A good addition to journaling / Cognitive Behavorial Therapy ABC Worksheet

[Marina9]

Hello guys!

I wanted to share this tool my therapist recently told me to do daily. I think it could be a great tool for all of those who are working alone or in therapy on several issues. I think its a great way to put in practice what we learn at therapy and not just leave it behind for a week until you see ur therapist again.

I've just started it this week and I think it's giving me great insight about what my narratives are. The bottom of this is that all this beliefs we create in our minds in just seconds are automatic and with this we can possibly find out what is the bottom belief we have that triggers the other ones.

She wrote it down to me and gave me examples, but I found this at Google for you guys to look at how it works.

Hope it can help!

https://iveronicawalsh.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/cbtafg_abcdextract_handout.pdf

 

[sairie]

Padme90, Thank you for sharing this! It is wonderful to hear that it has given you some insight. I am defiantly interested in trying this out as an exercise and I am looking forward to discovering what this may bring to light and give awareness for me.

Again, Thank you !!

 

[truth seeker]

Really interesting, Padme90. Thanks for sharing. :)

 

[Meg]

That is really useful, Padme90. I like the rational thinking questions to deal with negative thoughts on the 3rd page. Thanks for the link. :D

 

[KJN]

Thanks for the useful tool in delving into the negative thought processes that inhibit our actions and outcomes. It allows for clarity as to how blindly we internalize our self-bias and reinforce our fears, but also offers a way to change that pattern. Many thanks.

 

[lainey]

Thanks Padme90! I like the look of this and will print myself a copy. I'm not that great at journaling and this is much more structured which suits my brain perfectly.
I can make the first entry about me being "bad" at journaling.
Great share!

 

[Marina9]

I'm really happy you've guys found this as a useful tool too :D I'm glad to share this with you guys, hoping that if it helps me it may help others.

As u've all mentioned it can be very insightful. Menrva I agree with you and the questions, we sometimes don't stop to think why we are really having this thoughts, as we often have this beliefs on automatic mode, it's interesting the Cognitive Behavioral approach, and how it can help us to rewire our brains.

KJN, it's shocking how we see this narratives as part of our daily lives, and we just don't notes the harm we are doing to ourselves. I'm glad this could be helpful for you too :D

Thanks Padme90! I like the look of this and will print myself a copy. I'm not that great at journaling and this is much more structured which suits my brain perfectly.
I can make the first entry about me being "bad" at journaling.
Great share!

Journaling IMO can be difficult in some way, for me it has taken lots of discipline to do it, and somedays I do forget, but if you think it this way, the worksheet can also work as a journaling method, and maybe writing several times a day on the chart :D

I hope it helps us discovering more of ourselves

 

[Windmill knight]

Interesting clever tool, thank you for sharing.

I wonder if this same principle can be used to solve interpersonal conflicts. Instead of being mad at someone you love and reacting - like being passive, covert or openly aggressive - we could write down on the chart and then talk about it in those terms to the other. "That day, when you did 'A' I had these 'B' thoughts coming to my head and now I feel like a piece of 'C'. I don't think that is accurate because of 'D', but I thought better to ask you about it". Then the other person could volunteer their own chart concerning the situation and notes could be exchanged.

 

[lainey]

Interesting clever tool, thank you for sharing.

I wonder if this same principle can be used to solve interpersonal conflicts. Instead of being mad at someone you love and reacting - like being passive, covert or openly aggressive - we could write down on the chart and then talk about it in those terms to the other. "That day, when you did 'A' I had these 'B' thoughts coming to my head and now I feel like a piece of 'C'. I don't think that is accurate because of 'D', but I thought better to ask you about it". Then the other person could volunteer their own chart concerning the situation and notes could be exchanged.

That's actually a great idea, sometimes when we are in the heat of the moment during a discussion it is so easy to forget to consider the other person and the narratives take over, even when you mean well. This kind of thing can give each person time to reflect on what was said (or unsaid) and how it made the other person feel and lead to some productive adult discussion.
A lot of conflicts are prolonged because of what we assume about what the other person is thinking of feeling.

 

[Marina9]

Interesting clever tool, thank you for sharing.

I wonder if this same principle can be used to solve interpersonal conflicts. Instead of being mad at someone you love and reacting - like being passive, covert or openly aggressive - we could write down on the chart and then talk about it in those terms to the other. "That day, when you did 'A' I had these 'B' thoughts coming to my head and now I feel like a piece of 'C'. I don't think that is accurate because of 'D', but I thought better to ask you about it". Then the other person could volunteer their own chart concerning the situation and notes could be exchanged.

That's actually a great idea, sometimes when we are in the heat of the moment during a discussion it is so easy to forget to consider the other person and the narratives take over, even when you mean well. This kind of thing can give each person time to reflect on what was said (or unsaid) and how it made the other person feel and lead to some productive adult discussion.
A lot of conflicts are prolonged because of what we assume about what the other person is thinking of feeling.

That is a great idea Windmill knight, I didn't think about it that way, but as lainey pointed out it could be a great way to deal with conflicts with someone. I agree that whenever we have a problem with someone we just start building up narratives in our head and maybe the other person isn't even overthinking as we are.

Yesterday while writing some stuff down in my chart, in the last belief I wrote down I was laughing at myself, that stuff I was thinking was being so silly hehe and we just sometimes are too immersed in this automatic narratives that we don't realize how dumb they could be, so I guess this is a great tool to include in our daily lives.

Thanks very much for pointing this out to both :D

 

[Marina9]

And I just found out going through Aleta Edward's book, Fear to the Abyss, she mentions this exercise too :) So for people who don't go to a therapist but are working on them this could be a great book to add with the chart :D

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,28420.msg463461.html#msg463461

 

[bianca etezete]

Hello guys!

I wanted to share this tool my therapist recently told me to do daily. I think it could be a great tool for all of those who are working alone or in therapy on several issues. I think its a great way to put in practice what we learn at therapy and not just leave it behind for a week until you see ur therapist again.

I've just started it this week and I think it's giving me great insight about what my narratives are. The bottom of this is that all this beliefs we create in our minds in just seconds are automatic and with this we can possibly find out what is the bottom belief we have that triggers the other ones.

She wrote it down to me and gave me examples, but I found this at Google for you guys to look at how it works.

Hope it can help!

https://iveronicawalsh.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/cbtafg_abcdextract_handout.pdf

Thank you Marina9, this is indeed useful.

I started a new, different journal as well and I was also trying some sort of table to implement internal/external considering in the journal. It is almost the same, besides I myself made it a little more complicated than it has to be. Your link helped me a lot, so again thanx!

 

[Marina9]

Thank you Marina9, this is indeed useful.

I started a new, different journal as well and I was also trying some sort of table to implement internal/external considering in the journal. It is almost the same, besides I myself made it a little more complicated than it has to be. Your link helped me a lot, so again thanx!

Im really glad it helped etezete!

 

[Yas]

Thanks for sharing this Marina9, it is very useful indeed!

Interesting clever tool, thank you for sharing.

I wonder if this same principle can be used to solve interpersonal conflicts. Instead of being mad at someone you love and reacting - like being passive, covert or openly aggressive - we could write down on the chart and then talk about it in those terms to the other. "That day, when you did 'A' I had these 'B' thoughts coming to my head and now I feel like a piece of 'C'. I don't think that is accurate because of 'D', but I thought better to ask you about it". Then the other person could volunteer their own chart concerning the situation and notes could be exchanged.

That's actually a great idea, sometimes when we are in the heat of the moment during a discussion it is so easy to forget to consider the other person and the narratives take over, even when you mean well. This kind of thing can give each person time to reflect on what was said (or unsaid) and how it made the other person feel and lead to some productive adult discussion.
A lot of conflicts are prolonged because of what we assume about what the other person is thinking of feeling.

That is a great idea Windmill knight, I didn't think about it that way, but as lainey pointed out it could be a great way to deal with conflicts with someone. I agree that whenever we have a problem with someone we just start building up narratives in our head and maybe the other person isn't even overthinking as we are.

Yesterday while writing some stuff down in my chart, in the last belief I wrote down I was laughing at myself, that stuff I was thinking was being so silly hehe and we just sometimes are too immersed in this automatic narratives that we don't realize how dumb they could be, so I guess this is a great tool to include in our daily lives.

Thanks very much for pointing this out to both :D

Great idea! It does seems like a good way to solve conflicts with others.

Lately, I've been kind of doing this mentally. I notice a narrative, bad feeling, etc... and I try to identify it and then argue with it to find out that it isn't realistic and that it is not helping me, etc... I always tell myself that I should journal about these insights but, yes, I find it hard to journal too, so this tool really seems to be a good way to get into the habit of some kind of journaling at least. And I guess that engaging in writing helps a lot in the process too, as so many people in the field have already said.

 

[Marina9]

Thanks for sharing this Marina9, it is very useful indeed!

Interesting clever tool, thank you for sharing.

I wonder if this same principle can be used to solve interpersonal conflicts. Instead of being mad at someone you love and reacting - like being passive, covert or openly aggressive - we could write down on the chart and then talk about it in those terms to the other. "That day, when you did 'A' I had these 'B' thoughts coming to my head and now I feel like a piece of 'C'. I don't think that is accurate because of 'D', but I thought better to ask you about it". Then the other person could volunteer their own chart concerning the situation and notes could be exchanged.

That's actually a great idea, sometimes when we are in the heat of the moment during a discussion it is so easy to forget to consider the other person and the narratives take over, even when you mean well. This kind of thing can give each person time to reflect on what was said (or unsaid) and how it made the other person feel and lead to some productive adult discussion.
A lot of conflicts are prolonged because of what we assume about what the other person is thinking of feeling.

That is a great idea Windmill knight, I didn't think about it that way, but as lainey pointed out it could be a great way to deal with conflicts with someone. I agree that whenever we have a problem with someone we just start building up narratives in our head and maybe the other person isn't even overthinking as we are.

Yesterday while writing some stuff down in my chart, in the last belief I wrote down I was laughing at myself, that stuff I was thinking was being so silly hehe and we just sometimes are too immersed in this automatic narratives that we don't realize how dumb they could be, so I guess this is a great tool to include in our daily lives.

Thanks very much for pointing this out to both :D

Great idea! It does seems like a good way to solve conflicts with others.

Lately, I've been kind of doing this mentally. I notice a narrative, bad feeling, etc... and I try to identify it and then argue with it to find out that it isn't realistic and that it is not helping me, etc... I always tell myself that I should journal about these insights but, yes, I find it hard to journal too, so this tool really seems to be a good way to get into the habit of some kind of journaling at least. And I guess that engaging in writing helps a lot in the process too, as so many people in the field have already said.

Happy to share and glad to hear it can be a useful tool for you guys :D Another thing I wanted to add, at my last session the therapist was explaining me how this first table is the start to deal with the top of the ice berg problems, alternative thoughts can truly help within a couple of weeks, but the real narratives we are dealing with are at the bottom of this ice berg, what she called Central Beliefs, and on top of that there are the Intermediate beliefs, so in order to truly change those narratives so they don't pop up in a very stressfull situation, we have to work first with the top of the ice berg thoughts, then with the intermediate beliefs which are certain rules we imply on our lives, for example imperatives or conditionals, and working with those will take us to the central "issue" we have.. the so called monster, which is something Aleta Edwards talks about in Fear to the Abyss, the Abyss we just don't want to discover cause we fear it's a huge monster....

So we were practicing this exercise at therapy and it's like a Socratic debate, where you have to ask urself on everything in order to get to that central belief, and changing those demands into preferences without judging urself. I'm happy to share my experiences with you guys, cause it's been a loong road to finding the "right" therapist, I think it's very helpful to find the correct person and rather than just sitting down and talking non stop for an hour it's like going to classes, exercises and asking about everything :D So for any of the members searching for therapy I can honestly say Cognitive Behavorial Therapy is such a great help.