I think the article is about the difficulty of learning self-love. Unless one sees it being done and "copies" it or experiences someone else loving us "for ourselves" (I habitually use to ask my husband why he likes/loves me) and "accept" that, which is pretty much what therapy was about for me, the whole "self-help"-by-positive-self-talk thing is just "talk" and has no true basis. If you don't believe what you say to yourself, then that can't work? However, if you are friends with yourself and decide to believe what you say to yourself and look for its truth, etc. then the positive self talk thing looks a bit ridiculous in the first place.