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Cognitive Reframing
Cognitive Reframing is a useful way to help challenge our negative thoughts and self defeating behaviours.
The first thing to remember is that events and situations do not have inherent meaning. We assign them a meaning based on how we interpret them. This can be difficult to accept, but when something bad happens to us, it’s only horrible because of how we look at it. This is not to make light of tragedy. It’s ok to be sad or frightened when something awful occurs. That being said, even an awful event can be given a good meaning.
Secondly every thought has a hidden “frame” behind it. The frame is your underlying beliefs and assumptions that are implied by your thought. For example, when you think “I’ll never advance in work because I’m not an ass-kisser”, part of the frame is that only ass-kissers get promoted.
Finally there is a positive intention behind every negative thought. That inner voice of ours that expresses negativity is only doing so because it wants to help us somehow. That doesn’t make the thoughts right or acceptable of course, but it does mean that our inner voice is not an enemy to be resisted.
By identifying the positive intentions behind our thoughts, we can work to find a positive reframe. That is far more effective than chastising yourself for having negative thoughts in the first place.
Reframing techniques will follow in the days ahead.
#CBT
This article was written by sentientcounselling