How helpful is this belief?
CBT is a pragmatic business. Its focus is results – results measured against the targets that you have set for yourself. When we think of problems it is usual to think of them as something we want to resolve or move away from, but CBT encourages you to think more positively than this. It would ask you to reflect upon the state that you wish to move towards. This may seem like a subtle distinction but it is an important one. In CBT you don’t only evaluate your negative thoughts on the basis of how true they are: you will also be considering how useful they are in terms of achieving your goals.
Say, for example, that my problem is that I am agoraphobic – in other words I have found myself feeling increasingly unsafe ...
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