Perhaps the most significant aspect of optimism is its power to transform the negative thoughts in our heads. Negative self-talk completely limits our ability to think creatively and get ourselves out of sticky situations. When we push forward in the face of negative self-talk, we are practicing optimism. Positive self-talk greatly increases our chances of success and of moving forward in tough situations. The very fuel of success is our optimistic belief that we can impact situations and play a role in the outcome of our lives.

Although there probably aren’t many people who first experienced their anger in exactly the same way I did, there are millions who are terrified of experiencing their own anger or being in the presence of the anger of others.  Many people get in touch with that anger in therapy or some personal growth course, and millions never do. [Photo: Christian Bale reportedly earned the nickname “Tandy” because he was always throwing tantrums.]

What happens for most of us when we’re in the “lesson” experience of emotional authenticity is that we don’t feel the original authentic emotion but default to another emotion that is an imposter emotion – a mask – for our real feelings. For example, let’s say you’re afraid people won’t like the new product you’re rolling out for your business. You fear that if your customers don’t like it, they won’t buy it. If they don’t buy it, you’ll go out of business. That’s how fear works… right down the rabbit hole to the worst-case scenario.

Creating art has always been a way to channel emotional intensity. In a world where destructive acting out is all too frequent (and meticulously documented and sensationalized on the news and TMZ), sublimating painful feelings by expressing them in the form of artistic expression allows the artist to choose to “act out” in a way that is constructive. Many creative people carry the belief that their pain is the locus of their creativity, and worry that they will lose their creativity if they work through their inner conflicts or let go of suffering.

By Leslie Johnson. Although it is somewhat of a media-influenced stereotype, the cultural image of the "mad genius" has stayed with us, and that's because many of the qualities attributed to highly successful people (i.e. that they are crazy or insane) are quite true. Especially for those of us who are creative and active people, we shouldn't be ashamed if we struggle with problems of a personal nature.

If you follow these tips, you will be able to find at least some of the beliefs that cause specific problems... If you eliminate all the beliefs that usually cause a lack of confidence, for example, you also will be eliminating all the beliefs that cause several other problems, such as procrastination, social anxiety, fear of rejection, seeking approval, perfectionism, high levels of stress, and the critical “little voice” in our heads.

In my occurring courses, the participants and I were trying to identify all the factors that seemed to influence how reality “occurred” for us, in other words, what determined the meaning we gave events as we experienced them, moment by moment? We realized that probably the major source of our occurrings was our beliefs and conditionings.  Other relevant sources included our physical condition and our “moods.”  But when we tried to state specifically what we meant by a mood and where our moods came from, we were stumped. After a lot of thinking and a bunch of research, I came up with a few ideas

By Leslie Davenport, MS, MFT.  Having offered psychotherapy with guided imagery to hundreds of patients with severe illness and injury, I have seen how multiple losses—physical, spiritual, and psychological—stemming from a health crisis deconstruct a core sense of self, leaving them feeling like a stranger in a strange land. Guided imagery has proven to be a valuable tool for helping patients find a safe harbor within themselves during these extremely stormy times. Guided imagery, which incorporates relaxation training, is a natural, meditative process that reliably offers direct access to inner strengths and clarity of mind.

Many creative and gifted people have been diagnosed at some point in their lives with a mental illness. A diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, for instance, can deeply affect our sense of identity and change the course of our life. The decision to take medications to treat a mental illness may also have a long-range impact on our physical and emotional well-being.

What are some of the considerations that lead sensitive and gifted adults to take psychiatric medications? What are some of the reasons people stop taking medications? What are the alternatives?