermore, this can happen in cautions in self-talk in worry about the future.

The way out of the box is the installation of positive instruction that is a behavior that contradicts or inhibits the mistake. In other words, delete a negative instruction and substitute the corrective action stated in positive terms and images." more...

7. MANAGING THE EXPECTATION GRADIENT, PART 5: FINALLY, AT LONG LAST, MY ARTICLE ON PROCRASTINATION by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"Learn why procrastination is the preferred route for many people in our culture who become slaves to deadlines of urgency despite the stress it generates for them and their families. Learn the connection between procrastination and perfectionism, and interactions between low self-esteem, fear of failure, and procrastination. Transforming a “should” promise to others into a “desire” commitment to yourself. Attention to early warning signals, rather than hearing them as noise to be denied, or the wish that a problem will go away by itself, or by someone else doing the work to correct it. Investment of caring for yourself, your family, and your future. In this article, the author proposes 9 tools or principles that can be helpful in overcoming the procrastination trap. Better read them now." more...

8. NOTHING by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"This popular article was first published in 1993 in Impact magazine. It is even more relevant currently in an era when mindfulness and Zen concepts are more widely accepted as methods of stress management and paths of spirituality. It outlines several practical and easy meditations to clear the mind." more...

1. TEACH ME YOUR SYMPTOM by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"Occasionally people ask me “Whatever got you interested in hypnosis in the first place?” I invariably break out in a wry smile, and reflect back on how it all happened. The story reminds me that our client-teachers are often neither random nor passive as they collaborate in the therapeutic process to catapult our thinking to new levels of consciousness." more...

2. TURNING POINTS IN THERAPY: DISCURSIVE ANALYSES AND THERAPIST COMMENTS by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"We summarize alld analyze some key developments from the "Turning points in counselling" conference in Cochrane. Alberta. At this conference, three prominent Alberta therapists interviewed the same "client" who presented with the same issue. After the conference, the therapists were asked to select turning points" from their videotaped interviews. For the purpose of this article, "turning points" are defined as times in the session when. from the therapist's perspective, the client provides discursive evidence of new understandings. Transcript passages were analyzed using Conversation Analysis and Comprehensive Process Analysis to relate researcher and therapist accounts of those "turning point" dialogues. We close by sharing benefits we feel can be derived from reflecting upon and analyzing interactions in therapy that therapists or clients consider helpful." more...

1. ANGER MANAGEMENT QUESTION LIST by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"As soon as you become aware that you may be angry, begin to break the short-circuit to aggression by using these questions and methods:" more...

2. THE REST IS EASY: STRATEGIES FOR SLEEP by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"Falling asleep and staying asleep is a matter of lifestyle habits, stress management, mental preparation, and the careful management of intent  Here are some methods to help prepare the context for steady sleep." more...

3. SLEEP PROGRAM by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych. 

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4. SELF-HELP PROGRAM FOR RECOVERY FROM BULIMIA by Frank D. Young Ph.D., R. Psych.

"Bulimia Nervosa is an emotional and behavioral disorder that involves fasting and other distorted eating patterns, purging through excessive exercise and/or self-induced vomiting, rigid and rulebound thinking patterns, and other emotional disturbances." more...