Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Escaping the Traps of Thought

When we fall into depression or anxiety, we often hear advice like “Think positively” from those around us. However, everyone knows that’s not as easy as it sounds. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is not about unconditional positivity, but is a scientific psychological therapy technique that tracks and corrects the ‘logical combination’ of how our thoughts create emotions and behaviors.

I. The ABC Model: Where Do Your Emotions Come From?

The core of CBT lies in the ABC Model proposed by psychologist Albert Ellis.

• A (Activating Event): An objective situation. (e.g., A friend reads my message and does not reply.)
• B (Belief/Thought): My interpretation of that situation. (e.g., “My friend is ignoring me,” “I must have done something wrong” - this is the core of the problem.)
• C (Consequence): The emotions and behaviors that result from that thought. (e.g., Depression, hurt self-esteem, getting angry at the friend.)

We often think that A (the event) directly creates C (the emotion). However, in reality, B (my interpretation) determines the emotion. CBT is a training to discover and doubt this ‘B (automatic thought)’.

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II. Common Cognitive Distortions: Thought Traps You Can Easily Fall Into

Our brains often make errors while trying to simplify situations to save energy. These are called ‘Cognitive Distortions’.

1. All-or-Nothing Thinking: Thinking that if it’s not perfect, it’s a total failure.
2. Catastrophizing: Seeing a small mistake and reaching the worst conclusion: “My life is over.”
3. Mind Reading: Guessing and being certain of others’ minds without any basis. (“That person must be laughing at me.”)
4. Mental Filtering: Obsessing over a single negative event while ignoring numerous positive ones.

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III. Three Steps to Reconstruct the Circuits of Thought

CBT is a powerful tool you can practice yourself in daily life.

1. Observation: When an unpleasant emotion arises, immediately write down what ‘automatic thought’ passed through your mind just before it.
2. Disputation: Find evidence for that thought as if you were a prosecutor or a judge. “Is there evidence that this thought is 100% true?”, “Is there an alternative interpretation?”
3. Substitution: Replace the distorted thought with a more objective and useful one. (e.g., “My friend might have been busy and unable to reply. Let’s wait until evening.”)

Conclusion: Training to Build the Muscles of the Mind

CBT is not something that ends with a single realization. Just as you build muscle at the gym, correcting the habit of distorted thinking requires constant practice.

While we cannot perfectly control our thoughts, we can at least decide ‘not to be fooled by thoughts.’ Try wiping the smudge off the glasses through which you look at the world. Just by making those glasses clean, the world will become a much more livable place than before.