
This is Professor Arron Beck. ( Tim Beck) and Dr Helen Nightingale. Tim was still partying at midnight following a transatlantic flight. His energy levels remain incredibly high and enthusiastic.
Some further thoughts about new developments in CBT :
DBT this is called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
DBT is helpful for people with very enduring and chronic problems associated with personality issues, it maybe helpful to consider DBT which is a form of cognitive therapy aimed at emotional regulation.
ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT focuses on altering the function of the thought, so that the influence of thoughts is minimised in the impact they can have on our lives.
Thoughts may be useful for helping our understanding or predicting our actions. But ACT interventions focus on the interactions with the individual's experience, thinking and behaviour. Not just what is going on in our heads.
Mindfulness training is an important aspect of Acceptance therapy
ACT suggests that it might be unhelpful to try and "think our way out of a hole that our thinking has got us into ". So in fact, we focus on the context of our thoughts and not the content. In doing this, the impact that the thought is having on other behaviour patterns may be more important to the individual's life.
In ACT you need to: increase your range of responses (behavioural flexibility), i.e. do more things you consider personally important.
To engage in behaviour that serves your values and understand that your values are principles that you want your life to stand for.
in this situation the therapist may ask you to identify your sense of purpose, thereby clarifying your beliefs as to what your life is about. This may include your way and style of living : this maybe in terms of family, friends, self-development, health, community and spirituality.
The key feature of ACT iis the role of mindfulness and how it acts to promote the importance of ongoing, non-judgmental contact with the present moment; it is unsurprising that ACT encourages the practice of mindfulness.
Mindfulness encourages individuals to increase their ability to pay attention to what is taking placed in the present by focusing on their thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations and behavioural urges.
Without such awareness, behaviour often automatically follows the urges that result from an individual's confusion with negative private experiences.
Being aware of what is going on in the present moment allows individuals the opportunity to move in the direction of their values.
This information has been taken from the book by Steve Hayes, ( see ref on book list)
* Over the next few months, new downloads will appear on this website. So keep an eye on this website. You can put this website into your favourites box.
In development at the moment are the following :
COPING WITH CHRISTMAS Lauched december 18th 2007 ( completed )
MANAGING YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE AND STILL HAVING FUN ( ready January 2008)
COPING WITH STALKING ( when someone will not leave you alone)
COPING WITH OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDERS. ( THIS IS COMPLETED AND THE mp3 HAS BEEN UPLOADED ON TO THE WEBSITE. APRIL 2009)
EMOTIONAL REGULATION. this will be based on DBT and available APRIL 2009