Thoughts on Trial: A CBT Practice for Challenging Negative Thoughts

Sep 19

Thoughts on Trial is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) practice that helps you examine a painful or powerful thought before accepting it as the full truth. The practice treats the thought like a claim that needs evidence, context, and careful questioning. This skill is especially useful for thoughts that are extreme, self-critical, catastrophic, mind-reading, or based on emotion rather than facts.

This practice is a client-friendly version of cognitive restructuring, examining the evidence, Socratic questioning, and thought records. Research supports cognitive restructuring as a meaningful psychotherapy process and studies have also validated that thought records, behavioral experiments, and Socratic questioning can contribute to belief change and symptom improvement.

Guided Practice
(optional)

Start by writing the thought as a clear statement. Examples could include: “I always mess things up,” “They are mad at me,” or “I cannot handle this.” Then gather evidence that seems to support the thought and evidence that does not fully support it. Look for missing context, alternative explanations, emotional reasoning, and what you would say to someone else in the same situation. Finally, write a more balanced thought that includes the facts without exaggerating them.

Reminder

The goal is not to force a positive thought. The goal is to reach a fairer one. A balanced thought might sound like, “I made a mistake, but that does not mean I always fail,” or “I do not know what they are thinking yet; I can ask for clarification.” Reasonable doubt matters because many painful thoughts feel true simply because they are familiar, intense, or emotionally charged.

Note

A useful replacement thought should be believable. If it feels fake, soften it. Instead of “Everything is fine,” try, “This is hard, and I have handled hard things before.” Instead of “No one is upset,” try, “I do not have enough evidence to know that yet.” The strongest balanced thoughts are compassionate, accurate, and specific.

References

Braun, J. D., Strunk, D. R., Sasso, K. E., & Cooper, A. A. (2015). Therapist use of Socratic questioning predicts session-to-session symptom change in cognitive therapy for depression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 70, 32-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.05.004

Ezawa, I. D., & Hollon, S. D. (2023). Cognitive restructuring and psychotherapy outcome: A meta-analytic review. Psychotherapy, 60(3), 396-406. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000474

Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427-440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1

McManus, F., Van Doorn, K., & Yiend, J. (2012). Examining the effects of thought records and behavioral experiments in instigating belief change. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 43(1), 540-547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.07.003

Z. Hamilton Avery

Z. Hamilton Avery, LCSW, BC-TMH, CMT, CYT-1,000, TIYT (he/they) is a queer and non-binary therapist, health educator, wellness coach, body and energy worker, yoga and meditation teacher, and abstract artist in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to having obtained over a dozen certifications in various modalities of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), Z holds an associate’s degree in pre-nursing studies, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a master’s degree in social work. When supporting clients and students, Z takes a humanistic, person-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach. Their practice is grounded in compassion, harm reduction, inclusivity, social justice, and evidence-based interventions. Ultimately, Z’s mission is to provide a safe and non-judgmental space for adolescents (13+) and adults who are navigating challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, pain, and chronic illness; he does this by offering sessions, classes, groups, workshops, retreats, and trainings.

Understanding that mental health is interconnected with many other facets of life, Z takes a holistic approach to therapy. Knowing that there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, he strives to honor the uniqueness of each client by custom-tailoring his approach to best meet the needs, preferences, and goals of each individual. For this reason, Z believes that it is imperative to be cross-trained in many different treatment approaches. As a therapist, they utilize a variety of evidence-based practices, including motivational interviewing (MI), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and written exposure therapy (WET). As a body and energy worker, Z is certified to practice massage therapy, Thai yoga massage, myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, and reiki. They are also certified in both Chinese and Japanese styles of acupuncture. After completing more than 1,000 hours of accredited yoga teacher training (primarily in India), Z is certified to teach various styles of yoga, including Hatha, Kundalini, yin, and restorative. He also researches and writes about topics including stress, trauma, self-care, mindfulness, self-compassion, holistic health and well-being, CAM, HIV/AIDS, and issues related to the Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, agender, plus (2SLGBTQIA+) community.

https://www.therapywithz.com

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