The Cogjam Effect: - And the Path to Healing Divisive Community and Fractured Science

"Laurel E. Hughes, Psy.D. integrates her disaster mental health expertise and practical life experiences as she sheds light on circumstances in today’s world that have most of us perplexed. Her approach to laying a foundation of understanding stress and disaster recovery outlines potential paths for moving forward: behavioral, emotional, interpersonal, and communitywide. She skillfully weaves her scientific background with compassionate insights into common and not-so-common human conditions. Her writing style captures the reader’s attention, holds it, and communicates content succinctly with a sprinkling of humor. She makes the reader think, and encourages us in our individual journeys of discovery. Balance, proficiency, kindness, uplifting energy—all attributes of Laurel Hughes that are evident in The Cogjam Effect…and the Path to Healing Divisive Community and Fractured Science."
--Rebecca LaFollette Taylor: Oregon State Regent 2018-2020, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mental health disaster is growing roots, having sprouted from today’s socio-political meltdown. We typically blame it on politics. But our angst is actually fuelled by fear response processes gone awry—within ourselves and others, both physically and mentally. Drawing from current understanding of disaster, brain science, cognitive development, trauma, and resilience, The Cogjam Effect explains how to find healing through mindfulness, compassion, and reenlisting reasoning skills we’ve honed since birth.