psychology – LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Salience Filtering is the mind’s way of deciding what matters right now and what can be ignored:

Salience filtering is the mind’s way of deciding what matters right now and what can be ignored.

At any given moment, your senses are flooded with far more information than you can consciously process, sounds, sights, thoughts, bodily sensations. Salience filtering is the mechanism that selects a small subset of that input and flags it as important (salient) so it enters awareness and guides behavior.

How it works

(CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)

It’s largely governed by the mind’s salience network, especially:

Anterior insula: (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Anterior cingulate cortex: (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)

This system continuously evaluates incoming stimuli based on:

Relevance to goals: (“Does this help me?”)
Emotional significance: (“Is this threatening or rewarding?”)
Novelty: (“Is this new or unexpected?”)

Only what passes this filter becomes the focus of attention.

Simple example

Imagine you’re at a loud party:

You ignore dozens of conversations (filtered out)
Suddenly, someone says your name across the room, it instantly grabs your attention

Your mind tagged that sound as salient, overriding everything else.

Why it matters

Salience filtering shapes:

Attention: (what you focus on)
Perception: (what you even notice exists)
Memory formation: (what gets stored)
Behavioral responses: (what you react to)

When it goes off balance

Distorted salience filtering is linked to several psychological states:

Anxiety: neutral stimuli feel threatening (over-tagging danger)
Depression: reduced salience of rewarding stimuli
Psychosis (schizophrenia): aberrant salience (random things feel deeply meaningful)

In your domain (psychology & mental training)

Salience filtering is tightly connected to:

Attentional control
Neural priming
Visualization / mental rehearsal

You may train it:

Focus repeatedly on certain cues, they become more salient
Use emotional intensity, increases tagging strength
Pair attention with intention, biases future perception

This maybe why practices like visualization or hypnotic suggestion can feel powerful, they reprogram what your mind flags as important.

One important reality check

It may feel like salience is revealing hidden truths or external signals, but neurologically: (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST), it’s a selection and weighting system, not a detection of objective importance in the environment. It tells you what your mind prioritizes, not necessarily what is inherently meaningful.

Shervan K Shahhian

Visualization is the mental process:

Visualization is the mental process of creating or recreating experiences in your mind using imagination, essentially “seeing” without your eyes, but it can also involve other senses.

At a deeper level, could be tied to how the mind simulates reality. When you vividly imagine an action or scenario, many of the same neural pathways activate as if you were actually doing it. This is why visualization is widely used in performance psychology, therapy, and skill training.

What Visualization Actually Involves

It may not be just “seeing images.” Strong visualization typically includes:

Visual imagery: pictures, scenes, colors, movement
Kinesthetic imagery: body sensations (muscle tension, balance, motion)
Auditory imagery: sounds, voices, environment
Emotional tone: how the situation feels internally

The more senses involved, the more effective it maybe to be.

How It Works (Psychologically & Neurologically)

Visualization may work through a few key mechanisms:

Neural simulation: The mind doesn’t fully distinguish between vividly imagined and real experiences
Priming: It prepares your nervous system for a specific outcome or behavior, (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Attention shaping: It directs what you notice and how you respond in real situations
Memory encoding: It builds “reference experiences” even before they happen

This maybe closely related to concepts like mental rehearsal and neural priming, which you’ve been exploring.

Types of Visualization

Outcome Visualization
- Imagining the end result (success, winning, confidence)
Process Visualization(more powerful for performance)
- Mentally rehearsing each step of an action (golf swing, public speaking flow)
Coping Visualization
- Imagining challenges and successfully handling them

A Simple Example

If someone is preparing for a presentation:

They imagine walking onto the stage
Feel their posture steady
Hear their voice coming out clearly
See the audience engaged
Experience calm focus instead of anxiety

That mental run-through conditions their mind and body to respond that way in reality.

Important Reality Check

Visualization may not be magic or manifestation in the mystical sense. It doesn’t change external reality by itself. What it may do is:

Change internal state
Improve performance readiness
Increase behavioral consistency

The outcome may improve because your actions become more aligned and efficient, not because reality bends to thought.

Where It’s Used

Sports psychology (elite athletes use it extensively)
Clinical psychology (anxiety reduction, exposure therapy)
Skill acquisition (motor learning, speaking, performance)
High-performance training (military, aviation, even surgery)
Shervan K Shahhian

Neural Priming is the process:

Neural priming is the process by which previous exposure to a thought, image, word, movement, or experience makes the mind respond faster and more efficiently the next time it encounters something related.

In simple terms:

The nervous system becomes “pre-activated.” (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)

A prior stimulus leaves a temporary pattern in neural circuits, so the next related action or perception requires less effort.

Example

If someone repeatedly imagines:

a smooth golf swing
calm breathing
successful contact

the mind begins to create a more accessible pathway for that pattern.

Later, when they actually swing:

reaction is quicker
confidence feels more natural
movement can feel more automatic

because the relevant neural networks were already partially activated.

What happens in the mind

Neural priming can involve:

1. Lower activation threshold

Neurons need less stimulation to fire. (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)

2. Faster pathway recruitment

Previously used circuits activate more rapidly.

3. Reduced conscious effort

The task feels more automatic.

4. Stronger association

Types of neural priming

Perceptual priming

Recognizing something faster because you’ve seen it before.

Example:
Seeing a face once makes later recognition easier.

Conceptual priming

A previous idea influences later thinking.

Example:
Hearing “confidence” can unconsciously influence posture and speech.

Motor priming

Previous movement prepares future movement.

Example:
Athletes mentally rehearsing performance.

Neural priming in performance psychology

It may help with:

sports
public speaking
confidence
learning
emotional regulation

By repeatedly pairing:

relaxation
focus
successful imagery

The mind starts treating that state as familiar.

In hypnosis or suggestion

Neural priming often occurs when:

language introduces expectation
imagery activates sensory networks
repetition strengthens response

For example:
“Each breath takes you deeper into focus.”

That phrase can prime:

breathing
relaxation
attentional narrowing

Simultaneously.

Why it matters

Because the mind often performs better with:
Familiar neural patterns than novel ones.

Priming helps create:
Preparedness before action happens.

Short definition

Neural priming: preparing the mind in advance so future thoughts, feelings, or actions happen more easily.

Shervan K Shahhian

Mental Rehearsal is a Psychological Technique:

Mental rehearsal is a psychological technique where you vividly imagine performing a task or behavior in your mind without physically doing it. It’s widely used in sports, therapy, performance training, and even rehabilitation because the mind often activates similar neural pathways during imagined actions as it does during real ones.

What’s actually happening?

When you mentally rehearse, you’re engaging systems studied in Cognitive Neuroscience (CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST), especially those tied to motor planning, attention, and emotion. The mind doesn’t fully distinguish between imagined and real practice, so you’re effectively “training” without movement.

Key components of effective mental rehearsal

Visualization (imagery): See the scene clearly, environment, movement, timing
Kinesthetic imagery: Feel the motion in your body (muscle tension, balance, rhythm)
Emotional regulation: Rehearse calmness, confidence, or controlled intensity
Perspective control: First-person (“through your eyes”) tends to be more powerful than third-person

Where it’s used

Sports performance: Golf, basketball, gymnastics, etc.
Clinical psychology: Reducing anxiety, trauma processing, skill rehearsal
Public speaking: Practicing delivery and confidence
Rehabilitation: Recovering motor skills after injury: (CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR)

Why it works

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Activates motor cortex and related networks (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Strengthens neural pathways associated with the skill (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Reduces uncertainty and anxiety by creating predictive familiarity
Enhances attentional control and reduces cognitive interference

Simple protocol (practical)

Relax your body (slow breathing, minimal distraction)
Set a clear target (specific action or scenario)
Run the “mental movie”
- First-person view
- Realistic speed (not slow-motion unless learning)
Include sensory detail (sight, sound, feel)
Rehearse success and recovery
- Not just perfect execution, also how you adapt if something goes off
Repeat in short cycles (3–5 minutes, multiple reps)

Important nuance

Mental rehearsal could be powerful, but it’s not magic. It works best when paired with real-world practice. Think of it as neural priming, not a full replacement for behavior.

Shervan K Shahhian

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

Pre-Performance Routine, explained:

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A pre-performance routine (PPR) could be a structured set of mental and physical actions you do right before performing, whether in sports, public speaking, therapy sessions, exams, or even creative work. Its purpose could stabilize attention, regulate arousal, and optimize performance consistency.

Core Idea

You may think of it as a psychological “launch sequence”, a repeatable ritual that puts your mind and body into the ideal state for performance.

It may widely be used in fields like:

Sports psychology (routines before a free throw or serve)
Performing arts (actors, musicians)
Clinical and professional settings (therapists preparing for sessions)

Key Components

1. Centering / Physiological Regulation

Slow breathing (4–6 breaths per minute)
Muscle relaxation
Grounding

It might reduce anxiety and prevents over-arousal.

2. Attentional Focus

Narrowing attention to task-relevant cues
Blocking distractions

Example: focusing only on the ball, audience, or first line of a speech.

3. Mental Rehearsal (Imagery)

Visualizing successful execution
Engaging sensory detail

This might draw from principles studied in Sports Psychology and Cognitive Psychology.

4. Self-Talk

Short, directive phrases:
- “Stay smooth”
- “One step at a time”
Can be motivational or instructional

5. Behavioral Ritual

A consistent physical sequence (bouncing a ball, adjusting posture)
Acts as a conditioned trigger for performance readiness

Why It Works

A PPR may help regulate the inverted-U relationship between arousal and performance:

Too little arousal, underperformance
Too much arousal, anxiety, choking
Optimal zone, peak performance

Example (Simple Routine)

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A 60-second PPR might look like:

Take 3 slow breaths
Say a cue word: “Focus”
Visualize the first successful action
Adopt a confident posture
Begin immediately

Clinical / Psychological Angle

From a behavioral perspective, PPRs function like:

Stimulus control (cue, performance mode)
Conditioned response chains
A way to reduce performance anxiety and “choking”

They overlap with techniques used in:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (self-talk, restructuring)
Mindfulness-based interventions (present-moment awareness)

Important Distinction

A healthy PPR is:

Flexible
Performance-enhancing

But it might become maladaptive if it turns rigid or compulsive (overlapping with traits seen in perfectionism or obsessive patterns).

Shervan K Shahhian

Process Addiction, what is it:

Process addiction is a pattern where a person becomes compulsively engaged in a behavior or activity, rather than a substance, despite negative consequences.

In simple terms:
It’s when the process itself becomes addictive, not a drug, but what you do.

Core Idea

Unlike substance addiction (alcohol or drugs), process addiction may involve behaviors that activate the mind’s reward system in a similar way especially through dopamine (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST) release and reinforcement learning.

Common Types of Process Addictions

These are some well-known examples:

Gambling Disorder (compulsive gambling)
Internet or social media overuse
Video gaming addiction
Shopping (compulsive buying)
Sex or pornography addiction
Work addiction (workaholism)
Exercise addiction

Key Features

A behavior may be considered a process addiction when it shows:

Loss of control:
The person can’t stop or limit the behavior
Compulsion/craving:
Strong urge to engage in the activity
Short-term reward, long-term harm:
Temporary relief or pleasure followed by guilt, distress, or consequences
Tolerance-like effect:
Needing more of the behavior to get the same “high”
Withdrawal-like symptoms:
Irritability, anxiety, or restlessness when unable to engage

Psychological Mechanism

Process addictions may often follow a reinforcement loop:

Trigger, Behavior, Reward, Reinforcement, Habit, and Compulsion

Over time, the behavior becomes:

A way to regulate emotions (stress, boredom, loneliness)
A learned automatic response
A central part of identity or daily routine

Clinical Perspective

Gambling Disorder could be classified as a behavioral addiction
Others (like gaming), (“Internet Gaming Disorder” as a condition)

Important Distinction

Note:

Not every habit or passion is an addiction.

It becomes a process addiction when:

It interferes with life functioning (work, relationships, health)
The person continues despite harm
There is psychological dependence

From a Deeper Psychological View

Process addictions may often function as:

Maladaptive coping strategies
Attempts to regulate affect states
Substitutes for unmet needs (attachment, meaning, stimulation)

They can overlap with:

Trauma-related dysregulation
Personality dynamics
Reinforcement learning gone “rigid”
Shervan K Shahhian

Attention Seeking Behaviors, what are they:

Attention-seeking behaviors maybe actions, conscious or unconscious, used to gain attention, validation, reassurance, or emotional connection from others.

They may or may not be inherently “bad.” In some cases, they reflect a basic human need for connection, but they can become problematic when they’re excessive, disruptive, or the person relies on them instead of healthier ways of relating.

Psychological Meaning

In psychology, attention-seeking might often point to unmet emotional needs, such as:

Desire for validation (“Do I matter?”)
Need for reassurance (“Am I safe/loved?”)
Fear of abandonment or being ignored
Low self-esteem or identity instability

Common Examples

Attention-seeking may show up in many ways, for example:

1. Overt (obvious)

Constantly interrupting conversations
Exaggerating stories or achievements
Dramatic emotional displays
Fishing for compliments

2. Covert (subtle/indirect)

Passive-aggressive comments
Playing the victim
Withdrawing to provoke concern (“Why didn’t anyone notice me?”)
Posting cryptic messages to get reactions

Psychological Roots

Different frameworks might explain it differently:

• Attachment Theory

People with insecure attachment may seek attention to feel safe or valued.

• Psychodynamic Perspective

It may relate to early childhood experiences, especially inconsistent caregiving.

• Behavioral Perspective

Attention (even negative attention) may reinforces the behavior over time.

When It Becomes a Problem

It may be clinically relevant when:

It disrupts relationships
It becomes the person’s main way of interacting
It causes distress or social rejection

It may appear in conditions like:

Histrionic Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder

A More Compassionate View

Instead of labeling someone as “attention-seeking” in a negative way, some clinicians may reframe it as:

“Connection-seeking behavior”

This might shift the focus from judgment to understanding:

What need is not being met?
Why does the person feel unseen or unheard?

Healthier Alternatives

For someone struggling with this pattern:

Developing direct communication (“I need support right now”)
Building self-worth internally
Practicing emotion regulation
Engaging in therapy ( CBT, psychodynamic, or attachment-based work)

Shervan K Shahhian

Meaning-Centered Therapy (MCT) Part 2, explained:

Meaning-Centered Therapy (MCT) could be a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy could be designed to help people find or reconnect with a sense of meaning, purpose, and value in life, especially when facing suffering, illness, or existential distress.

It could be strongly rooted in the work of Viktor Frankl, who developed logotherapy, the idea that the primary human drive is the “will to meaning.”

Core Idea

MCT could be built on a simple but powerful premise:

Even when we cannot change our circumstances, we can change how we relate to them, and still find meaning.

Key Themes of Meaning in MCT

MCT might help clients explore different sources of meaning, such as:

1. Creative Sources

What you give to life (work, contributions, legacy)

2. Experiential Sources

What you receive from life (love, beauty, relationships)

3. Attitudinal Sources

The stance you take toward unavoidable suffering

This third category is especially central, echoing Frankl’s experience during the Holocaust.

Core Components of Therapy

MCT could typically structured and time-limited (often 7–8 sessions), focusing on:

Life review (identity, values, personal history)
Meaning-making exercises
Exploration of legacy (what you leave behind)
Responsibility and choice
Facing mortality and limitations
Reframing suffering

Possible Techniques Used

Guided reflection and discussion
Narrative reconstruction (rewriting one’s life story)
Legacy projects (letters, recordings, symbolic acts)
Experiential exercises (e.g., “What matters most?”)

Evidence & Effectiveness

Research might show MCT can:

Reduce existential distress
Decrease depression and hopelessness
Improve spiritual well-being and quality of life

It’s especially effective in:

Palliative care
Grief and bereavement
Trauma and identity crises

How It Could Differ from Other Therapies

Therapy	Focus
CBT	Thoughts and behaviors
Psychodynamic	Unconscious conflicts
MCT	Meaning, purpose, existential identity

MCT could be less about symptom control and more about:
“What makes life worth living, even now?”

Possible Clinical Insight

MCT is particularly interesting because it:

Bridges existential psychology and spiritual meaning systems
Can incorporate transpersonal or anomalous experiences without pathologizing them
Aligns with frameworks like:
- Meaning-making in grief
- Survival-of-consciousness interpretations (if handled carefully)

Possible Limitations

Not ideal as a standalone treatment for acute psychosis
Requires some level of reflective capacity
May feel abstract for highly concrete thinkers

In One Sentence

Meaning-Centered Therapy might help people endure and transform suffering by reconnecting with what gives their life meaning, no matter the circumstances.

Shervan K Shahhian

Meaning-Centered Therapy (MCT), explained:

Meaning-Centered Therapy (MCT) is a psychotherapy approach that might help people find, restore, or deepen a sense of meaning and purpose in life, especially when facing suffering, illness, loss, or existential distress.

It could be strongly inspired by the ideas of Viktor Frankl and his work in Logotherapy, which emphasizes that the primary human motivation is the search for meaning.

Core Idea

Meaning-Centered Therapy could propose that psychological suffering often intensifies when people feel:

Life has lost meaning
They have no purpose
Their suffering seems pointless
Their identity or legacy feels threatened

The therapy helps people reconnect with sources of meaning, even in very difficult circumstances.

The approach could be widely used in psycho-oncology, palliative care, and existential psychotherapy.

Main Goals

Meaning-Centered Therapy could help individuals:

Rediscover purpose in life
Understand their life story
Create a sense of legacy
Find meaning in suffering
Strengthen spiritual or existential identity

Four Major Sources of Meaning

Meaning might come from four main sources:

1. Creative Sources

Meaning through what we give to the world.

Examples:

Work
Creativity
Contributions
Helping others

2. Experiential Sources

Meaning through what we receive from life.

Examples:

Love
Beauty
Nature
Art
Relationships

3. Attitudinal Sources

Meaning through how we face unavoidable suffering.

Examples:

Courage
Dignity
Compassion
Resilience

Frankl emphasized this most strongly.

4. Historical Sources

Meaning through our personal story and legacy.

Examples:

Life narrative
Family history
Cultural identity
Values passed to others

Typical Structure of Meaning-Centered Therapy

The therapy is often short-term and structured, usually 7–8 sessions.

Common topics explored:

Concept of meaning
Life as a story
Identity and values
Creativity and contribution
Experiences of love and beauty
Attitude toward suffering
Legacy and life meaning

Clinical Uses

Meaning-Centered Therapy could commonly used for:

Cancer patients
Terminal illness
Palliative care
Existential depression
Grief and loss
End-of-life counseling

It overlaps with roles such as:

End-of-Life Doula
Death Midwife

Possible Psychological Benefits

Research shows MCT can:

Reduce existential distress
Reduce depression
Increase spiritual well-being
Improve sense of dignity
Strengthen resilience

Example of a Meaning-Centered Question

A therapist may ask:

“When in your life have you felt most meaningful or purposeful?”
“What do you want your life to stand for?”
“What legacy would you like to leave?”

Simple Example

A patient with terminal illness may initially feel:

“My life is ending. Everything was pointless.”

Meaning-Centered Therapy helps them rediscover:

The love they gave their children
The values they lived by
The courage they showed in hardship

Thus the narrative shifts from “pointless suffering” to “a meaningful life story.”

Why It Matters (Psychologically)

Meaning acts as a buffer against existential despair.
Even in extreme conditions, humans can maintain psychological stability when they feel their lives have purpose or significance.

This insight came directly from Frankl’s experiences during the The Holocaust.

Interesting that some clinicians might link meaning-centered approaches with spiritual or transcendent experiences, possibly including anomalous experiences and existential awakening.

Shervan K Shahhian