A Warm Welcome

HELLO, I AM Dr. Dale Anderson

I was born and raised in North St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up, I felt very blessed to have a dad who cared deeply about people. His desire to be helpful to other people went beyond personal relationships: he was a psychiatrist.

My dad found psychiatry when he was in his mid-30s and working as a hospital microbiologist in St. Louis. He was inspired to go to medical school when he saw people in a public hospital who were suffering terribly, but who quickly started to feel better after talking with a psychiatrist. He felt called to bring that same relief to others.

18 years later, my dad’s example inspired me to do the same. I trained at Washington University, where they emphasized using medication as psychiatric treatment. At the same time, I met a psychiatrist there, named George Murphy, M.D.,who is internationally known for his research in suicide. He was there completing a study using words and ideas to help people feel better. It was called “cognitive therapy.”

Dr. Murphy’s study confirmed Dr. Aaron Beck’s pioneering research, which showed that cognitive therapy was just as effective in relieving depression as antidepressant medication. Since then, more than thirty studies have confirmed those results and in a few, cognitive therapy outperformed antidepressants.

Numerous medical studies have also demonstrated cognitive therapy’s effectiveness in relieving anxiety disorders, and after seeing it relieve depression so much faster than antidepressants, I’ve used it in my own practice ever since. I’ve seen it help people feel better when every antidepressant and mood stabilizer had failed.

In fact, life came around full circle. Years after my dad’s mission spurred me to follow him and learn about cognitive therapy, my dad had a severe heart attack that caused him to suffer with anxiety and depression. Thanks to my dad’s example and Dr. Murphy’s teaching, I was able to use the healing power of cognitive therapy to melt away his anxiety and bring a smile of hope and relief to his face.

Since those early days I’ve seen thousands of people, including a member of my own family, experience renewed hope, calmness, and strength by learning how to use the simple techniques that help them harness the healing power of their own minds. That’s why I continue to practice and encourage my patients to practice those same powerful techniques, whenever possible.

I believe that much more can be done to help many more people than I can help one-to-one, through technology. That’s why I’m developing CoPow, which is short for “cognitive power”, or the power our minds have to produce healthier emotions. I’m very hopeful that this program will make it possible for millions of people to experience the same benefits I’ve seen with so many of my patients as well as my family. For this reason, I’m thankful for the support of my colleagues and friends who see the positive change CoPow can make in the world.

Dale J. Anderson, M.D.