The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heav'n of Hell, or a Hell of Heav'n. Extensive research has shown that two short-term therapies, Cognitive Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy, are highly effective in the treatment of depression. After a brief discussion of these potent therapies, we will present our favorite skills to heal the mind and enjoy a happier, more productive life. Psychotherapy As Education I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor. The stereotype most people have of lying on a couch for the fifty-minute hour while a dispassionate therapist sits silently taking notes has almost disappeared.
Education comes from the Latin word educare, which means to draw forth from within.
A good therapist actively draws from within you things you may have known about yourself and forgotten, things you may have never known about yourself, or things that you knew to be true but, for whatever reason, disregarded. In addition, a therapist teaches new skills for living a more productive, satisfying, and loving life. Depressed people sometimes do things that make them even more depressed because no one ever taught them any other way. An important part of therapy, then, is learning other ways. If we see things as negative, we are likely to feel negative and behave in a negative way.