Thought Work is the practice of observing and working with our thoughts.
The technical term for it is the skill or meta-cognition or the ability to think about our thoughts.
My practice relies heavily on helping people build the skill of meta-cognition for 3 reasons:
1.) Our thoughts create what we feel and what we feel drives everything we do which creates the results in our lives. Understanding what we’re thinking and feeling is a way to activate self-compassion and open the way for choice and change.
2.) Most of us believe our thoughts are just happening to us; that they are true and reliable and we are at their mercy. It’s empowering to learn that not only are they often distorted, but there are tools available to help get authority over our minds and a way to respond to ourselves in distress so we can live more deliberate lives.
3.) Our thoughts are a portal to our relationship with ourselves. Accessing this portal helps us see our default thoughts so we can repair cycles of self-rejection and build a strong bond from within.
Thought Work is a term largely used in the context of Life Coaching. When Thought Work is used in as part of psychotherapy it’s called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, which is the foundation of my training. Specifically, I’m certified in TEAM-CBT. If you’re interested in finding out more about this approach, click here.
I thought it might be helpful to take it a step further to share observations of what I see as some distinctions between the two. Keep in mind, I make some broad generalizations that don’t represent all life life coaches or all therapists and only reflect my own personal observations.
Life Coaching
Actions
Future Focused
Positivity
Solutions
Therapy
Past
Feelings
Empathy (Therapy Relationship)
Problems
Hope you have a great week!
Until next time,
Julie
