Self-Help

We all have that voice inside our head that can be critical or negative. Here’s a simple four-step approach to interpret and respond to your inner critic as if it were another person.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely-used psychological treatment that addresses the interconnection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. One of the essential strategies within CBT is behavioral activation, a technique aimed at helping individuals overcome depression and anxiety by increasing engagement in positive activities to boost motivation. In this article, we’re going to unlock the concept of behavioral activation, how it works, and how you can implement it in your life or therapeutic practices.

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Depression is not merely a transient mood fluctuation; it is a pervasive mental health challenge that affects millions globally. With over 264 million people grappling with this condition, depression stands as a formidable barrier to personal happiness and societal productivity. The manifestation of depression ranges from debilitating sadness to a profound disinterest in everyday activities, often leading to significant impairments in one’s life. While a myriad of treatments exists, ranging from pharmaceutical interventions to various therapy modalities, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has emerged as a particularly potent form of treatment for combating depression.

[Read more…] about Unveiling Effective CBT Strategies for Depression

Anxiety can be a crippling force in our lives, impacting our mental health, productivity, and overall well-being. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective approach for managing anxiety. This therapy focuses on identifying and challenging negative thought patterns and behaviors to improve emotional regulation. In this article, we will delve into some key CBT breathing techniques that can help individuals cope with anxiety.

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Why doesn’t my husband share his emotions? This question, often whispered in the quiet corners of our minds or during heartfelt conversations, reflects a common yet deeply personal concern among many partners. The silence that greets us when we seek to connect on an emotional level can feel both puzzling and isolating. But beneath this silence lies a complex world of feelings, beliefs, and, most intriguingly, meta-emotions.

[Read more…] about Understanding Your Partner: Unveiling the Mystery of Unshared Emotions

The primary tool I use to help people who struggle with internal conflict is known as Internal Family Systems (IFS). It has nothing to do with family therapy. More accurately, it’s not unlike being a wildlife observer. A really good one. Who has also read Clan of the Cave Bear. You’ll understand it all in a moment.

[Read more…] about Understanding the Conflicted Parts of Ourselves (with IFS)

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the major tools used in psychotherapy. CBT assumes that the way that people perceive situations is more closely connected to their reaction than the situation itself.

Simply put, a therapist’s job when using CBT is to help clients identify the thoughts that pop up into their minds, evaluate, and respond to them. The assumption is that when clients are able to do this, they feel better and can act in accordance with their values and goals. One critical concept underlying all aspects of CBT is that just because you think something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.

[Read more…] about The Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

One of the most important secrets I want you to know about is in how you think about yourself, your life, and those around you. How you view things matters more significantly than you could ever realize. I’m not talking about lying to yourself about your issues or your circumstances. Instead, I’m wanting you to simply be more realistic in your thinking.

[Read more…] about The Actual, Honest Truth About Personal Development and Change

If your goal is to be happy, it’s useful to know how far you’ve come.

As the old saying goes, if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else. With happiness, it’s important to know what your current level of happiness is so that you can measure how effective therapy is over time.

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Why is it so difficult to make changes in our lives? We all talk about it, and some of us will start work on it, but in the end we seem to get stuck in remaining the same. This happens even when we know that it would be best to make certain changes in our lives. Why is this?

[Read more…] about 6 Reasons Why We Don’t Implement Changes In Our Lives, and What Can Be Done About It

A.K.A, “Handling Questions Designed to Put You On the Spot and Them Out of the Spot”.

Interventions are extremely uncomfortable to do. Your main job is to try to help them to see that they can no longer continue to live in “the denial of the present reality.” Chances are they will get upset and object – this is designed to put you on the defensive and to take the focus off of themselves. Remember, the person you are confronting has had years of practice in avoiding dealing with their problems. A few ideas might help you in this process.

[Read more…] about How Not to be Blocked When Doing an Intervention

The reason that many people don’t solve problems is that they “personalize” everything that is said to them. They relate what is happening to some fear, some event, past memory, problem, or so forth, from the past that is “evoked” in the present by what another person says. As a result, discussions with people like this are never easy as they are always personalized based on fears and emotions, without any real future focus.

[Read more…] about Why Emotionally-Based Reasoning Fails

We tend to have expectations that others should meet our needs or treat us in a certain way. Yet we act surprised when they continually disappoint us. The reality is we need to start paying attention to other people’s patterns of behavior. Acknowledge that everyone has limitations.

[Read more…] about How to want what you can’t have and keep getting what you don’t want

Why do some people verbally “attack” others in a relationship? When someone’s behavior changes like this to the irrational and bizarre, it is often not due to some unexplained physical or emotional cause. In fact, the real reason is more surprising than you’d think.

[Read more…] about How to Make Sure That No One Can Ever Get Close to You