negative thought processes

The Voice (The Enemy Within)

Discover the negative thoughts and attitudes at the core of a person’s maladaptation. The voice consists of a series of negative thoughts and attitudes toward oneself and others that is at the core of a person’s maladaptation. It can be conceptualized as the language of the defense system. The voice is not restricted to thoughts,… Read more »

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How Your Critical Inner Voice Gets in the Way of Love

There’s a nasty defense mechanism that undermines and sabotages your efforts to have love in your life: your critical inner voice. It comes at you from all sides; it goes after you, it badmouths your partner, it slams your relationship, and it attacks love in general. We are mostly unaware of this internal enemy and… Read more »

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How to Stop Worrying

“That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.” – Chinese Proverb For many of us, worry can feel like an uncontrollable force streaming through our lives. We devote a great deal of time to our worries, either… Read more »

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Thinking Positively: Why You Need to Wire Your Brain to Think Positive

Our brains are hardwired to focus on the negative. If our boss tells us five things we are doing wonderfully at work but mentions one area we need to improve upon, or our partner consistently compliments our appearance but one day comments that a certain outfit is not flattering, we zero in on the negative…. Read more »

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PTSD: Why Does It Happen? How Survivors Can Heal

A traumatic event is something no one is prepared to deal with. You may feel your mind and body are in a state of shock from the experience. You may have nightmares, feel jumpy, or find yourself re-playing the event in your mind. You may even feel disconnected from the world around you. What happened… Read more »

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What You Need to Know About Mental Abuse

We are often so focused on physical and sexual abuse that we forget to consider emotional abuse, which is more difficult to identify when it is happening to our loved ones or to ourselves. Mental abuse can occur in any relationship among adults, in adolescent peer groups and in families. We need to become more… Read more »

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How Negative Thoughts Are Ruining Your Life

Last year, a study of more than 30,000 people revealed that harping on negative life events (particularly through rumination and self-blame) can be the prime predictor of some of today’s most common mental health problems. Results from the eye-opening U.K. study, the largest of its kind, indicated that it isn’t just what happens to us that matters,… Read more »

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4 Steps to Conquer Your Inner Critic

Most of us are familiar with those nagging thoughts that tell us we are not good enough, that cast doubt on our goals and undermine our accomplishments. These thoughts might be there to greet us when we first glimpse at ourselves in the mirror in the morning. “You’re so unattractive. You’re fat. What a slob…. Read more »

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Is Cynicism Ruining Your Life?

The risks of indulging in cynical attitudes and the rewards of being positive Whether it’s a lazy co-worker who calls in sick every Monday or a flaky friend who always bails at the last minute, there’s always something (or someone) in our lives that can make us cynical. Like an ill-fitting sweater, cynicism can be… Read more »

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The Critical Inner Voice Defined

The following interview with Dr. Lisa Firestone was conducted by BestofYouToday.com, a website focused on providing insightful articles and information to promote conscious healthy living. BOYT: What motivated you to write Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice with your father, Dr. Robert W. Firestone, and Joyce Catlett? Dr. Lisa Firestone: After years of therapy practice, we could see… Read more »

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