Creating a manualized cognitive restructuring program that is effective in helping people overcome faulty thinking errors and self defeating behaviors is an art form that few have mastered.
The question is, is it possible to go into the subconscious mind and actually change thoughts? The answer is yes and the secret lies in Dr David Hawken’s book on truth vs falsehoods. The truth has energy that can penetrate the veil of self imposed falsehoods and help people find the truth about themselves. That is, they are many times better than they think they are.
Developing a cognitive restructuring curriculum requires a deep understanding of the truth, otherwise the written words have no penetrating energy. In effect untrue words fall off the page and on the floor. There they die and disintegrate and are forgotten along with millions of other untrue words.
True words can lift people to a higher calibration whereas untrue words can depress. True words contain a higher intelligence that excites energies that resonate at a frequency that people will accept it. It is this cognitive disonance internalization that affects a change in faulty thinking.
For example after 30 years of working with domestic violence victims it is enlightening to sit in class and watch this self actualization process take place. Most abused women see themselves as $2.00 women where the truth is they are really an $8.00 or $10.00 woman.By the 3rd or 4th session of applying true words delivered through a correctly structured cognitive restructuring program, the truth begins to have its affect.
This reprogramming is manifested in their physical, mental and emotional exhilaration. The before and after manifestation for most are remarkable and permanent. However let us remember that cognitive restructuring counseling is an invitation to change, not a force, change is the responsibility of the client.The main reason counseling programs are ineffective is because they aren’t structured properly and they contain little penetrating truth. The reason is that the person(s) who wrote it lacked truth. People can go to psychotherapy for years and not change because the therapist is not aligned with the truth. Whereas the truth can have a permanent impact on people in a matter of hours, the truth is what it is.
By Larry Lloyd, Lifeskills Counselor See www.accilifeskils.com
Cognitive Therapy
The problem with cognitive therapy is the therapy. If someone needs cognitive therapy how do you know the therapist and the curriculum he/she is using is able to change faulty thinking errors and self defeating behaviors? There are thousands of therapists each with their own interpretations and curriculum. Few if any are evidence based with proof that what they are using is correct and highly effective. Almost any counseling program can claim it is cognitive therapy, but few if any can prove it works. In a sense cognitive therapy is a misnomer. The definition of therapy is the treatment of illness or disability. The use of cognitive therapy in mental illness is largely ineffective because you can’t use cognitive restructuring training on someone who is not cognitive. The same holds true to children. Cognitive therapy is ineffective on children for the same reason, because they are not yet cognitive. The problem with using therapists to facilitate cognitive therapy programs is that most therapists are emotionally sick themselves with many living in the box of self deception. That is they don’t know they are sick and therefore pass on their sickness (untruths) to their clients. Millions of people go to psycho therapists for years at great costs, yet never get better and many get worse. Yet skilled cognitive life skills counselors with correct evidence based curriculum can assist people in making permanent changes in a matter of hours instead of days, months and years. This is not to say that all therapists are inefective. The best counselors/therapists have a positive way of being. People respond because of the truth, not to counseling techniques. The truth resonates at a frequency that can pierce the viel of self imposed falsehoods and help people overcome years of bad programing.
Think cognitive restructuring life skills vs a clinical approach for cognitive therapy. Look for evidence based cognitive restructuring programs that can provide proof that their curriculum and approach works. Look for authors and organizations that have years of experience in holding and facilitating groups. No book learning can replace actual hands on experience. By Larry Lloyd, Lifeskills Counselor See www.accilifeskills.com
Lifeskills classes work on the surface, where cognitive lifeskills can go deep and make permanent changes. Common lifeskills classes are normally used for education purposes such as balancing a check book or writing a resume.
Trying to use lifeskills to correct serious behaviors is a waste of time and effort. Lifeskills are at the same level of Traffic Schools and retention is in the days and weeks. Cognitive restructuring lifeskills on the other hand has the ability to permanently change distorted thinking and self defeating behaviors.
But the question begs how, how is it possible to go into a persons mind and permanently change their negative subconscious thoughts into positive ones? The answer lies in Dr David Hawkins book “Truth vs Falsehood.” Truth operates in its own sphear and has its own energy. It is this energy that can pierce the viel of self imposed faulty thinking errors and make permanent changes.
The truth can penetrate the veil of self imposed darkness that keeps people trapped by their own falsehoods and self defeating behaviors. The truth can literally free people from years of negative programming. The old saying “The truth can set you free, is accurate. The truth can be seen by its positive results, it is what it is.
The truth is what it is. Our perception of the truth doesn’t alter it. Truth does not change. It is not limited. It is free to all, it is not influenced by outside forces. No one owns the truth. You can’t break the truth, you can only break yourself against it. A cat is a cat, it is what it is. The earth is round no matter who believed it was flat.
Denying the truth won’t change it. If you can find the truth and live it, it will lift you to a higher plane. Criminals and other self deceived people are not aligned with the truth.The absence of truth in their lives renders them ignorant. Ignorance is defined as a lack of truth. People who operate, below the truth serve only themselves. They own their own falsehoods and suffer the consequences of living outside the truth.
By Larry Lloyd, Lifeskills Counselor See www.accilifeskills.com