Center for Courageous Living

I don’t know if it’s simply an American cultural phenomenon, or if our foray into the digital age has made a universal enemy of human emotions, but something in what Dr. Ron Frederick told me certainly resonates. He believes that many of us have been conditioned to shy away from our emotions—to make them our adversary, trusting only logic.

Anger, fear, and even love are dragged through the mud. After all, which of us haven’t thought ourselves to be utter fools for experiencing any or all of them? However, we are creatures of emotion, and when we make them our most hated foe, the war we wage is fought within our own minds, to the detriment of our own happiness.

Those who have internalized that struggle may feel lost, depressed, or simply stuck. And the few who seek out therapy may receive an endless dissection of their childhood, which may be very informative, but not solve the current problem.

At the Center for Courageous Living, Frederick’s approach is very different, in that it is centered on one’s here and now experience.

Frederick explains, “We help people first recognize what they’re feeling, and be able to put a name to it, and then we work with them to more fully and comfortably experience that emotion, so they can use it to their advantage.”

Furthermore, Frederick’s theory about human emotions not only removes them from our list of enemies, but also makes them our strongest ally.

As Frederick adds, “Becasue of the way our brain is wired, emotions can be much more powerful than our thinking. For example, we can be afraid of things that we know in our mind there is no reason to be afraid of. So, we need to know how to work with our emotions, rather than against them.”

Frederick finds this approach far more effective and much faster than the traditional “talk therapy” model of psychotherapy.

Frederick and Dr. Tim Beyer, who are both Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers, see clients at their office, 3100 West Lake Street, Minneapolis.

However, if individual therapy is not an option for you, or if you’d like to try out Frederick’s techniques on your own, his new book, Living Like you Mean it: Use the wisdom and power of your emotions to get the life you really want, makes aspects of his work accessible. More information about the book can be found at www.livinglikeyoumeanit.com.

Name of Company: Center for Courageous Living
Year Founded: 2007
Cofounders: Ron Frederick, Tim Beyer
Number of Employees: 0
Address: 3100 W. Lake St., MPLS.
Phone: (612) 926-8149
Web Site: www.cfcliving.com