Unhelpful Thinking Styles

Unhelpful thinking styles are also known as ‘Cognitive Traps’ or ‘Maladaptive Coping Skills’.

Our Tranceformental CBT programme helps to identify and change ‘Unhelpful Thinking Styles’ through the use of a range of practical tools and exercises.

But what actually are unhelpful thinking styles?

We have identified a number of these thinking patterns that contribute to limiting beliefs and negative outcomes.

When you follow our CBT programme you will systematically work through these styles identifying which ones you ‘have’ and then learning new tools and strategies to change them.

Each of these unhelpful thinking styles ‘develop’ over the years, sometimes they are learnt from significant others in our early development, but in almost all cases they have simply become an ‘habitual’ way of thinking and as with any other habit, they CAN be changed with a little time and effort.

Find out more about these common unhelpful thinking styles by clicking on the links below.

Catastrophising – Making mountains out of molehills.

All or Nothing Thinking – Ignoring the middle-ground and thinking in ‘polarised’ terms.

Fortune Telling – Trying to predict the future.

Mind Reading – Thinking we know what others are thinking.

Emotional Reasoning – Mistaking feelings for facts.

Overgeneralising – Turning the exceptions into rules.

Labelling – Making general statements about complex issues.

Imperative Thinking – Thinking in very narrow terms about the options.

Confirmation Bias – The filtering of reality to fit with existing beliefs.

Low Frustration Tolerance – Telling yourself you can’t cope when you can.

Personalisation – Making yourself the centre of the Universe.

Discounting the Positives – Over-emphasising negative experiences.

Unhelpful Thinking Styles Explained

All of the unhelpful thinking styles that we address at TranceForm are really nothing more than ‘habitual’ forms of thinking.

In other words, despite the fact that each particular style may have been adopted in order to ‘make sense’ of a situation, or perhaps developed to be able to cope with an unpleasant feeling, the chances are that the original ‘need’ for this type of thinking has long since gone, but the thinking style has remained.

In fact, it has simply become a habit that happens ‘automatically’ without the need to consciously ‘engage’ the style in the first place.

Recognising this can be extremely helpful as research shows, quite clearly, that habits can be changed relatively easily by applying (1) active management of the unhelpful thinking style, and (2) substitution with a more helpful alternative.

These thinking styles can be replaced, through repetition, with new and more useful thinking.

Why Managing Unhelpful Thinking is Useful

What most people don’t realise is that the vast majority of emotions that we experience, almost regardless of what those emotions are, are ‘created’ as a direct consequence of a thought (or cognition) in our minds.

This is the basic premise of ‘cognitive’ interventions – the idea that emotions and behaviours are the direct result of a thought.

Whilst it IS true that some emotions are capable of being expressed without a conscious thought, the vast majority of emotional response are indeed caused by ‘thinking’ something first.

Crucially, therefore, the most effective way of changing the way that we ‘feel’ is to change the way that we think, and this is the cornerstone of our beliefs-based cogntive behavioural therapy course.

Transform Your Thinking & Change Unhelpful Thinking Styles

If you’re committed to overcoming your Unhelpful Thinking Styles then we highly recommend following our Advanced Tranceformental CBT programme with Paul. Tranceformental CBT is available as Online Therapy if required.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic mental health counselling course, run over 10 sessions, that will teach you everything you need to know to understand your problem, identify how unhelpful thinking and limiting beliefs might be reinforcing the issue, and then show you how to make any changes to your unhelpful thinking styles or maladaptive safety behaviours that you may have developed as part of your coping strategies.

Our Tranceformental CBT programme is an evidence-based, research supported approach used by mental health practitioners around the World.

Alternative Therapy Options for Changing Unhelpful Thinking Styles

Although our preferred form of mental health counselling for Unhelpful Thinking Styles is Tranceformental CBT we also offer alternative psychotherapies for those who might prefer a different approach.

These include:

• Psychodynamic therapy which focuses more on emotional problems and relies on the Therapeutic Relationship to bring about change. Available with Paul.
• General Counselling which is less structured but still provides a safe and non-judgmental environment to discuss issues which is therapeutic in its own right.
• Hypnotherapy is an alternative form of therapy that can be applied to a very wide range of problems and is available with Joan.

Free Initial Consultations for Unhelpful Thinking Styles

We offer all prospective clients an initial consultation to discuss your Unhelpful Thinking Styles prior to commencing any treatment plans.

The consultation is free and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available as part of our online therapy service.

At TranceForm Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss our change programmes BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.