Psychobabble

MYTH 15

You are a master of the universe!

The alleged power of mind over matter is a common enough theme in the self-help genre. In its ‘weak’ form it appears as techniques like positive thinking, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and the use of confidence-building affirmations. All of the above are premised on the understanding that mental shifts translate into effects in the real world, but they are always mediated through changes in your behaviour: in other words shifts in attitude alter what you do and how you respond and it is your actions that ultimately change your life for the better. Nothing too fancy or esoteric going on here, folks: just plain old common-sense pathways of cause and effect that sit reasonably comfortably within our ...