Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Bundle (312 pages)

PRACTICING YOUR ABCDE'S

A - SITUATION

B - THOUGHTS/BELIEFS

List all statements that link A to C. Ask yourself: “What was I thinking?” “What was I saying to myself?” “What was going through my head at the time?” Find the most distressing (hot) thought and underline it 1. 2.

This may be either: An actual event or a situation, a thought, a mental picture or recollection.

E.g. "What if I forgot to lock the door" "If I didn’t lock properly someone could break in"

E.g. Leaving the house to run an errand

C - CONSEQUENCES

D - DISPUTING THOUGHTS Take some time to consider evidence for and against your thought.

1. Write down words describing how you feel. 2. Underline the one that is most associated with the activating event. 3. Rate the intensity of those feelings (0 to 100).

4. Jot down any physical sensations you experienced or actions carried out. E.g. Panic (90) Stressed (60) - Heart pounding, lightheaded, dry mouth, fast breathing - Had to turn around and go back and check door again

E.g. "When I feel stressed I worry about bad things happening, and sometimes I catastrophize. However, I have never experienced a break in before and I am always thorough with locking the door when I leave

E - EVALUATION/END RESULT

After looking at all the evidence for and against your hot thought, and having considered the disputation questions, replace the unhelpful thought with helpful, balanced thought/s. Finally, rerate the emotions felt after establishing the balanced thoughts when thinking about the situation. E.g. ""It is normal to think twice about whether or not the door is locked, but I am a safety conscious person and make sure to always check before I leave. It is very unlikely that I would have left the door open and that something bad would happen. I do not need to go back to check to trust myself” E.g. Panic (25)

A - SITUATION

B - THOUGHTS/BELIEFS

C - CONSEQUENCES

D - DISPUTING THOUGHTS

E - EVALUATION/END RESULT