Field Notes

Behavior science, brought to the family.

Research-based writing on how contextual behavioral science, relational frame theory, and ACT apply to high-conflict separation and reunification.

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Relational Frame Theory15 min read

When Cells Go Rogue: What Cancer Research Reveals About Family Alienation

Dr. Michael Levin's groundbreaking research on bioelectricity and cancer provides a powerful metaphor for understanding parental alienation through Relational Frame Theory. Just as cancer begins with cellular disconnection, alienation begins with relational disconnection.

Rob Spain, BCBA, IBA

March 2026

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Acceptance and Commitment Training10 min

Committed Action in Family Systems: Small Steps Under Strong Emotion

An ACT-informed framework for turning family-reconnection values into safe, observable actions without chasing guaranteed outcomes.

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Acceptance and Commitment Training10 min

Self-as-Context in Family Relationships: You Are More Than the Story

An ACT- and RFT-informed guide to noticing painful family stories without letting a conflict role become your entire identity.

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Acceptance and Commitment Training10 min

Values Clarification for Family Reunification: Direction Without a Promise

How values can guide a parent or adult child through family conflict without turning reconciliation into a guaranteed outcome.

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Relational Frame Theory22 min

A Relational Frame Theory Account of Parental Alienation, Part 2: A Computational Model

Building on the theoretical framework of rule-governed behavior in alienation, this article proposes a concrete, testable agent-based model grounded in empirical research to simulate and analyze the dynamics of alienation versus genuine estrangement.

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Relational Frame Theory15 min

When Cells Go Rogue: What Cancer Research Reveals About Family Alienation

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Family Estrangement14 min

The Six Layers of Covert Manipulation: How a Child's Reality Gets Rewritten

Family estrangement driven by covert manipulation is not a mystery — it is a technology. A systematic, layered reengineering of a child's reality using the same mechanisms documented in behavioral science and Relational Frame Theory. Here is how it works, layer by layer.

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