In this episode, I wanted to explore gameplay as an activity to help complete the stress cycle. I wanted to expand on why with a few studies. What are you playing lately?

References

Aliyari, H., Sahraei, H., Daliri, M. R., Minaei-Bidgoli, B., Kazemi, M., Agaei, H., Sahraei, M., Hosseini, S. M. A. S., Hadipour, M. M., Mohammadi, M., & Dehghanimohammadabadi, Z. (2018). The Beneficial or Harmful Effects of Computer Game Stress on Cognitive Functions of Players. Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 9(3), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.29252/nirp.bcn.9.3.177

Hodent, C. (2017). The Gamer's Brain: How Neuroscience and UX can Impact Video Game Design. CRC Press.

Nagoski, E. (2015). Come as you are. Simon & Schuster.

Yamaguchi S. (2023). The relationship between playing video games on mobile devices and well-being in a sample of Japanese adolescents and adults. SAGE Open Medicine, 11, 20503121221147842. https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121221147842

Attachment styles influence how we connect. Would you identify your attachment style as securely attached? We’ll get some clarity on what secure attachment versus insecure attachment might look like in our relationships.

This episode focuses on attachment theory and the dynamic-maturation model. We’ll talk about what they are and how they show up in our connections with ourselves and others.

Resources

Conflict Science Institute. (2020). Is the DMM too simple, too complex, or robust? Conflictscienceinstitute.com. https://www.conflictscienceinstitute.com/is-the-dmm-too-simple-too-complex-or-robust/

Crittenden, P. M. (2006). A dynamic‐maturational model of attachment. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 27(2), 105-115.

Family Relations Institute. (n.d.) DMM Model. Family Relations Institute. https://familyrelationsinstitute.org/dmm-model/

Fern, J. (2020). Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy. Thornapple Press.

Parker, & Campbell, K. (2017). Infidelity and Attachment: The Moderating Role of Race/Ethnicity. Contemporary Family Therapy, 39(3), 172–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-017-9415-0

Welcome to the Cafe Dia podcast! 

This episode gives a bit of background into why I started this podcast and what is to come.

A non-exhaustive list of a few books that inspired me to explore and gather my thoughts about life and love:

• Mating in Captivity by Ester Perel

• all about love by bell hooks

• Building a Life Worth Living by Marsha Linehan

• Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski

Love can bring such elation and excitement to life. Love and romantic relationships affect not just our emotional well-being but also our physical well-being.

How do happy and unhappily maintained relationships affect us?

References

Acevedo, B. P., Aron, A., Fisher, H. E., & Brown, L. L. (2012). Neural correlates of long-term intense romantic love. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 7(2), 145-159.

Acevedo, B. P., Poulin, M. J., Collins, N. L., & Brown, L. L. (2020). After the Honeymoon: Neural and Genetic Correlates of Romantic Love in Newlywed Marriages. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 634. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00634

Ackerman, D. (2012). The brain on love. New York Times.

Eisenberger, N. I. (2011). Why rejection hurts: What social neuroscience has revealed about the brain’s response to social rejection. Brain, 3(1), 10-1093.

Fisher, H. E., Xu, X., Aron, A., & Brown, L. L. (2016). Intense, Passionate, Romantic Love: A Natural Addiction? How the Fields That Investigate Romance and Substance Abuse Can Inform Each Other. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 687. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00687

Grisel, J. E. (2019). Never Enough: the Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Johnson, S. M., Moser, M. B., Beckes, L., Smith, A., Dalgleish, T., Halchuk, R., & Coan, J. A. (2013). Soothing the threatened brain: Leveraging contact comfort with emotionally focused therapy. PLoS One, 8(11), e79314.

Kapusta, N. D., Jankowski, K. S., Wolf, V., Chéron-Le Guludec, M., Lopatka, M., Hammerer, C., Schnieder, A., Kealy, D., Ogrodniczuk, J. S., & Blüml, V. (2018). Measuring the Capacity to Love: Development of the CTL-Inventory. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1115. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01115

Lebow, J. L., & Snyder, D. K. (Eds.). (2022). Clinical handbook of couple therapy, Sixth edition (6th ed.). Guilford Publications.

Analyzing the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once

Evelyn can't catch a break today. With all she’s got going on—from possibly losing her business to the IRS, potential divorce, managing a relationship with her daughter, and caring for her father—saving the multiverse is a lot to ask of her.

This episode is a therapeutic analysis of the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once using the Satir Method of family therapy, focusing on communication stances and self-esteem.

References

Amorin‐Woods, D. (2020). Habla mi idioma? An exploratory review of working systemically with people from diverse cultures: An Australian perspective. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 41(1), 42-66.

Becvar, D. S., & Becvar, R. J. (2013). Family therapy: A systemic integration. (8th ed.). Pearson.

Gehart, D. R. (2018). Mastering competencies in family therapy: A practical approach to theory and clinical case documentation. (3rd ed.). Cengage.

Kwan, D. & Scheinert D. (Directors). (2022). Everything Everywhere All at Once [Film]. A24.

Weisskirch, R. S. (2010). Child language brokers in immigrant families: An overview of family dynamics. MediAzioni, 10, 68-87.

Weisskirch, R. S. (2017). Language Brokering in Immigrant Families. Taylor & Francis.

Is virtual reality a useful method for psychotherapy?

Therapy and virtual reality have been connected for at least half a decade through various experiments. We’ll explore a couple of use cases and how this works psychologically in this episode.

To see the rubber hand illusion, you can watch an example here.

References

Amelia Virtual Care. (n.d.) Ameliavirtualcare.com. https://ameliavirtualcare.com/virtual-reality-solution-psychology/

Brooks, F. P. (1999). What's real about virtual reality?. IEEE Computer graphics and applications, 19(6), 16-27.

Gall, D., Roth, D., Stauffert, J. P., Zarges, J., & Latoschik, M. E. (2021). Embodiment in virtual reality intensifies emotional responses to virtual stimuli. Frontiers in Psychology, 12.

Laurence, E. (2022). Virtual Reality Therapy: Everything You Need To Know. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/virtual-reality-therapy/

Longa, L. D., Sacchetti, S., Farroni, T., & McGlone, F. (2021). Does Nice or Nasty Matter? The Intensity of Touch Modulates the Rubber Hand Illusion. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.901413

Ma, L., Mor, S., Anderson, P. L., Baños, R. M., Botella, C., Bouchard, S., ... & Carlbring, P. (2021). Integrating virtual realities and psychotherapy: SWOT analysis on VR and MR based treatments of anxiety and stress-related disorders. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 50(6), 509-526. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16506073.2021.1939410

Pan, X., Gillies, M., Barker, C., Clark, D. M., & Slater, M. (2012). Socially anxious and confident men interact with a forward virtual woman: an experimental study. PloS one, 7(4), e32931.

Palmas, F., Reinelt, R., Cichor, J. E., Plecher, D. A., & Klinker, G. (2021). Virtual reality public speaking training: Experimental evaluation of direct feedback technology acceptance. In 2021 IEEE Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR) (pp. 463-472). IEEE.

Peperkorn, H. M., Diemer, J. E., Alpers, G. W., & Mühlberger, A. (2016). Representation of patients’ hand modulates fear reactions of patients with spider phobia in virtual reality. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 268.

Slater, M. (2009). Place illusion and plausibility can lead to realistic behaviour in immersive virtual environments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1535), 3549-3557.