A Healthy Mind From Good Habits

As far as I'm concerned, we have got the cart before the horse. Psychologists overwhelming would have believe that if change our thinking, then we will change our feelings, and our behavior. Broadly known, this is called 'cognitive therapy,' though there are many styles and variations on it. One invariable problem is that it is never permanent. Another example that fits this paradigm is the use of 'exposure therapy' for victims of phobia. While I think that ultimately we all must face fears, I believe that the disappearance of a phobia occurs over time, concurrent with a gradual change in the nature and inner strengthening of an individual.

If I'm afraid of heights, I can't see how being encouraged to go to rooftops would be anything less than traumatic, no matter how systematically and gradually done. Professionals in therapy do not like to talk about relativistic values though they believe in them and I don't get the impression that they believe in a truly healthy mind (Freud certainly didn't, and he gets far less credit than he deserves for shaping modern therapy). The fact is, until now, going back to tribal humanity, civilization has believed in absolute values.

To put it simply, self-discipline, virtues, and a code of behavior were what people lived by. Or rather, judging from history, by what healthy people have lived. Barbarism in history is nothing new, but in every case you can find violations of the moral codes of the time. These days we're in an age of mass hysteria and neurosis with nothing to believe in. I don't think it's ever been worse. The point is that if one changes his behavior, and begins to act virtuously, he will change his mind. If he controls his behavior simply out of fear he will accomplish little or nothing. But if he changes because it the 'right' thing to do, his heart and mind will follow. The mind serves the being and is antecedent, not the other way around.

By: Dinah Jackson

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This article was written by Dinah Jackson who enjoys writing about Pokemon and travel. We sell every Pokemon plushie that you can imagine. We have hundreds of Japanese Pokemon plush toys, pokedolls, plushies, figures, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, charms, straps, dice bags, and thousands more very rare Japanese Pokemon items. Direct from Japan to your door.