Posts Tagged "thought life"

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...

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...

John 8:44 The devil . . . does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies Satan’s power is in the lie. He has no power over you except what you given him when you believe his lies. You break his power when you expose the lie. Scripture says, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).  How much deception is actually going on in Christians today I can only speculate. Many Christians I talk to struggle with oppressive thoughts, but they are afraid to tell anyone for fear that others will think they have a mental problem. Seldom do they realize that these distractions reflect the...

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...

Fear, anxiety, depression, and unhappiness are common among our society today. Many people who suffer with these negative moods may come to believe their personal happiness is dependent on situations and events outside of one’s control and are usually focused on past events or future worries. If “they” had not hurt me, then I could be happy. ” If I had not made the mistakes in the past, I could be content today.” “I’m so worried about my future, I have no peace in my life.” “If only…” Eckhart Tolle in his book entitled A New Earth Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, says that the joy of Being, which is the only true happiness, cannot come to you through any form, possession, achievement,...