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Examples:
Feeling
Unreasonable thought
Reasonable thought
Self-critical
I can't do anything right.
I messed this up, but I can do
better.
I'm rotten
If they knew me, they'd
hate me.
I'm not all bad; they'd see
that.
I'm odd &
ugly
I'm so tall, I'm a freak.
There are real advantages to
being tall.
I'm
lacking...
I hate being so flat-
chested.
I'm a beautiful & good
person, so forget it.
I look old
My bald head looks
awful.
My brain and personality will
hide my baldness.
I'm stupid
I'm a terrible speller, I'm
ashamed.
I can't spell but I'm a hell of a
mechanic.
These methods, primarily from Beck and Ellis, involve detecting
very primitive thoughts, checking their accuracy and replacing the
harmful, inaccurate ideas with rational thinking (often based on
observations of what really happens around us). Here are some more
specific examples of methods:
Tolerance training (challenging your irrational demands). Learn
that you don't have to get what you want and that you can't always
avoid unwanted outcomes. Challenge the "tyranny of the shoulds" or
the "musts." Examples: "Everybody should like me" (that's
impossible!). "I must have a lover" (learn to enjoy being alone for a
while). "They shouldn't lie to me" (they have their problems). There
are reasons for everything; learn them and accept reality. This is
discussed more in cause #6 above and in methods #3 & #4 in chapter
14.
"Whether or not it is clear to you, the world is unfolding as it should."
-Desiderata
Challenge false conclusions. The depressed person has been
preprogrammed to think negatively and irrationally. This is not a
conscious, intentional effort to come to negative conclusions; it is an
automatic process. You just assume your negative thinking is right
because you have always thought that way and no one has challenged
your thinking. Now, you have to be your own challenger:
