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.

Stalking Awareness, explained:

Stalking awareness refers to understanding, recognizing, and responding to a pattern of unwanted, repeated attention or contact that causes fear or distress. It’s both a public safety issue and a mental health concern, often overlapping with trauma, coercive control, and harassment.

What is stalking?

Stalking involves a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would make a reasonable individual feel unsafe. It’s not a single incident, it’s repeated and intrusive.

Common behaviors include:

Repeated calls, texts, emails, or DMs
Following or showing up uninvited (home, work, gym)
Monitoring online activity or using GPS tracking
Sending unwanted gifts
Contacting friends, family, or coworkers to gather information
Threats (direct or implied)

Psychological impact

Stalking can lead to:

Hypervigilance and anxiety
Sleep disturbance
Depression
Symptoms similar to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Loss of sense of safety and control (sometimes called attentional hijacking)

From a psychological perspective, stalking often reflects obsessive fixation, entitlement, or control-based behavior, sometimes seen in individuals with attachment disturbances or certain personality traits.

Warning signs (early stage)

Someone ignores clear boundaries
Escalating frequency of contact
“Coincidental” encounters that feel planned
Attempts to isolate you socially
Intense emotional swings (idealization, anger)

How to respond (practical steps)

1. Do not engage

Avoid replying, arguing, or negotiating (this can reinforce behavior)

2. Document everything

Save messages, screenshots, dates, locations
Keep a timeline of incidents

3. Increase safety

Tell trusted people
Adjust routines if needed
Review privacy settings and location sharing

4. Set firm boundaries (once, clearly)

After that, disengage completely

5. Report and seek help

Law enforcement
Workplace/school authorities
Advocacy organizations (the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center)

Legal awareness (U.S.)

Stalking is a crime in all states, including California
Victims can seek:
- Restraining orders
- Criminal charges
Laws often include cyberstalking and electronic surveillance

Clinical perspective

Some might view stalking through:

Attachment pathology (anxious/preoccupied or disorganized)
Obsessive relational intrusion
Narcissistic injury, retaliatory pursuit
Dysregulated reward systems reinforcing pursuit behavior

Key idea

Stalking is not about romance or persistence, it’s about control, boundary violation, and fear induction.

Shervan K Shahhian

Speaking Mechanism, what is it:

CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR

The speaking mechanism may refer to the complex biological and cognitive system that allows humans to produce spoken language. It may involve coordination between the human anatomy.

Speech maybe constantly adjusted.

Auditory feedback (hearing yourself)
Sensory feedback (feeling movement)

May help refine accuracy in real time

Putting It All Together

The speaking mechanism could be a highly synchronized loop:

Thought, Language Plan, Breath, Voice, Articulation, Feedback, Adjustment

Clinical Insight (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST/MD)

Disruptions may occur at different levels:

Brain level: Aphasia
Motor planning: Apraxia of Speech
Muscle control: Dysarthria (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST/MD)
Shervan K Shahhian

Metacognitive Awareness, explained:

Metacognitive awareness maybe your ability to notice, monitor, and understand your own thinking processes in real time.

Put simply, it’s:

“thinking about your thinking.”

Core Components

Self-awareness of cognition
- Recognizing what you’re thinking
- Example: “I’m getting distracted right now.”
Monitoring
- Tracking how well you’re understanding or performing
- Example: “I don’t actually understand this paragraph.”
Control / Regulation
- Adjusting your thinking or strategy
- Example: “I need to slow down and reread this.”

Everyday Examples

While reading:
“My mind drifted, I should go back.”
During a conversation:
“I’m reacting emotionally instead of listening.”
Studying:
“This method isn’t working; I’ll try a different approach.”

Why It Matters

Metacognitive awareness maybe linked to:

Better: learning and memory
Stronger: self-regulation
Reduced: cognitive fatigue
Improved: decision-making

It’s foundational to:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (identifying and restructuring thoughts)
Mindfulness-based interventions
Executive functioning

Relationship to Mindfulness

Metacognitive awareness overlaps with mindfulness, but they’re not identical:

Mindfulness: Nonjudgmental awareness of present experience
Metacognition: Awareness plus evaluation and adjustment of thinking

When It’s Impaired

Low metacognitive awareness may show up as:

Acting on autopilot
Poor insight into one’s own biases
Difficulty correcting mistakes
Overconfidence (“illusion of knowing”)

It’s also relevant in conditions like:

ADHD
Depression (rumination without awareness)
Schizophrenia (impaired insight)

How to Strengthen It

Self-questioning
- “Do I really understand this?”
Think-aloud protocols
Journaling your thought processes
Mindfulness training
Error reflection (“What went wrong?”)
Shervan K Shahhian

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), explained:

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) could be a framework from educational psychology that explains how the limits of human working memory affect learning.

Core Idea

Your mind may have a limited-capacity working memory. When too much information is presented at once, learning becomes inefficient or breaks down.

CLT focuses on optimizing how information is presented so it fits within those limits and transfers effectively into long-term memory.

The 3 Types of Cognitive Load

1. Intrinsic Load

The complexity of the material itself
Depends on:
- Number of elements
- How those elements interact
Example: Learning basic addition (low load) vs. solving multivariable equations (high load)

May not be eliminated, but it could be managed (breaking tasks into steps)

2. Extraneous Load

The way information is presented
Caused by poor instructional design
Examples:
- Cluttered slides
- Unnecessary jargon
- Split attention (looking between text and diagram)

This maybe the most important to reduce

3. Germane Load

The mental effort used to build schemas (meaningful understanding)
Supports learning and problem-solving

This is the load you want to increase

Key Concept: Schema Formation

A schema is a mental structure that organizes information.

Experts: rich, automated schemas
Beginners: rely heavily on working memory

CLT aims to help learners build schemas efficiently

Why It Matters

When total load exceeds working memory capacity:

Learning slows or stops
Errors increase
Mental fatigue rises

This may connect closely with topics like:

Cognitive fatigue
Attentional fragmentation
Executive control

Practical Applications

In Education / Training

Use worked examples instead of pure problem-solving early on
Break complex material into chunks
Combine text and visuals effectively (multimedia learning)
Avoid redundancy (don’t read slides verbatim)

In Everyday Cognitive Performance

Reduce multitasking
Externalize memory (notes, tools)
Sequence tasks instead of stacking them
Design environments with minimal distraction

Simple Analogy

You may want to think of working memory like a RAM buffer:

Intrinsic load: size of the program
Extraneous load: background apps wasting RAM
Germane load: useful processing power

Advanced Insight

From a cognitive neuroscience and attentional systems perspective, CLT maps onto:

Working memory limits (prefrontal-parietal networks)
Cognitive control allocation
Attentional gating mechanisms

You may even frame CLT as a resource-allocation model of consciousness bandwidth, which connects interestingly to your interest in:

attentional sovereignty
targeting mechanisms of awareness
Shervan K Shahhian

Cognitive Pacing, explained:

Cognitive pacing could be a self-regulation strategy used to manage mental energy, prevent overload, and sustain performance over time. It maybe especially relevant in contexts like Cognitive Psychology, rehabilitation, and conditions involving fatigue or attention dysregulation.

What It Means

Cognitive pacing may involve balancing periods of mental effort with intentional rest so your mind doesn’t become overloaded or fatigued.

Think of it like:

Not sprinting mentally all day
Instead, working in controlled intervals to maintain clarity and efficiency

Core Principles

1. Energy Awareness

Recognizing your cognitive limits (attention span, fatigue threshold).

2. Task Structuring

Breaking complex tasks into smaller, manageable units.

3. Planned Breaks

Taking breaks before exhaustion sets in (proactive vs reactive).

4. Consistency Over Intensity

Avoiding boom-and-bust cycles (overwork, crash, recovery).

Related Concepts

Cognitive Load Theory: Too much information at once reduces performance
Mental Fatigue: Accumulated strain from sustained effort
Self-Regulation: Managing internal states effectively

When It’s Used

Cognitive pacing could be widely applied in:

Brain injury recovery: CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST
ADHD and executive dysfunction
Burnout prevention
Chronic fatigue conditions
High-demand professions (clinicians, researchers, analysts)

Practical Techniques

1. Interval Work

Work 25–45 minutes
Break 5–10 minutes
(Adjust based on your threshold)

2. Effort Rating

Before starting a task, rate expected effort (1–10) and plan accordingly.

3. Alternating Tasks

Switch between:

High-focus tasks (analysis, writing)
Low-focus tasks (email, organizing)

4. Micro-Recovery

During breaks:

No screens if possible
Breathing, stretching, or brief walks

5. Stop Before Depletion

End work sessions while you still have some mental energy left, this may preserve long-term performance.

Without Cognitive Pacing

You may see:

Reduced attention control
Increased errors
Irritability or emotional dysregulation
“Brain fog”
Performance crashes

Deeper Insight

Cognitive pacing maybe essentially about protecting attentional bandwidth and maintaining what you might call attentional sovereignty, your ability to direct awareness intentionally rather than being driven by fatigue or overload.

Shervan K Shahhian

Attention Disorders, explained:

Attention disorders could be conditions that affect a person’s ability to focus, sustain attention, regulate impulses, and manage cognitive effort. They can impact academic performance, work, relationships, and overall daily functioning.

Main Types of Attention Disorders

1. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The most well-known attention disorder.

Core features:

Inattention (distractibility, forgetfulness)
Hyperactivity (restlessness, fidgeting)
Impulsivity (interrupting, acting without thinking)

Subtypes:

Predominantly inattentive (formerly ADD)
Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
Combined type

2. Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT)

A less formal but increasingly studied condition.

Characteristics:

Mental fogginess
Daydreaming
Slow processing speed
Low energy / lethargy

Often overlaps with ADHD but feels more “internally slowed” than hyperactive.

3. Attention Deficits from Other Conditions

Attention problems may also be secondary symptoms of other disorders:

Anxiety disorders
Attention pulled toward worry and threat monitoring
Major depressive disorder
Reduced concentration, mental fatigue
Traumatic brain injury: (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Impaired focus, processing, executive control
Autism spectrum disorder
Differences in attentional focus (hyperfocus vs. shifting difficulty)

Key Cognitive Components Affected

Attention disorders could involve disruptions in:

Sustained attention (staying focused over time)
Selective attention (filtering distractions)
Divided attention (multitasking)
Executive control (goal-directed focus, inhibition)
Processing speed

Common Signs

Easily distracted
Difficulty finishing tasks
Poor organization
Frequent mistakes or forgetfulness
Mental fatigue or “brain fog”
Trouble switching or sustaining focus

Underlying Mechanisms (Simplified)

Dysregulation in prefrontal cortex networks: (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Imbalances in neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine: (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Impaired top-down attentional control

Treatment & Management

Clinical approaches:

Behavioral therapy
Cognitive training (attention exercises)
Medication (especially for ADHD): (CONSULT WITH a NEUROLOGIST and/or PSYCHIATRIST)

Self-regulation strategies:

Cognitive pacing (managing mental energy)
Reducing attentional fragmentation
Structured routines
Mindfulness / attention training

A Deeper Perspective

From a metacognitive or parapsychological lens, attention disorders maybe viewed as:

Disruptions in the “targeting mechanism of awareness”
Instability in attentional sovereignty (loss of control over focus allocation)
Either under-binding (scattered awareness) or over-binding (fixation / hyperfocus)
Shervan K Shahhian

Cognitive Fatigue, what is it:

Cognitive fatigue could be a state of mental exhaustion that occurs when your mind has been working intensely or for prolonged periods without adequate rest. It could affect your ability to think clearly, focus, regulate emotions, and make decisions.

What’s happening in the mind?

Cognitive fatigue is closely tied to reduced efficiency in the prefrontal cortex: (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST), the area responsible for attention, decision-making, and self-control. When overused, neural resources become depleted, and performance drops.

Common signs

Difficulty concentrating or sustaining attention
Slower thinking and reaction time
Forgetfulness or mental “fog”
Irritability or low frustration tolerance
Reduced motivation
Increased errors in tasks

Causes

Prolonged mental effort (studying, screen time, multitasking)
Sleep deprivation
Chronic stress or emotional strain
Information overload (constant notifications, media consumption)
Certain conditions like ADHD, depression, or burnout

Related concept

Cognitive fatigue may overlap with attentional fatigue (from sustained focus) and it could be studied in fields like cognitive neuroscience and psychology?

How to manage it

Take strategic breaks (5–10 minutes every hour)
Prioritize sleep (7–9 hours)
Single-task instead of multitasking
Use cognitive pacing (alternate hard and easy tasks)
Reduce digital overload
Engage in restorative activities (walks, mindfulness, light exercise)

Clinical insight

In therapeutic or performance settings, cognitive fatigue maybe important because it can mimic or worsen symptoms of attention disorders, anxiety, or depression. It may also a major factor in decision fatigue and self-regulation failure.

Shervan K Shahhian

Attention Training, what is it:

Attention training is the deliberate practice of strengthening your ability to focus, sustain, shift, and control attention, instead of letting it be pulled around by distractions, impulses, or emotional triggers.

In psychology, attention may not be a single skill; it could be a system you can train much like a muscle.

Core Components of Attention Training

Sustained Attention
Staying focused over time (reading without drifting)
Selective Attention
Filtering out distractions (focusing in a noisy room)
Executive Control
Choosing what to focus on and resisting impulses
Attentional Shifting
Moving focus flexibly when needed (task-switching without losing efficiency)

Evidence-Based Attention Training Methods

1. Mindfulness Training

Rooted in practices:

Focus on the breath or body sensations
Notice when attention drifts, gently bring it back
Builds meta-awareness (awareness of attention itself)

Effect: Improves sustained attention and emotional regulation

2. Focused Attention Exercises

Pick a single object (breath, sound, visual point)
Maintain attention for a set time (5–10 minutes)
Restart when distracted

This is like “reps” for your attentional system.

3. Cognitive Training Tasks

Maybe used in neuropsychology and ADHD interventions:

Continuous Performance Tasks (CPT)
Dual n-back tasks
Stroop tasks

Effect: Strengthens executive control and working memory

4. Environmental Structuring

Remove distractions (phone, notifications)
Use time blocks (25-minute focus sessions)

This may support attention externally while you build it internally.

5. Attentional Control Training (ACT)

Maybe used in anxiety treatment:

Deliberately shift attention between stimuli (sound, sight, body)
Trains flexibility and reduces fixation (rumination)

6. Physical Foundations

Sometimes overlooked but critical:

Sleep quality
Exercise (especially aerobic and anaerobic)
Nutrition: Non-GMO foods, please consult a clinical Dietician

These directly affect attentional capacity and fatigue.

Clinical Applications

Attention training is used for:

ADHD
Anxiety disorders (reducing hypervigilance)
Depression (interrupting rumination)
Addiction (impulse control)
Trauma (stabilizing focus and grounding)

A Deeper Insight

From a psychological and parapsychological lens, attention training is essentially about “attentional sovereignty”, regaining control over where consciousness is allocated.

Untrained attention is:

Reactive
Fragmented
Stimulus-driven

Trained attention becomes:

Intentional
Stable
Directed

In fields like Controlled Remote Viewing (CRV), this becomes crucial, because attention is treated not just as cognition, but as a targeting mechanism of awareness.

Simple Daily Protocol (5–15 minutes)

5 min: Breath-focused attention
5 min: Open monitoring (notice thoughts without engaging)
Optional: 5 min deliberate shifting (sound, body, visual field)
Shervan K Shahhian

Understanding Attentional Sovereignty:

Attentional sovereignty could be the ability to consciously control and direct your attention, rather than having it constantly captured, fragmented, or manipulated by external forces (like technology, stress, or conditioning).

Core Idea

It means:

You decide what deserves your focus, when, and for how long.

Instead of attention being reactive, it becomes intentional and self-governed.

Psychological Context

In fields like Cognitive Psychology and Attention Research, attention maybe viewed as a limited resource. Attentional sovereignty is about protecting and allocating that resource wisely.

It may stand in contrast to:

Attentional fragmentation (constant task-switching)
Cognitive overload
Algorithm-driven distraction (social media, notifications)

Key Components

1. Intentional Focus
Choosing your object of attention deliberately (deep work vs. scrolling).

2. Resistance to Capture
Not automatically reacting to stimuli (notifications, urges, emotional triggers).

3. Sustained Attention
Maintaining focus over time despite internal or external distractions.

4. Meta-awareness
Noticing where your attention is in real time, and redirecting it if needed.

Related Concepts

Executive Function (top-down control of behavior)
Mindfulness (training attention stability)
Self-Regulation (broader behavioral control)

Why It Matters Today

Modern environments could be engineered to compete for your attention. Without attentional sovereignty:

Focus becomes externally controlled
Productivity declines
Emotional reactivity increases
Sense of agency weakens

With it:

You regain cognitive autonomy
You improve clarity, depth, and decision-making

Clinical / Applied Angle

Attentional sovereignty might overlap with:

Treatment of ADHD (strengthening top-down control)
Trauma work (reclaiming attention from intrusive memories)
Addiction (breaking stimulus-response loops)
Behavioral regulation frameworks

Simple Example

Without sovereignty: Phone buzzes, automatic check, 20 minutes lost
With sovereignty: Phone buzzes, you notice the impulse, choose whether to engage or not

Shervan K Shahhian

Attention Research, explained:

Attention research maybe a branch of Cognitive Psychology that examines how we select, focus on, sustain, and shift awareness among competing stimuli.

What Attention Research Studies

It explores several core processes:

Selective attention: focusing on one thing while filtering out others
Sustained attention: maintaining focus over time (vigilance)
Divided attention: attempting to process multiple tasks (often inefficient)
Attentional control: consciously directing focus despite distractions

Possible, Classic Theories & Experiments

Filter Theory
Suggests attention acts as a bottleneck, allowing only certain information through.
Attenuation Theory
Proposes unattended information isn’t blocked completely, just weakened.
Capacity Model
Attention is a limited resource distributed across tasks.
Attention Networks
Identified mind systems for alerting, orienting, and executive control.

Methods Used in Attention Research

Behavioral experiments: (reaction time, accuracy)
Eye-tracking: (where attention is directed visually)
Brain imaging: (fMRI, EEG): CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST
Dual-task paradigms: (to test limits of multitasking)
Attentional blink tasks: (how quickly we process sequential stimuli)

Key Findings

Attention is limited: multitasking reduces performance
Attention is trainable: (meditation: cognitive training can improve control)
Attention is biased: shaped by emotion, expectations, and past experience
Attention fragments easily: especially in digital environments

Applied Areas

Clinical psychology (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
Human factors & UX design
Education & learning science
Marketing and persuasion

Deeper Insight (Psychological Perspective)

Attention research may show that attention is not just a passive filter, it’s an active construction of reality. What you attend to literally shapes your subjective world.

Some and exploratory areas (like altered states, remote perception, and anomalous cognition) also intersect with attention research, but these remain controversial and not widely accepted in mainstream science.

Shervan K Shahhian