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Lecture 6
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Paul Linden, Psy. D.
iii.
Often without conscious awareness, we make
choices or take actions to confirm our sense of
ourselves, and to reduce any tension caused by
cognitive dissonance.
V. Changing Rules Attitudes into Assumption Form.
i. Logical evaluation of this conditional assumption
through questioning or other methods (downward
arrow, role play, distancing or depersonalizing)
often creates greater cognitive dissonance than does
evaluation of the rule or attitude.
ii. Examining the Utility, advantages and
disadvantages of a belief.
a. The therapist uses the same technique to identify the patient’s specific
core belief that he uses to identify intermediate beliefs (downward
error, asking about the meaning of an automatic thought, what does
this say about you as a person)
b. Look for central themes in the patient’s automatic thoughts
c. Note: attempts to evaluate core beliefs too early in therapy are likely
to be ineffective
f. Developing Metaphors
g. Historical Tests of the Core Belief (best after patient has begun
monitoring her core belief in the present)
h. Restructuring early memories (Role play, empty chair, writing letters
to the inner child)