Working with Self-Esteem in Psychotherapy: Sentence Completion Program

by Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D. (NathanielBranden@compuserve.com)
Copyright (C) 1994, Nathaniel Branden, All Rights Reserved
The following thirty-week sentence completion program is designed to help you practice more consistently what Dr. Branden calls the six pillars of self-esteem. The six pillars are described briefly in Dr. Branden's article "Working with self-esteem in psychotherapy" and in detail in his book The Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Also available on line are instructions for sentence completion programs.

WEEK 1
  • If I bring more awareness to my life today---
  • If I take more responsibility for my choices and actions today---
  • If pay more attention to how I deal with people today---
  • If I boost my energy level by 5% today---

    • WEEK 2
  • If I bring 5% more awareness to my important relationships---
  • If I bring 5% more awareness to my insecurities---
  • If I bring 5% more awareness to my deepest needs and wants---
  • If I bring 5% more awareness to my emotions---

    • WEEK 3
  • If I treat listening as a creative act---
  • If I notice how people are affected by the quality of my listening---
  • If I bring more awareness to my dealings with people today---
  • If I commit to dealing with people fairly and benevolently---

    • WEEK 4
  • If I bring a higher level of self-esteem to my activities today---
  • If I bring a higher level of self-esteem to my dealings with people today---
  • If I am 5% more self-accepting today---
  • If I am self-accepting even when I make mistakes---
  • If I am self-accepting even when I feel confused and over-whelmed---

    • WEEK 5
  • If I am more accepting of my body---
  • If I deny and disown my body---
  • If I deny or disown my conflicts---
  • If I am more accepting of all the parts of me---

    • WEEK 6
  • If I wanted to raise my self-esteem today, I could---
  • If I am more accepting of my feelings---
  • If I deny and disown my feelings---
  • If I am more accepting of my thoughts---
  • If I deny and disown my thoughts---

    • WEEK 7
  • If I am more accepting of my fears---
  • If I deny and disown my fears---
  • If I were more accepting of my pain---
  • If I deny and disown my pain---

    • WEEK 8
  • If I am more accepting of my anger---
  • If I deny and disown my anger---
  • If I am more accepting of my sexuality---
  • If I deny and disown my sexuality---

    • WEEK 9
  • If I am more accepting excitement---
  • If I deny and disown my excitement---
  • If I am more accepting of my intelligence---
  • If I deny and disown my intelligence---

    • WEEK 10
  • Self-responsibility means---
  • If I take 5% more responsibility for my life and well-being---
  • If I avoid responsibility for my life and well-being---
  • If I take 5% more responsibility for the attainment of my goals---
  • If I avoid responsibility for the attainment of my goals---

    • WEEK 11
  • If I take 5% more responsibility for the success of my relationships---
  • Sometimes I keep myself passive when I---
  • Sometimes I make myself helpless when I---
  • I am becoming aware---

    • WEEK 12
  • If I take 5% more responsibility for my standard of living---
  • If I take 5% more responsibility for my choice of companions---
  • If I take 5% more responsibility for my personal happiness---
  • If I take 5% more responsibility for the level of my self-esteem---

    • WEEK 13
  • Self-assertiveness means---
  • If I lived 5% more assertively today---
  • If I treat my thoughts and feelings with respect today---
  • If I treat my wants with respect today---

    • WEEK 14
  • If, when I was young, someone had told me my wants really mattered---
  • If, when I was young, I had been taught to honor my own life---
  • If I treat my life as unimportant---
  • If I were willing to say yes when I want to say yes and no when I want to say no---
  • If I were willing to let people hear the music inside me---
  • If I were to express 5% more of who I am---

    • WEEK 15
  • Living purposefully to me means---
  • If I bring 5% more purposefulness into my life---
  • If I operate 5% more purposefully at work---
  • If I operate 5% more purposefully in my relationships---
  • If I operate 5% more purposefully in marriage---

    • WEEK 16
  • If I operate 5% more purposefully with my children---
  • If I were 5% more purposeful about my deepest yearnings---
  • If I take more responsibility for fulfilling my wants---
  • If I make my happiness a conscious goal---

    • WEEK 17
  • Integrity means---
  • If I look at instances in which I find full integrity difficult---
  • If I bring 5% more integrity into my life---
  • If I bring 5% more integrity to my work---

    • WEEK 18
  • If I bring 5% more integrity to my relationship---
  • If I remain loyal to the values I believe are right---
  • If I refuse to live by values I do not respect---
  • If I treat my self-respect as a high priority---

    • WEEK 19
  • If the child in me could speak, he/she would say---
  • If the teenager I once was still exists inside of me---
  • If my teenage self could speak, he/she would say---
  • At the thought of reaching back to help my child self---
  • At the thought of reaching back to help my teenage self---
  • If I could make friends with my younger selves---

    • WEEK 20
  • If my child self felt accepted by me---
  • If my teenage self felt I was on his/her side---
  • If my younger selves felt I had compassion for their struggles---
  • If I could hold my child self in my arms---
  • If I could hold my teenage self in my arms---
  • If I had the courage and compassion to embrace and love my younger selves---

    • WEEK 21
  • Sometimes my child self feels rejected by me when I---
  • Sometimes my teenage self feel rejected by me when I---
  • One of the things my child self needs from me and rarely gets---
  • One of the things my teenage self needs from me and has not received is---
  • One of the ways my child self gets back at me for rejecting him/her is---
  • One of the ways my teenage self gets back at me for rejecting him/her is---

    • WEEK 22
  • At the thought of giving my child self what he/she needs from me---
  • At the thought of giving my teenage self what he/she needs from me---
  • If my child self and I were to fall in love---
  • If my teenage self and I were to fall in love---

    • WEEK 23
  • If I accept that my child self may need time to learn to trust me---
  • If I accept that my teenage self may need time to learn to trust me---
  • As I come to understand that my child self and my teenage self are both part of me---
  • I am becoming aware---

    • WEEK 24
  • Sometimes when I am afraid, I---
  • Sometimes when I am hurt, I---
  • Sometimes when I am angry, I---
  • An effective way to handle fear might be to---
  • An effective way to handle hurt might be to---
  • An effective way to handle anger might be to---

    • WEEK 25
  • Sometimes when I am excited, I---
  • Sometimes when I am aroused sexually, I---
  • Sometimes when I experience strong feelings, I---
  • If I make friends with my excitement---
  • If I make friends with my sexuality---
  • As I grow more comfortable with the full range of my emotions---

    • WEEK 26
  • If I think about becoming better friends with my child self---
  • If I think about becoming better friends with my teenage self---
  • As my younger selves become more comfortable with me---
  • As I create a safe space for my child self---
  • As I create a safe space for my teenage self---

    • WEEK 27
  • Mother gave me a view of myself as---
  • Father gave me a view of myself as---
  • Mother speaks through my voice when I tell myself---
  • Father speaks through my voice when I tell myself---

    • WEEK 28
  • If I bring 5% more awareness to my relationship with my mother---
  • If I bring 5% more awareness to my relationship with my father---
  • If I look at my mother and father realistically---
  • If I reflect on the level of awareness I bring to my relationship with my mother---
  • If I reflect on the level of awareness I bring to my relationship with my father---

    • WEEK 29
  • At the thought of being free of Mother psychologically---
  • At the thought of being free of Father psychologically---
  • At the thought of belonging fully to myself---
  • If my life really does belong to me---
  • If I really am capable of independent survival---

    • WEEK 30
  • If I bring 5% more awareness to my life---
  • If I am 5% more self-accepting---
  • If I bring 5% more self-responsibility to my life---
  • If I operate 5% more self-assertively---
  • If I live my life 5% more purposefully---
  • If I bring 5% more integrity to my life---
  • If I breathe deeply and allow myself to experience what self-esteem feels like---
    • Return to the Objectivism home page.