Guest guest Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 These are recognized distortions and well worth spending a few minutes to review. Since our minds don't come with owner's manuals, I guess we just build our own! Thanks, .(Of course, in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my distortions rather than stressing out over them. Great mindfulness exercise...) D Hello Group, The conversation on thought disorders got me thinking about a list I had saved some time ago. This list painted a clearer picture for me to identify where I could improve my thought processes. The list came from Dr Burns, in his book, " Feeling Good " . ******************************************************************** 1.ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKING: You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure. 2.OVERGENERALIZATION: You see a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat. 3.MENTAL FILTER: You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors the entire beaker of water. 4.DISQUALIFYING THE POSITIVE: You reject positive experiences by insisting they " don't count " for some reason or another. In this way you can maintain a negative belief that is contradicted by your everyday experiences. 5.JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS: You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your conclusion. Mind Reading: You arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don't bother to check this out. The Fortune Teller Error: You anticipate that things will turn out badly, and you feel convinced that your prediction is an already established fact. 6.MAGNIFICATION (CATASTROPHIZING) OR MINIMIZATION: You exaggerate the importance of things (such as your goof-up or someone else's achievement) or you inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny (your own desirable qualities or the other fellow's imperfections). This is also called the " binocular trick. " 7.EMOTIONAL REASONING: You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: " I feel it, therefore it must be true. " 8.SHOULD STATEMENTS: You try to motivate yourself with shoulds and shouldn'ts, as if you had to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything. " Musts " and " oughts " are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When you direct should statements toward others, you feel anger, frustration, and resentment. 9.LABELING AND MISLABELING: This is an extreme form of overgeneralization. Instead of describing your error, you attach a negative label to yourself: " I'm a loser. " When someone else's behavior rubs you the wrong way, you attach a negative label to him: " He's a goddam louse. " Mislabeling involves describing an event with language that is highly colored and emotionally loaded. 10.PERSONALIZATION: You see yourself as the cause of some negative external event which in fact you were not primarily responsible for. (From Feeling Good, by D. Burns, M.D.) ****************************************************************** This information was very valuable to me, I hope it has value for others too. -- Darrell G King, RN, CASAC-TRochester, NY, UShttp://darrellking.comDarrellGKing@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 I agree with you Darrell, great mindfullness excercise. i have been doing thought record excercises--- had written something about 'that's how the mind works....' i can just see how my mind is working without feeling bad or broken or defective because my mind is working that way. wandering off, or leaping into! distortions.. Wanda > > These are recognized distortions and well worth spending a few minutes to > review. Since our minds don't come with owner's manuals, I guess we just > build our own! Thanks, . > > (Of course, in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my > distortions rather than stressing out over them. Great mindfulness > exercise...) > > D > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Hi Darrell - you wrote " ...in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my distortions rather than stressing out over them... " It's a brilliant point. I think this is one of the ways in which ACT and traditional CBT can coexist. CBT has been great at identifying problematic thought patterns. (Of course I think they go off the rails a bit with cognitive restructuring, although I can admit that it works in certain circumstances.) ACT practitioners can use that wonderful, hard-won knowledge. It's great to be mindful; it's even better to know what your being mindful about. T. , Psy.D. ironshrink.com > > These are recognized distortions and well worth spending a few minutes to > review. Since our minds don't come with owner's manuals, I guess we just > build our own! Thanks, . > > (Of course, in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my > distortions rather than stressing out over them. Great mindfulness > exercise...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 It is a good point and a very good idea(hey IronShrink ... why not promo your book?I just bought it)Matt McKay has a book coming out in a year that does this with " cognitive schemas " and ACT for interpersonal problems. The one for therapists just came out (ACT for Interpersonal problems; New Harbinger)and I really thought it worked- S C. Foundation Professor Department of Psychology /298University of NevadaReno, NV 89557-0062 " Love isn't everything, it's the only thing " hayes@... or stevenchayes@... Fax: Psych Department: Contextual Change (you can use this number for messages if need be): Blogs: Psychology Today http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-out-your-mind Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-c-hayes-phdIf you want my vita, publications, PowerPoint slides, try my training page: http://contextualpsychology.org/steve_hayesor you can try my website (it is semi-functional) stevenchayes.com If you have any questions about ACT or RFT (articles, AAQ information etc), please first check the vast resources at website of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS): www.contextualpsychology.org. You have to register on the site to download things, but the cost is up to your own values. If you are a professional or student and want to be part of the world wide ACT discussion or RFT discussions, join the ACT list: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy/join or the RFT list:http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/relationalframetheory/joinIf you are a member of the public reading ACT self-help books (e.g., " Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life " etc) and want to be part of that conversation go to: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACT_for_the_Public/join Hi Darrell - you wrote " ...in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my distortions rather than stressing out over them... " It's a brilliant point. I think this is one of the ways in which ACT and traditional CBT can coexist. CBT has been great at identifying problematic thought patterns. (Of course I think they go off the rails a bit with cognitive restructuring, although I can admit that it works in certain circumstances.) ACT practitioners can use that wonderful, hard-won knowledge. It's great to be mindful; it's even better to know what your being mindful about. T. , Psy.D. ironshrink.com > > These are recognized distortions and well worth spending a few minutes to > review. Since our minds don't come with owner's manuals, I guess we just > build our own! Thanks, . > > (Of course, in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my > distortions rather than stressing out over them. Great mindfulness > exercise...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Good thing digital books were invented, or my house would collapse under the ones I have thought this year! Sometime around September I can begin doing them all justice...but I have already many hours of reading and quite a few useful references. The lists are great, too, for keeping points like the one in question alive and in mind...D It is a good point and a very good idea(hey IronShrink ... why not promo your book?I just bought it)Matt McKay has a book coming out in a year that does this with " cognitive schemas " and ACT for interpersonal problems. The one for therapists just came out (ACT for Interpersonal problems; New Harbinger)and I really thought it worked- S C. Foundation Professor Department of Psychology /298University of NevadaReno, NV 89557-0062 " Love isn't everything, it's the only thing " hayes@... or stevenchayes@... Fax: Psych Department: Contextual Change (you can use this number for messages if need be): Blogs: Psychology Today http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-out-your-mind Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-c-hayes-phdIf you want my vita, publications, PowerPoint slides, try my training page: http://contextualpsychology.org/steve_hayesor you can try my website (it is semi-functional) stevenchayes.com If you have any questions about ACT or RFT (articles, AAQ information etc), please first check the vast resources at website of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS): www.contextualpsychology.org. You have to register on the site to download things, but the cost is up to your own values. If you are a professional or student and want to be part of the world wide ACT discussion or RFT discussions, join the ACT list: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy/join or the RFT list:http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/relationalframetheory/joinIf you are a member of the public reading ACT self-help books (e.g., " Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life " etc) and want to be part of that conversation go to: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACT_for_the_Public/join Hi Darrell - you wrote " ...in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my distortions rather than stressing out over them... " It's a brilliant point. I think this is one of the ways in which ACT and traditional CBT can coexist. CBT has been great at identifying problematic thought patterns. (Of course I think they go off the rails a bit with cognitive restructuring, although I can admit that it works in certain circumstances.) ACT practitioners can use that wonderful, hard-won knowledge. It's great to be mindful; it's even better to know what your being mindful about. T. , Psy.D. ironshrink.com > > These are recognized distortions and well worth spending a few minutes to > review. Since our minds don't come with owner's manuals, I guess we just > build our own! Thanks, . > > (Of course, in the spirit of ACT, I am working to observe and accept my > distortions rather than stressing out over them. Great mindfulness > exercise...) -- Darrell G King, RN, CASAC-TRochester, NY, UShttp://darrellking.comDarrellGKing@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Hi Steve, thank you. It would be silly to pass up that invitation. The book is called " The User's Guide to the Human Mind " (New Harbinger). On the other ACT list serve, Russ said, " Very different in flavour from any other ACT book currently out there. Well worth a read. " So I guess Russ likes it. My wife likes it. My mother… she said, " meh. " (Kidding.) So far, the book has been well received. Several people have said that they appreciate its tone and humor, despite my long held belief that life is far too serious for clowning around. I mean, really, if we stop taking our minds seriously, what's next? Enjoying loved ones? Joking with strangers? Following values? Bah! If anyone is curious to know more, just click on the image of the book at ironshrink.com. (Right side of the page.) That links to Amazon, where there are plenty of reviews. T. , Psy.D. ironshrink.com > > It is a good point and a very good idea > (hey IronShrink ... why not promo your book? > I just bought it) > > Matt McKay has a book coming out in a year that does this with > " cognitive schemas " and ACT for interpersonal problems. > The one for therapists just came out (ACT for Interpersonal problems; New > Harbinger) > and I really thought it worked > > - S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Hi Steve, thank you. It would be silly to pass up that invitation. The book is called " The User's Guide to the Human Mind " (New Harbinger). On the other ACT list serve, Russ said, " Very different in flavour from any other ACT book currently out there. Well worth a read. " So I guess Russ likes it. My wife likes it. My mother… she said, " meh. " (Kidding.) So far, the book has been well received. Several people have said that they appreciate its tone and humor, despite my long held belief that life is far too serious for clowning around. I mean, really, if we stop taking our minds seriously, what's next? Enjoying loved ones? Joking with strangers? Following values? Bah! If anyone is curious to know more, just click on the image of the book at ironshrink.com. (Right side of the page.) That links to Amazon, where there are plenty of reviews. T. , Psy.D. ironshrink.com > > It is a good point and a very good idea > (hey IronShrink ... why not promo your book? > I just bought it) > > Matt McKay has a book coming out in a year that does this with > " cognitive schemas " and ACT for interpersonal problems. > The one for therapists just came out (ACT for Interpersonal problems; New > Harbinger) > and I really thought it worked > > - S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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