Thought Spots™ was designed to support years of research and good thinking by some extraordinary people.  Here are some of the concepts that went into creating our meaningful, effective life tools:

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Reflective Practice is an invitation to think deeply about our actions so that we may act with greater insight and effectiveness in the future.  This concept was introduced in 1983 by Donald Schön in the healthcare field.  Even though reflection occurs naturally in people, by structuring it you can call attention to this natural process and stimulate new thoughts with questions you may not have considered previously.  Many Thought Packs and Big Thoughts include statements, questions or unfinished thoughts in order to stimulate a personal reflective practice.

BRAIN SCIENCE

Current research supports the notion that when you think, your brain releases chemicals and an electrical transmission moves across your brain – so thoughts indeed, are very real!  More importantly, they affect how you feel and how you act, regardless of your age.  Psychologists remind us that we all experience negative thoughts from time to time, which are often repetitive and seemingly involuntary.  These thoughts can have an equally negative impact on the physical health of the body.  It is suggested by many leading physicians and psychologists that when we counteract negative thoughts with positive, uplifting messages we in turn strengthen the body and feel more content.  The underlying theme of all Thought Spots is an attitude of positivity to encourage a flow of thoughts that can serve us and help us live happily.

STAGES OF CHANGE APPROACH/TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL

The premise of this scientifically based model is that there is a natural progression of stages that human beings experience as they navigate change.  They are known as pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Knowing what stage an individual is in can help us better understand the motivation for their behavioral or thought based change and their willingness to see the change through.  This model can help people to understand how to be successful in their change efforts.  Some Thought Packs, like Motivation! for example, acknowledge these stages in the message order and content.