Can someone give me examples of CBT

[shame]

Hi

This is my first post but I've been circulating the forums for a couple of years now (just depends how bad my SA is). I found my SA comes in cycles, like probably a 2 year rotation, where I'll be improving and then back to SA. I've been reading about CBT coz I definitely want to break the cycle this time. I know CBT is about changing your negative hinking but I can't find any examples on how to do it or any exercises involved. Can someone give me an example?

Thanks

 

[Some_guy]

There are things like thoughts blocking techniques. You first need to take notice of your negative thinking, and so when it come disturbing you, you can reject it.

Exemple:
Negative Thinking: "You're gonna make a fool out of yourself at work today"
You: "Stop! I refuse to listen to this irrational lie, blah blah"

And then you move on, keep busy and do NOT dwell on it.

 

[Zipper]

Off the top of my head...

CBT works on the assumption that our thoughts are related to our conduct. Thoughts determine what we do, and what we do reinforces our thoughts. If you act on a belief, you will have a greater confidence in that belief, whether that belief is right or wrong.

I read an account of one girl who was anxious about exposing her bare legs to other people because she thought they were ugly. She was sure that people would look at them and snicker if she ever wore shorts. She didn't think that she could survive being ridiculed. Thus, she never tested out her assumptions and never risked wearing shorts. By her behavior of avoiding the feared thing, exposing her legs and having people evaluate her legs, she reinforced all the beliefs that kept her from doing it.

It would have been perfectly fine if she was happy this way, but she wasn't. She wanted to swim, go to the beach, be a sexy american girl, but these were hampered by her anxiety, so she was unhappy.

When her mother found out that she had this limitation, her mother put her through a kind of CBT exercise: change the behavior and change the attitude in a process of exposure therapy:

At the beginning of the summer, her mother took all of her long pants, and turned them into shorts, hemming them above the knee. Thus, the girl had to go out in shorts all summer long. During the summer, she was facing her fears, evaluating the consequences of going out in shorts, and measuring peoples' reactions. By the end of the summer, her fears were broken down and her behaviors were changed. She was no longer afraid of exposing her legs.

I would say this is an example of CBT at work.