The Power of Practice: Why Changing Your Thinking Requires Deliberate Repetition
- Galen Cole
- Jul 9
- 4 min read
If there ever was a debate, it’s over: to think differently—and do so automatically—you must practice thinking differently. As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”
From childhood, patterns of negative rumination, regret, or constant “what if” worrying wire the brain toward sadness, pessimism, and anxiety. No amount of medication alone rewires these neural pathways the way consistent, deliberate practice does. True healing demands active change.
Shifting the Stories We Tell Ourselves
People stuck in the past often ruminate with “Why did that happen to me?” Healthier minds ask, “What did I learn from that?” Those trapped in future-oriented anxiety shift “What if everything goes wrong?” to proactive preparation: “How can I prepare for what might happen?”
Mentally healthy individuals learn from the past, prepare for the future, and live fully in the present. This isn’t easy—it requires discipline and repetition.
Early in my career, influenced by certain graduate training, I would empathetically listen to clients’ regret-filled or worry-laden stories session after session. Then it hit me: I was helping them practice being sad or anxious. By repeatedly rehearsing the old narratives, we reinforced the very patterns keeping them stuck.
I soon realized that recovery for depressed or anxious clients requires creating a new story—one aligned with their goals—and practicing it until it becomes automatic. The same applies to anxiety: replace catastrophic scripts with calming, realistic ones through repeated rehearsal.
This insight transformed my approach. Before diving in, I invoke a principle attributed to Hippocrates: “Before you attempt to heal an individual or their relationship, remember to ask them if they are willing to give up the things that are making them sick.”
The Fundamental Equation of Emotional Health
When we think in healthy ways, we create healthy emotions. When we think in unhealthy ways, we create debilitating emotions like depression, anxiety, rage, shyness, shame, and guilt.
In therapy, we follow a clear structure:
Identify your vision and goals for the life you want.
I listen to the old upsetting stories once (to understand, not rehearse).
We co-create new, empowering stories that support your goals.
We build a personalized practice plan, documented in The Routine Practice Planner (available here).
And then, because change is not easy, you are forced to choose one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. This is because:
To lose weight, you must discipline yourself to expend more calories than you consume.
To get stronger, you discipline yourself to exercise your muscles.
To stay financially solvent, you discipline spending.
To have energy, you maintain healthy sleep.
To succeed in school or work, you show up and do the work.
To build good relationships, you practice social skills.
To achieve emotional health and strength, you must discipline yourself to think healthy thoughts.
The Growth Mindset: Practice Turns Potential into Reality
Carol S. Dweck’s groundbreaking work on mindset powerfully supports this. In her book Mindset, she writes: “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.” And: “In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening… The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset.”
This aligns perfectly with evidence-based psychotherapy. It’s not about endlessly retelling the same painful story. It’s about creating a compelling vision of how you want to feel and practicing the thoughts and behaviors that get you there.
Prominent psychotherapists echo this emphasis on practice. Aaron T. Beck, the founder of Cognitive Therapy, stressed collaborative empiricism—testing and rehearsing new thought patterns through structured homework and repetition. Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), highlighted how we reinforce irrational beliefs through autosuggestion and self-repetition; change requires vigorous, repeated disputation and replacement with rational alternatives.
What the Research Says
Recent studies strongly affirm that practice—specifically cognitive restructuring and repeated rehearsal—is essential for lasting change:
A 2023 meta-analytic review found a moderate positive relationship between cognitive restructuring used in therapy and better psychotherapy outcomes across conditions.
CBT protocols emphasizing cognitive restructuring and behavioral experiments effectively reduce symptoms in anxiety and depression by promoting adaptive thinking through repetition and testing.
Stanford Medicine research (2024) showed that cognitive behavioral therapy focused on problem-solving leads to measurable brain circuitry changes after just two months, predicting sustained benefits.
Multiple meta-analyses confirm CBT’s efficacy for depression, anxiety, and related disorders, with practice-based components like homework driving both short- and long-term gains.
In short, evidence-based approaches like Trauma-Informed Mindful CBT (TI-MCBT) succeed because they combine insight with disciplined practice.
A Light-Hearted (and Relatable) Closer
Speaking of practice, here’s a funny story that captures the struggle. A woman decided she was finally going to get in shape. She bought a treadmill, set it up in her living room, and proudly told her friends, “This time I’m committed!” A week later, her friend asked how it was going. “Great!” she replied. “I’ve already lost 10 pounds… I just can’t find the treadmill anymore under all the laundry!”
We all have that “treadmill under the laundry” moment. The old habits pile up until we decide—really decide—to clear the clutter and practice the new routine. Change isn’t glamorous, but with consistent practice, it becomes automatic… and life-changing.
What old story are you ready to retire? What new one will you practice starting today? Your future self is waiting for the disciplined repetitions that will set you free.
Dr. Galen E. Cole, PhD, MPH, LPC – Integrating evidence-based practice with mindful, trauma-informed care for lasting transformation.
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