(some ideas I've been hashing around about Cognitive Therapy and Yoga)
Cognitive Therapy and Yoga
Cognitive therapy focuses on cognition, or thought, positing that behind a problem or a conflict in a person's life is often a series of un- or behind the-consciousness of the person experiencing the problem. These thoughts, or complex of ideas, often are irrational, based upon misinformation, or misinterpretation of reality. You may observe irrational, conflictive, or angry behavior - say if someone reacts at a small slight or insult or dis - and it seemingly happens instantaneously. You assume because of the speed at which the reaction happens, that not much thought went into this reaction, that this was a true response-stimulus behavior patterns. You might think the person "wasn't thinking" when they yelled or cried or threw the plate across the room.
Yet, if you slowed the situation down to super duper slow mo and you analyze what the person was thinking (or better, have them analyze their thoughts) you find there is a complex series of thoughts, a path of ill logic, that is disconnected from reality, a distortion of reality. Indeed, you can unearth entire belief systems, thought patterns, systems of rules that, depending upon how accurately they describe external realty (here defined as everything outside the person's range of cognition), can place the person in a battle against their environment. All of these thoughts, rational or not, create the view that the person has of both their interpretation of reality and their picture of themselves in it - their identity in other words.
Whereas in cognitive therapy, the patient analyses their thoughts in order to deflate and untangle the faulty logic which can cause a misinterpretation of reality and consequently possible conflict, in Yoga, one strives to calm the mind and body to the extent that this blooming, buzzing mass of thoughts in the mind can be stilled, and one can ultimately transcend the lower, more automatic (and thus prone to irrationally/negatively influencing the person) forms of thinking. It is in the automatic, language-based realm of thinking wherein resided the ego, and it is this realm where the person experiencing conflict with their environment "has" or experiences most of their thoughts. This would be the realm where a person might mistake their thoughts for reality, and thus cause conflict.
In cognitive therapy, the goal is to analyze your thoughts to find out the misperceptions and misunderstandings in these thought patterns and rule/belief systems so as to achieve a more realistic and harmonious relationship with the world. Thus, the goal is to introspect, and become conscious of the inner so you can better deal with the outer.
In Yoga, the method is similar - become conscious of your thoughts - but with the goal of harmonizing one's thoughts with the body first, so thoughts will not negatively influence the body and cause poor posture, back aches, twisted stomach, ulcers, stress, which can ultimately wear a person down, make them unhealthy, and open the body up to disease. After the person learns good posture and how to control the body (as with Hath Yoga), one learns in the process how to control and still the mind, which is another way of learning how to quiet the constant din of thoughts flowing in our minds day in and day out.
Both Cognitive therapy and Yoga share the goal of becoming aware of one's thoughts, listening to them, understanding them and realizing how much they have in common with reality, and ultimately how to transcend them - i.e., so your thoughts do not own you and control you.
Cognitive Therapy and Yoga
Cognitive therapy focuses on cognition, or thought, positing that behind a problem or a conflict in a person's life is often a series of un- or behind the-consciousness of the person experiencing the problem. These thoughts, or complex of ideas, often are irrational, based upon misinformation, or misinterpretation of reality. You may observe irrational, conflictive, or angry behavior - say if someone reacts at a small slight or insult or dis - and it seemingly happens instantaneously. You assume because of the speed at which the reaction happens, that not much thought went into this reaction, that this was a true response-stimulus behavior patterns. You might think the person "wasn't thinking" when they yelled or cried or threw the plate across the room.
Yet, if you slowed the situation down to super duper slow mo and you analyze what the person was thinking (or better, have them analyze their thoughts) you find there is a complex series of thoughts, a path of ill logic, that is disconnected from reality, a distortion of reality. Indeed, you can unearth entire belief systems, thought patterns, systems of rules that, depending upon how accurately they describe external realty (here defined as everything outside the person's range of cognition), can place the person in a battle against their environment. All of these thoughts, rational or not, create the view that the person has of both their interpretation of reality and their picture of themselves in it - their identity in other words.
Whereas in cognitive therapy, the patient analyses their thoughts in order to deflate and untangle the faulty logic which can cause a misinterpretation of reality and consequently possible conflict, in Yoga, one strives to calm the mind and body to the extent that this blooming, buzzing mass of thoughts in the mind can be stilled, and one can ultimately transcend the lower, more automatic (and thus prone to irrationally/negatively influencing the person) forms of thinking. It is in the automatic, language-based realm of thinking wherein resided the ego, and it is this realm where the person experiencing conflict with their environment "has" or experiences most of their thoughts. This would be the realm where a person might mistake their thoughts for reality, and thus cause conflict.
In cognitive therapy, the goal is to analyze your thoughts to find out the misperceptions and misunderstandings in these thought patterns and rule/belief systems so as to achieve a more realistic and harmonious relationship with the world. Thus, the goal is to introspect, and become conscious of the inner so you can better deal with the outer.
In Yoga, the method is similar - become conscious of your thoughts - but with the goal of harmonizing one's thoughts with the body first, so thoughts will not negatively influence the body and cause poor posture, back aches, twisted stomach, ulcers, stress, which can ultimately wear a person down, make them unhealthy, and open the body up to disease. After the person learns good posture and how to control the body (as with Hath Yoga), one learns in the process how to control and still the mind, which is another way of learning how to quiet the constant din of thoughts flowing in our minds day in and day out.
Both Cognitive therapy and Yoga share the goal of becoming aware of one's thoughts, listening to them, understanding them and realizing how much they have in common with reality, and ultimately how to transcend them - i.e., so your thoughts do not own you and control you.
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