Tag: Positive Psychology

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Life in General

Do you suffer from anxiety or depression?

If so, how healthy are your thoughts?

These days most of us are conscious of our health and we do a great deal to ensure that we stay well. We watch our diet, many of us exercise regularly, and we know we need to get good quality sleep.

But how many of us are aware that to we need to watch what we think as well to protect our mental health?

In my psychology practice I am very aware that few people monitor their thinking. In fact, many people are of the view that the thoughts that go through their minds are outside of their control.

Individuals who are prone to anxiety thing a great many “what if” thoughts during the day, such as “what if I mess up during my exam”, whilst people who suffer from depression tend to ruminate excessively.

These types of thought patterns serve to “feed” anxiety and depression.

It is possible to gain control of your thoughts through CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy). This will enable you to break the cycle of anxious and negative thinking.

There was an interesting article on the Psychology Today facebook page today, which speaks about the serious consequences to one’s mental health of negative thinking habits:

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-can-change-your-brain/201208/the-most-dangerous-word-in-the-world?

Steering away from negative thinking towards a positive mindset is the subject of Positive Psychology.

If you would like to be happier, more optimistic and hence more psychologically resilient I recommend that you embrace the principles of Positive Psychology.

Wouldn’t this be a great way to begin 2020 (and enjoy the festive season)?

Categories
Life in General Managing stress Mindfulness Psychology in practice Talking Points in Psychology and Psychotherapy

Mindfulness, psychology, psychotherapy and neuroscience is proving that you can, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks!

It goes without saying that, in the 21st Century, the majority of psychologists and psychotherapists believe that individuals are all capable of making positive changes to their lives, no matter how old they (or we) may be, that change is possible right up to the moment that we take our last breath.

(This was not always the case. Freud, for example, believed that human development was complete after adolescence).

The great news is that increasingly detailed knowledge of the structure and workings of the brain from the exciting and rapidly developing field of neuroscience seem to back up this view. Neuroscientists speak

about “neuroplasticity” of the brain, meaning that our brains are

“a work in progress”, no matter what how old we are and that we are capable of  by doing and thinking in different ways, people are able to change old, counterproductive patterns of behaviour and ways of relating to partners, children and the world in general.

How can this be achieved?

First, old, dysfunctional patterns need to be interrupted and changed. This invariably happens in all forms of successful psychotherapy.

Second, the person needs to be trained to focus their attention in a conscious, purposeful way

Third,  a psychotherapist will help the client identify and then start to practise, new , more positive and healthy habits and patterns of behaviour, forming new neural networks in the brain. (see Pat Ogden, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Susan Aposhyan:Body-Mind Psychotherapy).

 

I see it as most encouraging that the new findings coming fromthe field of  neuroscience  provide scientific support to our work as psychologists and psychotherapists, and that psychologists utilising many different approaches, from Positive Psychology to Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), all have the above, central elements in common!

 

Reference: Psychotherapy Networker, March/April 2011

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Life in General Managing stress Psychology in practice

Psychology in practice – a tale of resilience.

A few days ago I was lucky enough to spend a weekend in the bush with a good friend of mine. The couple who invited us to stay are both in their late 70’s and have been married to each other for 54 years – they met each other when they were 16.

This is the first time I had visited their home, which is situated in the heart of the bushveld, along a rutted and almost impassable track.

They live there alone, with only the company of their domestic helper during the day. Water is pumped up from a small pump that is situated five kilometres or so away from the house and electicity comes from solar panels and a wind generator (which they maintain).

This couple have spent their lives living all over the world in remote locations and had endless colourful stories to tell.

Stories about growing up in a rural community, shearing sheep, riding broncos, teaching underprivileged children in South America (in Spanish!) and now being involved in environmental and wildlife conservation programmes.

(And here I am referring only to our lady host!).

They are both quite frail now and have had a series of health challenges, from knee and hip replacements to a stroke, and yet they are totally dedicated to their projects and are enthusiastic about their lives.

Their stories and lives are inspiring! No predictable, dull or “comfort zone” existence for them.

They made me think a great deal about the importance of having a resilient personality – to be able to bounce back in the face of crises and adversity. (Resilience is an importance concept in positive psychology).

I believe that we all need to foster a sense of resilience in order to live our lives

to the full and to live to our full potential.

 

In future posts I will talk about ways to develop and strengthen personal resilience…

Categories
Health and Happiness Life in General Managing stress Talking Points in Psychology and Psychotherapy

Two Cape Town psychologists talk about: coping and resilience when the going gets tough.

Every week a psychologist colleague and I get together for peer supervision (we have been having these meetings for more than two years). We both work from a health psychology and positive psychology orientation and also practice clinical hypnotherapy ( including ego-state  therapy and Eriksonian approaches) with our respective clients.

This week one of the subjects under discussion was psychological resilience and effective coping. My colleague works a great deal in a medical setting, where she is called in to counsel patients who are undergoing radical surgery, such as amputations.  She mentioned that she is struck by how some patients manage to bounce back psychologically from this type of traumatic experience whilst others seem to lapse into a state of hopeless depression. (This is an important issue as research has consistently shown how crucial a person’s mental outlook is to their speed or recovery and general prognosis)

We went on to talk about the concept of resilience and whether positive coping and resilience is a given in the personality or if it can be acquired or strengthened through psychotherapy. One’s coping style is so so much part of who we are and on our outlook on life!  If we have meaning in our lives and feel needed and fulfilled, we will have more a stronger motivation to fight for our health and for our life when the going gets tough!

We spoke about how it is only when we are faced with a trauma or a crisis that our coping skills and our resilience are tested.

How do you respond in a crisis? Do you need to develop your own coping ability and your resources?

Categories
Health and Happiness Managing stress Mindfulness New Research and Ideas

The bonus of successful ageing: Why we get happier as we get older.

Research has consistently indicated that people, on average, feel happier and more emotionally stable as they move into middle and old age. This seems surprising as this period of one’s life is when we become acutely aware that our bodies and minds are not as efficient as they were in our youth, and when we experience health-related problems and physical and psychological losses and crises.

However, it appears that in the midst of all our ageing-related challenges and problems we are nontheless more happy and emotionally stable according to an article in the journal Psychology and Aging (October 2010), as cited in New Therapist Magazine (January/February 2011)

Why is this?

 

Perhaps because:

As we get older we become more aware of our mortality and that time is running out. We therefore live in a more mindful and balanced way, enjoying the joys and pleasures of the everyday life, taking nothing for granted.

We become more and more aware that our time on this earth is limited and this leads to our becoming a lot more selective in what we choose to do with our time.

 

In my view, the take-home message from this research is : we could all live happier lives, irrespective of our age, if we make a point of living every day in a mindful, balanced way!

 

 

 

And that Positive Psychology and Mindfulness training should be considered integral to psychotherapy!

Categories
Managing stress New Research and Ideas Talking Points in Psychology and Psychotherapy

Are you serious about improving your psychological well-being and your happiness in 2011?Find out what Positive Psychology and Health Psychology have to offer!

When I ask clients who visit my psychology practice for the first time what their goals are, many of them say that they want to be happy!
We all know that happiness is often an elusive emotion and difficult if not impossible to achieve when we are not in a good space psychologically and we are experiencing anxiety and/or depression.

 

What is Positive Psychology?
The psychologist and researcher, Dr. Martin Seligman, is well-known for his work in Positive Psychology, see:
www. reflectivehappiness.com and www.authentichappiness.org.
Positive Psychology concentrates on personal strengths, positive emotions, happiness, optimism and hope and how we can work on these to improve our sense of well-being.

What is Health Psychology?
Psychologists and researchers who are interested in this field study the link between psychological and physical health. In our practice in Wynberg, Cape Town, we psychologists always emphasise with each client the importance of eating healthy, balanced meals, getting enough rest, relaxation and in exercising regularly if they are serious about improving their psychological well-being!     
 
Over the next few posts I will be speaking about the mental-health benefits of changing one’s mind-set to embrace the principles and practices of both Positive Psychology and Health Psychology.