Author Archives: Shervan K Shahhian, LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, The Most Comprehensive Online Library Regarding Mental Health, Psychology and Parapsychology in the World.

Doctored Degree in Clinical Psychology (PSYD) (ABD) All But Dissertation, a Masters (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology, a Bachelor's Degree (B.A.) in Psychology, a Associate Degree (AA) in Liberal Arts with an emphases in Psychology, Certification in Anger Management, Certification in MRT-Moral Reconation Therapy®, Certification in Clinical Hypnotherapy, and Certification in Advanced Hypnotherapy.

How to Increase Willpower:

Increasing willpower isn’t about “trying harder.” It’s about regulating energy, attention, and emotion so that self-control becomes sustainable rather than forced.

Here’s a structured, psychologically grounded approach:

1. Redefine Willpower: It’s Regulation, Not Force

Research in self-regulation initially framed willpower as a limited resource (“ego depletion”), though later findings complicated that model. What consistently holds true:

  • Willpower fluctuates with stress, sleep, glucose, and emotional load.
  • It’s easier to design around temptation than resist it repeatedly.

So the goal is reduce friction, not heroic resistance.

2. Strengthen the Nervous System First

Because you’ve been exploring hyperarousal, dissociation, and regulation, this is crucial:

Willpower collapses when the nervous system is:

  • In fight/flight (impulsive action)
  • In freeze (avoidance, procrastination)

Build regulation capacity:

  • Slow nasal breathing (4–6 breaths per minute)
  • Cold exposure (brief, controlled)
  • Sleep optimization
  • Strength training (improves executive function)

When the body is regulated, prefrontal control improves.

3. Use “Pre-Commitment” Instead of Raw Discipline

Borrow from behavioral economics:

  • Remove junk food from the house.
  • Put phone in another room.
  • Schedule workouts in calendar with reminders.
  • Use website blockers.

This reduces reliance on moment-to-moment willpower.

4. Build Micro-Wins (Neural Conditioning)

The brain builds identity through repetition.

Start with:

  • 5 minutes of the task.
  • 1 small promise kept daily.
  • One cold shower breath hold.
  • One delayed impulse per day.

Consistency > intensity.

Each kept promise increases self-trust.

5. Train Distress Tolerance

Willpower fails when discomfort feels threatening.

Practice:

  • Urge surfing (notice impulse, don’t act for 10 minutes)
  • Sit with mild boredom without stimulation
  • Delayed gratification exercises

This strengthens impulse control circuits.

6. Clarify Meaning (Not Just Goals)

Willpower increases when action connects to identity and values.

Ask:

  • Who am I becoming by doing this?
  • What future self benefits?
  • What kind of psychologist / thinker / practitioner am I training to be?

Identity-based motivation is stronger than outcome-based motivation.

7. Protect Cognitive Bandwidth

Willpower drains when:

  • You make too many decisions.
  • You’re sleep deprived.
  • You’re emotionally overloaded.
  • You’re ruminating excessively.

Simplify routines:

  • Fixed wake time.
  • Repeated meals.
  • Structured schedule blocks.

Reduce unnecessary internal debate.

8. Practice “Delayed Reaction Training”

Example exercise:

  1. When you feel urge (check phone, snack, react emotionally)
  2. Wait 60 seconds.
  3. Breathe slowly.
  4. Decide intentionally.

This builds the gap between impulse and action.

That gap is willpower.

9. Avoid the Grandiosity Trap

From a psychological maturity perspective:

True willpower isn’t extreme asceticism.
It’s steady, boring consistency.

Grand commitments often collapse.
Small sustainable systems build character.

10. Measure What You Keep

Track:

  • Promises made vs. promises kept.
  • Urges resisted.
  • Sleep hours.
  • Emotional triggers.

Awareness increases executive control.

Short Version

Willpower grows when you:

  • Regulate your nervous system
  • Reduce temptation exposure
  • Build small daily wins
  • Increase distress tolerance
  • Anchor action to identity
  • Protect sleep and energy

Shervan K Shahhian

SMART frameworks, a great explanation:

The SMART framework is a structured method for setting clear, actionable goals. It’s widely used in performance psychology, business, coaching, and clinical work.

What SMART Stands For

S: Specific
The goal is clearly defined and unambiguous.
Instead of: “Improve mental health.”
Use: “Practice 10 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing daily.”

M: Measurable
You can track progress with observable criteria.
“How will I know I’m succeeding?”

A: Achievable
Realistic given current resources, time, and constraints.
It should stretch you, but not overwhelm your nervous system.

R: Relevant
Aligned with your deeper values, priorities, and identity.
In therapy terms: congruent with ego strength and developmental capacity.

T: Time-bound
Has a defined timeframe.
Example: “For the next 6 weeks.”

Example (Performance Psychology)

Instead of:

“I want to reduce anxiety.”

SMART version:

“For the next 8 weeks, I will practice 5 minutes of paced breathing before work at least 5 days per week and track my anxiety levels on a 1–10 scale.”

Variations of SMART

Over time, researchers and practitioners have expanded it:

  • SMARTER: Adds:
    • E: Evaluated (regular review)
    • R: Revised (adjust as needed)
  • SMARTR: The final R: Reward (reinforcement principle)
  • CLEAR goals (alternative model), Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable

Psychological Value of SMART

From a clinical perspective:

  • Reduces cognitive diffusion and vague rumination
  • Converts abstract distress into behavioral activation
  • Builds self-efficacy
  • Creates measurable feedback loops
  • Supports executive function stabilization

It moves a person from existential overwhelm: operational agency.

Shervan K Shahhian

Self-Visualization, what is it:

Self-visualization is the deliberate use of mental imagery to imagine yourself thinking, feeling, or performing in a particular way. It’s widely used in psychology, performance training, and psychotherapy.

Guided, intentional self-imagery that influences cognition, emotion, and behavior.

1. What It Is (Psychological Definition)

Self-visualization involves:

  • Mentally picturing yourself (first-person or third-person)
  • Engaging sensory details (sight, sound, body sensation)
  • Rehearsing a desired state or outcome
  • Linking imagery to emotional and somatic experience

It activates neural pathways similar to real behavior, a principle strongly used in performance psychology and sports science.

2. Two Main Forms

First-Person (Internal) Visualization

You see through your own eyes.

  • You feel the body
  • You experience emotions directly
  • More effective for emotional conditioning and nervous system regulation

Third-Person (Observer) Visualization

You see yourself from outside, like watching a movie.

  • Good for identity restructuring
  • Helpful for self-concept work
  • Used in trauma distancing techniques

3. Clinical & Performance Applications

Performance Psychology

Used by athletes to mentally rehearse races.
Mental rehearsal improves motor coordination, reaction time, and confidence.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Visualizing successful coping
  • Replacing catastrophic imagery

Trauma Therapy

  • Safe-place visualization
  • Rescripting traumatic memory imagery
  • Strengthening ego-state stability

Identity & Self-Concept Work

Used in:

  • Future-self work
  • Self-compassion imagery
  • Rebuilding identity after destabilization

4. Nervous System Effects

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

When done properly, self-visualization can:

  • Reduce sympathetic arousal
  • Increase vagal tone
  • Strengthen neural circuits of desired behavior
  • Create state-dependent memory encoding

If emotionally overwhelming, it can also:

  • Trigger dissociation
  • Activate trauma networks
  • Intensify shame or fear imagery

So regulation capacity matters.

5. Psychological Mechanisms

Self-visualization works through:

  • Neuroplasticity
  • Mirror neuron activation
  • Emotional conditioning
  • Implicit memory reconsolidation
  • Expectancy effects

The brain does not sharply distinguish between vividly imagined and actual experience at the neural activation level.

6. Healthy vs Unhealthy Self-Visualization

Healthy

  • Grounded in reality
  • Enhances functioning
  • Builds embodied confidence
  • Improves adaptive behavior

Unhealthy

  • Grandiose fantasy
  • Escape from reality
  • Reinforces avoidance
  • Inflates unstable identity

Shervan K Shahhian

Mental Rehearsal Activates, explained:

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

Mental rehearsal activates many of the same neural systems as real performance.

This is why it’s powerful in performance psychology, sports, therapy, and skill acquisition.

Here’s what it activates:

1. Motor Cortex

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

The primary motor cortex (in the frontal lobe) becomes active during vivid imagery of movement.

Research shows that imagining lifting your arm activates similar neural circuits as actually lifting it, just at lower intensity.

2. Premotor & Supplementary Motor Areas

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

These regions plan and sequence movement.

When someone mentally rehearses a tennis serve, surgical procedure, or public speech, these planning circuits fire as if preparing for execution.

3. Cerebellum

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

Involved in coordination and timing.

Mental practice refines timing patterns, even without physical movement.

4. Basal Ganglia

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

Supports habit learning and automaticity.

This is why repeated visualization improves smoothness and confidence over time.

5. Autonomic Nervous System

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

The body partially responds.

For example:

  • Heart rate may slightly increase
  • Muscles may show subtle activation (EMG detectable)
  • Stress hormones can shift

This is why emotional rehearsal (e.g., imagining a stressful interview) can either desensitize or intensify anxiety depending on how it’s done.

6. Emotional & Threat Circuits

If imagery is vivid, the amygdala activates—especially in fear-based rehearsal.

This explains:

  • Why trauma flashbacks feel real
  • Why confidence imagery reduces performance anxiety
  • Why catastrophic rumination strengthens fear pathways

7. Mirror Neuron System

When imagining or observing actions, the brain simulates them internally.

This supports:

  • Skill learning
  • Empathy
  • Behavioral priming

Why This Matters

Mental rehearsal works because:

The brain encodes imagined experience as “real enough” to strengthen neural pathways.

This principle is used in:

  • Elite sports psychology
  • Surgical training
  • Trauma therapy (e.g., imaginal exposure)
  • Performance anxiety treatment

Mental rehearsal strengthens whichever circuit is repeatedly activated.

  • Rehearsing competence: strengthens mastery networks
  • Rehearsing humiliation: strengthens threat prediction
  • Rehearsing dissociation: strengthens avoidance pathways

The nervous system doesn’t strongly distinguish between external and vividly simulated internal events.

Shervan K Shahhian

Mental Skills Training (MST), a great explanation:


Mental Skills Training (MST) is a structured, evidence based approach used to strengthen psychological abilities that enhance performance, resilience, and well-being.

It’s widely used in sports, military, performing arts, medicine, and executive leadership.

What It Develops

MST focuses on trainable psychological capacities such as:

  • Attention & concentration control
  • Emotional regulation
  • Stress tolerance
  • Confidence & self-efficacy
  • Motivation & goal clarity
  • Imagery & mental rehearsal
  • Self-talk regulation
  • Arousal regulation (activation vs calm)

It’s essentially performance psychology in action.

Core Techniques

Common tools include:

1. Goal Setting

  • Outcome goals (win, achieve X)
  • Performance goals (improve metric)
  • Process goals (specific behaviors)

Often structured using SMART frameworks.

2. Visualization / Imagery

Mental rehearsal activates similar neural pathways as physical execution.
Used extensively in Olympic training.

3. Self-Talk Training

Replacing automatic negative thoughts with task-focused cues.

Example:

  • “Don’t mess up”: “Strong, steady, smooth.”

4. Breath & Arousal Regulation

  • Box breathing
  • Diaphragmatic breathing
  • Pre-performance routines

Regulates sympathetic activation (fight-or-flight).

5. Attentional Control

Training narrow vs broad focus depending on task demands.

6. Resilience Training

Cognitive reframing, stress inoculation, adaptive attribution styles.

Theoretical Foundations

MST draws from:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Self-regulation theory
  • Psychophysiology of stress
  • Neuroplasticity research
  • Peak performance research (e.g., flow states)

What Makes MST Different From Therapy?

TherapyMental Skills Training
Focus on healing dysfunctionFocus on optimizing performance
Past-orientedFuture-oriented
Symptom reductionCapacity building
Clinical populationHigh-functioning individuals

That said, the two often overlap, especially when performance anxiety, trauma history, or identity instability affect execution.

Clinical & Applied Use

MST can be integrated into:

  • Trauma-informed performance work
  • Nervous system regulation training
  • Executive function strengthening
  • Identity consolidation under stress

It is especially powerful when paired with somatic regulation work, since cognitive skills fail under dysregulated autonomic states.

In Simple Terms

Mental Skills Training:
“Strength training for the mind under pressure.”

Shervan K Shahhian

Performance Psychology, what is it:

Performance psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, emotions, physiology, and behavior affect performance in high-pressure environments, and how to optimize them.

It sits at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and performance science.

Core Idea

Performance psychology focuses on helping people perform at their best when it matters most, not just when they feel comfortable.

It is used in:

  • Elite sports
  • Military and tactical units
  • Performing arts
  • Business leadership
  • Medicine (e.g., surgeons)
  • High-stakes public speaking

Historical Roots

Modern performance psychology developed largely from sport psychology, influenced by pioneers like:

  • William James: studied attention and willpower
  • Coleman Griffith: often called the “father of sport psychology” in the U.S.

Today it draws from cognitive psychology, behavioral science, trauma research, and neurobiology.

Key Areas of Focus

1. Arousal Regulation

Understanding and managing:

  • Fight–flight–freeze responses
  • Chronic hyperarousal
  • Performance anxiety

Balancing activation, not too anxious, not too flat.

2. Attention Control

Training:

  • Focus under distraction
  • Cognitive flexibility
  • Rapid recovery after mistakes

3. Emotional Regulation

Managing:

  • Fear
  • Anger
  • Shame
  • Self-doubt

Without suppressing emotion.

4. Mental Skills Training

Common tools:

  • Visualization / imagery
  • Self-talk restructuring
  • Breathwork
  • Pre-performance routines
  • Goal setting

The Flow State

Flow is the state where:

  • Action and awareness merge
  • Self-consciousness drops
  • Performance feels effortless
  • Time perception shifts

Performance psychology aims to increase the probability of entering flow though it cannot be forced.

Performance vs. Clinical Psychology

Since you’re a psychologist, here’s a nuanced distinction:

Clinical PsychologyPerformance Psychology
Reduces dysfunctionEnhances functioning
Focus on pathologyFocus on optimization
Trauma stabilizationStress inoculation
Symptom reliefPeak execution

But in reality, they overlap, especially with:

  • Trauma-informed performance work
  • Nervous system regulation
  • Identity resilience

Modern Developments

Performance psychology now integrates:

  • Polyvagal theory (autonomic regulation)
  • Neurofeedback
  • Cognitive behavioral frameworks
  • Somatic integration
  • High-performance habit design

In Essence

Performance psychology is about:

Performing effectively under pressure while remaining psychologically integrated.

Not just “winning.”
Not just suppressing fear.
But sustaining clarity, regulation, and execution under load.

Shervan K Shahhian

Breath Regulation, an explanation:


Breath regulation is the process of consciously controlling your breathing pattern to influence your nervous system, emotional state, and physiological arousal.

It is one of the most direct ways to regulate the autonomic nervous system.

  1. Why Breath Matters Neurologically
    Breathing is unique because it is:

Automatic (controlled by the brainstem)

Voluntary (you can consciously change it)

This gives you a “bridge” between conscious awareness and autonomic processes like heart rate, stress response, and vagal tone.

Slow, controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest), while rapid, shallow breathing activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight).

  1. What Breath Regulation Does
    Proper breath regulation can:

Reduce anxiety and panic

Decrease hyperarousal

Improve emotional stability

Increase heart rate variability (HRV)

Improve focus and embodied presence

Reduce dissociation

Help trauma integration

For someone working with trauma, identity destabilization, or hyperarousal (topics you’ve been exploring), breath work is foundational.

  1. Common Breath Regulation Techniques
  2. Diaphragmatic Breathing (Belly Breathing)
    Inhale through nose (4 seconds)

Expand abdomen

Slow exhale (6–8 seconds)

5–10 minutes

Best for calming the nervous system.

Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)

    Hold 4

    Exhale 4

    Hold 4

    Used by high-performance groups and military training to regulate stress.

    Extended Exhale Breathing
    Inhale 4

      Exhale 6–8

      Longer exhalation stimulates vagal tone.

      1. Coherent Breathing
        About 5–6 breaths per minute (inhale 5 sec, exhale 5 sec).
        Optimizes heart-brain synchronization.
      2. Clinical & Psychological Applications
        Breath regulation is used in:

      Trauma therapy

      Somatic experiencing

      EMDR preparation

      Panic disorder treatment

      Performance psychology

      Meditation practices

      It is often the first step in re-establishing embodied regulation before deeper psychological work.

      1. Important Caution
        Certain breathing styles (very rapid or forceful breathing) can:

      Trigger panic in trauma clients

      Increase dissociation

      Cause dizziness

      For individuals with dissociative instability or chronic hyperarousal, slow grounding breath is usually safest.

      Shervan K Shahhian

      Fight-or-Flight-or-Freeze response, what is it:

      The fight-or-flight (or freeze) response is an automatic survival reaction of the nervous system that activates when the brain perceives danger.

      It is not a choice. It is reflexive, fast, and largely unconscious.

      The Basic Mechanism

      When a threat is detected:

      1. The amygdala (threat detection center) signals alarm.
      2. The hypothalamus activates the autonomic nervous system.
      3. The sympathetic nervous system releases adrenaline and noradrenaline.
      4. The HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) releases cortisol.

      This prepares the body for immediate survival.

      1. Fight

      Purpose: Confront the threat.

      Body changes:

      • Increased heart rate
      • Muscle tension
      • Anger or aggression
      • Sharpened focus

      Psychologically, this can show up as irritability, argumentativeness, or dominance behaviors.

      2. Flight

      Purpose: Escape the threat.

      Body changes:

      • Restlessness
      • Urge to run or leave
      • Rapid breathing
      • Anxiety or panic

      Psychologically, this can look like avoidance, distraction, overworking, or compulsive busyness.

      3. Freeze

      Purpose: Immobilization when fight or flight seem impossible.

      This response is often linked to the dorsal vagal system (parasympathetic shutdown). Consult a Neurologist/MD.

      Body changes:

      • Numbness
      • Dissociation
      • Slowed heart rate
      • Feeling stuck or paralyzed
      • Mental blankness

      Freeze is not weakness, it is a survival strategy seen across mammals.

      Why It Matters Clinically

      You already know this response becomes problematic when:

      • The threat is psychological rather than physical.
      • The system stays chronically activated (hyperarousal).
      • Early attachment disruption wires the nervous system to misinterpret relational cues as danger.

      In trauma work, many symptoms, panic disorder, dissociation, emotional flooding, identity destabilization, are variations of this survival circuitry firing in non-life-threatening contexts.

      A More Complete Model

      Modern trauma theory expands this into:

      • Fight
      • Flight
      • Freeze
      • Fawn (appeasing the threat)

      “Fawn” is common in traumatic attachment dynamics.

      Key Insight

      The fight-flight-freeze response is not pathology.

      It becomes pathology only when:

      • It activates too easily
      • It does not deactivate
      • It dominates identity

      It’s also worth noting: intense inner experiences (existential rumination, identity shifts, altered states) can sometimes be misinterpreted by the body as threat, triggering survival physiology even when the “danger” is psychological or ontological rather than physical.

      Shervan K Shahhian

      Chronic Hyperarousal, what is it:

      Chronic hyperarousal is a long-term state in which the nervous system remains persistently activated, as if danger is present, even when it isn’t.

      It’s essentially the body being stuck in survival mode.

      What Is Hyperarousal?

      Hyperarousal refers to sustained activation of the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight response). In short bursts, this response is adaptive. But when it becomes chronic, it starts to dysregulate the entire system.

      This concept is central in trauma research.

      Core Features of Chronic Hyperarousal

      You might see:

      • Persistent anxiety or tension
      • Startle response easily triggered
      • Racing thoughts
      • Irritability
      • Sleep disturbance
      • Muscle tightness
      • Hypervigilance
      • Difficulty relaxing
      • Feeling “wired but tired”

      In trauma contexts, this is one half of the dysregulation spectrum seen in Post-traumatic stress disorder (the other being hypoarousal/dissociation).

      Neurobiological Basis

      “CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST/MD“

      Chronic hyperarousal (MIGHT) involves:

      • Overactivation of the amygdala
      • Reduced regulatory influence of the prefrontal cortex
      • HPA-axis dysregulation (cortisol imbalance)
      • Autonomic nervous system imbalance

      The system learns: “The world is unsafe.”
      And it stays braced.

      Psychological Meaning

      From a depth or psychodynamic perspective, chronic hyperarousal can reflect:

      • Early attachment disruption
      • Developmental trauma
      • Chronic unpredictability in childhood
      • Internalized threat schemas

      The nervous system adapts to chaos, and then cannot turn off.

      The body’s version of existential vigilance, when cognition may appear regulated, but the soma remains mobilized.

      Chronic Hyperarousal vs. Normal Stress

      Normal StressChronic Hyperarousal
      Situation-specificBaseline state
      Resolves after eventPersists without clear trigger
      Flexible nervous systemRigid activation pattern
      Body can downregulateBody struggles to calm

      Treatment Directions

      Interventions often focus on bottom-up regulation, not just cognitive reframing:

      • Somatic grounding
      • Breath regulation
      • EMDR
      • Trauma-informed therapy
      • Safe relational attunement
      • Nervous system retraining

      The goal is not suppression, but restoring the capacity to oscillate between activation and rest.

      Shervan K Shahhian

      Oscillation, what is it:

      Oscillation is a repeated back and forth movement or fluctuation between two states around a central point or equilibrium.

      At its core, oscillation involves:

      • A center or equilibrium
      • Movement away from it
      • A restoring force or tendency
      • Repetition over time

      In Psychology

      Oscillation can describe:

      • Emotional swings (e.g., hope to despair)
      • Attachment to avoidance dynamics
      • Identity instability
      • Cognitive rumination loops

      In trauma psychology, people may oscillate between:

      • Hyperarousal (anxiety, activation)
      • Hypoarousal (numbness, shutdown)

      Healthy regulation isn’t the absence of oscillation, it’s the capacity to return to center.

      In Philosophy

      Oscillation can describe tension between:

      • Realism: Idealism
      • Faith: Doubt
      • Individual: Collective

      Some thinkers see oscillation as fundamental to reality, not a flaw, but a structure.

      Simple Definition

      Oscillation: repeated movement between two poles around a center.

      Shervan K Shahhian