CBT* – Automatic Thoughts

Automatic thoughts are those that “come up” from the Elephant[1] as part of one’s reaction[2] to some triggering event[3]. But our Rider doesn’t usually “see” or acknowledge them in real time.

Because, just as there are other emotions that may be part of the reaction but are not consciously recognized, these thoughts are also ignored or “missed” in the experience of the moment – which is naturally dominated by the strongest of those emotions[4] coming up and the response our Rider is more likely busily formulating and behaviorally expressing.

In other words, there just isn’t time to consciously identify and consider these thoughts as the stream of life presses forward; for we (i.e., our aware-mind Rider) is being pulled into the next moment, the next trigger, the next reaction and behavior.

But these automatic thoughts are occurring – call them the Elephant’s contribution to a cognitive expression in our thinking[5] – and they reflect our beliefs[6] about why, or what, or how whatever is happening is happening. Most often, though, we don’t care about these automatic thoughts nor the underlying beliefs that inform and produce them because, well, we’re naturally immersed and caught up in the unfolding experience, living and reacting to the next moment…

Yet automatic thoughts – when one comes to recognize and identify them – can serve as a means to understanding one’s own core beliefs[7] – as well as the also hidden[8] rules, attitudes, and assumptions “we live by.” And these beliefs – which may be TRUE, FALSE, DISTORTED, or even CONFLICTING – are what drive the emotional reaction we experience to life events.

______

CBT is about learning to understand the why of our emotional experience and then what we can do to alter, change, and improve that experience. And CBT’s proactive strategy often begins with identifying those automatic thoughts that reflect “the why, or what, or how” of whatever is driving our emotional state and its associated (often dysfunctional) behavior.

This ability to identify and recognize automatic thoughts is not something one is normally taught to do; probably because “the need to” has never been itself identified and also because it’s a “higher level” cognitive skill, i.e., one that is used with intentional application. But like any skill, it can be learned, practiced, and developed…and the “intended application” can be rather critical in one’s efforts to problem-solve, find happiness, and achieve or maintain wellbeing.

______

So, what are automatic thoughts really? They are here defined as expressions or “statements” (if we were to cognitively recognize and put them into words) of triggered beliefs that would explain why we’re feeling some emotion. They are the “cause” while the emotions that come up are the “effect.”

And we usually don’t “see” these automatic thoughts, or consciously take the time to articulate them, because we’re more aware of the emotion(s) than we are of the reason(s) behind having them. And it doesn’t matter in the moment whether the automatic thought[s] are true, or false, or distorted, or (as it may turn out) dysfunctional; they simply come and go as the situation (we’re in) progresses and changes, whether we acknowledge them or not.

Automatic thoughts are kind of like the unseen bridge one walks over in the ABC Model from Activating Event (i.e., trigger) to Consequence (i.e., reaction). The trigger might be a joke, an insult, or the news of someone’s loss; the reaction is likely some emotion(s) leading to or accompanied by some behavior (e.g., pleasure and laughing, or anger with a scowl and verbal denial, or sadness and an expression of sympathy). But the bridge – i.e., the automatic thoughts (and again, usually unseen) – are there, and they’re conscious expression (if they were to be so consciously recognized) would reflect the reason for the triggered reaction (e.g., “I didn’t see that coming. What a silly thing to do.” Or “You’re wrong! I’m hurt and offended.” Or “What a shame he died so young! And my friend must be devastated.”)

______

The human mind and the human condition are complex. And yet to understand why we feel what we do is not something one usually needs to pay attention to…until or unless what we’re feeling becomes so painful or difficult or unsatisfying that, well, we do. Learning to engage a mode of thinking wherein automatic thoughts can be identified is a critical step in using CBT.

And, as previously stated, it’s a skill that one can learn, either on one’s own or with the help of an instructor (e.g., therapist, video guide, self-help book or manual). While often “hidden,” that doesn’t mean they’re a mystery or a riddle to solve; with practice, it becomes much easier to recognize them…and helpful in finally learning to understand – really understand – “what is actually ‘down there’ in my Elephant and that makes me tick.”

_____________________________________________

[1] The Elephant is the subconscious part of your mind, the Rider the conscious part.

[2] A reaction is the Consequence in the ABC model…

[3] The Activating Event in the ABC model…

[4] The “strongest” emotions one has tend to be negative ones; i.e., fear, anger, sadness, disgust.

[5] Thinking – that of the rational, analytical, reasoning kind – is mostly attributed to a Rider function (ref ERM series on the mind). The “Elephant’s contribution” identified here is a kind of unbiased or unfiltered expression (i.e., automatic thoughts) of what we believe…which, ironically, is very heavily biased and filtered…even though (see what follows) they may be distorted, false, and dysfunctional.

[6] The Beliefs in the ABC model…

[7] See Core Beliefs & Conditioning…

[8] “Hidden” means simply that our Rider is not consciously aware of thoughts, information, and data we hold in our mind (i.e., residing in the Elephant) yet “all this stuff” is “used” as part of the Elephant/Rider collaboration that signifies the fundamental attribute of human behavior…called rational thinking.