Beck structured a method of breaking the vicious cycle of negative thoughts that lead people to depression by getting patients who suffer from depression to engage in an analysis of their negative thoughts and compare them to reality. This process changes the view that the depressed person takes regarding the situation and shows that things are rarely entirely negative or positive. In addition to cognitive–behavioral therapy, Beck also took interest in various other therapies such as dialectical behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. Cognitive–behavioral therapy is typically divided into two phases: the first involves identifying the irrational, negative thoughts behind a depressive episode and comparing them to reality; the second phase consists of modifying the way the person views situations through behavioral techniques.
Mind and brain
In many cultures around this world, there is the view that humans have a soul that exists independently of the physical body. For Greek philosophers, the soul was also viewed as the seat of our reasoning abilities - what we would call our minds today. While Aristotle...