Posts Tagged ‘spiritual’

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

A simple overview of the CBT Model: Generally an integrative multisystem model which is used by the cognitive behavioral therapists to plan the treatments and conceptualize the patients. The assessment mainly is done based on the cognitive and behavioral observations. Apart from these, the social, biological, spiritual, interpersonal and some other factors are also taken into consideration.

Levels of Cognition:

Aaron Beck and his co-workers have put forth 3 levels of Cognition which are applicable to the Cognitive Behavioral Theory. They are:

1. Full Consciousness – This is a state in which the normal decisions are made with full alertness, attentiveness and responsiveness.

2. Automatic Thoughts – They are in contrast with the above mentioned cognition. They are more independent, self governing. They are often private and run swiftly in the everyday thinking. They are not so much carefully observed or taken care of. Automatic thoughts mainly depend on the state of ones mind. If depressed, the thoughts will be low, negative and ineffective.

3. Schemas – Also known as core beliefs, rank third and the deepest amongst all the levels for Cognitive Behavioral Theory. They are the templates or the fundamental guidelines for the information processing. They are formed by the numerous life experiences and other developmental influences. They are a common target of CBT interventions as they play an important role in behavioral coping strategies and regulating confidence.

Key Behavioral Theories: During the advancement of modern methods of CBT, the cognitive theories have been very well blended with the findings from the studied of behavioral concepts. Some of the findings from these researches are:

1. Behavioral Techniques are helpful in modifying depressive behavior, lack of interest, low energy and other lessening of psychomotor activities.

2. Behavioral interventions can be very helpful to patients to recover coping, problem solving and social skills. The behavioral interventions involve activities scheduling and other tasks.

3. For anxiety disorders, the exposure therapy and other such methods are beneficial and effective interventions.

Dream Analysis and Interpretation

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

The dreams you have during your sleep are full of symbols and allegories which are stories with hidden meanings. Most people just choose to ignore the contents of their dreams, but if you know what you are looking for you can learn many things.

Dream interpretation involves dissecting parts of your dream and working out what each piece means, then piecing together the parts to find the overall meanings.

There are different types of dreams with two main categories that they fit into. You have dreams that are generated from your physical body and mind and a second set that are sourced from your spirit guides. Each set have a different purpose and it is important to recognize the differences.

Dreams that come from your physical body are based around your functions and your survival in life. They deal with subjects that are linked to your physical well being. A good way of thinking about them, is to view them as a personal assistant or manager who keeps your mind and body organised for your general well being. Then the other group is the dreams that deal with mystical things and will help you with spiritual development and progress.

So why do we even get information during our sleep? Well during your sleep, your five senses and your ego, the controlling master are all suspended from activity. Your sixth sense then becomes active without the interference from the other senses. Your physical body and your spiritual self can work together to perform tasks to help you sort out your life.

Dreams that originate from the physical body revolve around food, health and psychology. Different types of foods can trigger strange dreams, but these are not worth interpreting as they are too influenced by the food itself. When it comes to your health, sometimes your body will use dreams to let you know what something is wrong with your lifestyle and you should change it. In terms of Psychology, stressful situations can cause our mind to have problems, so our subconscious can help sort things out.