the exercises
A few years ago I took referrals from an agency that funded Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and related therapies. At the time research was showing that reading self help books about CBT and doing the exercises yourself was as effective as doing them with a therapist so I satisfied the requirements by handing out printed CBT exercises to take home and talking through the experience later.
I found that discussing the exercises slowed therapy or stifled it altogether. The focus of therapy shifted towards me and the exercises, away from real problems and preoccupations. Communication tended to be more superficial and task oriented so subconscious communications and subtle feelings and meanings were easier to miss.
I also experimented with handing out other exercises and lifestyle information sheets. Even if they were useful the little time spent on them disrupted our focus and connection.
However sometimes an exercise was life-changing or information essential for survival. This motivated me to experiment with handouts that could be used by themselves to save explaining them over and over and to save them intruding into therapy and taking up expensive and valuable consulting time. And perhaps they could be of use to others.
So here they are. There are exercises in johnbrasted.com to still the mind and examine the world and ourselves in new ways using senses and knowledge that are mostly overlooked in the confusion of modern life. They can be used to find new perspectives in overwhelming situations and attend to subconscious communications. If you already know some that work for you, this may be a reminder to take them up again.
The strategies on the top menus are from cultures ancient and modern. There are practices from the Vedic traditions. And the modern binaural meditation used to enter deep trance, concentrate, relax or expand mental capacity.
Not everyone gets all these first up so there are several just in case one is a circuit breaker. Some are easy and a couple are only obvious once you get them and very few do.
Just reading them may not get far. They only really work when put into practice. Same with the suggestions for sleep, diet, drug use, posture, movement and exercise.
I look forward to exploring them further for myself when I finish johnbrasted.com. Feedback from friends, colleagues and people I have met here is already eliciting new insights.
copyright (C) John Brasted 2008
updated 11/06/11
