The Power of Negative Thinking?

An interesting article that reflects a basis premise of mindfulness and other modern therapeutic approaches: the more we fight the demon, the bigger it becomes. So let's just sit with it, instead of acting on the urge to confront, challenge, and change it.

clipped from www.time.com Yes, I Suck: Self-Help Through Negative Thinking A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (center) is displayed amongst other self-help, recovery books, at a Borders Book store."> A study just published in the journal Psychological Science says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are. unfavorable thoughts about ourselves intrude very easily, especially among those of us with low self-esteem — so easily and so persistently that even when a positive alternative is presented, it just underlines how awful we believe we are. The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than try to reject and fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can also make things worse. Mindfulness and meditation techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.