Even though it’s common, sexual OCD is rarely talked about – compounding the shame many sufferers experience. In this warm, sympathetic video from ABC Science, a young man named Martin recounts his experience with the intrusive sexual thoughts that haunted him in his 20s

Networking events can feel like an obstacle course specifically designed to trigger social anxiety. In this practical Guide, the clinical psychologist Fallon Goodman shares her step-by-step strategy to prepare, navigate and process them with more ease

Faced with existential dread, this Note to Self suggests that we should turn to poetry, and, much like philosophers before us, find a balm in the enduring words of William Wordsworth – who struggled with such questions himself once

This refreshing Idea by the mathematician Adam Kucharski argues belief ‘beyond the limits of reason’ is at the heart of science. From early scientists’ firmly held religious beliefs to mathematical proofs, faith and reason are not opposites, but deeply intertwined

Is it harder to love someone who is ill or to be the ill person? This piece by nonfiction writer Lisa Simone Kingstone explores how her cancer diagnosis made her understand the biblical story of Job, the man who loses everything but rages at the ‘miserable comforters’ trying to help

In this moving animation, the filmmaker João Gonzalez visualises the inner turmoil caused by living with OCD. As the main character tries soothing his internal unease through daily rituals, a storm brews outside his rickety houseboat

To find yourself in between things can feel terrifying, as though we might fall into a void. But according to the Nahuatl concept of ‘nepantla’ – expanded upon by a rich tradition of Mexican philosophers – being in-between needn’t be frightening, but fundamentally freeing @carlosasanchez.bsky.social

Is your child anxious and reluctant to leave for school in the morning? For Children’s Mental Health Week, we are sharing this compassionate and insightful Guide from the Psyche archive which offers tools to help you make sense of your child’s experience #childrensmentalhealthweek

What if heartbreak isn’t only an ending, but an opening? One woman traces how a queer breakup forced her to confront the fears and shame that had confined her mind and how letting go became an act of freedom

Psyche audio helps you better understand yourself and others through expert guides, provocative ideas and personal life stories. Listen now on Apple Podcasts: buff.ly/7VZPFcX And Spotify: buff.ly/FtlgaV7

In this delightful animation, the US photographer and filmmaker Josephine Sittenfeld digs into a curiosity many of us can likely relate to: who is her therapist Linda outside of her treatment room? Here are the small hints at Linda’s private life that she’s collected

To study the nature of transcendent spiritual experiences, the psychology researcher Mohammadamin Saraei radically re-designed his research to move away from the lab and out into the world. His findings widen our lens on spirituality from the brain to a whole community

The personal essay can sometimes get a bad rap – too confessional, too self-involved. But Psyche’s Life Stories editor Alizeh Kohari is here to change your mind: personal essays capture something essential about our shared humanity, finding the universal in the personal psyche.co/life-stories

Having cruised through her teenage years with remarkably clear skin, the writer Krystal Sital viewed makeup as frivolous and vain. So it came as a surprise to everyone – and most of all herself – when she found herself turning to the beauty aisle for comfort after her lupus diagnosis

Snorkelling at the most unassuming of beaches can teach us about slowing down and noticing the small spectacles unfolding everywhere

This Guide by psychologist Julie K Norem identifies some of the most common planning pitfalls, and suggests that the strategy of ‘defensive pessimism’ can help you plan more realistically and effectively

In this tenderly shot portrait of the acclaimed Latin American ballet dancer Elisa Carrillo Cabrera, the Berlin-based film maker Veronika Pokoptceva captures what goes into the seemingly effortless perfection of a ballet performance

One evening, Kathleen Donohoe looked into her grandfather’s blue eyes, the two of them joined by her dog Mindy in her bedroom. This seemingly unremarkable scene is so indelibly etched into her memory because of one detail: her grandfather had been dead for over ten

‘We are all always coming and going’ psyche.co/portraits/st... Steve Schwartzberg’s journey from Harvard psychologist to erotic healer, Buddhist and teacher was always haunted by death. Then he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. New long-form psychological profile @psyche.co

We’re often told that speaking up is the path to healing. In this Idea, a philosopher of psychiatry asks us to pause and reconsider that assumption. He explores when talking helps, when it harms, and why making space for quiet can be an act of care in itself

Attachment theory is often oversimplified by focusing only on our parents. But in this Note to Self, Psyche editor Matt Huston contemplates research that found even our friendships with our peers shape how we relate to others as we grow up

At age 13, Andrea Dorfman first tried shaving her legs together with a friend – the operative word there being ‘tried’. In this charmingly animated, award-winning short film, Dorfman documents her changing relationship with her leg hair and how it has fundamentally shaped her self image

We often try escaping the stress-inducing business of the city by going into nature. But what if that’s not an option? In this Psyche Idea, Zsanett Ritli suggests that nature isn’t the only place to find stillness: it can be constructed by humans, through art and architecture

What makes a life meaningful? Launching today, our new monthly Psyche Portraits explore this question through longform profiles. Our first Portrait is of Steve Schwartzberg, a Harvard psychologist-turned-sexual healer, whom the writer Andrew Lawler spoke with through his final months

Tapping into his audience’s innate musicality, the musician Bobby McFerrin conducts an impromptu choir using an unconventional method: hopping around on stage. Discover the power of the pentatonic scale in this amusing video, taken at the World Science Festival

For children of immigrant families, the challenges can be numerous and overwhelming, and often their identity becomes tied to their self-sufficiency and achievements. How can someone break free from the pattern of conflating excelling with self-worth and ‘fitting in’ with success?

In a world characterised by uncertainty, speed and ceaseless attempts to hijack our attention, The Icelandic concept of InnSæi can help us stay consciously and courageously anchored to our inner compass while adjusting to new realities. This Guide will show you how

Breaking down the neurophysiology behind our reactions in heated arguments – the sensation of ‘losing your cool’ – the psychiatrist Tracey Marks explains how we can turn conflict into an opportunity for growth in a relationship in this calming and instructive video

Talking to the writer Kiprop Kimutai, the Kenyan disability rights advocate Sauda tells the story of how her adoptive mother’s tough but loving guidance helped her find her own path in a world not always ready to accommodate her @tirobon.bsky.social

You’ve probably heard it said that willpower is like a muscle. Use it too much and it gets fatigued. But, studies show that this model doesn’t fit how people’s willpower actually works. Instead, moments of distraction may reflect natural transitions in the cognitive system

It is easy to write something off as ‘not for you’ if the first impression is less than ideal – whether that be for foods, workout classes, styles of dress, or even dates. But there is value in trying things twice, and applying this motto may even cause a shift in your personality

Since childhood, artist and mudlark Marie-Louise Plum has been drawn to symbolic, physical objects as something solid to cling to in a changing and uncertain world. But is holding onto artefacts from other peoples lives holding her back from facing her own past?

What is team spirit? The force that binds some teams can feel elusive – something you either have or you don’t. But that assumption misses the point. In this Guide, an expert in teamwork, negotiation and collaboration draws on research and real-world examples to show how team spirit is built

In Manhattan, where driving is a game of inches, one teacher’s reputation precedes her. ‘Shanti Rides Shotgun’ is a vivid portrait of Shanti Gooljar, a driving teacher with more than 30 years of experience, a near-perfect pass rate, a cigarette in hand, colourful language, and a whole lot of charm

Hannah Arendt understood something radical: ‘Instead of being born with an innate dignity, its existence hinges on external conditions. We must, therefore, continually practise dignity’ @christateston.bsky.social

In this Aeon Original video interview, Nigel Warburton speaks with the neuroscientist and Aeon author Anil Seth, winner of the 2025 Berggruen Prize Essay Competition, about what consciousness is and how our understanding of it has shifted in recent decades @nigelwarburton.bsky.social

In this as-told-to piece, a neuroscientist reflects on losing close family members to cancer while she was still young, an experience that left her bracing indefinitely for her own diagnosis, and seeking a way to live well under that shadow

If you’ve ever experienced change as an unwelcome force that unsettles your emotional balance, this Guide by a clinical psychologist offers ways to respond differently. Learn how to face change with acceptance and adaptation

If you’ve ever experienced change as an unwelcome force that unsettles your emotional balance, this Guide by a clinical psychologist offers ways to respond differently. Learn how to face change with acceptance and adaptation

Nike has just released its first ever range of ‘mind-altering’ shoes, which promise to help connect your body with your brain and tune you in to the present moment. But is any of it real? The remarkable thing about the placebo effect is that it doesn’t really matter

‘We want to be who we are. We would just like to lose less for being it’. In this moving account, the writer and academic coach Pamela Swanigan reflects on her childhood and the racist bullying and isolation she encountered as her family moved from place to place

At a time when making health choices is complicated by the amount of information we are exposed to on a daily basis, it is understandable that we have come to form a ‘naturalness bias’. But is there a better, more nuanced, way to make these decisions?

In this tender portrait, filmmaker Leonard Kamerling profiles Ryan Matthews, an artist who has been captivated by machines since childhood. Working out of his one-room cabin, Matthews creates art that reflects his sensitivity to these machines and their ‘souls’

We have all been ghosted. Indeed, most of us have probably ghosted somebody in turn. Despite the hurt and confusion it may cause, is such behaviour just an inevitable byproduct of an overly social and overburdened world?

Our capacity for neuroplasticity is essential for us to learn, but can we influence the process? In this BBC News series, Melissa Hogenboom ventured to find out – joining a six-week programme to restructure her brain through mindfulness @melissa-hogenboom.bsky.social

Reflecting on how his complicated relationship with exercise interacted and transformed with his transition, de Vries tells a story sparkling with sensory detail and – ultimately – joy

It can be comforting to think of your ‘self’ as separate from the world, but the German philosopher Martin Heidegger argued that it is a fantasy. This striking Idea invites us to enjoy the adventure of being ‘always essentially outdoors’

Madison Lamb’s life was forever altered by a drive-by shooting which left her with crippling PTSD. She was losing hope in the system when she discovered transcranial magnetic stimulation, a life-changing treatment that could finally give her the chance to heal

When it comes to OCD compulsions, what seems horrible to one person might seem innocuous to the next, and looking to the past offers another dimension of this multiplicity

Ever had someone ask "What are you thinking about?" and your honest answer was "Actually, nothing"? In this essay for @psyche.co, I explain why "mind blanking" is more than just a glitch: it’s a window into how our brains toggle between being awake and asleep. 🧠🧪💤 psyche.co/ideas/what-y...