8/10/2019 Info-Changing Your Thinking

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changing your

Detective work and disputation is about trying to beobjective about our thoughts. It is about analysing them,

assessing, and evaluating them to see if they are indeedvalid and true, as opposed to accepting these thoughtsand believing them without question.

The End Result

Weve spent some time examining the link between thinkingand feelings, and discussed how to identify your unhelpfulthoughts and thinking styles. Weve also talked aboutlooking for evidence that might prove or disprove yourunhelpful beliefs as well as considering other alternativeways of viewing the situation. Now lets look at how youcan change the way you are thinking in order to improve

how you are feeling.

By this time, you would have learned how to describe anActivating Event, identify your automatic and unhelpfulBeliefs and thoughts (including the Hot Thought) that havecontributed to your experiencing distressing emotions(Consequences), and recognise a few unhelpful thinkingstyles you might have used. You would have also used theDetective Work and Disputation section to challenge yourhot thought. Now, take a good look at the evidence youhave listed and the answers to the other challengingquestions. Is there enough evidence to believe that yourhot thought is true all of the time? Are there otheralternative explanations?

At this point, ask yourself, How can I revise my hotthought to take into account all the evidence I have listed?Then, write out an alternative explanation. This becomesyour new, balanced thought. A balanced and helpful thoughtor belief is one that takes into consideration all theevidence, objective information, and alternative viewpoints.This is the fifth step of the ABC analysis the End Result,where you replace your original, unhelpful thought with thisnew, balanced, and helpful belief.

After you have written down your new, balanced thought orbelief, ask yourself, How do I feel now? Look at the mostintense emotion you identified in section C, and re-ratehow intense that emotion feels for you now. Often, youwill find that it is not as extreme and distressing.

Finally, read through the Detective Work and Disputationsection again, and re-rate how much you believe the hotthought now.

This final step of replacing your unhelpful (hot) thoughtswith balanced thoughts is very important. Challenging yourbeliefs and evidence testing is the processof change, but thefinal step is where you MAKE the change. Youll probablyfind that this process becomes easier after some practice.So keep it up. Keep practising and remember that you can

be your own expert at managing your moods!

In the handout Thinking & Feeling, we established that itis our thoughts that influence our feelings, emotions, and

behaviours the thoughts and feelings connection. Wealso discussed and identified some unhelpful thinkingpatterns and styles that we frequently use. Often, adepressed person will think negative thoughts that arecharacterised by these unhelpful thinking patterns, whichlead them to feel depressed, miserable, and distressed.This, in turn, maintains and perpetuates the depression.

The key to changing the way we feel is found inchallenging and changing our unhelpful thoughts andbeliefs. This begins with you taking a good hard look atthem. Imagine that you are a detective and a lawyer, andyour unhelpful thoughts and beliefs are to be investigatedor on trial.

To assess whether or not your thoughts and beliefs arevalid, you need to gather and examine evidence. Assuch, we liken this process to that of being a detective.This is the fourth step (or D) that follows on from theABC Analysis.

Detective Work

D stands for Detective Work where you look forevidence that does or does not support your thoughtsand beliefs. Like all good detectives, we need to find outthe facts, and gather the evidence. Here are somehelpful questions:

Where is the evidence (or proof) thatmy thoughts/beliefs are true?

Are there any evidence that disprovesmy thoughts/beliefs?

How do I know that my thoughts/beliefs are true? Are there facts that Im ignoring or Ive

overlooked? What other explanations could there possibly be? How realistic are my thoughts, beliefs, and

expectations?

Disputation

Dalso stands for Disputation. Remember, you arealso like a lawyer, asking questions that challenge yourthoughts, beliefs and expectations, ultimately testing andchallenging whether or not they stand true, and whetherthey help or hinder you. Here are some other helpfulquestions to ask yourself:

What other ways are there of viewing thesituation?

How might someone else view the situation? If I were not depressed, how might I view the

situation differently? Realistically, what is the likelihood of that

happening? Is it helpful for me to think this way?

Centre forC

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PsychotherapyResearchTraining

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