Changing Beliefs with Cognitive Restructuring
Portrait of Eduard Kosmack by Egon Schiele
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a popular form of therapy which focuses on the ways in which our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected. Cognitive Restructuring is a flexible, CBT related tool which has been found to be useful by many individuals and CBT professionals. This tool is used to identify and change or reframe the thoughts which are contributing to emotional or behavioral issues.
In order to practice Cognitive Restructuring, the first step is to become aware of any cognitive distortions you might be experiencing. Cognitive distortions are beliefs or thoughts that we are having which are not based in reality. Instead they are based in our internal, emotional world. Here is a helpful list of possible cognitive distortions. Understanding what cognitive distortions are intellectually and seeing them in others is much easier than identifying them in ourselves as they arise. To become more aware of them as they come up, take note of intense negative emotions or behaviors which are problematic, and then ask “Why?”. Looking just below the surface of these intense negative emotions or behaviors or at the very least mindfully focusing on the emotion or behavior itself instead of being lost in it, can bring the awareness needed to find whatever cognitive distortions are there.
After the possible cognitive distortions or beliefs are identified, the next step is to test and reframe them. There are many techniques for this, but two of these would be: Socratic questioning and conducting an experiment. Socratic questioning is essentially just the act of asking for more details about a thought. Rather than taking it for face value and simply accepting it which is often people’s default mode, taking time to really dig deeper into the belief will help reveal whether it is really true, partially true, a false extrapolation of a true idea, or maybe just outright false. Even just finding that the idea may or may not be true can be helpful.
Some examples of Socratic questioning would be:
- Is that really true?
- Is there any evidence for or against this?
- Is it possible that there is another way to look at this?
- Am I having this thought out of habit?
Once a belief or possible cognitive distortion has been identified, in addition to Socratic questioning, conducting an experiment can help reveal whether this belief is true or not. Just like a scientist would test a theory, a thought can also be tested in different ways. Scheduling an experiment within the next week can be especially helpful for those who might put it off. After the experiment, the belief can be re-evaluated and possibly tested more in different scenarios. Beliefs take time to form and can take time to change, but they can be changed.
References
Tags: mindfulness