Betterway Press™ explains cognitive therapy
What is cognitive therapy?
Cognitive therapy, rational-emotive behavior therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy are all similar terms that refer to a branch of psychological therapy. Cognitive therapy approaches the patient through his rational mind, rather than his emotions or
past life events. In addition, no requirement exists that the patient use a therapist at all in order to improve his psychological
condition.
Cognitive therapy takes far less time than other forms of therapy. All it requires is a little willingness to record your thoughts on a regular basis, for the purpose of raising your awareness. This activity is often referred to as "journaling." When you journal, you write down
your thoughts, beliefs, self-talk and feelings. You inspect each in a rational, sober way in order to discover which have
some basis in reality, which are distorted, and which have little or no basis in reality. You dispute each irrational idea by
writing down a replacement thought or belief.
It turns out that, although it's not easy to fix feelings, it's easy to fix thoughts. And the miracle is that when
you change what you think, your feelings change too! Reduce anger, anxiety, upset, and even depression. Live a more peaceful life. Eliminate procrastination.
It's that simple, and that challenging. After all, it does require a little focus each day, but not more than fifteen minutes
or so. A small price to pay for a whole new outlook on life!
To learn more about cognitive therapy, view the Three Minute Therapy Web site or
The Albert Ellis Institute.
How does cognitive therapy apply to parenting a disabled child?
Cognitive therapy can help the overwhelmed caregiver of a person with a disability. These caregivers are often overcome by emotional issues, and even by some faulty, defeatist beliefs,
such as "I must meed all my child's needs all the time" and "I must write a perfect Life Plan if I'm going to write one at all."
With the help of some replacement self-talk, these folks can help themselves to shed counterproductive self-talk and get busy doing what they need to do. See Life Planners for more information about how to plan for your disabled child's future.
How does cognitive therapy apply to weight control?
Dieters seem to be plagued with faulty, defeatist beliefs,
such as "If I just drink diet soda every day, I'll lose weight," and "I can't lose weight because my kids keep junk in the house,"
and "My metabolism is to blame." With the help of some replacement self-talk offered in the Diet Survivors newsletters, dieters can help themselves to shed counterproductive self-talk.
Any questions? You might find the answer in a back issue of the Diet Survivors™ newsletter.
Where can I go to learn about cognitive therapy?
If you'd like to learn more about cognitive therapy, also known as rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT), we suggest
the book, Three Minute Therapy by Michael R. Edelstein and David Ramsay
Steele. You can find other good cognitive therapy books on Amazon.com and on the Albert Ellis Institute Web site.
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Last Modified: Wednesday, 06-Feb-2008 07:03:25 PST
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These Web pages provide sensible advice on healthy diets, nutrition, and weight loss.
However, no advice given here is intended as a substitute for professional medical advice.
Always consult your doctor when deciding to make significant dietary or lifestyle changes.
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