Make Journaling a Tool
January 31, 2012
One of the tools that is encouraged to use in learning to processing emotional pain and in the recovery process is journaling. Journals can be a great tool for identifying pain events, seeing patterns in destructive behaviors, and tracking progress. However, people are often unsure on what to write in a journal. Here are some tips in what to write.
Be Prepared to HALT
January 16, 2012
By Gary Washer
As an Eagle Scout I am constantly bringing up some of the principles I learned in the Boy Scouts. One of them that I bring up often is the Scout motto that says Be Prepared. One place this can be applied to is the SFT processing step 2. Step 2 is where the processor applies HALT which in turn allows the processor to HALT his self from instantly reacting to the situation and making things worse. Read more
Oxymoronic Thinking Errors
August 27, 2010
- Only foolish people use stupid labels.
- It doesn’t take much evidence to know when someone is jumping to a conclusion.
- Filtering out the positive would be ok if it didn’t take over my life.
- Complete failures polarize their thinking.
- Never ever overgeneralize. Read more
Kids and Thinking Errors (Part 2)
August 18, 2010
Another thinking error kids use that follow closely with jumping to conclusions is blaming. Children’s ability to discern intent or culpability is not developed. Emily may have accidentally bumped into Ben on the playground, but Ben naturally assumes that Emily did it on purpose because he can only see the end result of himself being hurt. Read more
Kids and Thinking Errors (Part 1)
August 12, 2010
Anyone who has gone through the SFT program is aware of the difficulty of eliminating thinking errors from one’s thoughts. It requires a great deal of vigilance, patience and willpower. Adults of all ages struggle with taking their thoughts captive. Imagine then how much more difficult it can be for children to think accurately. Read more
Simplifying Accurate Thinking
August 5, 2010
It is not uncommon for participants to overcomplicate the attitudes and skills of the SFT model. Accurate thinking may appear to be difficult when one first glances at a 16-error list. However, some of these errors are made easy to recognize by locating key words. The following is a list of some of the errors from the list and the easy key words. Read more
Biblical Solutions to Heaven’s Reward Fallacy
June 11, 2010
When someone participates in SFT Awareness training, one of the skills he will learn is how to become an accurate thinker. There are sixteen thinking errors on the list that is covered in this training. The fifteenth thinking error is called Heaven’s Reward Fallacy, which states, “bad things do not happen to good people.” Another way to look at this error is when someone thinks if he can accomplish enough good, then bad things will not happen to him. This is a common lie that distorts the way people see negative events that happen in life. Thankfully, the Bible has answers that can clear up any misconceptions about this error, answers that can give a person peace of mind when facing some of life’s tough issues in regard to this error.
A Lack of Knowledge
May 14, 2010
“It’s easy to do, acting like a Christian at church, punching that time clock and leaving the building to begin acting like the rest of the world again. I know because in my own life I have gone to church and put on a show in the past, singing, “Oh how I love Jesus,’ Looking forward to go home to the promised land - Hell.” These lines, taken from a sermon in the 70’s, are unarguably harsh. However, that message was preached not only 40 years ago, but also over 2000 years ago by Jesus when he spoke to the church at Laodicea in Rev 3:15. Jesus says to choose. Either continue in evil works or try your absolute best to follow God, but stop being lukewarm. Read more
I Drew My Circle Again (Thinking Error Game)
April 2, 2010
When I first became a member of the church, my circle was very big, for it included all who, like myself, had believed and had been baptized. I was happy in the thought that my brethren were many. But, having a keen and observant mind, I soon learned that many of my brethren were erring. Read more
Lessons on Compassion Part 2 of 2 Looking to the Future
April 1, 2010
The Apostle Peter repeatedly opened his mouth when being quiet would have been a better option. On the mount of Transfiguration, Peter spoke when he needed to listen (Mat. 17). When Jesus was talking about his death, Peter said it couldn’t happen. Jesus responded, “Get behind Me, Satan” (Mat. 16:23). Peter always seemed to be the spokesman for the group of 12 disciples. From what is written, it appears Peter lacked control over his mouth. If one were to consider only what is written about Peter in the Gospels, one might wonder why Jesus would have chosen Peter to be one of the twelve. After all, he made a lot of mistakes. Read more
