REACT 2.0

The REACT approach to responding to mental health challenges

Premises

1. when it comes to mental and emotional challenges, what leads to positive outcomes is thought that grounds us in reality, and an openness to dialogue.

2.  modern psychology underlying mainstream mental health education is flawed in that it promotes self-absorption and assumes too much can be actualized by self. It is unrealistic. It is antithetical to Catholic anthropology.  

3.  "Modern Psychology and Catholic Understanding" 

https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/modern-psychology-and-catholic-understanding-part-1.html

4.  Our capacity to be aware of emotions and understanding how emotions influence our thought and behavior is a key component of our mental health. The film Inside Out is helpful in naming emotions and promotion awareness of emotional responses. However, it promotes a view of emotions having agency and our challenges as resolving themselves through emotions without cognition or reasoning having a role. Inside Out presumes that the individual is led through life through emotion in the driver's seat, while the individual takes a back seat to emotion. This is false. We have a lot more agency than what Inside Out portrays, and we have the choice to respond to emotions with cognition and reasoning. 

5.  Cognition and reasoning grounds us in reality, and helps us navigate through challenging emotions and develop the humility needed for a healthy emotional response.          

6.  Cognition and reasoning leads to groundedness in reality. 

7.  Reality = Love (we are made to love God and love one another)


Approach

REACT is a mental exercise of cognition and reasoning (mindfulness) that grounds us in love and helps us develop the humility needed to have healthy responses to mental, emotional, and social challenges. Each letter of the REACT acronym is a verb that inspires thought that grounds us in reality amid any confusion or difficulty we may be experiencing.  

Respect:  Do I recognize that inherent in me is dignity/worth that is always with me, because I am made in the image of God. And do I recognize that others are equal to me in dignity/worth, because God created us all equal in dignity. And that dignity does not decrease. When we feel discouraged, we have a responsibility to recognize the truth that there is dignity in ourselves. And, we have a responsibility to recognize the dignity in others.    

Empathy:  Do I seek to share common ground with others and am I open to dialogue with them? Or do I separate myself from others and assume I know everything about them already? Do I jump to conclusions about other people? Do I jump to conclusions about myself? Or do I give myself the space to understand that there is more to myself than I currently know.    

Acceptance:  Do I accept that I am human therefore limited? Do I accept that other people have limitations? Do I accept authority? Do I accept that I need to ask others for help? 

Courage:  Do I have the courage to do the right thing? Do I know that courage comes from trusting in God?

Trust:  Do I trust that God has the best intentions for me and my life? Do I trust that there is more to me than I presently know? Do I trust that there is more to life than I presently know?


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