I am extremely excited to share that my new research study was published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, a top 5 international psychology journal. It studies a population that has high levels of chronic stress: people who care for family members with dementia. Dementia is a chronic and progressive illness with no cure that robs the person of memory and normal behavior. Family caregivers – whom we also refer to as care partners – provide support and aid for their relative that is the most essential help they receive.

I chose to study family dementia caregivers because research shows that they are among the most stressed and depressed people on the planet: the CDC recently found that about 40% of caregivers had suicidal thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. A whopping 60% of “sandwiched” caregivers – those caring for older adult relatives as well as for children, experienced suicidal thoughts. If my new psychotherapy – Mentalizing Imagery Therapy (MIT) – could work for these people, I reasoned, it would demonstrate its power.

My colleagues and I conducted a study in which caregivers were assigned by a random number to receive either MIT or a support group. We followed the caregivers for three months after the therapy groups ended. We found that those who received MIT showed greater increases in happiness and well-being, and lasting reductions in depression and anxiety. We are now conducting additional research with caregivers. We are also adapting the therapy for a general audience of adolescents and adults who are stressed and depressed. Please subscribe to the website if you are interested in learning more. You can also try some of the meditations we used in the study for free at Fern Hill Center.