How many times have you caught yourself thinking that if you don't strike up a conversation when you meet strangers, they will probably think you're boring or unsociable. You haven't been able to base your opinion on any objective facts, but you're already beating yourself up with epithets that make you feel down and slow you down even more from initiating contact.
The good news comes in the form of a cognitive technique called Cognitive Restructuring (CR). With it you will get your automatic thought patterns in situations that cause anxiety or stress to be modified by discussing them. Now, put yourself in the hands of a good professional who is an expert in this technique, which is difficult to apply, requires a lot of practice, and in-depth knowledge of the disorder to be treated. The psychologist who conducts this type of discussion must be creative and mentally agile so that the interactions with the patient are natural and useful. There is no defined action protocol because each patient comes with a different problem that will affect the application of different and timely processes.
The key to the success of this technique lies in its ability to replace those maladaptive thoughts with rational and reasoned beliefs or ideas. As a consequence, the emotional disturbance caused by the former will automatically decrease. Thedialectic does not focus on the therapist providing the appropriate thoughts, but instead asks the patient questions whose answers lead the patient to conclusions that disprove or confirm the initial hypotheses. It is, without a doubt, an interesting challenge, to say the least.
However, the very development of the technique requires a certain intellectual competence and memory from the patient. Moods tending to deep depression or great sadness are also not likely to get the most out of CR.
The patient must receive some etraining before entering the discussion. Important automatic thoughts need to be delineated, identified, and recorded. It is convenient to instruct him in the differentiation between thoughts and emotions so that they do not get mixed up and confused. Since negative thoughts greatly limit the emergence of proactive and positive attitudes, the therapist must be patient and act delicately but expertly, especially at the beginning of the intervention.
Each person organizes and represents information in a particular way. Our interpretations will determine our reactions. The process tends to be quite flawed so the mechanisms are activated automatically. Hence, the patient has to make a real effort to modify the interpretations during the intervention.
CR can be applied in different fields such as academics or sports, as well as fortreat any disorder. Its purpose, more than justified, is to achieve greater psychological well-being that has a direct impact on our behavior, these being a reflection of it. There is no greater liberation than expressing feelings naturally, communicating them, even to oneself, and allowing the underlying emotion to surface, without self-criticism or fear, in order to be able, from that base, to discard all that psychological garbage that obscures our understanding.
