Try noticing the next time you experience a sudden shift in how you are feeling or behaving. Automatic thoughts can even come as flashes of images that may be tricky to catch. If we refuse to acknowledge them or if we completely cave into them, we are relinquishing opportunities to learn about ourselves and how to better regulate our emotions. The first step to being in better control of our unpleasant emotions is to be able and willing to listen to our automatic thoughts. We usually have the sorts of automatic thoughts that are different from what we actually say to others. (6) Persistent themesĭepending on our individual circumstances and personality, we have different “themes” to our automatic thoughts. These are the automatic thoughts that lead us to seeing danger at every turn and predicting catastrophe. How often do you have these types of thoughts? (5) Tendency to “ awfulize“ We tend to believe these automatic thoughts frankly because they are so automatic – perhaps even unnoticed. It might even be an automatic thought composed of a brief phrase, such as “can’t stand it,” “stupid,” or “no good.” (2) Almost always believedĮven when they seem completely “illogical” we tend to really buy into their validity and power. If they happen so quickly and suddenly, how can we begin the process of discovering them and ultimately exerting control over them? Automatic thoughts tend to have the following characteristics: (1) Appearing in shorthand Characteristics of Automatic ThoughtsĪutomatic thoughts occur as fast as lightning, like a reflex that we have no control over. While we cannot control the behavior of other people and many external events around us, we can control our response to people and events – and even to our own internal self-talk. Most of us have experienced some kind of scary event that might seem similar to this. This is an example of a triggering event that is likely to cause an intense rapid movement between automatic thoughts, feelings, and physiological responses. This is scary.”Ĭ: Feelings: Heart starts pounding, beginning to feel hot, sweaty or lightheaded – experiencing feelings of anxiety.ī: Thought: “I’m really scared … I might even get mugged – this is bad.”Ĭ: Feelings: Stomach tenses up, difficulty breathing, sense of fear.ī: Thought: “I’m really freaking out … I’m losing control.”Ĭ: Feelings: Powerful adrenalin rush. ABC Model of Emotionsī: Thought: “This is terrible! I’m going to be late – plus, this is a dangerous street. Note the complex way in which a negative feedback loop occurs, moving us quite quickly between our automatic thoughts, feelings, and physiological sensations. Let’s explore a real-life example, adapted from the CBT workbook Thoughts & Feelings (McKay, Davis, & Fanning, 2007) of how we can use the ABC model of emotions to discover our automatic thoughts. In CBT, this is represented through the “ABC” model of emotions. For now, let’s focus on our thoughts.Įvents on their own do not have innate emotional content – it is our interpretation of events that causes our emotions. This concept also applies to changing feelings or changing behaviors to see results in the other aspects of our thinking-feeling-behaving triangle. The idea is that if we begin to change our thoughts, a change in our feelings and behaviors will follow. WellsĪ key piece of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy’s ( CBT) foundation rests upon the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are intertwined in a complex dance. “The forceps of our minds are clumsy things and crush the truth a little in the course of taking hold of it.” – H.G.
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