Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Thinking Errors Part III[1]

 

As we mentioned in the previous two episodes, thinking errors are the thought patterns that we have that are not healthy and do not serve us.  And there are 12 thinking errors.  In the last two episodes, we were able to go over 8 thinking errors.  We will now talk about the last four thinking errors.

 

Mental Filtering:  Keep an open mind; mental filtering is a bias in a way you process information, in which you acknowledge only information that fits with a belief you hold.  Strategies for this type of thinking errors are:

• Examine your filters closely;
• Gather evidence.

 

If you only ever take in information that fits with your negative thinking, you can very easily end up reinforcing undesirable thinking habits.  The fact that you don't see the positive stuff about yourself, or your experiences, doesn't mean it isn't there.

 

One example would be is if you only concentrate on the negative stuff about yourself.  If you are stuck in this way of thinking, you will never see or recognize the good qualities that you have.

 

Disqualifying the Positive:  Disqualifying the positive is a mental response to a positive event that transforms it into a neutral or negative event.  Two ways to combat this type of thinking are:

• Become aware of your response to positive data;
• Practicing accepting a compliment graciously with a simple thank you.

 

When others point out attributes you have, start deliberately making a note of those good points.

 

If you frequently disqualify or distort your positive attributes or experiences you can easily sustain a negative belief, even in the fact of overwhelming positive evidence.

 

Low Frustration Tolerance: Realize you can bear the "unbearable."  The best way to overcome low frustration tolerance is to foster an alternative attitude of high frustration tolerance.  You can achieve this by:

• Pushing yourself to do things that are uncomfortable or unpleasant;
• Giving yourself messages that emphasize your ability to withstand pain.

 

Telling yourself you can't stand something has two effects.  First, it leads you to focus more on the discomfort you're experiencing.  Second, it leads you to underestimate your ability to cope with discomfort.  Many things can be difficult to tolerate, but rating them as "intolderable" often makes situations seem more daunting than they really are.

 

Personalizing:  Remove yourself from the center of the universe.  Personalizing involves interpreting events as being related to you personally and overlooking other factors.  This can lead to emotional difficulties, such as feeling hurt easily or feeling unnecessarily guilty.

 

You can tackle personalizing by considering alternative explanations that don't revolve around you:

• Imagine what else may contribute to the outcome you're assuming personal responsibility for;
• Consider why people may be responding to you in a certain way.

 

Look for reasons that have little or nothing to do with you.

[1] Personal Development All-In-One for Dummies