9781608682980

Stop talking about your past and start creating your future

Anticipating a positive future is the key to well-being and mental health. Yet when many people think of the future, they experience anxiety, depression, fear, and self-doubt. Unaware of how to change the future, most people are trapped in a cycle of re-creating their past. But your past does not have to define who you are or where you are going — you can break free. Future Directed Therapy (FDT) is a new psychotherapy that helps people create their future with awareness and choice, with skills based on cutting-edge cognitive science. Think Forward to Thrive is filled with information and step-by-step exercises to help you:

* Overcome negative emotions
* Identify what you want in life
* Transform limiting beliefs
* Take action
* Live ready for success

Jennice Vilhauer, a psychologist at Emory University, developed Future Directed Therapy. She is the director of the Adult Outpatient Psychotherapy Program at Emory and has more than 12 years of experience with clients. She lives in Atlanta, GA.

Contents

An Introduction to Future Directed Therapy

—The Light at the End of the Tunnel
—The Basics of FDT
—Mary’s Story
—How to Use This Book

Chapter 1
A New Beginning

—The Road to Well-Being
—Re-creating the Past
—Creating a New Future Experience
—What about the Present Moment?
—The Feeling of Thriving
—How Can You Thrive More and Feel Better?

Chapter 2
The Value of Your Thoughts

—Conscious Thought Is a Limited Resource
—We Spend Thought with Our Attention
—Thinking about What You Do Want
—Thoughts Grow
—Redirecting Your Thoughts
—Redirecting Your Thoughts to Your Improved Future

Chapter 3
Components of the Human Experience

—Interpreting Our Environment with Anticipation
—What Creates Our Experience?
—How Do the Components Work Together?

Chapter 4
Creating New Expectations

—We Prepare for What We Expect
—Beliefs Limit Future Experiences
—Our Emotions Are the Present-Moment Guide to the Future
—How Do You Identify Your Expectations about the Future?
—Which Expectations about Your Future Should You Hold On To?
—What If Your Negative Beliefs about the Future Are True?
—How to Create New Expectations about the Future
—Seven Steps to Future Success

Chapter 5
Overcoming Resistance to New Beliefs

—Softening the Resistance
—Other Ways to Overcome Resistance
—Have a Conversation with Your Future Self
—Entrenched Resistance: Ineffective Thought Patterns

Chapter 6
Mindfulness and Meditation

—The Conscious Observer
—How Mindfulness and Meditation Can Help Create Your Future
—What Mindfulness and Meditation Are Not
—Mindfulness
—Meditation

Chapter 7
Knowing What You Value

—The Value of Feeling Good
—What We Value
—Identifying What You Value
—Top Five List

Chapter 8
Setting Your Goals

—There Is No Final Destination
—Building Goals Based on Your Values
—How Do You Decide What You Want?
—The Presence of What You Want
—Why Do You Want It?
—What If You Can’t Have What You Want?
—Developing the Goal

Chapter 9
Visualizing Your Future

—Future Projections
—The Brain Is a Problem-Solving Machine
—Visualization
—Creating Simulations of the Future

Chapter 10
Generating Solutions for Success

—A Successful Mind-set
—Planning
—Overcoming Obstacles
—Feedback and Reevaluation

Chapter 11
Taking Action

—Other Barriers to Action
—Six Steps to Action
—Emotional Alignment for Positive Action
—Don’t Wait to Feel Motivated
—Consistency and Commitment

Chapter 12
Allowing the Future to Arrive

—Let Go of Resistance
—Be Willing to Change
—Fight for the Right to Live Well
—Live Ready!
—Deal with Disappointment
—Potholes in the Road
—Creating Your Light at the End of the Tunnel
—There Is Beauty in Bakersfield
—You Are the Creator of Your Future Life

Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
FDT Website and Worksheet Download Information
Letter to Professionals
Index
About the Author

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Think Forward to Thrive How to Use the Mind's Power of Anticipation to Transcend Your Past and Transform Your Life

Think Forward to Thrive How to Use the Mind's Power of Anticipation to Transcend Your Past and Transform Your Life

1608682986

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