How to Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Toxic Thoughts
Many people with mood disorders struggle to change toxic thinking patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective method to help with that. During a session with your therapist, you acknowledge your thoughts, feelings, and responses to distressing situations. Your therapist listens to you and helps you identify toxic thoughts, or thought distortions.
As an example, a toxic thought might be “I am so stupid because I didn’t pass the test.” To help you reframe (or change) this thought, your therapist will have you answer the following questions.
- Does your test grade define your intelligence?
- Have you passed other tests?
- What activities have you done well?
- What positive things have other people said about you?
- If a friend did not pass a test, would you call them stupid? If not, what would you tell them?
These are just a few questions your therapist would ask. It would be really nice if the first question evoked an easy “No.” Then you would automatically say that you’re smart. But with thought distortions, the mind wants to negate the positive. Working through your thoughts and reframing them can take a lot of work. This conversation between a client (Allie) and her therapist (Matt)…
