Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Automatic Thoughts, and Keeping a Thought Record

Blog Author: Amy Hamby, Intern Counselor

​Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) focuses on recognizing and altering automatic thoughts because these cognitions strongly influence emotions and behavior. (Wright et al., 2017, pg. 125) In other words, CBT is a practical treatment approach that helps clients acquaint themselves with negative thoughts and behaviors, which allows them to view these experiences and change how they reason and respond. Furthermore, it is vital to determine the difference in how thoughts reflect upon how we feel and act and how to respond efficiently throughout the thought process emotionally. Also, your thoughts are what is reoccurring in your outlook, what causes the feelings to occur, and assist with making sense of whatever is happening. Meanwhile, your emotions are how you feel within the moment that makes up the emotional experience
 
Additionally, understanding how to separate one's thoughts and emotions will help the individual with the association of understanding that their thoughts and emotions can influence an emotional response. Individual thoughts make you cognizant of negative thinking and know how to respond effectively. This includes the importance of a thought record, which provides for "features such as labeling cognitive errors, examining the evidence, and generating rational alternatives is usually delayed until the patient gains experience and confidence in identifying automatic thoughts." (Wright et al., 2017, pg. 99) On the other hand, "Emotion is the royal road to cognition because thought patterns linked to significant emotional expression offer rich opportunities for drawing out some of the patient's most important automatic thoughts and schemas." (Wright et al., 2017, pg. 95) Overall, thoughts and emotions can help clients recognize and explore all the different reactions and thoughts that contribute to an individual's actions and how a therapist can assist with ruling out negative emotions, exploring automatic thoughts, and giving the alternative client perspectives on how an individual feels. 
Below is an example of a thought record.

1. Describe the situation. Ask yourself what led to this event, and what caused the uncomfortable feelings you are experiencing.
2. Write down the automatic thoughts that came up. Maybe take note of the thoughts and images that happened and note how much you believed these thoughts.
3. Identify the emotions that were going through your mind along with the thoughts and images. Thoughts have a more structured feel (e.g., “I’m worthless”) while emotions are generally wordless (e.g., feeling inadequate or embarrassed).
4. Describe your response. Note which cognitive distortions or faulty thinking styles you were engaging in at the time. Think about what your worst-case scenario is in this situation.
5. Come up with a more adaptive response. Note the indication that your automatic thoughts are correct and consider the possibility of other outcomes. Write down the best-case scenario to compare the worst-case scenario, then come up with a “most realistic” scenario]
6. Think about the outcome of the event. Do you feel the same as before you challenged your automatic thought? Do you still believe your automatic thought(s) just as much, or are you considering the more positive or more likely scenarios? Think about how you felt before and how you feel now. Rate the intensity of the automatic thoughts now.
   
   

Resources:
Thought record - therapist aid. (n.d.). Retrieved August 29, 2022, from https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/thought-record 

Wright, J. H., Brown, G. K., Thase, M. E., & Basco, M. R. (2017). (2nd edition) Learning cognitive-behavior therapy: An illustrated guide. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc