SCT: Modifying Core Beliefs

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Spiritual Cognitive Therapy:

Modifying Core Belief Systems

Sherry Bene' Stevens MFT, California State University, Fullerton

Tom G. Stevens PhD, California State University, Long Beach

Presentation to California Marriage and Family Therapy Association (CAMFT)

Overhead Slides-Outline which accompanies AUDIO .mp3 format files of the presentation that may be downloaded (free) at

Download_SCT_AUDIO.htm

(For detailed notes, go to CAMFT-Spiritual Cognitive Therapy NOTES; Also see more detailed ACA presentation notes.)

Sample Core Issues

For Spiritual Cognitive Therapy (SCT)

and relationship to chapters in Dr. Stevens' book, You Can Choose To Be Happy (available free on his website).

1. Ultimate Concern(s) and highest subparts/values(chapters 1-3)

2. Our natural Higher Self (chapter 3)

3. World view issues (chapter 4)

4. Self view issues (chapter 5)

5. External versus Internal Control (chapter 6)

6. Harmonious Functioning (chapters 7,8)

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Ultimate Concern(s)

and highest subparts/values:

1.1 What do great religious leaders and philosophers say about UC?

1. Hinduism, unity with God, nirvana

2. Guatama the Buddha, happiness

3. Aristotle, happiness

4. Jesus, God, the great commandment(s)

5. Judaism, God, obey 10 commandments

6. Islam, God

7. Kant, happiness for all

8. Bertrand Russell, happiness

9. Kohlberg, justice

10. Psychological Humanism (Maslow),

Self-Actualization/Metavalues

1.2 Spiritual, mental values versus

externally-tied values

=> Use higher values to rise above difficult situations

1.3 Desirable qualities of

Ultimate Concern(s):

1. Unconditional

2. Comprehensive

3. Simple and elegant

4. Unifying

5. Truthful/valid

6. Unconditionally value self and all others

7. Unconditionally value environment and universe

8. Universality

9. Adaptable

10. Grow more elaborate and integrated

11. Source of Security

12. Clear, Prescriptive

1.4 Some ultimate concern problems: (chapters 1, 3, 4)

1. Poorly developed

2. Fragmented/conflicting

3. Common dysfunctional UC choices:

* Self-pleasure, now: “Gimme”

* Another person or family as god

* Achievement/success

* Power, status, recognition

* Lower subpart, eg. over-identify with role

* Nation, church, ethnic, institution, group

* Blind obedience to autocratic God

4. Source of greatest anxieties/fears

* Worst fears as flip-side of Ultimate Concern

* Explore and resolve worst fears

5. Repression of doubt

* Deny invalidating evidence

* Cause of fanaticism, “paranoia,” etc.

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SPIRITUAL COGNITIVE THERAPY (SCT) PROCESS

Dealing with sensitive value issues:

(See chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)

1. Explore the presenting problem

2. Find underlying highest level issues

3. Clarify inner conflicts

4. Reframe with Higher Self and higher values

5. Clarify deep issue choices

(Eg. Choose Higher Self advice?)

6. Align with benefit to client & higher values

7. Avoid role of preacher/priest

8. Help client see how they can apply higher values to daily thoughts and actions

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Types of presenting problems--value and religious issues:

1. Non-value-related presenting problem (PP)

PP APPEARS NON-VALUE-RELATED, but is.

2. Non-religious, value-related

PP value-related,

but NOT related to any RELIGION

3. Implicitly religion-related

PP value-related,

but IMPLICITLY related to RELIGION

4. Explicitly religion-related

PP EXPLICITLY related to RELIGION

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Sample World View Issues Affecting Psychological Functioning:

Issues for Cognitive Therapy and Personal Growth

WHO or WHAT IS IN CONTROL (God, Nature, Chaos, Other People, Me, etc)?

==> You can often substitute World, God, Others, Nature below--depending upon this belief.

WORLD VIEW ISSUES: PERSONAL ISSUES

WORLD VIEW-General view of the world and life	PERSONAL VIEW-How does it affect me and my world?
1.WORLD FRIENDLY OR NOT TO PEOPLE	1. Am I loved and cared for?
2. PROGRESS versus REGRESSION	2. Are things to get better or worse?
3. STRUCTURE/PLAN/ORDER versus CHAOS	3. Is God (or anyone/anything) in control? Can I understand it? Can my life be in control?
4. UNCONDITIONAL CARING versus CONDITIONAL (authoritarian) “SHOULDS”	4. Does God/Nature/People unconditionally care about me, my health, and my happiness? OR Do I exist only to please and help others?
5. ZERO EXPECTATIONS/ABUNDANCE versus ENTITLEMENT/DEFICIT	5. Do I view what I have as a gift or right?
6. THE REWARD STRUCTURE (Positive versus Punitive, Immediate versus Delayed, Certainty?)	6. Do I focus on getting rewards or avoiding punishments? Do I focus on immediate gratification or long-term goals? Is there a heaven? Hell? How much consistency or fairness is there?
7. FREE-CHOICE versus NO-CHOICE	7. How much potential control do I have of important events in my life (my own decisions? goals? actions? emotions? thoughts?)
8. INTERNAL versus EXTERNAL CONTROL
9. COMPLEX, MULTIPLE-CAUSATION Versus SIMPLISTIC, SINGLE CAUSATION	8. Are events multi-caused or is one person to blame? If one person, is it me (INTROJECTION) OR someone else (PROJECTION)?

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