Academic Foundation
Fielding's doctoral training in the cognitive and affective bases of behavior covered the biological, psychological, and social factors underlying emotion, motivation, and thought processes. Course work included affective neuroscience, cognitive psychology, emotion regulation, and the integration of Western empirical psychology with Eastern contemplative practices.
The clinical application of these principles reveals that most psychological suffering stems not from circumstances themselves but from how we think about circumstances—and how our attention gets captured by particular patterns of thought about past, present, and future.
PSY706: Academic Papers & Presentations
Core Topics
The Cognitive Triad of Depression
Depression arises from the combination of an unacceptable situation, a sense of powerlessness to change it, and the fear that it may go on forever. Removing any of these elements relieves depression. This framework, demonstrated through in-session relief, shows how the relationship between situation and suffering is not as direct as presumed.
Anxiety as Attention Pattern
Your attention is the spotlight that creates your experience of life. When anxious, attention gets trapped in cycles of worry about the future. When depressed, it dwells obsessively on past regrets. The quality of your life corresponds directly to the quality of your attention—and attention can be trained.
Cognitive Reconditioning
Integrating behavioral principles with cognitive therapy creates a systematic approach to reconditioning problematic thought patterns. Depression and anxiety reflect conditioned beliefs that your situation is dangerous and hopeless. This insight itself provides immediate relief—and this insight needs to be reinforced.