Many people seek psychotherapy because they just don’t feel good. They say they feel stuck or that they don’t feel like themselves. They feel tense and keyed up. They can’t stop worrying about work, money, or their relationships. Many say they’ve been sleeping too much or waking up throughout the night. They’ve started drinking or …
Throughout the brief history of psychology, there have been many schools of thought regarding how thoughts relate to wellbeing. Below is a very brief summary of the beliefs about thoughts that the various theoretical orientations assume. Every theoretical orientation starts from a complex understanding of human experience and skilled clinicians of every modality effectively use …
A short history of how the profession of psychology understands wellbeingRead More »
As we think more about achieving wellbeing, let’s discuss the most common feeling with which people have trouble: Anxiety is a normal, healthy emotion that includes thoughts, sensations, and the urge to behave in specific ways. It occurs after your fear circuitry is triggered in the presence of ongoing uncertainty. Our fear circuitry is a …
Let’s think about what it would have been like to be a cave person in order to understand the evolutionary utility of the anxiety response. You and me, cave people, are sitting next to each around a fire, discussing our recent drawings on our cave. The fire is warm and the conversation is calm, yet engaging. …
Your response to an anxiety state depends on your interpretation of the meaning of that state. The meaning that you could give an anxiety state ranges from danger on one side to opportunity on the other. People who believe “anxiety = danger” avoid internal and external situations that make them anxious. This is the primary …
An anxiety state becomes an anxiety disorder when the individual adds an interpretation of danger and responds accordingly. Individuals with anxiety disorders believe their catastrophic thoughts and attempt to problem solve or avoid their thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Although there are other characteristics of each disorder, one way to think about the specific anxiety disorders is …
As explained in the spectrum of responses to anxiety post, the spectrum of responses to anxiety an individual could display ranges from avoidance to exposure. The belief of a person who avoids is that he or she is in danger. In contrast, the belief of a person who exposes herself to the anxiety on purpose …
Avoidance creates, maintains, and intensifies anxietyRead More »
Acceptance-based cognitive behavioral therapy is based on a theory of psychological science that studies the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The idea is that feelings influence thinking, thinking influences behavior, and behavior influences feelings. Regardless of why you are thinking, feeling, or behaving a certain way, you can learn to observe it and choose …
Cognitive behavioral therapy is known for its techniques, including self-monitoring, cognitive restructuring, exposure, and relaxation training. The original theory was that a skilled clinician can apply techniques to get her client to think differently and the consequence of thinking differently would be behavior change and provide relief from suffering. From this perspective, although the clinician …
Just do it. Exposure has to be done the right way, meaning that the individual engaging in exposure has to have the right perspective. If you decide to “just do it,” it is true that the task will be achieved and for some people in some circumstances that in and of itself is important. However, …