same ol' same ol'

​Are you in a rut? Does your being stuck feel like the same ol’ same ol’?  Maybe it’s time to do something about it. Are you ready for a change?
          “I dunno, Doc,” Branden started even before getting settled in my office. “Just one bad day after another. I just can’t seem to do anything right. My boss is yelling at me. My wife has me sleeping on the couch. Even our dog walks away when I call him to me.”
          “Wow!” I took a deep breath and then blew it out. “I’m exhausted just earing you. I’m so sorry it’s been rough. Ya know? Maybe you’re just going insane.”
                   Branden’s jaw dropped. He then sighed, smirked at my subtle joke, and then added, “I’ve been thinking the same thing, Doc. That’s where you come in.”
          “Okay, then,” I offered, “Let’s go to work.” Branden settled into the couch.
          “So, as your therapist, I’ve got two examples of insanity. Wanna hear them?”
          “Go for it, but I don’t know how this is going to help me feel better.”
          “Don’t worry. What you are telling me only fits one of the examples.” I leaned forward capturing his attention.
          “The first example of insanity is neurochemical. Your brain chemistry is out of whack. You are hearing things and seeing things that others don’t hear and see. You take everything personally and expect that people are out to get you.” Does any of that apply to you now?”
          “Well, my boss told me that if I don’t get my act together he’s gonna fire me.”
          I shifted in my seat. “Well, Branden, that sounds like his way of encouraging you to do better at work. That’s not delusional. So, no. the neurochemical example of insanity does not apply to you.”
          “Okay,” I took another breath. Branden mirrored my behavior. “The second example of insanity is functional and behavioral.”
          “What does that mean?”
          “In this case, insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That’s your rut. That’s your stuck-ness. If you tackle the same problem the same way every time, you are gonna get the same…..?”
          “…results,” Branden sighed deeply before finishing my sentence.
          Using the therapy tools of mentalligent psychotherapy (MPT), I helped Branden find his center and stay present in the moment. Having cleared his mind of his same ol’ same ol’, I helped him focus on what’s right in his life that he can build on. I then gave him a cognitive behavioral prescription, starting slowly and finding things overwhich he has control to establish a to-do list of five tasks for each tomorrow until I saw him at his next therapy appointment. I asked him to take routine tasks but do them differently, do them better. In this way, he was able to challenge his version of insanity.      
          Follow more of Branden’s healing journey in my new book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on the Path to the Good Life. Buy your copy at amazonbooks.com. Follow this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY9PQXMZ
Blessings, Dr. Jon

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