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.