Cognitive behavioral therapy has a lot of research behind it. Because of this very large call for cognitive behavioral therapists to work from government administered health services. This article will briefly cover the cognitive behavioral therapy model so the reader can apply it to any life situation of their choosing. It may be useful to have a pen and paper to hand. At the top of the piece of paper you can draw a box. You can label the box life situation, problem or challenge. In the cognitive behavioral therapy model they are basically four modalities which need to be explored in order to find solutions. In this way it is a holistic therapy because it attempts looks at the person as a whole being rather than as having a problem that needs to be fixed. Drawing a line down from the challenge box, you can draw the thinking box. Thinking box refers to what you are thinking – your thoughts surrounding the situation you are working on. If it is a habit for example that you want to change, you look at what you are thinking during acting out on that habit and around it. You may find that beliefs come up here. Thinking is aspect one in cognitive behavioural therapy. Some personal development speakers say that “change your thinking and you change your life.” The Buddha said “all that we are arises from our thoughts”. The better doctors today recognise that 80% of illness is psychosomatic and arises in the mind as our thoughts. Our thoughts are intimately linked with the other parts of the model. Behaviors. Behavior is the “doing” aspect of the model. What do you do? What are your actions? What specific behavior are you examining? Our thoughts effect our behavior and our behavior can effect our thoughts, so an interlinking line can be drawn connecting the two. Behavior is how you act as either a result of your thoughts,feelings and physiology or as a way to influence those other parts of the model. The third “box” on the cognitive behavioural therapy model is the “emotions/feelings” box. How you feel again is connected to your thoughts – if you are having thoughts that are negative, eg “I can’t do it” – the belief – or “why me Lord?” or “why am I so useless” you are more likely to feel bad. Whereas if you are feeling terrific, your thoughts correspond normally. Apathy, grief, anger, pride, courage, lust, peace, love harmony, serenity all can be classified as feelings/emotion states and can be commented on in this box. Emotions are also connected to behaviors. Think about if you do some physical exercise. Maybe you will feel annoyed at not being fit enough. Or maybe you will feel confident about how fit you are. More than likely if you do extend yourself a little, you will feel relaxed and happy after your body releases some endorphins. This is borderline belonging in the next category though. Physiology. Physiology refers to the state of the body. The biochemistry at the smaller level and physical sensation and the macro-universe of the body at larger levels. We’ve already mentioned endorphins. Aches and pains may be manifest if we have an injury or chronic illness for example. Can you imagine how your physiology effects your thoughts and feelings – and your behaviors. Of course they are all interrelated. If a person has broken a bone in their body, their behavior will be different, correct? They will likely not be so able for a while. Without support, they might feel low about it (feelings) perhaps because they are having thoughts like “this is never going to get better.” At the same time their physiology will adapt to the lowered exercise of those muscles – and may require physiotherapy to help their physiology. Can you think of more ways the four aspects of the model might be effected. The “magic” of CBT is that therapists recognise that by changing any of the four areas after examining what is actually going on, the outcome of the situation can be changed rapidly. The most common area to focus on changing is the behavior. It is easier for us to change what we do. However, it is possible to change our thoughts, too – to develop positive self talk for example, think more positively, to change our diet (physiology and behavior), and to focus on things that make us feel good by visualization for example. With the above description, it is hoped you can draw up a CBT chart and apply CBT to something that you want to change in your own life. This is not about theorizing although the model is a theory of human behavior, it is widely accepted now and you can draw parallels to other forms of newer (and more powerful forms of) therapeutic technique, such as NLP, Sedona Method etc. So apply this information, don’t just let it go to your head. The idea in this authors understanding is to move away from the quick-fix medical solution to ills and to focus more on a holistic approach to healing which incorpates empowering the person to be responsible and change the causes rather than treating effects with effects (drugs) and disempowering through taking away responsibility (eg through traditional psychiatry) although such forms of therapeutic process do have their place.

Getting healthier, getting happier, getting rid of chronic illness and how to be rich… how to have a better life and how to be more satisfied. We have this innate ability to manifest whatever it is that we need to have. Whether it’s anyone of the things above or whatever your own spin might be on it. It’s right there. It says something about the person themselves when you ask that type of question. It says that you are tired of the way things are and that you want something better. You recognize the fact that you are not living up to your full potential So know that at least, number 1, you are on the right track if you have asked such a question. YAY…the rest is easy! (I know, you’re saying, “riiiight”) So with all of these things, keep in mind that these are not the real problems. They are just symptoms of the bigger issue. What we want to do is get down to the core of what is really going on. What is it that is truly holding you back. There is a short and long answer as to what it is that is at the core of all these other feelings…no, it’s not money! Although that is what a lot of us think. “If only I had this amount of money”, or “If only this job would come through”, or “if only….” And I have to tell you in my experience, your going to “if only” your life away. What it comes down to is to simplify these things. I think we get into our heads and we make our minds the decision maker in our lives. We buy so much into conformity and what everybody else is doing that it makes it tough to find our own way to health and happiness. So a lot of times when you look around and you look into your relationships and your look into your financial situation and you gaze at all of these areas in your life and if they are not working you need to reverse the direction of your focus if you will, to the inside not the outside. Everything is a mirror reflection of what it is that is going on inside of you. That includes the people in your life and how they behave. It’s said that if there is someone in your life that you really resent or that you have a great amount of resistance to, that it is to the same degree that you have that within you. Now you can look the world and blame the reflection all you want, but it is not going to change until you take responsibility for what is happening. And so what that does for us it allows us to get really focused and say, “So what is happening to me is a creation of my own thoughts and actions.” Your thoughts, your belief system, your attitude towards how you approach things. What story have you been telling yourself about the reality of your life? That’s what it all boils down to. Let’s take a look at some of the things that might be holding you back from that inner reflection. I can tell you that they are things that only 6.7 billion people on the planet have faced. Lack of self confidence, lack of self esteem and self love. Self love being one of the strongest. If you don’t love yourself or even like yourself then you will not be able to manifest the things in life that are good for you or even beneficial to you. If you are thinking that you don’t deserve or you are not worthy, then how could you possibly benefit yourself with all that the universe has to offer? The place that I started from was to really pay attention to my thoughts. Whatever it is that you put out there, Whatever it is that you are thinking, start to really take a look and say, “How is this affecting me?” is this really the most healthy and best thing that I could be thinking just now?” Another way you can see what is happening on the inside is to look at who you are surrounding yourself with. Both situations and people. If you have happy, loving and supportive people in your life then you are doing great. Unfortunately, there are some out there that don’t have the support that they need to be everything they are. Notice I say, everything they are, and not “what they could be.” That is one of the other keys. You are already a great soul light. There is absolutely nothing to “get” and nothing to “be’ I believe that we just squash that inside ourselves again because of the various reasons listed above. Just start saying to yourself, “What am I thinking?” “What am I reflecting?” and that should alter your perception greatly. Will this take care of everything in your life?…Well, maybe not that alone but remember, that even then greatest journey begins with just one step.

Stress follows us around each and every day. There is really nothing that we can do about it either, or is there? Stress is caused from bad things and from good things, basically common stressors are caused from finances, friends, spouses, family, work, the neighbors, the mail, and even driving home from work or waiting in line at the gas station. People always want to be stress free but that day will never come where you will be completely free of stress. Stress causes anxiety, depression, and many other disorders and medications dispersed from doctors for these conditions are raging out of control. It seems that no matter who you talk to they are Prozac. Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil, Xanex, and the list just continues to grow. Even while these medications are zapping through our brains and regulating neurons and neurotransmitters, we still have to deal with the stress as the medicine certainly will not make it disappear. There are however, two types of stress. One is positive stress which is the one that makes sure that life does not get boring and then there is the negative stress which is the one that makes you wish that your life was boring. Unfortunately, stress just loves to follow change and thanks to technology, the environment, and society, we have certainly dealt with our share of change. Hence, manifested stress. Now, the questions is, exactly how much stress are we under and what can we do to cope with it? Are your muscle tightened, is your blood pressure high, do you feel your heart pumping, is your digestion system out of whack, do you feel anxious, frustrated, angry, and are you physically rundown? If so, these are definite signs that stress is getting the best of you and you need to make some changes. Maybe you will be fortunate enough to find out exactly what it is that is causing your stress and if you do, sometimes that source can be eliminated and sometimes not. Others, you may be able to at least keep under control or maybe avoid. The first thing that you should do is try to always remain optimistic rather than pessimistic. Thinking good things rather than always expecting the worse, relinquish some control and just hand it over to someone else and let them deal with it. Keeping the most positive attitude that you can keep will really benefit you in your war against stress. One thing that people who are under a lot of stress find almost impossible to do is to relax, and this is simply something that you are going to have to do. Read a book, buy a relaxation tape, get hypnotized, but do something as soon as possible. You have to completely retrain your thoughts and hypnosis can really make a difference. A combination of hypnosis and relaxation audio tapes can make a world of difference. Your subconscious will allow you to relax through hypnosis and then when you follow up with the tapes, you will learn how to completely relax every part of your body. The tapes will encourage you to one by one, tense up each muscle in your body, hold it and then release it. This is called your relaxation response and will make your body so calm. It alone is almost hypnotic.

When you are organized, you will be able to accomplish more and enjoy what you are doing. You will also be able to feel better about your life in general. Organization means a lot of things to different people. For some, it is as simple as buying a calendar, for others it may mean attending time management seminars. Regardless of how much organization you need to incorporate into your life, you will need essentials that can be found by using the franklin covey system. This system allows you to organize your work, personal, and social life by buying organizational materials that will make tracking, list making, appointments, and much more possible. Time management is an important skill that many people do not possess. When you are able to utilize your time, you will be able to accomplish more and not have to feel stressed out during the day. By scheduling activities and tasks during the day, you will be able to complete them and still get a restful sleep at nighttime. Time management training is available through consulting firms, freelance life coaches, and stress management therapists. You can find one of these seminars by looking online or by calling a consultant. Anyone can learn how to manage their time through a willingness to learn, the ability to learn, and by using the materials that will make you successful. There are a few personal organization tools you will need in order to maintain your daily life. Day planners are used to keep appointments from being missed and to see where you have time during the day to fit in more. Day planners can be books, electronic devices, or calendars that you add to when a new appointment has been made. You can use software if you want automatic updates for standing appointments and alerts of time that is already taken. Handhelds are also popular as you can use them to send email or create lists. Learning the seven habits of organization will help you put your life in order and will also allow you to have more time for yourself or your family. Franklin Covey organization materials can be purchased in stores and online. The Franklin planner is very popular and is used by those who have busy schedules. Calendars, binders, and business cases and totes Franklin Covey are planner accessories that you should consider purchasing. Once you have learned the 7 habits, you will be better able to manage your life. In addition to organizational planning, you should consider leadership training. This is a good way to learn the productivity tools used by those in leadership roles. Having a mission statement will give your business a focus. By using products from Stephan Covey, you will see your business improve. Buying small items like totes and business cases and using software like PlanPlus will also help you become more organized.

Today we are surrounded with books and seminars and workshops aimed at making us more successful. Many of these are great men with great advice that is worthy of our attention. I myself read much of the self-help success material that is published which I ascribe to and promote their ideas. But before you begin your journey through the maze of self-help literature and expensive workshops out there I would ask you to consider the words of Albert Einstein who said. “Try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value.” You see in our race to becoming a success type we have learned all the markings of a successful person on the outside and have learned them well enough to fool a great many people into believing we are what we are selling. We even get to believing it our selves. We know how to dress like a successful person would dress; we learn how to talk like success, and even walk like success. For some of us, we have set our eyes on the goal of being a success so much that we have forgotten the most important and deeply intrinsic parts of being a real success; that is first to become a person of value. Albert Einstein was a student his entire life. From high school age he was a teacher himself of math and physics. He worked diligently writing papers that astounded scientists and physics teachers alike. He was never a stranger to hard work. In his spare time he produced papers for the patent office he worked at.. In 1909 at age 30 he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague. A Nobel Prize winner, Einstein kept busy writing theories and papers receiving doctorates from practically every university he was associated with. He was surrounded by socialites who dragged him away from his work but he always found ways to excuse himself and he would be back off to work doing something productive with his life again. You see Einstein understood more than physics. He understood the worth of a man. He understood that character is built one stone upon another stone of good works and righteous living. Einstein was focused on his work so much he gave no thought to being a “successful” person. He had a unique philosophy about life, but one not so unique idea was that a person’s value was what was important in life. Improve upon your value than success comes to you as a by-product of your hard work. Indeed it was true for Einstein as it is for us all; the value of a person is what is important. It is the work ethic of a person that counts; their desire to grow and be more valuable is what makes things happen. To day as you go out to conquer the world, don’t strive for success as so many success gurus would have you do. There are no short cuts in life. You must become a person of character- of true value, and then success will follow just as it did with Einstein and the many other successful people before and after his time.