"The Power of Cognitive Reframing: How Flexibility Drives Common Sense and Success"

There is nothing more frustrating then when one bad thing happens in the day, that one things turns an activating situation to a bad day. External situations are consistently activating strong emotions which hinder how productive one can be throughout the day. The PQ program works by rewiring your brain through grounding techniques and combating the negative thoughts through the skill of reframing a situation. There is a story that can be used to help take perspective which then allows one to think about the activating situation in a new light as a gift or opportunity or through acceptance of a situation and letting go of the aspects that are not within ones control.

The story goes, there was a captain on a large cargo ship was making their way to a port on a foggy evening when they saw what was thought to be a small vessel light in the distance. The sailor radioed to the small vessel that, this is captain and I have important cargo to drop off, change course 20 degrees south. The small vessel replied back, no, you move 20 degrees north. The captain radioed back and said, I am of higher status you need to move 20 degrees south. The small vessel still replied no, the captain rather frustrated by this time then said "I am captain and in higher ranking again you need to move 20 degrees south". the small vessel then said "I am a light house" and the captain changed course.

This story has a moral that flexibility is key to common sense and success. Use the story to discuss changing paradigms, seeing other people's point of view, and the need for flexibility. What represents the lighthouse and the battle ship in your life or at work? What cannot be moved? what could be moved? How could you see a certain situation from a different perspective? In what situation are you or someone you know steering blindly? What represents the fog for you? How could you lift this fog?