{"id":80003,"date":"2020-04-20T19:10:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T03:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=80003"},"modified":"2020-04-20T19:15:01","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T03:15:01","slug":"the-tea-of-the-self-help-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/the-tea-of-the-self-help-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tea of the Self-Help World"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

The biggest problem with the self-help\nindustry are the very people who keep it in business, as well as the\nconsumers. We, the consumers, are on this hamster wheel of wanting to\nimprove ourselves while never letting anything we previously consumed and\nlearned really settle in and become second nature. Another consumer problem is\nthat we quit when we don’t get immediate results. Since much of self-help is\nfaddy and trendy, the consumer takes on the same characteristics. The last\nconsumer problem is we approach the self-help market thinking there is\nsomething wrong with us and this book\/course\/product will fix us. I say all of\nthis as a consumer of self-help and a doctorate-level mental health\nprofessional with almost 25 years of direct patient care. Yes, I too have\nfallen prey to big self-help personalities. Without ripping any one of them to\nshreds (as much as I would like to, they have better legal representation than\nI do), let me talk in generalities and give you the real tea on the self-help\nmarket\/racket. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost none of the current stuff out in today’s\nself-help market is original material. Since many of the traditional philosophies are\nnow public domain, anyone can grab them, create their own interpretation, and\nfeed it to the masses as something new and innovative. They present it as the\nnewest thing that will set you on the path of being the best version of\nyourself you have always wanted to be, yet they literally steal from A\nCourse In Miracles<\/em> or Buddhism or plain old psychology. It’s manipulative\nand deceitful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These self-help styles focuses on lack and\ndoesn’t empower the consumer. My favorite kind of charlatans are the ones who\ntake the philosophies of Esther Hicks, who made The Law of Attraction\ninternational, the \u201claw\u201d that makes people believe they are magicians or\nsomething. (Not Ms. Hicks, though. She appears quite genuine.) If you feel you need\nto attract something, that means you perceive you lack something. I wish more self-help people would start\nby telling their consumers that they already have everything they need and how\nto access it, instead of trying to create their own covens\/cults.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of covens and cults, these\n“leaders” really beat their consumers down with their “new and\ninnovative” philosophies, basically creating a hive mind. Their followers\nwill either quote the person incessantly or they will start to speak like them.\nOne popular former NYT bestseller has all their followers doing Kundalini yoga\nand drinking celery juice. They go so far as to tell their followers to go out\nand use the technology they just learned to coach others. Some of these people\n(including the leader) are not fit to coach my ex-boyfriend, let alone human\nbeings. Yet because this person said so, it must be true, so we have 1.5\nmillion so-called coaches with weekend trainings trying to be mental health\nprofessionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-help has become weaponized to create income\nfor the “leader.” I have been an eyewitness to these\n“leaders” guilting their consumers into spending more and more money\non fundamentally faulty courses and shame them when they say no. One Facebook\nlife coach told a friend of mine, “Well, there’s something you are not\nwilling to look at if you are not signing up for this course. You could get a\nsecond mortgage on your home.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, the “leader” presents their\n“new and innovative” ideas with only anecdotal history and\/or\npersonal experience, and they never back them up with hard data. Sure, it’s\ngreat that something worked for you or Aunt Helga, but this does not make it a\nuniversal success. No research has been done to back their claims. One could\nargue that 12-step programs function the same way, but there is a solid\nstructure built into the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions that has allowed for its\nexistence for over 50 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\nthe consumers of self-help: it\u2019s good to seek help, but ask yourself why you\nfeel you need help and to be discerning about from whom you get that help. This\na very mindful and intentional mindset that will contribute to greater and more\nauthentic results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brooklyn-based psychologist\u00a0Dr. Tony\u00a0Ortega<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>combines cognitive behavioral techniques along with active coaching and metaphysical principles in his work with his clients. Additionally, he provides spiritual life coaching for individuals seeking a different way to live.. He works with his clients within these three principles: Rewrite Your Story, Find Your Voice, and Live Authentically. He’s the author of\u00a0#AreYouHereYet: How to STFU and Show Up for Yourself<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and dating guide\u00a0#IsHeHereYet: Being the Person You Want to Be With<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The biggest problem with the self-help industry are the very people who keep it in business, as well as the consumers. We, the consumers, are on this hamster wheel of wanting to improve ourselves while never letting anything we previously consumed and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":80004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[5,7748,31],"tags":[6974,492,4994],"yoast_head":"\nThe Tea of the Self-Help World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The biggest problem with the self-help industry are the very people who keep it in business, as well as the consumers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/the-tea-of-the-self-help-world\/\" \/>\n<meta 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