The Future of Psychology Compassion-Focused Outcomes

Using technology to increase compassion worldwide (Tier # 3!)

Dr. Yotam Heineberg Psy.D.

Clinical supervisor and lecturer Palo Alto University Applied Psychological Interventions CCARE, Center for Compassion & Altruism Research & Education Stanford University Medical School

The future of psychology programs

46.4% of Americans reported meeting criteria at some point in their life for either a DSM-IV 28.8% Anxiety disorder 20.8% Mood disorder 24.8% Impulse-control disorder 14.6% substance use disorders

Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE ( 2005). ("Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication". Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 62 (6): 593602.)

The future of psychology demands prevention programs, creating environmental conditions that increase kindness and reduce isolation. The only ways we will be able to make a difference, and reach enough people is by utilizing community empowerment /train the trainers programs, & web based programs!

How do I make it scale???

4 core conditions Accessible Simple Motivating Effective

In other words, a potent psychology program should be both Cost & Results Effective!

Meditation let us share it with the people!

Using MP3 audio files can produce changes in both compassion and wellbeing (McEwan & Gilbert, in press; Hutcherson, Seppala, & Gross, 2008; Weng, Fox,
Shackman, Stodola, Caldwell, Olson, Rogers & Davidson 2013).

Compassion training files could be used to collect data with thousands of people on the impact of the similarities and differences of the practices. A relatively cheap web based applications will allow us the opportunity to track how often people REALLY played the file, and how long they played the files.

A cheap/free Stepped Care will allow many more people access to compassion practices, and could prove a gateway path towards more positive engagement (e.g. lifestyle changes, enrolling in advanced expert mediated programs).

Web-based Apps and interactive programs

Dr. Dan Martin
Professor of Management, California State University, East Bay & Visiting Associate Professor, CCARE, Stanford U

Puts the lessons of social psychology/organizational behavior into action in organizational settings!

Ushahidi and Natural Experiment

Speaking of Elevation

Preliminary Outcomes
Two groups of (control/manipulation, N=100) business students participated in the mapping study.

After a week of observing pro-social/compassionate behavior Statistically significantly higher levels of: (Martin, in preparation) - Flourishing (Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F., 2005) - Compassion for others (Hwang, J. Y., Plante, T., & Lackey, K., 2008)

Future research directions; Student Climate Variables Monitoring behavioral increase! 1. COURTESY 2. STUDENT TUTORING HELP 3. MENTORING 4. SHARING RESOURCES 5. ETHNIC GROUP COLLABORATION 6. INTERPERSONAL VALIDATION 7. SENSE OF BELONGING

 2010-2012

Impact and Compassion Research

Being implemented in Non profit organizations

International associations
US and Mexican Universities Swedish Corporations

We are extending current use of ClearMentor to establish: 1. The impact of mentoring on compassion for both self and other, overall well-being, academic outcomes, as well as career progression and productivity.

2. The likelihood of BOTH protgs and mentors in behaviorally carrying forward

pro social engagement. 3. Introduction of CFT psycho-educational web based protocols to facilitate measurable impact across all outcomes.

Web-based Apps and interactive programs

Dr. Ricardo Munoz
Director of I4Health at PAU! Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health at Palo Alto University. His web based cognitive behavioral programs on depression, smoking cessation, and other problems have reached many thousands in 157 countries worldwide! Blanket the world with healing & goodness!

We aim to add CFT applications to his programs and test their efficacy!

Penetration of compassion apps with inner city children

Mr. Rudy Corpuz, Founder & Director of the United Playaz peacemaking center over the past 18 years. They engage in community healing and violence reduction in many schools all over San Francisco, and the Bay Area. Collaborate with Rudy and his team in order to deploy stress reduction and compassion skills to children on the ground, as well as share web based compassion programs with at risk children, via websites, tablets and smart phones.

A web based program:

VBT (Values & Behaviors Tracking)

Actively caring for Self & Others
Dr. Yotam Heineberg
Compassionate Action - Creating a field force of BOTH personal resilience & collective good vibe! Actively caring about ourselves and those around us!

VBT Program ingredients

1. Meaning making by developing Coherent Values Awareness. 2. Tracking & engaging in Caring Behaviors and Experiences. 3. Monitoring Self Awareness/Mindfulness by understanding ones own behavior.

Values - Self Affirmation Research

Self-Affirmation theory was first introduced by Claude Steele (1988), a social psychologist who was occupied with threats to the self. Some have referred to this perspective as the Psychology of Self Defense (Sherman & Cohen, 2006). SA has been shown to reduce ruminative thinking, stress (as measured by cortisol levels), and is related to improved health outcomes and reduced doctor visits, reductions in defensiveness, and prejudice, maintaining perceived worth and integrity of self, and increases in the expression of positive other directed feelings, such as love and connection. It can be practiced by ranking personal values one holds dear, discussing the importance and meaning of these values, as well as writing brief narratives on these personally upheld values.
(Claude Steele 1988, Sherman & Cohen, 2006, Koole et al. 1999, Keough, 1998; Keough et al., 1998; Taylor et al. 2003, Creswell et al., 2005; Sherman, Bunyan, Jaremka & Creswell, 2009, Creswell et al., 2007; Keough et al., 1998, Crocker, Niiya & Mischkowski, 2010).

This values perspective is also fully congruent with ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Values Ranking & Narrative journaling

Journaling - Participants journal on their values, as well as offered other

expressive writing options which have been shown to increase wellbeing
(Pennebaker et Al. 1999, 2004)

Behavioral Activation

Behavioral Activation (BA) has been considered one of the most powerful evidenced based practices to reduce depression since the early 70s (Ferster, 1973; Lewinsohn, 1974, Jacobson, Martell, & Dimidjian, 2001; Martell, Addis, & Jacobson, 2001) At the core BA is geared at inviting people to participate in enjoyable and self-care activities, and monitor their impact on ones wellbeing. Engaging in self care and enjoyable behaviors has also been shown helpful to non-clinical populations leading to increases in happiness and life satisfaction. (Mazzucchelli, Kane, & Rees, 2009).

Actively caring for SELF AND OTHER In connection with personal values!
Altruistic and caring for other behaviors have been shown to reduce depression and hopelessness, increase happiness, life satisfaction, self esteem, social connectedness, and overall psychological resilience in multiple populations (Weinstein & Ryan 2010, Brown, Gary, Greene, & Milburn, 1992; Rietschlin, 1998; Wilson & Musick,
1999, Ellison, 1991, Wheeler, Gorey, & Greenblatt, 1998, Gecas & Burke, 1995; S. Newman, Vasudev, & Onawola, 1986, C. E. Schwartz, Meisenhelder, Yusheng, & Reed, 2003, Crandall & Lehman, 1977, Miller, Denton, & Tobacyk, 1986, Crandall, 1975).

We have augmented the well-established scope of BA, and are offering a platform that invites participants to engage in caring/compassionate behaviors that are best aligned with their personal values, as they have defined them. This will entail BOTH self-care, AND altruistic activities, to create CBA-- Compassion Behavioral Activation!

Participants are encouraged to choose what ever fits for them, as well as add any other values or activities that best fit for them.

Tracking and Self Awareness Behavior and Wellbeing Graphs

1. The behaviors and rating from the wellbeing domains are then presented in 6 dynamic graphs. Connection with personal Values Connection with Others Happiness Satisfaction Productivity Sadness

Tracking and Self Awareness Behavior and Wellbeing Graphs

The graphs enable participants to:
View their levels of subjective daily wellbeing in 6 different life domains. Recognize the contribution of specific behaviors on their wellbeing. Individual feedback emails are sent to participants every 2 weeks, providing Cumulative graphs , as well as each persons top 5 behaviors, most correlated with each wellbeing domain.

Tracking and Self Awareness daily Wellbeing Logging Participants rate their level of wellbeing on 6 life domains.

Daily Chart on 6 Wellbeing Values

* Connection to Values, Connection with Others Happiness, Satisfaction, Productivity, Sadness

Hovering over the specific bar produces the behaviors engaged in that day.

Wellbeing & Caring Behaviors feedback

* Connection to Values, Connection with Others Happiness, Satisfaction, Productivity, Sadness

Hovering over the specific bar produces the behaviors engaged in that day.

Flexible and Modular Applications

1. 2.
Stand Alone - Website/Smart phone application Supplement to:

Individual and group psychotherapy Classrooms/groups (e.g. Business, Organizational Behavior, Psychology, Happiness, trainings, compassion, meditation, Wellbeing, workplaces etc)

3. ClearMentor
Integrating compassion driven well being programs with an online mentorship platform (Dr. Dan Martin)

Summative conclusions
The four most salient conditions for a successful psychology application that scales are:

1) Accessible 2) Simple 3) Motivating 4) Effective

My ultimate dream contribution to the world is to facilitate the impact of these two principles in all human societies: 1) Connection with core values 2) Kindness towards self and other

Thank you so much for your kind attention!