- The document discusses cultivating mindfulness during both pleasant and unpleasant situations. It teaches that one should accept feelings as they are rather than trying to prolong pleasant feelings or resist unpleasant ones.
- It provides a metaphor about developing different relationships with "positive" and "negative" people who represent experiences. While the positive person is welcomed, the negative person is shut out and avoided, leading to suffering.
- The exercise suggests applying acceptance to the metaphor by opening the door to both, in order to extract information from all experiences rather than fighting unpleasant ones. The goal is developing a relationship based on allowing all emotions, rather than keeping any out.
Overcoming Negative Thinking and Thoughts , EmpowermentSandy Singh
Our specialty is Mind/Body Alignment, therapy, books and resources, workshops for creating better habits, building your support developing effective communication, and rethinking stress. www.shannontranphd.com
Overcoming Negative Thinking and Thoughts , EmpowermentSandy Singh
Our specialty is Mind/Body Alignment, therapy, books and resources, workshops for creating better habits, building your support developing effective communication, and rethinking stress. www.shannontranphd.com
The impact of negative thoughts and negative thinking on our lives is far more harmful than we knew. Discover where negative thoughts and negative thinking comes from and what you can do to stop your mind from racing endlessly into sickness.
Using discounting matrix (Transactional analysis / TA is an integrative appro...Manu Melwin Joy
Whenever a problem is not being solved, some information relevant to the solution of that problem is being ignored. The discount matrix gives us a systematic way to pinpointing what information is being missed. This in turn provides guidance to the specific actions we need to take to solve the problem.
Stop Bullying Yourself - Take Charge of Your LifeKee-Man Chuah
A talk on "Stop Bullying Yourself" ogranised by Persaintek UNIMAS. Focusing on how to discover yourself and be better. Images are for decorative purposes only and meant for educational use. Credits belong to the original owners.
Giving is one of the proven ways to increase your feelings of happiness & satisfaction with life. But not all giving practices are the same. Find the giving practice that fits your personality type.
Every one think negatively when have very difficult problems but there is very important question why you see this problem so difficult why you choice to see these situations in this way you could choice to see there is no problem but how choice that there are no problem .
You must build walls to face negative thoughts so start to builds
Your army to face negative feeling, choice your soldiers
The impact of negative thoughts and negative thinking on our lives is far more harmful than we knew. Discover where negative thoughts and negative thinking comes from and what you can do to stop your mind from racing endlessly into sickness.
Using discounting matrix (Transactional analysis / TA is an integrative appro...Manu Melwin Joy
Whenever a problem is not being solved, some information relevant to the solution of that problem is being ignored. The discount matrix gives us a systematic way to pinpointing what information is being missed. This in turn provides guidance to the specific actions we need to take to solve the problem.
Stop Bullying Yourself - Take Charge of Your LifeKee-Man Chuah
A talk on "Stop Bullying Yourself" ogranised by Persaintek UNIMAS. Focusing on how to discover yourself and be better. Images are for decorative purposes only and meant for educational use. Credits belong to the original owners.
Giving is one of the proven ways to increase your feelings of happiness & satisfaction with life. But not all giving practices are the same. Find the giving practice that fits your personality type.
Every one think negatively when have very difficult problems but there is very important question why you see this problem so difficult why you choice to see these situations in this way you could choice to see there is no problem but how choice that there are no problem .
You must build walls to face negative thoughts so start to builds
Your army to face negative feeling, choice your soldiers
This slideshow outlines how to forgive someone who has wronged you in the past. Moreover, we will talk about how to use Positive Intention to understand the potential reasons why this person did what they did, and how to use this understanding to let go of your resentment towards that other person. In the Seishindo way of thinking, holding resentment towards someone really doesn’t help us in our daily lives and can actually be detrimental in living a healthy and positive lifestyle.
This is an outline of our podcast called "How to forgive someone". To hear the complete audio file, go to: http://seishindo.org/forgive-someone/
Happiness is the key ingredient in living a beautiful and fulfilling life. It comes in many forms but at the end of the day, most of us are on the same path – searching for happiness. Sometimes, it may seem as though living a beautiful life is more difficult than it is easy, but we’ve got you covered. Take a deep breath and relax; it doesn’t have to be as hard as it has been. We’re going to show you how to live a beautiful life.
What Is Passive Aggressive Behavior.pdfChloe Cheney
Passive aggressive people are often at risk of hurting others. Let's study common passive aggressive examples and crucial signs of passive aggressive behavior
Forgiving Unfair...mapping a way to peace. Forgiveness is a practice not a single act. This PowerPoint will hopefully guide you to have a better understanding of forgiveness and how it makes the world a better place.
In this session, you will be learning about Judgements.
By judging ourselves we ignore the endless complexity of a situation. Judgments can be directed inwards to our own feelings and outwards to other people.
Judgement means we focus on only one half of the coin good or bad
Navigating Challenges: Mental Health, Legislation, and the Prison System in B...Guillermo Rivera
This conference will delve into the intricate intersections between mental health, legal frameworks, and the prison system in Bolivia. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current challenges faced by mental health professionals working within the legislative and correctional landscapes. Topics of discussion will include the prevalence and impact of mental health issues among the incarcerated population, the effectiveness of existing mental health policies and legislation, and potential reforms to enhance the mental health support system within prisons.
Telehealth Psychology Building Trust with Clients.pptxThe Harvest Clinic
Telehealth psychology is a digital approach that offers psychological services and mental health care to clients remotely, using technologies like video conferencing, phone calls, text messaging, and mobile apps for communication.
Leading the Way in Nephrology: Dr. David Greene's Work with Stem Cells for Ki...Dr. David Greene Arizona
As we watch Dr. Greene's continued efforts and research in Arizona, it's clear that stem cell therapy holds a promising key to unlocking new doors in the treatment of kidney disease. With each study and trial, we step closer to a world where kidney disease is no longer a life sentence but a treatable condition, thanks to pioneers like Dr. David Greene.
CHAPTER 1 SEMESTER V - ROLE OF PEADIATRIC NURSE.pdfSachin Sharma
Pediatric nurses play a vital role in the health and well-being of children. Their responsibilities are wide-ranging, and their objectives can be categorized into several key areas:
1. Direct Patient Care:
Objective: Provide comprehensive and compassionate care to infants, children, and adolescents in various healthcare settings (hospitals, clinics, etc.).
This includes tasks like:
Monitoring vital signs and physical condition.
Administering medications and treatments.
Performing procedures as directed by doctors.
Assisting with daily living activities (bathing, feeding).
Providing emotional support and pain management.
2. Health Promotion and Education:
Objective: Promote healthy behaviors and educate children, families, and communities about preventive healthcare.
This includes tasks like:
Administering vaccinations.
Providing education on nutrition, hygiene, and development.
Offering breastfeeding and childbirth support.
Counseling families on safety and injury prevention.
3. Collaboration and Advocacy:
Objective: Collaborate effectively with doctors, social workers, therapists, and other healthcare professionals to ensure coordinated care for children.
Objective: Advocate for the rights and best interests of their patients, especially when children cannot speak for themselves.
This includes tasks like:
Communicating effectively with healthcare teams.
Identifying and addressing potential risks to child welfare.
Educating families about their child's condition and treatment options.
4. Professional Development and Research:
Objective: Stay up-to-date on the latest advancements in pediatric healthcare through continuing education and research.
Objective: Contribute to improving the quality of care for children by participating in research initiatives.
This includes tasks like:
Attending workshops and conferences on pediatric nursing.
Participating in clinical trials related to child health.
Implementing evidence-based practices into their daily routines.
By fulfilling these objectives, pediatric nurses play a crucial role in ensuring the optimal health and well-being of children throughout all stages of their development.
CHAPTER 1 SEMESTER V PREVENTIVE-PEDIATRICS.pdfSachin Sharma
This content provides an overview of preventive pediatrics. It defines preventive pediatrics as preventing disease and promoting children's physical, mental, and social well-being to achieve positive health. It discusses antenatal, postnatal, and social preventive pediatrics. It also covers various child health programs like immunization, breastfeeding, ICDS, and the roles of organizations like WHO, UNICEF, and nurses in preventive pediatrics.
CRISPR-Cas9, a revolutionary gene-editing tool, holds immense potential to reshape medicine, agriculture, and our understanding of life. But like any powerful tool, it comes with ethical considerations.
Unveiling CRISPR: This naturally occurring bacterial defense system (crRNA & Cas9 protein) fights viruses. Scientists repurposed it for precise gene editing (correction, deletion, insertion) by targeting specific DNA sequences.
The Promise: CRISPR offers exciting possibilities:
Gene Therapy: Correcting genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis.
Agriculture: Engineering crops resistant to pests and harsh environments.
Research: Studying gene function to unlock new knowledge.
The Peril: Ethical concerns demand attention:
Off-target Effects: Unintended DNA edits can have unforeseen consequences.
Eugenics: Misusing CRISPR for designer babies raises social and ethical questions.
Equity: High costs could limit access to this potentially life-saving technology.
The Path Forward: Responsible development is crucial:
International Collaboration: Clear guidelines are needed for research and human trials.
Public Education: Open discussions ensure informed decisions about CRISPR.
Prioritize Safety and Ethics: Safety and ethical principles must be paramount.
CRISPR offers a powerful tool for a better future, but responsible development and addressing ethical concerns are essential. By prioritizing safety, fostering open dialogue, and ensuring equitable access, we can harness CRISPR's power for the benefit of all. (2998 characters)
The dimensions of healthcare quality refer to various attributes or aspects that define the standard of healthcare services. These dimensions are used to evaluate, measure, and improve the quality of care provided to patients. A comprehensive understanding of these dimensions ensures that healthcare systems can address various aspects of patient care effectively and holistically. Dimensions of Healthcare Quality and Performance of care include the following; Appropriateness, Availability, Competence, Continuity, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Efficacy, Prevention, Respect and Care, Safety as well as Timeliness.
Struggling with intense fears that disrupt your life? At Renew Life Hypnosis, we offer specialized hypnosis to overcome fear. Phobias are exaggerated fears, often stemming from past traumas or learned behaviors. Hypnotherapy addresses these deep-seated fears by accessing the subconscious mind, helping you change your reactions to phobic triggers. Our expert therapists guide you into a state of deep relaxation, allowing you to transform your responses and reduce anxiety. Experience increased confidence and freedom from phobias with our personalized approach. Ready to live a fear-free life? Visit us at Renew Life Hypnosis..
Welcome to Secret Tantric, London’s finest VIP Massage agency. Since we first opened our doors, we have provided the ultimate erotic massage experience to innumerable clients, each one searching for the very best sensual massage in London. We come by this reputation honestly with a dynamic team of the city’s most beautiful masseuses.
Antibiotic Stewardship by Anushri Srivastava.pptxAnushriSrivastav
Stewardship is the act of taking good care of something.
Antimicrobial stewardship is a coordinated program that promotes the appropriate use of antimicrobials (including antibiotics), improves patient outcomes, reduces microbial resistance, and decreases the spread of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms.
WHO launched the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) in 2015 to fill knowledge gaps and inform strategies at all levels.
ACCORDING TO apic.org,
Antimicrobial stewardship is a coordinated program that promotes the appropriate use of antimicrobials (including antibiotics), improves patient outcomes, reduces microbial resistance, and decreases the spread of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms.
ACCORDING TO pewtrusts.org,
Antibiotic stewardship refers to efforts in doctors’ offices, hospitals, long term care facilities, and other health care settings to ensure that antibiotics are used only when necessary and appropriate
According to WHO,
Antimicrobial stewardship is a systematic approach to educate and support health care professionals to follow evidence-based guidelines for prescribing and administering antimicrobials
In 1996, John McGowan and Dale Gerding first applied the term antimicrobial stewardship, where they suggested a causal association between antimicrobial agent use and resistance. They also focused on the urgency of large-scale controlled trials of antimicrobial-use regulation employing sophisticated epidemiologic methods, molecular typing, and precise resistance mechanism analysis.
Antimicrobial Stewardship(AMS) refers to the optimal selection, dosing, and duration of antimicrobial treatment resulting in the best clinical outcome with minimal side effects to the patients and minimal impact on subsequent resistance.
According to the 2019 report, in the US, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur each year, and more than 35000 people die. In addition to this, it also mentioned that 223,900 cases of Clostridoides difficile occurred in 2017, of which 12800 people died. The report did not include viruses or parasites
VISION
Being proactive
Supporting optimal animal and human health
Exploring ways to reduce overall use of antimicrobials
Using the drugs that prevent and treat disease by killing microscopic organisms in a responsible way
GOAL
to prevent the generation and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Doing so will preserve the effectiveness of these drugs in animals and humans for years to come.
being to preserve human and animal health and the effectiveness of antimicrobial medications.
to implement a multidisciplinary approach in assembling a stewardship team to include an infectious disease physician, a clinical pharmacist with infectious diseases training, infection preventionist, and a close collaboration with the staff in the clinical microbiology laboratory
to prevent antimicrobial overuse, misuse and abuse.
to minimize the developme
Navigating Women's Health: Understanding Prenatal Care and Beyond
Lesson 5 mod 4 mind hic
1.
2. Mindfulness and Pleasant situations
• Whenever we notice that our mind is trying to hold on to the moment, to prolong the happy feeling,
we can take notice of this and accept that this is the way our mind works and return to the present
moment.
• Mindfulness teaches one that nothing is permanent.
• We liberate our mind from the tendency to hold on to things.
• Mindfulness also teaches us to make fewer demands of this moment or a future moment.
• You approach a moment mindfully with openness, letting go of your own demands or expectations.
3. Exercise: Acceptance
What was it like to
do this exercise?
Was this
experience
different from the
previous exercise?
If so, what was
different?
To what extent
were you able to
accept your
experiences?
How difficult was
it for you to allow
feelings to be
present?
5. Both positive and negative experiences are inevitable parts of life. In general, we have no problem dealing with positive experiences. Negative
experiences can be more challenging. Negative experiences are to a great extent experienced as challenging not because of our actual experience,
but because of our attitude and relationship with those feelings. Although pleasant and unpleasant situations are both parts of life, many of us have
developed a completely different relationship with them. We tend to accept and embrace pleasant experiences and fight against or resist negative
experiences. In the long term, this tendency to deal differently with both types of experiences help us a certain relationship with each of them.
The following metaphor aims to explain what is meant by this.
• Imagine the doorbell rings. As you open the door, there is a stranger standing in front of you. He is in a good mood, smiles, and has a positive
attitude. You have a nice chat and then he leaves. The next day, he shows up again. You invite him in for a cup of coffee. You spend the afternoon
together and have a lot of fun. Over time, a positive relationship is built. Every time he visits, you open the door and let him in. He is welcome.
On another day, the doorbell rings and as you open the door, you are confronted with a completely different person. This person is in a negative
mood, looks sad, and has a negative attitude. He is having a difficult time and asks if he may come in. You respond that he is not welcomed and
that he should leave. You immediately shut the door and try to forget that he was there.
• After a while, the doorbell rings again and as you are walking to the door, you are hoping to see the positive person. Unfortunately, it is the
negative person again. Slightly irritated, you tell him that he is not allowed to come in and is certainly not welcomed. It does not matter how
much you would like this person to stay away, he continues visiting you from time to time. Although you never gave the two of you a chance to
get to know each other, in your mind, he gets more hostile and dangerous. Sometimes, out of the blue, you fear that he might show up
randomly. Maybe you even decide to barricade your house or place cameras in front of your house. Over time, a negative relationship has been
built.
Exercise: The Unwanted Guest
6. • This metaphor illustrates how we can develop a relationship with positive and negative experiences, even without meaning to
do so. The positive and negative people in this metaphor represent positive and negative experiences. Just as we do not allow
the negative person to come in, we are not willing to allow negative or difficult experiences to be present. We try to avoid
them by suppressing or ignoring them or wishing they would go away – we do not get to know them. Generally, we develop a
relationship with negative emotions that is characterized by non-acceptance and avoidance.
• Naturally, we want to keep the negative experiences out for many reasons. First, they are simply unpleasant, and by shutting
the door, we think we can prevent them from hurting us, at least temporarily. Second, our environment can implicitly or
explicitly teach us to keep negative experiences out. A father who tells his son that “big boys don’t cry” is effectively telling his
son to block any emotion that can cause tears or emotional pain.
• Several problems emerge as a result of keeping negative experiences out. First, we fail to extract valuable information from the
emotion. Emotions are data. They can tell us something valuable about ourselves. Anger, for instance, can tell us that someone
crossed a line. We should be aware and examine this emotion rather than keep it out. It could be a personal value, which
should not be transgressed, or it could be a submerged belief, which is actually erroneous and requires revision. Second, if we
never let negative emotions in, we fail to develop what can be referred to as emotional self-efficacy: the belief that we can
handle difficult emotions. You are probably not letting them in because you are afraid of what might happen. Third, trying to
keep negative emotions out means fighting them. Consequently, in addition to the negative experience itself, the fight and
struggle can create additional suffering.
Exercise: The Unwanted Guest
7. REVIEWING THE EXERCISE
• Try to apply the principle of acceptance to this metaphor. Rather than keeping the door shut for the negative person, what would acceptance mean?
(Acceptance of emotions means that you open the door for both the positive and negative person. You allow both of them to have a seat at your kitchen
table.)
• Imagine you decide to invite the negative person in. Do you think it will be a good thing? (Probably, the client will answer “no”. Note that the goal of
acceptance-based coping is not to create positive emotions or to make the negative emotions go away. The goal is to cultivate a different relationship with
these emotions).
• How do you typically deal with unwanted guests?
• What could you do to deal more effectively with difficult emotions?
• What would it be like to open the door for every kind of guest?
• What would it be like to give an unwanted guest a hug?
THE GOAL OF THE EXERCISE
• To deal effectively with emotions, the metaphor above illustrates the importance of cultivating an acceptance-based relationship with emotions. Rather
than keeping the door shut, one should be willing to keep the door open and allow emotions, both positive and negative, to be present.
• The aim of acceptance-based coping is to cultivate a different relationship with emotions. For many participants, this sounds very abstract. What does it
mean to have a certain “relationship” with emotions? Rather than using difficult psychological jargon to explain what is meant, it is often more effective to
use very concrete examples in the form of a metaphor to illustrate the principle. This exercise is designed to increase understanding of acceptance-based
coping.
Exercise: The Unwanted Guest
Editor's Notes
Whenever we notice that our mind is trying to hold on to the moment, to prolong the happy feeling, we can take notice of this and accept that this is the way our mind works and return to the present moment.
Mindfulness teaches one that nothing is permanent, not even the current moment. By experiencing the changeability instead of avoiding it, we liberate our mind from the tendency to hold on to things. Since everything fades, even this pleasant moment, it is important to experience it with undivided attention. Simply by accepting that nothing is permanent, it becomes easier to return to the (pleasant) here and now. We experience the here and now with more intensity and we are able to enjoy the moment once again.
Mindfulness also teaches us to make fewer demands of this moment or a future moment. You approach a moment mindfully with openness, letting go of your own demands or expectations. By having fewer demands of the current moment or the future, the chance for struggle and conflict diminishes.
This doesn’t mean that you cannot get excited about things or hope that an evening will turn out to be fun. Rather, it refers to letting go of the idea that the future at some point must be a certain way. There’s a fair chance that the future moment will eventually not meet your expectations. A conflict or struggle then is inevitable. By letting go of this “demand of the future”, a conflict is less likely to emerge.
Ask participants to do the following:
Close your eyes if that feels comfortable for you. If you choose to leave your eyes open, then focus your attention on a fixed point on the floor, let your gaze softly rest, and keep it there for the duration of the meditation.
Focus on your breath, notice each inhale and each exhale. After a few breaths, notice where your body is making contact, for example, feet touching the floor, back on the ground, sit bones on a chair, and the like.
Now, bring the challenging scenario you have chosen in the previous exercise to the forefront of your mind again. Really imagine yourself in the scenario. As vividly as possible, imagine the situation using all your senses.
As a result of bringing this scenario to the forefront of your mind, you may notice that certain emotions arise.
What emotions are you experiencing? What thoughts are going through your mind?
Now focus on your body. Often, are emotions represented in our body? What feelings arise in your body? Simply observe what you feel in your body. Maybe you feel tension or other sensations. Perhaps you experience a tightness in your stomach, around your heart or neck. Whatever you experience, try to stay with the sensations and be gentle on yourself.
Use your breath as a vehicle to stay with those sensations. Direct your awareness to the part of the body where those sensations are the strongest. ‘Breathe into’ that part of the body on the in-breath.
Rather than pushing this experience away, try to let it be. In silence, you can say to the feeling: “it is ok, you are allowed to be here”. “Whatever it is, it’s OK. Let me feel it”. See what happens if you allow yourself to experience whatever you experience in this moment. Just stay with the awareness of these bodily sensations and your relationship with them, breathing with them, accepting them, letting them be. You can repeat “It’s OK. Whatever it is, it’s OK”.
Perhaps you notice that the feeling gets more intense. Maybe the feeling remains the same or declines. It may also move in your body. Whatever happens, it is OK. Simply allow it to be. Observe what happens. Remember to stay with the experience with curiosity and kindness. You are experiencing sensations without reacting.
Now slowly let your chosen scenario leave the focus of your attention.
Wiggle your fingers and toes, slowly open your eyes, and bring your attention back to the present.
REVIEWING THE EXERCISE
Discuss the following questions with the participants:
What was it like to do this exercise?
Was this experience different from the previous exercise? If so, what was different?
To what extent were participants able to accept their experiences?
How difficult was it for participants to allow feelings to be present?
EXPLAINING THE GOAL OF THE EXERCISE
The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate what acceptance of emotions and feelings entails. Acceptance means that we allow emotions and feelings to be present as they are. Instead of trying to change or suppress them, acceptance involves willingness to allow emotions to take their natural course. Note that acceptance does not mean that one is constantly focused on emotional experiences. Acceptance comes in moments. When feelings and thoughts naturally arise, you allow for them to be present, but trying really hard to stay in contact with them all the time and telling yourself to accept them is not what acceptance means.
Important note: When participants start to accept emotions more often, they sometimes notice that acceptance causes their emotions to fade away more quickly. This observation can cause participants to “use” acceptance as a way to get rid of experiences. Because they believe that acceptance will help their negative experiences disappear, acceptance now becomes a strategy that is very close to suppression. Just like suppression, the goal is no longer to allow feelings to take their natural course, but to make them go away. It is important to discuss this potential pitfall of acceptance with participants.
Explain the following metaphor to participants:
Both positive and negative experiences are inevitable parts of life. In general, we have no problem dealing with positive experiences. Negative experiences can be more challenging. Negative experiences are to a great extent experienced as challenging not because of our actual experience, but because of our attitude and relationship with those feelings. Although pleasant and unpleasant situations are both parts of life, many of us have developed a completely different relationship with them. We tend to accept and embrace pleasant experiences and fight against or resist negative experiences. In the long term, this tendency to deal differently with both types of experiences help us a certain relationship with each of them. The following metaphor aims to explain what is meant by this.
Imagine the doorbell rings. As you open the door, there is a stranger standing in front of you. He is in a good mood, smiles, and has a positive attitude. You have a nice chat and then he leaves. The next day, he shows up again. You invite him in for a cup of coffee. You spend the afternoon together and have a lot of fun. Over time, a positive relationship is built. Every time he visits, you open the door and let him in. He is welcome.
On another day, the doorbell rings and as you open the door, you are confronted with a completely different person. This person is in a negative mood, looks sad, and has a negative attitude. He is having a difficult time and asks if he may come in. You respond that he is not welcomed and that he should leave. You immediately shut the door and try to forget that he was there.
After a while, the doorbell rings again and as you are walking to the door, you are hoping to see the positive person. Unfortunately, it is the negative person again. Slightly irritated, you tell him that he is not allowed to come in and is certainly not welcomed. It does not matter how much you would like this person to stay away, he continues visiting you from time to time. Although you never gave the two of you a chance to get to know each other, in your mind, he gets more hostile and dangerous. Sometimes, out of the blue, you fear that he might show up randomly. Maybe you even decide to barricade your house or place cameras in front of your house. Over time, a negative relationship has been built.
This metaphor illustrates how we can develop a relationship with positive and negative experiences, even without meaning to do so. The positive and negative people in this metaphor represent positive and negative experiences. Just as we do not allow the negative person to come in, we are not willing to allow negative or difficult experiences to be present. We try to avoid them by suppressing or ignoring them or wishing they would go away – we do not get to know them. Generally, we develop a relationship with negative emotions that is characterized by non-acceptance and avoidance.
Naturally, we want to keep the negative experiences out for many reasons. First, they are simply unpleasant, and by shutting the door, we think we can prevent them from hurting us, at least temporarily. Second, our environment can implicitly or explicitly teach us to keep negative experiences out. A father who tells his son that “big boys don’t cry” is effectively telling his son to block any emotion that can cause tears or emotional pain.
Several problems emerge as a result of keeping negative experiences out. First, we fail to extract valuable information from the emotion. Emotions are data. They can tell us something valuable about ourselves. Anger, for instance, can tell us that someone crossed a line. We should be aware and examine this emotion rather than keep it out. It could be a personal value, which should not be transgressed, or it could be a submerged belief, which is actually erroneous and requires revision. Second, if we never let negative emotions in, we fail to develop what can be referred to as emotional self-efficacy: the belief that we can handle difficult emotions. You are probably not letting them in because you are afraid of what might happen. Third, trying to keep negative emotions out means fighting them. Consequently, in addition to the negative experience itself, the fight and struggle can create additional suffering.
REVIEWING THE EXERCISE
Try to apply the principle of acceptance to this metaphor. Rather than keeping the door shut for the negative person, what would acceptance mean? (Acceptance of emotions means that you open the door for both the positive and negative person. You allow both of them to have a seat at your kitchen table.)
Imagine you decide to invite the negative person in. Do you think it will be a good thing? (Probably, the client will answer “no”. Note that the goal of acceptance-based coping is not to create positive emotions or to make the negative emotions go away. The goal is to cultivate a different relationship with these emotions).
How do you typically deal with unwanted guests?
What could you do to deal more effectively with difficult emotions?
What would it be like to open the door for every kind of guest?
What would it be like to give an unwanted guest a hug?
EXPLAINING THE GOAL OF THE EXERCISE
To deal effectively with emotions, the metaphor above illustrates the importance of cultivating an acceptance-based relationship with emotions. Rather than keeping the door shut, one should be willing to keep the door open and allow emotions, both positive and negative, to be present.
The aim of acceptance-based coping is to cultivate a different relationship with emotions. For many participants, this sounds very abstract. What does it mean to have a certain “relationship” with emotions? Rather than using difficult psychological jargon to explain what is meant, it is often more effective to use very concrete examples in the form of a metaphor to illustrate the principle. This exercise is designed to increase understanding of acceptance-based coping.