Tag: mindfulness

The gift of lighting up the dark

The “skill psychologically of lighting up the dark” can be described as resilience and learned optimism, which involves acknowledging difficult emotions (the “darkness”) while actively cultivating hope and developing practical skills to navigate challenges and promote well-being. This concept draws on various psychological principles, including Jungian psychology and positive psychology. 

Key Psychological Concepts

  • Balance of Opposites (Jungian Psychology): Psychologist Carl Jung noted that light and darkness coexist; one cannot exist without the other. The “skill” involves achieving a healthy balance rather than trying to eliminate darkness entirely. It suggests that there is value (or “gold”) to be found in understanding and integrating one’s “shadow” side (repressed or unacknowledged parts of the personality).
  • Resilience: This is the mental and emotional ability to adapt to adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or stress. It is a key skill for navigating the “dark times” in life, enabling individuals to bounce back from challenges and learn from them.
  • Learned Optimism: A concept developed by Martin Seligman, this skill involves intentionally changing one’s perspective and challenging automatic negative thoughts. It is about how we interpret events, not changing reality itself.
  • Hope as an Active Mindset: Hope is not a passive emotion but an active mindset that involves setting goals, identifying pathways to achieve them, and maintaining a positive outlook even amidst obstacles.
  • Emotional Regulation and Processing: The ability to sit with pain and uncertainty, process difficult emotions, and avoid “toxic positivity” (dismissing genuine suffering) is crucial for healing and growth. 

Skills and Strategies

Cultivating the skill of “lighting up the dark” involves several practical strategies:

  • Awareness and Acceptance: Acknowledging and accepting the reality of one’s inner and outer “dark spaces” (sadness, fear, uncertainty) is the first step toward finding a path forward.
  • Practicing Gratitude: Actively looking for things to be grateful for, even in difficult times, can build a more positive outlook.
  • Seeking Support: Reaching out to others and leveraging empathy from friends, family, or professionals can provide the “candle” needed to find one’s way through challenging times.
  • Self-Care and Self-Compassion: Prioritizing physical and mental well-being (sleep, nutrition, exercise) and treating oneself with kindness helps build the necessary energy and resilience to cope with challenges.
  • Mindfulness and Reflection: Engaging in self-reflection through methods like journaling helps identify negative patterns and work through emotions.
  • Purpose and Action: Focusing on solutions, contributing to the well-being of others (kindness), and engaging in goal-oriented behavior can provide meaning and purpose during difficult periods. 

Ultimately, this skill is about acknowledging the dualism of light and dark within human experience and developing the psychological tools to navigate this balance effectively for overall well-being. 

Scientists have confirmed that Schizophrenia “voices” are the brain mishearing its own thoughts

In late October 2025, researchers from UNSW Sydney published a study providing the strongest evidence yet for the long-held theory that auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia result from the brain misinterpreting its own inner speech. Using brainwave analysis, the study showed that the brains of people experiencing hallucinations reacted to their own internal monologue as if it were an external voice. 

How the brain typically processes inner speech

In a healthy brain, a mechanism called “corollary discharge” helps to distinguish internal thoughts from external sounds. 

  • When a person thinks to themselves, a corollary discharge signal is sent to the auditory cortex to quiet the “inner voice”.
  • This signal informs the brain that the thought is self-generated, so the auditory cortex does not react to it as an outside sound. 

What happens in a schizophrenic brain

The recent EEG study revealed how this process breaks down in people with schizophrenia who hear voices. 

  • In those experiencing hallucinations, the normal suppression of the auditory cortex does not occur during inner speech.
  • Instead, the brain reacts more strongly to the person’s own internal voice, similar to how it would react to someone else speaking.
  • This confusion leads the brain to perceive internal thoughts as external voices, which can feel incredibly real and intrusive. 

Implications of the discovery

  • A new biomarker: The brainwave measurement used in the study has the potential to serve as a biomarker for the development of psychosis, enabling earlier detection and intervention.
  • Improved treatment: Understanding the biological basis of these hallucinations is a critical step toward developing more effective and targeted treatments beyond traditional talk therapy.
  • Reduced stigma: The findings emphasize that auditory hallucinations are not imagined or an indication of “losing touch with reality.” Instead, they are a result of complex changes in how the brain processes and attributes thoughts.