Once identified, Thought Records (TRs) provide a practical way to capture unhelpful thinking for functional analysis and review (Beck, 2011). She doesn’t like me since she moved up in the world.įeelings/physical sensations: How do I feel? Are there any physical sensations? I said “hello” to an old friend, and she ignored me. It can be useful to check in and ask ourselves if our thoughts are positive and constructive or negative and damaging throughout the day.Ī simple example is given below (modified from Wilding, 2015): Process They profoundly affect how we feel, with thoughts such as “I can’t cope” or “I feel awful,” and how we behave by avoiding opportunities and situations. Such cognitive distortions are often automatic they pop into our heads, unannounced and unwanted, and linger.

You blame others for your thoughts and actionsĪs opposed to positive or even neutral thinking, such thought patterns lead us to interpret events negatively in the long term, they can lead to depression and anxiety.

You tend to personalize general comments.

You believe you know what others are thinking.

Negative thoughts can take many forms yet often arise from specific types of thinking, for example (Wilding, 2015):

Unhelpful ones can be reevaluated and replaced with thoughts that are rational and open minded. Negative (and illogical and incorrect) thinking is likely to stop us from reaching short-term and life goals.ĬBT does not suggest we try to block such thoughts, but rather identify them before considering their accuracy and effectiveness. While CBT can be understood by the untrained, complex and persistent problems typically require a professional’s support to make negative automatic thoughts visible and learn better ways of coping. This is essential as, according to the American Psychological Association (2017), CBT “emphasizes helping individuals learn to be their own therapists.” People also get the commonsense approach of CBT. The strength of CBT comes from it being both short term and solution focused. It offers a well-researched and widely validated tool for treating anxiety, stress, and many other mental health issues (Widnall, Price, Trompetter, & Dunn, 2019). Perceptions are often more crucial than actual events.ĬBT addresses our current irrational, illogical, and incorrect thinking. Instead, while acknowledging the importance of earlier experiences, CBT recognizes that our current thinking shapes how events are perceived (Wilding, 2015). Unlike some forms of psychoanalysis, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy does not focus on the past. What Is a Thought Record and Does It Work?

Thought Records for Anxiety and Depression.What Is a Thought Record and Does It Work?.

Cbt negative thoughts