For several decades, I have been manufacturing memories in unsuspecting minds. People can be led to believe that they did things that would have been rather implausible. They can be led to falsely believe that they had experiences that would have been emotional or traumatic had they actually happened. False memories, like true ones, also have consequences for people, affecting later thoughts, intentions, and behaviors. Can we tell true memories from false ones? In several studies, I created false memories in the minds of people, and then compared them to true memories. Once planted, the false memories look very much like true memories—in terms of behavioral characteristics, emotionality and neural signatures. If false memories can be so readily planted in the mind, do we need to think about “regulating” this mind technology? And what do these pseudo memories say about the nature of memory itself?
According to a recent survey, Cognitive Therapy is now the leading form of psychotherapy throughout the world. Its application to the numerous psychological disorders, as well as medical problems, has been well documented. In recent years, Cognitive Therapy has been successfully applied to the most intractable and chronic disorders, such as severe mental illness. Strategies and techniques in treating schizophrenia will be described.
Hypnosis is a vehicle for delivering ideas and/or promoting meaningful experiential learning. Hypnosis itself isn't what cures people. Rather, it's what happens during hypnosis that can make a positive difference, especially when applied to empower people to discover and use their innate resources. In this demonstration, the merits of hypnosis as a tool of therapeutic empowerment will be highlighted.
Topical Panel 03 from the Evolution of Psychotherapy 2005 - The Goal of Therapy
Featuring William Glasser, MD; Harriet Lerner, PhD; Francine Shapiro, PhD; and Thomas Szasz, MD
Moderated by Ellyn Bader, PhD
BT03 Clinical Demonstration 03 - Facilitating the Four-Stage Creative Process in Psychotherapy - Ernest Rossi, PhD
Educational Objectives:
1) To name the essentials of a behavioral activity-dependent approach to creative work.
2) To list the four stages of the creative process in psychotherapy.
Educational Objectives:
1) To describe how hypnosis may enhance problem solving.
2) To describe how hypnosis may serve as a vehicle for building expectations of success.
Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher discusses three brain systems that evolved for mating and reproduction: the sex drive; feelings of intense romantic love; and feelings of deep attachment to a long term partner. She then focuses on her brain scanning research (using fMRI) on romantic rejection and the trajectory of love addiction following rejection. She concludes with discussion of the brain circuits associated with long-term partnership happiness and the future of relationships in the dig