COMING SOON ! STAY TUNED . . .

[misty]

John.............. Thread Started on Jan 2, 2007, 4:15pm


For Christmas I received a gift card at a bookstore and bought ''Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dummies''.

{JJ I'm NOT MAKING THIS UP !}

So starting soon we will be having class covering Highlights of this behavioral model for all to enjoy . . .



The GOal of CBT is to eventually make YOU your own therapist.

Cognitive refers to what goes onin your mind, such as dreams, memories, thoughts and attention.

Behaviors includes what you say, how your try to solve problems, how you act and avoidance. This includes action and inaction.

Therapy is a systematic approach to handling a problem illness or irregular condition.


The MAIN Point is that > YOU FEEL THE WAY YOU THINK <

Want to FEEL different, then you need to THINK Differently.


Research has shown that those who use CBT, particularly for anxiety & depression, stay well longer & relapse less often then those who use other forms of therapy or take MEDICATION ONLY.

CBT is used for a wide range of prob's with good results. These prob's include {but are not limited to}:

Addiction
Anger prob's
Anxiety
Body dysmorphic disorder
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic pain
Depression
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Panic disorder
Personality disorder
Phobias
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Psychotic disorders
Relationship problems
Social phobia

CBT skills and techniques can be applied to most types of psychological difficulties, so they can be applied whether or not your particular prob is mentioned and or discussed here




Charlie Girl

I can't wait to hear more John. I may not have all of those things to the extent that they would be considered a disorder but I do have some and even more are on my radar as issues to deal with.

[John]

Combing Science, Philosophy AND Behaviour >

Getting Scientific. OK, don't freak out. There will be no science exam's, you will not need to know who discovered the Theory of Gravity, what the weight of the Sun is or how many Atoms are in your cup of coffee.
CBT isnot only scientific because it has been tested and developed through many scientific studies, but that it also encourages you to become Jr Sherlock Holmes. For example, you may develop the ability to treat your thoughts [the UN-healthy ones] as theories and hunches about reality to be tested, rather than facts.


Getting Philosophical. And not in the Goofy way, like, ''Prove that you exist'' One of CBT's goals is to show people how to develop Flexable, non-Extreme, and self-helpful beliefs about them selfs and others that help them adapt to reality.
Your envirionment makes a Huge addition to the way you feel, think and act. You can make a difference to the way you feel by Changing Unhelpful ways of Thinking & behaving.

Behavior. This involves changing the way you Think and Feel by adjusting the way you behave. CBT places emphasis on Mental Behaviours, such as Worrying and where you focus your attention.


From Problems to Goals.

CBT is a goal-directed, systematic, problem-solving approach to help you move from defined emotional and behavioural problems to your goals of how you'd like to Feel and Behave.

[charliegirl]

You mean I have to think before I'm allowed to feel? Man! They're asking a lot.

[jj]

O.K. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around this. I've already read this twice and I'm still confused. Tomorrow I'll read it again, third times the charm??? It isn't what you wrote John, it is me. My brain is all jumbled for some reason.

[misty]

I liked the part that said

" you may develop the ability to treat your thoughts [the UN-healthy ones] as theories and hunches about reality to tested, rather than facts."

I can see where that would be much healthier than just blindly believing anything you think. This would be a definite asset to someone who, say, tends to take things that others do way too personally, or someone who thinks people are out to get them.

Very interesting...I'd like to hear more, John.


As for your questions:

1. who discovered the Theory of Gravity?

General relativity is a theory of gravitation and to understand the background to the theory we have to look at how theories of gravitation developed. Aristotle's notion of the motion of bodies impeded understanding of gravitation for a long time. Copernicus's view of the solar system was important as it allowed sensible consideration of gravitation. Kepler's laws of planetary motion and Galileo's understanding of the motion and falling bodies set the scene for Newton's theory of gravity.


2.what is the weight of the Sun ?

Technically, it is the mass of the sun that is 330,000 times as great as the mass of the Earth. Weight is a measure that depends on the amount of gravity to which a given mass is being subjected.

3. how many Atoms are in your cup of coffee?

I looked this up John & theres no real answer. It all depends on how much sugar & creamer you are using, how hot the coffee is & how much steam has already been released, among other factors!

[John]

charliegirl said:

You mean I have to think before I'm allowed to feel? Man! They're asking a lot.

Actually Miss SmartPants {that's you BARB !} the way and what you think about affects the Feelings you perceive . . .One of the GOals of CBT is to help people Slowly understand and change the way they Think about themselves & Others, so that they will FEEL better/different. We are ALWAYS thinking [even when your not thinking about it] . . .

[John]

jj said:

Tomorrow I'll read it again, third It isn't what you wrote John, it is me. My brain is all jumbled for some reason.

JJ, that's OK ! The whole concept of Brain/Body/thinking/feeling is kinda foreign to most people. They don't teach this stuff in H.S. or even college [unless you major in it] so at first or second or even third time you try to rap your brain around it, it may be like trying to nail Jell-o to the wall. Some of this stuff i've had to go back and reread three or four times myself . . .

[charliegirl]

misty said:

3. how many Atoms are in your cup of coffee?

I looked this up John & theres no real answer. It all depends on how much sugar & creamer you are using, how hot the coffee is & how much steam has already been released, among other factors!

That one was easy for me. There are 0 atoms in my cup of coffee because I don't drink coffee.

[John]

Misty, I had to ask my DD (16 y/o) WHY Gravity was still a Theory. She knew the answer right away. It's because the theory has NOT BEEN DISPROVEN ! So once some brainiac disproves it . . .

[John]

Making the Thought-Feeling Link.


Most ppl assume that if something happens to them the event 'makes' you feel a certain way.
CBT encourages you to see that your thinking or 'beliefs' are between the event and your feeling and actions. Your thoughts, beliefs and the meaning you give to an event, produces your emotional and behavioral responses.
For example, Your partner does not 'make' you angry and moody. rather, your partner Behaves inconsiderately and you assign a meaning th their actions such as, ''Their doing this deliberately to make me mad!'', thus 'making yourself' angry and moody.

The 'meaning' you attach to any event influences the emotional responses you will have. Positive events lead to positive feeling, negative events lead to negative feelings.

The meaning you 'attach' to negative events may not be accurate, realistic or helpful.
CBT involves identifying thoughts, beliefs and meanings that are activated when you are feeling emotionally disturbed (an emotional or behavioral response that is hindering you to adapt and cope with a negative event).
If you give less extreme, more helpful, more 'accurate' meaning to negative events, you are 'likely' tp experience Less extreme, less disturbing emotional and behavioral responses to them.