What Are You Telling Yourself About (shhhh Sex?)
Now that I have your undivided attention….a recent study published in Cognitive Therapy Research investigated the differences between individuals with and without sexual dysfunction on the automatic thought content (WAYTY–here and forever more known as What Are You Telling Yourself) during sexual activity. Results indicated that both men and women experiencing sexual dysfunction (loss of libido, inability to reach orgasm or achieve erection) report significantly more negative thoughts during sexual activity compared to sexually healthy individuals. Women experiencing sexual dysfunction engage in self talk and cognitions that most often include the following; “I’m not satisfying my partner,” “I’m not getting turned...
Incorporating Dream Work in Psychotherapy
Over the millennia, dreams have made a profound impact on life and history. Dreams may have served as the germinating seed for art, myths, “fairy-tales,” architecture, poetry and music. Fascination with dreams has been recorded by Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Babylonians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans since ancient times. Dreams have always played a critical role in world religions from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and in Judeo-Christian beliefs. It is well documented that native and aboriginal religions integrate dreams with all of nature. Despite the attention given to dream interpretation throughout history and the landmark work contributed by Freud, Jung, and others, only a small percentage of mental health professionals work with dreams today in a...
Theoretical Model—Cognitive Therapy (CT)
Aaron Beck has defined CT as being an active, directive, time-limited, structured approach to therapy based in the underlying theoretical rationale that an individual’s affect and behavior are largely determined by the way in which one structures their worldview. The overall strategy of cognitive therapy emphasizes the empirical investigation of the client’s automatic thoughts, inferences, conclusions, and assumptions. Thoughts (cognitions) either verbal or pictorial are based on the attitudes or assumptions (schemas), developed from previous life experiences. For example, a client may develop schema that says, “I cannot relate socially unless I have a drink to calm me down.” Consequently the client reacts to situations in terms of inadequacy even when...
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