Aside from the inherent magnificence of this article, which I encourage everyone read, is this elegant summation of the real world benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy. I think it’s appropriate to note that though the official psychological adoption of CBT started around the 1960’s, it is exactly the integration of reason and emotion identified by philosopher / novelist Ayn Rand, the roots of which were laid in “we The Living” (1936) and “Anthem” (1937) developed further in The Fountainhead (1943) and realized completely in “Atlas Shrugged” (1957) but the general idea was originally laid down by Aristotle in his Nichomacean ethics.
CBT is the most successful form of therapy, and requires one to rationally recognize and evaluate emotional reactions and their cause, then compare those against a rational standard. Emotions are not magical tools of cognition, whatever you feel isn’t necessarily true and right just because you feel it, your emotions are incredibly sophisticated evaluations of what you are perceiving / experiencing compared against what you value and have integrated. It is used in treatment by identifying your values and perceptions, identifying your own biases (which we all have) and attempting to habituate correct interpretations. The article gives many good examples.
If you’ve never once asked yourself “Is it right for me to feel this way?” then you should invest in studying the basics of cognitive behavioral therapy.
The ‘trigger warning’ culture is the exact opposite of this, the most successful form of psychological therapy, and instead of attempting to identify why we react to something the way we do, and analyzing if this reaction is appropriate, we automatically assume any reaction is the right reaction to have, and shield ourselves from anything that might be offensive or a ‘micro-aggresion’ without regard to how reasonable that emotional reaction might or might not be.
The Coddling of the American Mind
http://www.theatlantic.com/…/the-coddling-of-the-am…/399356/
From the article:
“Cognitive behavioral therapy is a modern embodiment of this ancient wisdom. It is the most extensively studied nonpharmaceutical treatment of mental illness, and is used widely to treat depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and addiction. It can even be of help to schizophrenics. No other form of psychotherapy has been shown to work for a broader range of problems. Studies have generally found that it is as effective as antidepressant drugs (such as Prozac) in the treatment of anxiety and depression. The therapy is relatively quick and easy to learn; after a few months of training, many patients can do it on their own. Unlike drugs, cognitive behavioral therapy keeps working long after treatment is stopped, because it teaches thinking skills that people can continue to use.
The goal is to minimize distorted thinking and see the world more accurately. You start by learning the names of the dozen or so most common cognitive distortions (such as overgeneralizing, discounting positives, and emotional reasoning; see the list at the bottom of this article). Each time you notice yourself falling prey to one of them, you name it, describe the facts of the situation, consider alternative interpretations, and then choose an interpretation of events more in line with those facts. Your emotions follow your new interpretation. In time, this process becomes automatic. When people improve their mental hygiene in this way—when they free themselves from the repetitive irrational thoughts that had previously filled so much of their consciousness—they become less depressed, anxious, and angry.”
eternitas 