Life Lesson 9: How do I overcome adversity? Use the ABCDE Strategy to build resilience.

© Paul T. P. Wong

Part A: A tragic but positive sense of life

Part A: Your attitude determines the outcome.

Part A: Look at everything with a meaning-mindset

Part B: The ABCDE Strategy

• This lesson focuses on the practices and skills of meaning-centered interventions• It will compare cognitive-oriented

Rational-Emotive-Behavioral therapy with existential-oriented meaning therapy

Meaning-Centered Approach to coping with tragedy & trauma

• The cognitive-based ABCDE strategy is primarily concerned with dysfunctional beliefs & thoughts

• The meaning-centered ABCDE strategy is primarily concerned with existential crisis and the reality of pain and suffering.

• Meaning Therapy focuses on both cognitive meaning & existential meaning

Suffering triggers the quest for meaning

The cognitively-based ABCDE strategy

• Albert Ellis’s Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) focuses on irrational thinking & cognitive meaning.

• REBT is the most influential form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• ABCDE is designed to dispute a dysfunctional belief and replace it with a more effective and rational belief

Albert Ellis’s Rational-Emotive-Behavior Therapy

Examples of irrational beliefs according to Albert Ellis: Catastrophing, Musturbating, Awfullizing…

The Meaning-CenteredABCDE Intervention

• Accept and confront reality – the reality principle

• Believe that life is worth living – the faith principle

• Commit to goals and actions – the action principle

• Discover the meaning and significance of self and situations – the Aha! Principle

• Evaluate the above – the self-regulation principle

AAccept the

reality BBelieve in

possibilities

CCommit to achievable

goals (PURE)

DDiscover

new resources &

solutions

EEvaluate

& enjoy the progress

From real problem to personal growth…

© Paul T. P. Wong

Lesson 1: The power of acceptance

To fully understand and utilize the power of acceptance is to be free from all worries and anxieties.

Denial is an obstacle to positive change

Self-deception can be harmful

One big challenge is to accept yourself

Another challenge is to let go

Practicing acceptance without judging leads to inner peace &

interpersonal harmony.

A Fundamental Dilemma: Acceptance or Change

Lesson 2: The power of belief

Faith helps re-author our life story

Lesson 3: Commitment is the key to success

Commitment entails action, engagement, & persistence.

Commitment = passion + action + persistence

Commitment involves goal setting

No matter how restrictive and oppressive the

circumstances, you can still set some realistic

goals. You need to goal-setting each day in order

to keep hope alive and maintain your sanity.

Commitment till completionMoving forward and carrying out one’s responsibility with determination.

•Doing what needs to be done regardless of feelings or circumstances.

•Enduring hardship and pain for the cause.

•Avoiding errors and temptations.

•Practicing the PURE principle.

•Pursuing your mission with a clear sense of purpose

Commitment also includes a higher purpose & larger vision

Pursue a PURPOSE or

goalSeek to

UNDERSTAND the self & situation

Take RESPONSIBILITY

ENJOY the process and the

journey

A Meaningful

&

Fulfilling Life

PURE:The Four Treasures of Life

© Paul T. P. Wong

It takes commitment and courage to overcome obstacles and reach

the mountain top.

Lesson 4: The Journey of Discovery

The joy of self-discovery

Learning something new about the self and life.

•Digging deeper, exploring further, and searching higher.

•Discovering one’s hidden talents and strength.

•Discovering the power of faith and spiritual resources.

•Grasping the complexities of life and people.

Lesson 5: Enjoyment or Evaluation

Savoring small successes and re-assessing one’s progress.

•Feeling relief that the worse is over.

•Monitoring progress.

•Savoring the moments of small success.

•Reflecting and reviewing one’s life.

•Receiving feedback from others.

•Conducting assessments and making adjustments.

Conclusions

The capacity for meaning-making can transform everything from negative to positive

Growing stronger through struggle

Adversity provides a better foundation for life than prosperity

Questions & Exercises for Lesson 9:

1. What is the main difference between Ellis's REBT and Wong's Meaning Therapy?

2. Can you think of a personal problem for which Meaning Therapy may be more helpful to you than REBT?

3. Can you think of a personal experience in which acceptance enabled you to move forward?

4. What sorts of beliefs enable you to maintain your hope in desperate situations?

Questions & Exercises for Lesson 9:

5. What is your most immediate goal? Is it related to your larger or higher life purpose?

6. Can you think of a situation in which you discovered something new about yourself through a painful experience?

7. Try to apply the Meaning Centred ABCDE model to a personal predicament.