Steven Hayes: "Why Psychological Flexibility Matters" (05/12/17)

Life should be getting easier, but it’s not. Science and technology have given us previously unimagined longevity, communication, and recreation, but it has also exposed us to pain and suffering on a 24/7 basis. The result is more anxiety, depression, and substance abuse than ever, most shockingly even among our children and young adults. We need modern minds to face this modern world of ours. Behavioral science has identified a cluster of processes known as psychological flexibility that predict how we will do over time in facing life challenges. This talk will break down these steps into six different psychological pivots - six moments of turning toward or turning away - and will argue that you already have within you the most powerful ally of all in learning them: human consciousness itself.