The case for Self-Coaching as a treatment for emotional struggle

Think of a bicycle wheel where each of the spokes represent one of the many different psychological approaches to choose from: analytic, psychodynamic, dialectical behavioral therapy, Cognitive/behavioral, etc. Using my spoke analogy, although there are many approaches (spokes) to choose from, they all point toward the “hub,” which represents the ultimate objective, emotional healing. I happen to be partial to my Self-Coaching-spoke approach for a few reasons

1.) It’s user friendly. Self-Coaching from its very inception was designed to minimize the dependency of a patient on his or her therapist.

2.) The concepts make common sense. You don’t need a Ph.D. to understand what’s going on and what you need to do to progress.

3.) By treating anxiety, depression, and emotional struggle as habits, you eliminate the need for endless interpretations. You learn what you’re doing that feeds these habits and what you can do to starve them.

4.) By learning specific exercises that require active practice, you actually restructure your brain. Old brain-habits are neutralized (unlearned), and new positive habits are established.

5.) And now, two words that will change your life—Insecurity and Control.

Here’s the Cliff Note on Insecurity and control: once you understand that insecurity is the source of your suffering and that trying to compensate by (over) controlling life is your neurotic remedy, you will begin to see that anxiety, depression, worry, compulsion, phobias, and even addictions are all feeble attempts to ward off vulnerability in a world where self-trust, confidence, and hope have been compromised.