- Interrogation and accusation of your thoughts
- Thorough Examination of Thought Process
- Rebuild Healthy Thinking Patterns
The views we have about ourselves and the world must be true, right? One always believes their perspective is accurate, however just as a tarnished mirror won’t give an accurate reflection, one’s outlook can be distorted.
We will now help you to take those thoughts and probe them thoroughly, under covering the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It may not be exactly like ‘NYPD Blue’, but it will be something like a detective case then bringing those twisted thoughts down. Like every criminal mind, a second chance will do it justice. Let’s get rehabilitating those negative patterns that have been landing you in a cyclic spiral of misery.
From Accusing to Proving Guilty: A Thought Trial
Cognitive Therapy is a technique founded in the 1950’s used by a highly influential psychotherapist, when he discovered that if we can get our thinking to change, we can change the way we feel. Studies indicate that cognitive therapy works well to eliminate negative emotional conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Putting your thoughts on a Thought Trial begins with Thought Tracing. Tracing the thought shows you how a variety of happenings or emotions from your life are all interconnected. I gave you information on peering into moods and emotions, but now we will see how to pin down a detrimental thought by tracking it back to it’s origin.
In a real court trial there are components to Defend, Prosecute, and Judge. You get to play the role of all of these. You will: offer evidence to back up a thought you discover in Thought Tracing and defend this negative thought, use the power of prosecution to charge this thought as guilty of causing anguish, and finally judge this thought, giving it a change to be rehabilitated to a healthy state.
Essentially the goal is to prove the thoughts guilty, and following the exercises and tables will make it almost surely impossible to prove them innocent. However, you may need help from a psychological therapist or professional if you consistently find yourself justifying negative thoughts. A fresh perspective may help further.
We all appreciate stories and visuals more than arduous lecturing. So this next section will demonstrate multiple examples of putting thoughts on trial through Thought Tracing.
Sample case of a Thought Trial
Let’s examine the case of Danny, a handsome 25 year old personal trainer. He is conscious of his health and leads an active lifestyle. He’s recognized by his bright long sleeve shirts he’s always seen wearing. Being an attractive guy, he gets plenty of nods of attention from the ladies. As good as it may feel, something holds Danny back from ever reciprocating the attention. He’s never had a serious relationship, and there is a reason why. Danny’s dark secret is that he was a burn victim as a small child. The severe tissue damage has created a map of scars all over his body. He is confident anyone seeing them will be appalled and disgusted. So instead he chooses to stay isolated from people on a social level.
Finding himself drawn to an attractive young lady he knows from the gym, he realizes his fears are in need of some serious help. The attraction is mutual, but Danny refuses any of her attempts to get to know him. An invitation for lunch sends him reeling in panic, so he blows her off. Spurned by the confusion of his desire to pursue this opportunity and his deep fears to do so, he speaks with his counselor. We can follow his progress below as he uses Thought Tracing, then brings these thoughts to justice in a Thought Trial.
Thought Tracing
| Sensory of the Moment(Rated 1–100) | Emotional Trigger | Translation |
| Nervousness (80), apprehension (90), jitters and sweating. | Cara asked me to lunch. | Why even start getting close to her? Once she sees how scarred my body is she will be repulsed by me. |
| Fear (80), embarrassment (95), resentment (95); flushed, fluttering in my stomach | A group of guys asked me to join them in the pool after work. | I would feel so ashamed of my body and they would be mortified by it. I don’t belong |
After tracing his thoughts, Danny is asked to start pin-pointing his most disturbing thoughts that came up, what can be considered the most detrimental thoughts.
Danny’s most detrimental thoughts:
1. Cara’s reaction of disgust will devastate me.
2. I feel like a victim of my own circumstance in life.
Now tracing his thoughts, Danny can see what two main thoughts conjure up the most pain. Next he will bring these thoughts to trial in the following table. He will first focus on thought number one. He first writes the thought down, then lists a defense with reasoning and logic. In the next column he will use prosecution to prove it guilty of being a turmoil causing thought.
Thoughts on Trial
Pin-pointed thought: Cara’s reaction of disgust will devastate me.
| Defense | Prosecution |
| Nobody around me is comfortable with burn scars. | I have met people who are OK with them, the nursing team who took care of me wasn’t shocked at all. |
| People react with shock to the scars. | People who truly care about me are totally used to them by now. |
| My mother was a sobbing mess when she saw how bad my scars were. | |
| A health practitioner once told me I’d never be the same with this deformity. | |
| I hear people in the Dr’s office talking about me when I go in for examinations. |
We can see Danny’s mind is made up, his most detrimental thought so far is in the winning lead. Changing his thinking at this point isn’t a possibility. His counselor encourages him to try Exercise 6-3 where he can do some further Investigating and write down his results in
Investigating Worksheet
1. Name how this thought may be askew to reality.
2. Have I changed or exaggerated the scale of the event?
3. Name a time in life when this thought may not have held true.
4. If I had a friend that this thought applied to how would I try to help them?
5. Do I push aside indications that this thought is false?
6. Is this thought a help or harm to me?
7. Name a time when this situation happened but I got through it just fine.
8. What positive changes would happen if I refused to believe this thought were true?
Danny’s Reflections
As hard as it is to ponder this, I think I can see some jumbled thought process here. I would hate to see disgust on Cara’s face, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be the most devastating thing to ever happen to me. So I’m exaggerating there. I have seen a beautiful woman with a handicapped or debilitated man before. It isn’t impossible for a person with a body deformity to have a healthy and loving relationship. I remember my burn support group talked about people finding relationships after their injury. Maybe I could stand to see if a relationship really could work for me.
Reviewing his Investigation helps Danny to add more evidence to his Thought Trial. He builds his case below.
Danny’s Revision
Pin-pointed thought: Cara’s reaction of disgust will devastate me.
| Defense | Prosecution |
| Nobody around me is comfortable with burn scars. | In fact I have met a lot of people who haven’t been uncomfortable with them, they just view it as a fact about me instead of a flaw. |
| People react with shock to the scars. | Everyone in my family doesn’t even think twice about them, and after someone learns about them, it’s rarely ever brought up again. I’m the one obsessing over it. |
| My mother was a sobbing mess when she saw how bad my scars were. | A mother’s shock when her child is injured is different from how the world views scars on a well-adjusted adult. |
Defense Prosecution
| A health practitioner once told me I’d never be the same with this deformity. | It is true that my body will never be the same as before, but it’s not something that prevents me from leading a normal and healthy life. |
| I hear people in the Dr’s office talking about me when I go in for examinations. | I am being presumptuous in assuming the worst. Some comments about me could be positive. I am making a generalization. |
| There are many cases where disfigured individuals find happiness in life and in relationships. | |
| Anyone who cares about me ought to look past superficial things like scars anyway. | |
| I will never know what a relationship feels like if I don’t stop thinking these detrimental thoughts. | |
| Even the pain of someone rejecting me couldn’t possibly compare to the pain I’ve been through with this injury. I am stronger than I think. |
We can see how Danny’s thought process is developing in this Thought Trial. He has found these thoughts guilty as charged- they cause pain and anguish in his life and it’s time to change them. Now he and his counselor work on rehabilitating these detrimental thoughts. Even after creating a replacement for his very first thought, he continues to do the same with more, one by one. Again, consistency is key.
Bringing those thoughts to a trial
You know what time it is now, it’s time to take your own thoughts to trial. Don’t be discouraged if you find your initial attempts to be difficult. These things take time and patience. And practice makes perfect! There are more examples listed later for you to refer to if you need some extra help. The first step is to pin-point some thoughts through Thought Tracing. Complete the thought tracing after reading the following instructions:
- Take note of your body’s responses and write them down whenever you are feeling some discomforting.
- Use a specific descriptive word that captures your feeling at that moment and record it.
- Number the intensity of this feeling from 1-100.
- Think of the surrounding circumstances when your body signaled you and your emotions surfaced. Sometimes this can be a tangible event or moment in time or it can be a recollection of a time in life. Be specific, though about the thoughts. Use a statement like “At work, I felt this way when….” Instead of “I hate my job.”
- Use the Translation column to record how the event affected you.
- Upon reflection of your work, you can pin-point your most detrimental thought and list it accordingly.
Thought Tracing
| Sensory of the moment(Rated 1–100) | Emotional Trigger | Translation |
My most detrimental thoughts:
1. ______________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
The Thought Tracing sets you up for the Thought Trial. This takes some pondering and patience. Take your first detrimental thought and go over the Investigation. Keep in mind it will take some planning and preparation. Take a malicious thought and consider the Prosecutor’s Investigative Questions.
My reflections
__________________________________________________________________________
The stage is now set to put your detrimental thought on trial. Use the same exercises to place all thoughts on trial one at a time.
1. In Exercise 6-8, focus on one of your most detrimental thoughts as the pin-pointed thought and record it.
2. On the left, support this thought with all of the logical thought process and apparent evidence you can summon.
3. On the right, counter all of this evidence previously listed in the defense. Also list any assisting points to help the case.
Taking the Thought To Trial
| Defending the thought | Prosecuting the thought |
Now you may come to the conclusion, a judgment, if you will, whether your thought is guilty of causing you unnecessary emotional difficulties. Even if you have ruled some truth to some of your thinking process, use your better judgment as to whether these thoughts are a help to your mental state, or harm. If the latter, work to restructure them to become more conducive to your well-being.
More Samples on Thought Trials
More examples will further assist you in your journey to restructure and rehabilitate your thoughts. Remember, the more you change your thinking, the more you change how you feel. We can now look in on some other thoughts that are brought to trial and brought to justice.
Jerry: Destined to be Unhappy?
Jerry, a 62-year-old retired sports coach, took up the hobbies of a sailor. He enjoyed spending his time on the water, maintaining and restoring his sail boat, planning adventurous travels around the coasts, and in general keeping active. He had been aware of a swelling pain in his knees, but he managed to get by with pain relievers and a firm refusal to address the pain. Soon though, he cannot ignore the pain anymore, and consults with a specialist who delivers the hard-hitting news, Jerry is in dire need of double knee replacements. The idea of this sends Jerry into a state of sadness and gloom.
Below he does some Thought Tracing and is able to pin-point a detrimental thought: “ My happiness is soon to end.
Connor’s Thought on Trial Worksheet
Pin-Pointed thought: “My happiness is soon to end.”
| Defense | Prosecution |
| Knee replacements will change my life for the worst. | I suppose things will have to get worse for a little while in rehab but then they will get much better, I could possibly live pain free again. |
| My sailing has become a part of me, if I have to give it up I can’t imagine life feeling complete. | Realistically I do enjoy quite a few other hobbies, I’m sure I can focus on other things and enjoy them. |
| I am doomed to suffer from pain for the rest of my life. | I don’t know that for sure. I’m sure there are plenty of success stories with knee replacements. |
| I will be a burden to all around me. | I don’t have to victimize myself, that’s making an assumption. |
| I won’t be mobile anymore on my sail boat or even at home. | Again I don’t know this for a fact. I’m predicting things that I don’t have facts about. |
| This is my fault for not paying attention to my body sooner, this could have been prevented. | I’m placing negative blame and burden on myself, this wont’ change anything and only compound my misery. |
| I will end crippled and have to rely on a cane. | I am making unreliable predictions again, this is not a fact. |
| I know my Doctor is knowledgeable, I have no reason to doubt I will be in good care. | |
| There are a whole binder full of patients this Doctor has performed this procedure on that have returned to healthy, active lives; I can be one of them, too! |
Reviewing his own evidence, Jerry concludes his thoughts are worthy of a guilty judgment. He can now separate this detrimental thought from reality and change his grim outlook into a positive one.
Tammy: Anxious and Overworked
Tammy is a 40 year old single mother who works 50+ hours at her corporate job. Balancing the roles of an executive at her job and the role of an involved mother is nothing short of a tiresome struggle. She feels like she isn’t giving full energy to neither her teenage son nor her position at work. Tammy feels anxious and judged constantly. Her desire to perform at a perfect caliber is her motivation to keep going every day. When her son brings home a less than perfect report card, Tammy loses her temper. She ends up in tears, her son ends up not speaking with her, and the result is Tammy in a depressed state. Tammy does some Thought Tracing to track these negative patterns.
Tammy’s Thought on Trial
Pin-pointed thought: I am not fulfilling my role as a mother properly, and because of it my son is becoming a failure.
| Defense | Prosecution |
| My son is slipping into school, this is just the start of a downward spiral. | It is simply an indication that he is struggling somewhere, it was only slightly less than average. |
| Losing my cool with him was a bad example. | I am human after all, and most of the time I am calm. |
| Had I been doing a good job at mothering, I would’ve been able to pick up that he had been needing help. | It is the teacher’s job to keep on top of those things, in fact I wonder why I wasn’t informed sooner of his grade slipping. |
| I upset my son and made him feel shut down when I yelled at him. | That is perfectly normal. With some communication we can work through this. |
| My work has prevented me from participating in any of my son’s school events. | His classmates’ parents almost all work, I’m not the only one who hasn’t been available. |
| Some mothers volunteer in the classroom just to help out. I am not as good of a mother as they are. | Although it makes me sad, I am the only income to this family. This is a sacrifice I have to make. |
| I place work ahead of my child’s needs. | This is an exaggeration. I meet all of my child’s needs and even take time off of work when necessary. |
| Defense | Prosecution |
| I feel helpless in being able to help him. | This is where I rely on the role of the teacher to make suggestions and work with my son at home. |
| My son is a great kid, he has many respectable friends and is well-liked. | |
| His average is an A/B+, a C just indicates he needs a little extra help. | |
| I am a great mother, I just have to stop thinking I have to be perfect. |
Creating a Thought Trial is a combative tool to keep negative and accusatory thought patterns in perspective. Reviewing as many examples as possible will continue to solidify this process. Remember to incorporate Investigating examples of distorted thinking. If you do not find progress is likely with these exercises, it is recommended that you seek help from a credentialed mental health professional who is familiar with cognitive therapy.
After the Trial: Restructuring Thoughts for Rehab
The goal at this point is for you to have a good handle on your own collection of detrimental thoughts. Awareness of them will help to place them in their proper perspective, eliminating anxiety, stress, and emotional angst. Now giving these thought processes a chance to be rehabilitated will help a positive outlook to replace a once distorted and miserable one. These thoughts will be replaced and restructured.
Highlighted in this section are a series of four strategies to help sort out the bad thoughts, restructure them, and implement them into your thinking. Realistic replacement thoughts stamp out distorted ones, banishing them to a state of non-existence.
Ask A Friend
The first technique is simple enough. Imagine a good friend of yours is experiencing the same problem that you have. Your friend is also experiencing the same negative thought patterns as you. Imagine your friend is sitting in front of you. You feel their pain and want more than anything to help them through it.
What type of advice do you offer? What type of outlook do you suggest? Looking honestly at your friend’s situation will provide you with the clearest perspective. You wouldn’t say what you think they want to hear by coddling to their thinking, albeit askew to reality or not, would you? You would lovingly provide a healthy and reasonable alternative way to think about their problem.
The simple beauty of this strategy is that the same kind advice you would offer a friend applies to you yourself. This can help you separate your own woes and put them into a realistic objective. It’s like viewing your own situation from a third party point of view.
We see Tammy using the Ask A Friend technique below.
Tammy imagines her best friend Jenna approaching her with the exact same problem. She pin-points her most detrimental thought and works with her to help her turn the thought into a restructured, realistic and healthy thought.
Tammy’s/Jenna’s most detrimental thought:
I am not fulfilling my role as a mother properly, and because of it my son is becoming a failure.
Tammy’s Ask a Friend (Jenna)
Jenna, you are experiencing a small obstacle right now. You are an awesome Mom, and your son’s minor setback is no indication otherwise. It is only a slight drop from his A’s and B’s to some B’s and C’s. You will be able to help him where he needs it by consulting with his teacher. He is also old enough to be responsible for his own success in the classroom. You don’t have to feel like the victim here, it’s really more about him.
Emma reviews her imaginary discussion with Louise. She sees that her perspective changes when she gives Louise advice rather than listen to the negative automatic dialogue in her own head. Next, she distills this perspective into a single replacement thought.
Tammy’s Restructured Thought
My son is not becoming a failure. He is experiencing a small ‘growing pain’ and all I can do is be here for him and help where I can.
Here is how to get started in restructuring your most detrimental thought:
1. Write down one of your most detrimental thoughts from your Thought Tracing.
2. Think of a good friend.
3. Imagine your friend has the same problem and same thinking about the problem.
4. Imagine talking with your friend about how to deal with the problem.
5. Record your advice to your friend.
6. Restructure the thought.
Ask A Friend
Planning for the future
Certain events that may temporarily distract and disrupt your life will not carry the same weight later in life. For instance, some of the events below may invoke certain emotions initially, but how do you feel it has affected you later in the day? Is it the same intensity?
- A traffic jam
- Feeling shy
- Forgetting your keys
- A rude service person
- A long line
These types of occurrences may create a detrimental thought process, but usually if you think back after some time has passed by, it would be rare to feel the same about the situation. In putting the context into perspective compared to your life, it is reasonable to say it was a trivial moment in time. Let’s consider Tom.
Tom lives in a residence that is managed by a board or committee. He would like to renovate his home inside and out but has to get the board’s approval for some exterior changes he plans to make to his home. The next monthly board meeting is coming up and Tom plans to present his blueprints to the members. When he thinks of doing so, he becomes anxious and feels maybe it’s not worth having to face all of those people. He is afraid he will stutter and stumble and make a fool of himself.
After using Thought Tracing, Tom feels he has pin-pointed his most detrimental thought: “I don’t have enough confidence to not make a fool out of myself.” Exercise 6-15 shows him evaluating the impact of that event compared to the rest of his life.
Tom’s Planning for the Future
If I stand up to present my plans to the board and I do end up stuttering and stammering, I will feel embarrassed for the moment. On a scale of 1-100 it would probably feel like a 40. At least I would get the information out and be able to move forward with my plans. In the long run that moment won’t matter very much to me, but the outcome of my goals will be met and that will feel great! The overall impact of this on my life would be very low after all.
Tom is ready to restructure that thought into something positive.
Tom’s Restructured Thought
When I present to the board, I may end up looking foolish but it will not affect me afterward. It will not be so bad to do it!
Planning for the Future helped Tom to work his problem out. He also could have done some Thought Tracing and brought his most detrimental thought to Thought Trial. Point being, there are a variety of tools in your box to face your distress head on.
Here is how to use a thought in Planning for the Future
1. Write down one of your most detrimental thoughts from your Thought Tracing.
2. Rate the overall impact you feel at the moment (on a scale of 1 to 100).
3. Think about how your thoughts will reflect this moment in about a week from now, in 6 months, in a year?
4. Rate again how this impact will affect you in the long run.
7. Write down a balanced and healthy Restructured Thought.
My most detrimental thought:____________________________________________________
My Planning for the Future
__________________________________________________________________________
Reevaluate your fears
Feeling anxious, worried, sad, or fearful can end up becoming a tangled web of negative emotions that will engulf your thinking. You will then start projecting a negative view in all aspects of life, whether realistic or not. A basic problem may be escalated in your own distorted thinking and then place you out of touch of reality. In short, normal distressing situations are compounded by anxiety and depression.
Rachel’s boss, Kari, takes some time off of work when she undergoes a minor surgical procedure. Rachel fills the responsibility of the position just fine for about a month. Kari’s situation changes and she is no longer able to return to work. Rachel is offered this management position. Although she hadn’t thought twice about performing the role of the job before, Rachel is now experiencing an onslaught of negative thoughts when she imagines herself in this role. Her pin-points a thought: “I am not management material, others won’t respect me.”
Rachel’s Reevaluation
1. How many times have I projected this fear in other situations and was it realistic?
There have been much more challenging situations that I have faced in life, and since I am goal oriented, I tend to handle challenges well.
2. How common of a situation is this? Do I know anyone who it has happened to?
Everyone in a managerial role in this office is respected. A person who would not be fit for the position would not be offered it. I should be honored.
3. If someone else made this prediction, would I agree?
Not necessarily. I would base my prediction on past performance. I guess mine has been pretty good.
4. Am I assuming this will happen just because I fear that it will, or is there a reason- able chance that it will truly happen?
Of course, there’s a small chance I won’t be able to handle the job. But clearly, I’m making some unwarranted assumptions here. After all, I’ve done the job successfully for a month.
5. Do I have any experiences from my life that confirm this fear?
For the most part, I accomplish anything I set my mind to.
Rachel can now clearly see from an evaluative stand point her distorted thinking. She is now ready to create a Restructured Thought to replace her initial detrimental thought.
Rachel’s Restructured Thought
Even if I don’t feel confident enough for this position, obviously others feel differently. I could take the opportunity to prove it to myself!
Take one of your most detrimental thoughts and use the Reevaluation to come up with a positive Restructured Thought.
1. When you find yourself making a negative projection about a situation you are faced with, record your fears.
2. Take the Change your Predictions Quiz.
3. Try doing what your fear was to prove the outcome wrong.
4. Write out a restructured thought for your original fear and use it in other similar situations.
My Change Your Predictions Quiz
- 1. How many times have I projected this outcome in life and how many times did my fear actually manifest? What about for others I know? __________________________________________________________________________
- If someone else predicted this negative outcome, would I agree with it? __________________________________________________________________________
- Is this prediction more of a fear than a reasonable assumption? __________________________________________________________________________
Once you’ve verified to yourself that your negative predictions aren’t realistic, test out that fear by acting on the very same thing that you once feared. Jot your restructured replacement though below.
Find ways to cope in the upcoming section if in fact the outcome will be negative as you feared.
Preparing for the worst
Bad things do happen, and to good people. In this section we imagine what we would do if the worst-case scenario actually did happen. This can be helpful because it will empower you to get through any tough situation.
We see the struggles of Edith, a divorcee of 20 years. Although she has been content being single, she has fallen in love with the man she believes would complete her life. The two of them know they have a special bond and have become inseparable, but something holds Edith back from totally committing. The pangs of betrayal and dejection are still with her from her previous marriage. She completes a Worst-Case Quiz to help her evaluate whether her hesitation to get involved in a relationship is realistic. She will then restructure her thoughts.
Edith’s most detrimental thought: “I cannot commit for fear of being rejected.”
Edith’s Worst-Case Quiz
1. Does this fear resemble anything from the past?
Yes, my ex-husband hurt me greatly. But after I mended from that, I found happiness again.
2. What affect will this have on me in a year?
Being hurt again would be painful all over again but I am sure I would find the strength to be happy again just as I did before.
3. Do I have sources to turn to for support?
I have reached out and met a wonderful network of friends over the years and I feel confident I would find comfort with them.
5. What positive outcome could potentially result?
Even if the relationship fails, I have plans to join a garden commission and travel with the projects. I would have a lot of time and energy to put into it.
Edith’s Restructured Thought
This relationship is worth trying. I love him and he loves me, and I will never be truly happy unless I know that I gave it my all- fears and all.
Take one of your most detrimental thoughts and use the Worst-Case techniques to combat that thought.
1. When you find yourself thinking of a bad situation, record your thoughts.
2. Take the Worst-Case Quiz.
3. Rehabilitate your detrimental thought with a restructured thought.
My Worst-Case Quiz
1. Does this fear resemble anything from the past? __________________________________________________________________________
2. What affect will this have on me in a year? __________________________________________________________________________
3. Do I have sources to turn to for support? __________________________________________________________________________
4. Is there anyone I know I can ask for help? __________________________________________________________________________
5. What positive outcome could potentially result? __________________________________________________________________________
Your reflections
__________________________________________________________________________
The more practice, the better. Familiarize yourself with all of the techniques so that you will be well-equipped to tackle your negative thinking .Review, review, then review some more. This isn’t a competition or a test, it’s rehabilitation in the journey to peace. Take time to reflect on the things you have gleaned about yourself in this post; your weaknesses, strengths, tendencies, favorite techniques, etc.