Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
In Episode 23 of the Catalyst Coaching Certification Programme, Coach Nancy Yang led us through how we could use the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Model of Emotions, commonly known as T.E.A or Thoughts, Emotions and Actions.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy, commonly known as CBT, is a widely used psychotherapeutic approach that focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors. This form of therapy is rooted in the idea that our thoughts influence our feelings and actions. By targeting and modifying these cognitive distortions, individuals can learn to better manage their emotions and improve their overall mental well-being. In Coaching, CBT tools are used to identify the present beliefs and thoughts which may be hindering them from achieving their desired outcomes.
According to the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Los Angeles (CBTLA), a collective of CBT practitioners, THOUGHTS are the way we make sense of the world. Some people perceive of the world though images and some, words but for all, thoughts are the narratives or stories where we connect things that happen with meaning.
Instead of using the word EMOTIONS, CBTLA defines the next step as FEELINGS and this includes the physiological manifestations of emotional pain. Deep sadness can appear as a sudden ache in the heart, nervousness and anxiety can manifest as stomach pains and stress appears as a persistent migraine or sleeplessness. According to Dr Bessel van der Kolk in his book, The Body Keeps Score, some emotions can so suppressed that people may not even perceive that they are feeling them and the body exhibits these as physical rather than psychological.
ACTIONS or Behavior are the things we do or more importantly, don't do. We are pre-disposed to performing only certain actions depending on how we think or feel and so behind any action, even though someone says "I wasn't thinking when I did that", there was a thought or emotion that was deep-seated. This cycle is an autonomic process, highlighting the interconnected nature of these human activities - when something happens, we generate emotions which propel us to behaving in a certain manner, negative or positive and in turn, reinforcing patterns of thinking.
MORE FROM COACH NANCY'S SHARING
Coach Nancy shared that she had often focused upon prioritization as a way of coaching. Once a set of priorities had been established, all that was needed was follow-through. However Coach Mel had encouraged her to go a level deeper to discover what thoughts and actions accompanied the behaviour, we would identify the source and it would solve the issues, including motivating follow-through.
Coachees are encouraged to examine their patterns of thought. Because the cycle is autonomic, we hardly pay attention to our thoughts eg. Is it Fear? What exactly is the Fear of? Where did that come from? How has that fear affected us? Conversely we might be dealing with Positive Thoughts and Feelings and we could encourage this to motivate the Coachee
The power of emotions has been researched widely. In mapping human emotions, researchers saw how different emotions evoked response from different parts of the body, the most powerful being Love.
Coach Nancy shared about the work of Dr Paul Eckman and his daughter Eva. A longtime friend of the Dalai Lama, Dr Ekman had many conversations with the Dalai Lama about the nature of emotions and was commissioned to come up with a single map that would guide emotional travelers and help people find a state of calm. Subsequently, working with Stamen, data visualization and cartography design studio, this evolved into The Atlas of Emotions, an interactive collection of maps, each representing a different aspect of the science of emotion. The Atlas of Emotions can be found HERE.
REFLECTIONS
For those who are more in touch with their feelings, the connection between Thoughts, Emotions and Action is self-evident. Generally, most people tend to not think too much about thinking. This results in living life in a default mode as Coach Mel has clearly reiterated and these are the patterns of thinking that must be attended to if the Coachee wants to make changes.
Most of the time, people stay within their existing thoughts and beliefs because the Brain has pre-conditioned for safety. The Coach is not a therapist and not there to deal with psychological problems. However, he can guide the Coachee insofar as it pertains to where he wants to go by challenging some of the thoughts and beliefs but doing so in a safe space, until the Coachee is familiar with his own roadblocks and is able to remove them. It does take courage to change established patterns of thinking and so no one should ever knock someone for faulty thinking.
We also do live in a world where there is fear of acknowledging certain emotions. In some of my conversations with young coachees, they only know Happy, Sad or Angry and do not have a clear understanding that emotions have a wider range and a scale. Attending to Emotions and assigning appropriate action and thought can lead to helping them set their paths differently,
The Altas of Emotions is an awesome tool to first pause and consider what were the pre-conditions which led to an emotion. Mindfulness is often seen as a mystical exercise but backed by science and using data visualisation, the process through complex tangle of emotions is made easier. When we can appreciate the power of attending to our thinking for better outcomes, then mindfulness becomes a muscle which one can use more intentionally.
FINAL TAKEAWAY
Once again, learning this as a tool for coaching others was an opportunity to learn for myself. I am so conscious of not turning too inwardly, becoming a navel gazer and then overthinking myself into corners that I prefer to activate first, think later. Even NOT thinking is spurred by a thought or emotion - the action springs from a certain fear of overthinking and overfeeling but also may be triggered by an adrenaline rush, a positive emotion that has come from just making the leap. CBT is structured, goal-oriented and problem-focused and evidence-based makes it one of the coaching strategies I want to deepen my knowledge and experience in.
Coach Maire, peace out!
Comments