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DAVID BURNS’ UNTWISTING THE TEN
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONSDr. Ruth Benjamin
Clinical Psychologist
WE BECOME TRAPPED BY OUR OWN DISTORTIONS
IDENTIFY THE DISTORTION
• WRITE DOWN YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, LOOK AT THE LIST OF THE TEN COGNATIVE DISTORTIONS AND SEE IF YOUR THOUGHTS FIT INTO ONE OR MORE OF THE CATEGORIES
EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE
• IF YOU FEEL YOU’VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING RIGHT, MAKE A LIST – AND BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF, OF ALL THE THINGS YOU HAVE REALLY DONE SUCCESSFULLY
WATCH OUT FOR A DOUBLE STANDARD
• INSTEAD OF BEING HARSH WITH YOURSELF, YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOURSELF AND ABOUT YOURSELF IN THE SAME COMPASSIONATE WAY AS YOU WOULD TO A FRIEND
USE THE EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE
• TEST THE VALIDITY OF YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHT. LET’S SAY YOU HAVE A FEAR OF BEING HURT IN AN ELEVATOR, . GO INTO AN ELEVATOR AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. HOLD YOUR BREATH, JUMP UP AND DOWN, AND YOU’LL SEE THAT NO HARM WILL COME TO YOU.
THINK IN SHADES OF GREY
• EVALUATE THINGS ON A SCALE OF O – 1OO. DON’T VIEW PROBLEMS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN EXTREME TERMS.
EMPLOY THE SURVEY METHOD
• ASK PEOPLE QUESTIONS TO SEE IF YOUR THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES ARE REALISTIC. “IS EVERYONE NERVOUS BEFORE PUBLIC SPEAKING OR IS IT ONLY ME?”
DEFINE YOUR TERMS
• WHEN YOU LABEL YOURSELF A LOSER YOU CAN ASK YOURSELF “WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A LOSER?” YOU MAY SEE THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING.
USE THE SEMANTIC METHOD
• SUBSTITUTE MILDER AND MORE REALISTIC TERMS FOR YOUR EMOTIONALLY COLOURED LANGUAGE.
PRACTICE REATTRIBRUTION
• INSTEAD OF AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMING YOU’RE AT FAULT AND BLAMING YOURSELF FOR A CERTAIN PROBLEM, SEE WHAT ELSE CONTRIBUTED TO CREATING THAT PROBLEM AND THEN DIRECT YOUR ENERGY INTO SOLVING IT. THERE IS NO POINT IN BLAMING YOURSELF AND FEELING GUILTY.
DO A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
• LIST THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF A FEELING (SUCH AS GETTING ANGRY WHEN YOUR PLANE IS LATE)
• OR A BEHAVIOR PATTERN (SUCH AS OVEREATING WHEN YOU ARE FEELING DEPRESSED)
• OR A NEGATIVE THOUGHT (SUCH AS NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY I ALWAYS MAKE A MESS OF THINGS’ )
BY USING BURN’S TECHNIQUES
• AS TO HOW TO UNTWIST OUR THINKING WE CAN BE MASTERS OF OUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS INSTEAD OF OUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS BEING MASTERS OVER US.