Forum

Check the links out for a worksheet on how to plan, and track, your goals. As always, hit us up with any questions. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/35fdb6705e579ff9f504bcc69/files/ecccfc2f-8a03-4a8d-a736-b2643ac5d785/WAG_Goal_Setting_Worksheet.pdf https://passionplanner.com/products/passion-roadmap

Title: A single exercise session can boost emotional reactivity to positive content among those with depressive symptoms Date: 16 December 2020 Author: Beth Ellwood URL: https://www.psypost.org/2020/12/a-single-exercise-session-can-boost-emotional-reactivity-to-positive-content-among-those-with-depressive-symptoms-58813?fbclid=IwAR0if5Zig20VJB1N8SeqV3y2bgSe-jSmdedqx1WOkK8Z05nhoqupBvTsA6o A recent study suggests that deficits in emotional reactivity, a core characteristic of depression, can be improved with a single bout of moderate-intensity physical exercise. The study was published in Mental Health and Physical Activity . While rates of depression are alarmingly high, the current treatment options are limited. Study authors C.J. Brush and colleagues sought to investigate one treatment option that shows promise in improving depression — aerobic exercise. In particular, the researchers wanted to explore the mechanism through which aerobic exercise exerts its diminishing effect on depression. They proposed that aerobic exercise targets anhedonia, a core feature of major depression. Anhedonia refers to the loss of pleasure in everyday activities that are normally gratifying and is thought to involve the processes of reward sensitivity and emotional reactivity. The researchers, therefore, aimed to investigate whether exercise would influence these two processes. A sample of 66 university students was recruited for a study. The students were between the ages of 18 and 31 and differed in the extent of their depressive symptoms. Most had symptoms in the normal range (46), while 8 had moderate symptoms, 7 had mild symptoms and 5 had severe to extremely severe depressive symptoms. The participants were split into two groups and were either assigned 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on a stationary bicycle, or 30 minutes of seated rest. Immediately after the 30 minutes, subjects were fitted with electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment and then completed two tasks. One of the tasks was a gambling task that involved a mix of rewards and losses. The other was a picture viewing task in which subjects were presented with a series of images on a screen that were either pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant. During the tasks, the EEGs tracked event-related potentials (ERPs) — changes in brain activity in response to specific events. The researchers found that the two groups showed similar reward circuit activity, as demonstrated by reward positivity (RewP) amplitudes. However, the group who exercised showed significantly increased late positive potential (LPP) when viewing the pleasant images during the picture viewing task. The LPP is associated with prolonged attention to emotional stimuli, suggesting that those who exercised experienced a greater emotional reaction to the pleasant images than those who did not. These subjects also reported greater positive affect and arousal following the exercise when compared to those who engaged in seated rest. As the authors say, these findings fall in line with theories suggesting that depression is defined by a lack of emotional engagement with one’s surroundings. The findings did reveal a link between the severity of participants’ depressive symptoms and a diminished LPP to pleasant pictures. As the researchers describe, “a single session of exercise may have the potential to modulate reactivity to positively-valenced components of the environment, which may help to normalize the blunted emotional reactivity to positive stimuli characteristic of depression.” Interestingly, the effects of the exercise were not found to be moderated by depressive symptom severity, allowing the researchers to infer that exercise boosts the emotional reaction to pleasant content among all individuals, regardless of depressive symptoms. The authors suggest that a future avenue of research would be to explore how long after exercise this emotional benefit lasts, given that the study did not measure this. The study, “ Aerobic exercise enhances positive emotional reactivity in individuals with depressive symptoms: Evidence from neural responses to reward and emotional content ”, was authored by C.J. Brush, Dan Foti, Anthony J. Bocchine, Kristina M. Muniz, Matthew J. Gooden, Andrea M. Spaeth, Matthew W. Miller, and Brandon L. Alderman.

Title: Combining yoga with cognitive behavioral therapy helps treatment-resistant patients with generalized anxiety disorder Author: Bell Ellwood Date: December 4, 2020 URL: https://www.psypost.org/2020/12/combining-yoga-with-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-helps-treatment-resistant-patients-with-generalized-anxiety-disorder-58710?fbclid=IwAR3FvYSDIFhRCe7pdAGd8L-MD18Wf2dGTe-XuGFDZIxPn-foY8q2kMjcCBw Study referenced: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4224639/ A new study suggests that integrating yoga practice into cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might be an especially effective treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The findings were published in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy . GAD is a relatively common mental health diagnosis, and people who meet the criteria often present with additional psychological disorders. While CBT has been established as an effective treatment for GAD, many sufferers simply do not respond to it. There has been great interest, therefore, in uncovering ways to improve upon traditional CBT. A research team led by Manjit K. Khalsa wondered whether yoga-enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (Y-CBT) might be especially effective. Evidence suggests that yoga and meditation can improve mood and reduce anxiety, and by targeting both the physiological (yoga) and cognitive (CBT) aspects of anxiety, the researchers proposed that such an intervention may be particularly beneficial. A group of 32 adults with GAD was recruited from an outpatient clinic and assigned to take part in a Y-CBT intervention. The sample had an average age of 43, and all participants had co-morbid diagnoses — the two most common being major depression (56%) and mood disorders (75%). The patients were considered treatment-resistant since they had been treated at the clinic for an average of 2.79 years and were still meeting the criteria for GAD. The intervention took place over six weeks and consisted of weekly, one and a half-hour group sessions. Each session included a mix of yoga/meditation, CBT, and group discussion. The yoga component followed Kundalini yoga — a style of yoga focused on awakening energy that is centered at the base of the spine while incorporating breathing techniques, physical postures, and mantras to provoke mindfulness and relaxation. The CBT component revolved around the awareness of automatic thoughts and the practice of replacing these thoughts with new ones. The results of the Y-CBT intervention were overall, very positive. Patients showed significant improvements in both state anxiety (anxiety felt in a given moment) and trait anxiety (a general tendency toward anxiety). They also showed reduce symptoms of depression, panic, suicidality, and sleep disturbance, and improvements in sexual function and quality of life. Khalsa and colleagues say that the Y-CBT intervention may be particularly effective because it addresses both cognitive and physiological processes at once. The researchers say, “both work together very effectively because while yoga reduces the physiological causes of anxiety, thereby reducing the tendency for negative thoughts to arise, CBT focuses on altering the content of negative thoughts as they arise (“I can’t,” shifted to “I can.”).” Moreover, whole traditional CBT teaches patients to replace maladaptive thoughts, the addition of yoga may prevent these thoughts from appearing at all. The awareness that is practiced in yoga slows down activity in the default mode network (DMN) — a network of brain structures that is active when the brain is not focused on any type of mental activity — possibly preventing dysfunctional thoughts from arising in the first place. The authors address the need to replicate these findings among a larger, controlled sample, especially given their study’s high drop-out rate (31%). It will also be important to decipher what portion of the positive results can be attributed to the yoga versus the CBT aspect of the treatment. The study, “Yoga-Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Y-CBT) for Anxiety Management: A Pilot Study”, was authored by Manjit K. Khalsa, Julie M. Greiner-Ferris, Stefan G. Hofmann, and Sat Bir S. Khalsa.