Author: Katie Leoni, Psy.D.
What Are Cognitive Distortions?
The idea behind CBT is that all of us sometimes think in ways that are inaccurate or irrational. We call these cognitive distortions, and they occur when our mind convinces us of something that is not actually true and we unknowingly reinforce this belief over time. It is normal to have cognitive distortions, no one is immune from them. The difference is in the quantity and the impact these distortions have on a person’s life. When a person is anxious or depressed, they tend to have more irrational thoughts and cognitive distortions. When you’re less anxious or depressed, you tend to have more rational thoughts. This makes sense from a CBT perspective as thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect one another. The goal of treatment is to teach clients how to recognize certain thoughts that might be getting in the way of living the life they want to live as well as teaching clients how to modify those thoughts to be be more rational.
Common Cognitive Distortions
Identifying cognitive distortions that you engage in is an important first step to balanced thinking. Once you know what they are, you are better able to challenge them and question their truth. Below are common cognitive distortions. Remember, this list exists because we all experience cognitive distortions on a daily basis!
If you are interested in learning more about cognitive distortions and the way they are impacting you, please contact us to set up a phone consultation.
Author: Diana Gordon, Psy.D.
In part 1 of this blog post, we explored how the psychologists at SFBayCBT work with overeating and binge eating using an intuitive and mindful eating approach. In this post, we will talk more about concrete strategies you can use to help increase your mindfulness around food. These are techniques that you can try yourself at home to see whether mindful eating strategies are helpful for you.
Why should you try mindful eating?
Mindful eating can be a great strategy for helping you feel more in control around food. If you have concerns about bingeing or overeating, mindful eating can help you get back in touch with your body and enjoy your food more. This can help you feel more confident in your food choices and develop a healthier relationship with food. If you’re ready to try out mindful eating, read on for some strategies to help you get started. Each of these strategies will give you an opportunity to experiment with eating intuitively and mindfully.
If you’d like to learn more about how we work with overeating and binge eating, or if you’d like guidance about how to implement mindful eating in your life, feel free to contact us for a complimentary phone consultation.
Diana Gordon, Psy.D., Kari Kagan Psy.D., and Katie Leoni, Psy.D.
Drs. Gordon, Kagan, and Leoni practice psychotherapy in downtown San Francisco and Oakland. Their areas of expertise include anxiety, sleep, stress, depression, and addiction. They blog about these topics to provide research-based information about common problems and strategies to help manage them.