Barron Psychological Services P.C.

01/01/2026

Happy New Year

12/09/2025

I ran into a previous client the other day, and they were surprised to see me alive. I left my group practice in August of 2024, and neglected to post about it… I’ve been pretty darn busy establishing a solo practice. I’m still specializing in assessments and therapy for kids, teens and adult’s with neurodevelopmental challenges, high anxiety, OCD, and mood/depressive disorders, but, I’m working a bit less than in the past, just Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7 AM to 5 PM. This new office is in a funky old former warehouse. It’s got 20 foot ceilings, creaky floors wood beams and exposed bricks. Seems to fit its new inhabitant. If you know St. Paul landmarks, I’m around the corner from the Dubliner.

11/19/2025

Phenomenal news. Thanks to Scientific American for covering this development!

"Emerging research on the biology of postpartum depression shows that it is not like other severe mood disorders neurologically or biochemically. Rather it is a result of dramatic changes in hormone levels that come with pregnancy and childbirth. Studies have shown that levels of progesterone and a related hormone, allopregnanolone, rise significantly during pregnancy. Then the levels drop sharply after delivery. Some women are particularly sensitive to this drop, which can disrupt the brain circuitry that regulates mood, leaving them unable to effectively deal with the stresses of motherhood. Zuranolone is designed to offset that drop-off."

Deep emotional distress after birth kills many mothers. A new kind of drug offers better, faster treatment

10/27/2025

How It Protects Mental Health
Self-kindness is robustly linked with fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression across multiple studies (MacBeth & Gumley, 2012). Physiologically, compassion practices may engage the body’s “soothing” system: small experimental and pilot studies suggest increases in heart-rate variability and, for some participants, reduced cortisol during compassion-focused exercises; preliminary work also implicates oxytocin pathways.

Discover how self-kindness can lower stress, build resilience, and reduce the risk of anxiety and depression with evidence-based strategies.

10/25/2025

"The Pursuit of Happiness?"

or

Perhaps "The Pursuit of a Meaningful Life!."

"The 20th-century psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who believed that his sense of purpose helped him to survive N**i concentration camps, wrote that happiness “cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself.”

Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. Amen

Also, you might be interested In Russ Harris' "The Happiness Trap."

How can we stay happy in an age gone mad, when it feels as though all is unstable? A study out of Cornell suggests a practical way to keep ourselves on a meaningful path — a happiness hack for our chaotic times.

10/10/2025

https://www.npr.org/2015/01/09/375928124/dark-thoughts

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a specialty of mine, and many of my clients struggle with a subcategory that is sometimes called "Harm OCD". This is a podcast from National Public Radio that explores the experience of Harm OCD, and some of the ways that psychologists have approached this problem historically.

While I was trained in 2nd wave CBT, over the past 25 years or so, I have used more "third door" or "third wave" therapy approaches (such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) for helping people.

Know that the podcast does include descriptions of violent/horrific images that many people with OCD wrestle with.

What should we think about our thoughts? Invisibilia's Alix Spiegel walks us through the secret history of thoughts, and introduces us to a man who is tormented by his own violent thoughts.

10/10/2025

https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/what-does-crying-do-you

This is interesting. So many of my clients deep wish is to not cry, or at least not cry in specific situations. I get it. We may try all variety of avoidance and suppression strategies, but they seem to come with a long term cost. While I can empathize with this on a personal and professional level, i think that it's probably not a good idea. What if we turn towards willingness?

crying in general, and particularly how crying makes us feel, are surprisingly under-researched aspects of human behaviour.

09/26/2025

I agree, sadly

This author, who committed su***de in 2008, is more timely now than ever before—for the worst possible reasons.

07/07/2025

“Now, that’s enough of that”

06/29/2025

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/the-myth-of-learning-styles/557687/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=edit-promo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawLNdkNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFJUWxjMEU1WHVwNnBScHFRAR5NMay7-9zZkzRVLeA2lrG8dUe4P5YElQLowHoQN0MAZsy7sdgtfEaHvfCOQQ_aem_HfOlsBkXNPxpa1UmoIIAzw

Many parent that I work with wonder if their child is being taught in the manner that is "best for their learning style." I think that this article provides a nice overview of the research on this topic.

A popular theory that some people learn better visually or aurally keeps getting debunked.

06/22/2025

Very intersting research, but somewhat disheartening from my perspective. Explains a lot.

New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason.

05/18/2025

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/well/mind/psych101-ocd-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-types.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawKXQotleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF2U3VEbUNWbUJlM2gzU3N1AR7_nVtVf8TtPVfd4teBrSe6LonZ8K0h2oLw2ZgMRrNlzspM2xPI08Lcom4Xwg_aem_JvUEA_38jPvh5yeOVYzwkQ

"Obsessions can include unwanted intrusive thoughts, images or urges that dominate the mind.

Compulsions are the repetitive actions that people take in response to their obsessions to try to help themselves feel better.

These O.C.D. symptoms can be time consuming, lasting for at least an hour a day, according to the diagnostic manual used by mental health practitioners."

At BPS we specialize in evidence based treatment for helping people with OCD. Please feel free to call us if you would like to talk about your experience."

Disturbing thoughts and social fixations are among the many manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder.