Surviving Cancer, Long Beach, California

Beat the Odds, based in Long Beach, California, provides a technique to help patients who are surviving cancer resolve emotional crisis. More than cancer support, it involves the patient doing what is known as belief work.

Belief Work
An Effective Way of Resolving Emotional Crisis
by Mariusz Wirga, MD

This technique was first developed by world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Maxie C. Maultsby, Jr. (founder of RBT) as a part of what he called Rational Self-Analysis. It was modified and adopted by Dr. O. Carl Simonton, oncologist and pioneer of psychosocial aspects of cancer treatment to help his patients and their families resolve emotional crises on their own.

Unhealthy Beliefs
The most effective time to do this work is when you are experiencing the greatest emotional pain, when undesirable emotions are interfering with your life; for example, "fear is interfering with my sleep." At such times, unhealthy beliefs will be easier to identify because you actively think them. When you experience a distressing feeling or emotional pain (sadness, fear, guilt, shame, anger, etc.) follow these steps:

1. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle, creating 2 columns.
2. In the left column, list at least 5 beliefs that seem to be producing this emotion. Write them down as they go through your mind without self-censorship or concern for whether they make any sense.
3. Test each belief with the 5 Rules of Healthy Thinking. For each belief ask:
   a. Is this belief based on facts?
   b. Does this belief protect my life and health?
   c. Does this belief help me achieve my short and long-term goals?
   d. Does this belief help me resolve or avoid my most unwanted conflicts
       with others?
   e. Does this belief help me feel the way I want to feel?

Healthy Thoughts and Beliefs
Obey at least 3 of the 5 rules. What is healthy thinking for me does not have to be healthy for another person. What is healthy for me today does not have to be healthy for me at other times. All the rules are equally important. Some rules may not be applicable in certain situations.

1. For each unhealthy belief from the left column, write down in the right column a new, healthy belief incompatible with the unhealthy belief.
2. Check each healthy belief to see if they all obey at least 3 of the 5 Rules for Healthy Thinking.
3. Stop and check how you feel.
4. Keep your list with you at all times. When you experience this emotional pain or this distressing feeling again, pull it out and read both sides of your list. You may need to pull it out multiple times every day.
5. In addition, several times a day practice imagery: relax yourself with calm breathing and imagine the healthier beliefs. Do this until you no longer feel the emotional pain that this belief work helped you to resolve. According to the standard learning theory, when you proceed as described, it typically takes 4 to 6 weeks for your new beliefs to become your new unconscious, automatic attitudes.
6. If you still experience emotional pain or some distressing feelings even when you pull out your list or try to imagine the healthier beliefs, that indicates that there are still some unhealthy beliefs present that cause the distress. Therefore, take a piece of paper and proceed again from step #1 of Belief Work. 
7. Bring your belief work to the next session and discuss it with your therapist. 
8. Remember, in order to feel better, it is necessary to think healthier. 
9. Remember: Healthy thinking is more than positive thinking

Healthy vs. Positive Thinking
The biggest difference between healthy thinking and positive thinking has to do with the factual aspects of the belief. For example:

Negative: I cannot get well.
Attachment: I have to get well.
Positive: I will get well.
Healthy: I can get well, no matter how sick I am.

Positive thinking is healthier than negative thinking. However, the problem with positive thinking is that it does not necessarily align itself with the facts of nature or with real life. In the Simonton program, we want to be in harmony with our nature, so developing beliefs that are in line with nature is important.

References:
Maultsby, M. C., Wirga, M., (1998) Behavior Therapy. In Encyclopedia of Mental Health, San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 221-234

Maultsby MC, Wirga M, (1998) Behavior Therapy. In: Friedman HS (ed) Encyclopedia of Mental Health. Academic Press. San Diego, pp. 221-234

Simonton, O. C., Henson, R., Hampton, B., (1992) The Healing Journey. New York, NY: Bantam Books, Inc.

Wirga M, DeBernardi M (2002) The ABCs of Cognition, Emotion, and Action. Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 4:5-16

Contact us today in Long Beach, California, to learn more about our programs for surviving cancer.