The Self-Help Stigma

[BridgeTheGap]

The world of experimental psychology can be a dry place: all those ethics committees, control groups, and cautiously expressed findings. Not so the world of popular psychology and self-help, where stunning breakthroughs in the quest for human happiness seem to tumble out of every new book. “Two years ago,” writes Joe Vitale in Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace and More, “I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients—without ever seeing any of them.” Lest anyone doubt Vitale, note that he has a PhD—and not from some stuffy traditionalist university, either, but from the University of Metaphysics in Arizona.

Outlandish tales like Vitale’s fuel widespread cynicism about the multimillion-dollar global self-help industry. The hostility from people who think of themselves as smart and non-gullible is entirely understandable. But it’s also unfortunate. In dismissing self-help, we risk surrendering a hugely important topic to some of the sketchiest people around—and missing out on some real wisdom hiding amid the nonsense.

Here are two self-help success stories: Feeling Good by David Burns, a layperson’s introduction to cognitive-behavioral therapy, has been shown to have an effect comparable to medication or therapy; some credit it with saving them from suicide. Susan Jeffers’ best seller Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway embodies an anti-positive-thinking message that has found clinical support. These are far from isolated examples.

Researching the world of popular psychology, it soon becomes clear that a syrupy, Oprah-esque manner of expression isn’t necessarily an indicator of bad advice. Keeping a “gratitude journal” can be an effective means of combating the natural tendency for the good things in our lives to stop delivering pleasure. Mindfulness meditation, though too often advertised using stock photographs of impossibly serene-­looking women sitting cross-legged on tropical beaches, is a useful technique for improving focus and becoming less easily thrown off course by negative moods.

Read more: http://www.utne.com/Mind-Body/The-Self-Help-Stigma-Popular-Psychology.aspx#ixzz1TV8reptp

[qb]

1. It's true... there are some gems out there, but they are awash in a sea of nonsense.

Not coincidentally, the success stories involve cognitive therapy and mindfulness training.
Cognitive therapy has shown documented success since the 1950's.
Johns Hopkins University developed a widely-used mindfulness course to help patients cope with chronic pain.

Both were prescribed by my (licensed) therapist, and both have helped me immensely.