2. You Are Not Your Diagnosis
If you have previously been in the mental health system, you most likely have been given a diagnosis. I want you to know, you are not your diagnosis!
11. Why Some Therapy Models Help and Others Don’t
During my 40-plus years as a psychotherapist, my clients have shared information with me about their previous years of therapy. They often arrive at our initial session with a diagnosis given to them when they first sought help. They feel hopeless and frightened that the label they were given defines them and will affect the rest of their life.
13. How Our Attempted Solutions Perpetuate our Problems
When we struggle with sadness, anger, fear, other unwanted emotions and behaviors such as any type of addiction, it feels like we have no control, and our only choice is to suffer with our pain.
18. Change is Possible
I want you to know that it is possible to change unwanted thoughts, feelings, behaviors and beliefs, creating choices to live the life you desire. For lasting change, we need to work with underlying unconscious patterns and programs we experience as unwanted feelings that repeatedly recreate our problems. Outdated and ineffective old tapes from our childhood are playing in our head, directing our thoughts and controlling our experiences.
19. More on Change is Possible
This seems obvious; however, I need to say it: Change can’t and won’t happen unless and until we do something different. The challenge is that we often want change, but we don’t want to do anything different to contribute to facilitating change. People tend to want to keep doing what is familiar and comfortable and often don’t want to let go of old patterns and responses.
21. Identifying Where to Focus to Make Changes
Today, I would like to share ways to identify where to focus your attention to help make changes to improve your life, mental health, and sense of well-being.