{"id":311,"date":"2025-11-01T03:15:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T03:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/project-entangled-ph.com\/iteration1\/?page_id=311"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:55:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:55:57","slug":"article-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/project-entangled-ph.com\/iteration3\/article-5\/","title":{"rendered":"article 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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LEARN<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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ARTICLES<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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CBT and Cognitive Distortions<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Written By:<\/strong> Mary Angeline Flordeliza<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), one\u2019s thoughts, feelings, emotions, and physiological responses are treated as distinct constructs from each other and have the ability to influence the other (American Psychological Association Division 12, 2017). Since our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected \u2013this can easily create negative feedback loops if our thoughts are distorted (Chand et. al, 2023).<\/p>

For example: having an automatic thought that says \u201cI feel like a failure, so I am a failure\u201d.<\/p>

  1. Here, defining oneself as a failure is not an emotion, but an automatic thought.<\/li>
  2. While the guilt and shame in response to an event, is the emotion.<\/li>
  3. However, once you interpret the emotion and event as something negative that defines your character, becomes a belief about yourself.<\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Reevaluating Thoughts and Feelings <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    These negative automatic thoughts when repeated can become a core belief about oneself. So, instead of immediately identifying oneself as a failure, it can help to name the emotion such as \u201c I am feeling really guilty and shameful right now\u201d.<\/p>

    This allows you to not attack your own character, and focus on getting curious about where those thoughts come from. This technique is called \u2013Reattribution, where we are taught to reevaluate our interpretations and how we assign blame (Burns, 2012).<\/p>

    But, Reattribution is not the only way to combat these emotions; there are different examples from Psychiatrist David Burns that list down cognitive distortions and how to combat them. For example, these include the following:<\/p>

    1. Should statements<\/strong> \u2013\u201cI should be happy because I\u2019m not suffering as much as others\u201d,<\/li>
    2. All or Nothing thinking<\/strong> \u2013\u201cI\u2019m\/They\u2019re always breaking things\u201d<\/li>
    3. Mind Reading<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cThey probably think I\u2019m weak and incompetent\u201d<\/li>
    4. Emotional Reasoning<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cI feel like a failure, so I am a failure\u201d.<\/li><\/ol>

      Instead of challenging these intrusive thoughts, your brain may exaggerate the negative, minimize the positive, or cherry pick what aligns with your current views \u2013which could feed into one\u2019s distress even more\u2013 eventually distorting your perceptions about people, situations, and or reality.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      If you\u2019d like to know more about cognitive distortions and how to combat them, the books \u201cFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy<\/a>\u201d or \u201cFeeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety<\/a>\u201d by Psychiatrist David Burns, discusses these in more depth.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Do I need to constantly analyze my emotions?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      While this portion is informed by another type of therapy called Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), For this question, it can be more beneficial to sit with one\u2019s feelings rather than fight them.<\/p>

      Sometimes, not all emotions, reactions, or automatic thoughts need to be constantly analyzed, argued with, or changed. It can help to take a pause to observe them without judgement of what it is, what it means about you, or anything else.<\/p>

      You could put some distance between yourself and the thought like telling yourself:<\/p>