Cognitive Restructuring (Reframing)
- Nov 24, 2020
- 2 min read
Posted By: Katherine Roberson
Imagine it is your birthday and you are waiting on a specific friend to post something for your birthday. You think to yourself about how you made a post for their birthday. The day comes to an end but you still don't see anything. It hurts your feelings and has put a damper on your birthday. Instead of taking this personally, what if you think to yourself "Maybe something came up, they are very busy" and not let it get to you. Thought are very strong and they dictate our whole life. If you think positively about something, you will feel positive about it and vise versa.
Cognitive restructuring is a therapeutic process of identifying and challenging negative and irrational thoughts. These thoughts are called cognitive distortions This technique refers to the process of challenging thoughts, it is not a single technique. It is a large part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which was pioneered by Dr. Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s. In the years since its introduction, CBT has been studied and demonstrated to be effective in treating a wide variety of disorders. More than 1,000 studies have demonstrated its efficacy for psychiatric disorders, psychological problems and medical problems with a psychiatric component
The process starts with the identification of irrational negative thoughts.
Step 1: Psychoeducation- understanding what exactly these cognitive distortions are and how powerful they are in influencing your mood
Step 2: Increase Awareness of Thoughts- identifying the cognitive distortions
Step 3: Thought Records- a tool for recording experiences, along with the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that accompany them
Cognitive Restructuring Techniques
Socratic Questioning- Ex. "Is this thought realistic", "Am I basing my thought on facts or feelings"
Decatastrophizing- With the decatastrophizing technique, we ask very simple questions: “What if?” or “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Putting Thoughts on Trial- In this exercise, you will act as a defense attorney, a prosecutor, and a judge. As your self a question, play both defense attorney and prosecutor and come up with a verdict. Facts only!
Watch the video below to get started with tackling your cognitive distortions!
Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. (2020, October 6). History of Cognitive Behavior Therapy - CBT | Beck Institute. https://beckinstitute.org/about-beck/history-of-cognitive-therapy/
Therapist Aid. (2017, February 26). Cognitive Restructuring. https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-guide/cognitive-restructuring
Comments