Читать книгу Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies - Rob Willson - Страница 73

Because the content of these types of thoughts is so abhorrent to you, they can feel terribly important. You might assume that they mean you’re more likely to do some horrendous deed or that something terrible is now going to happen to a loved one because you thought them. More accurately, these types of thoughts are merely a reflection of what you hold dear and value. Rather cruelly, you tend to get afflicted by the kind of thoughts that run counter to your true character and value system.

You can try to think of intrusive thoughts and images as ‘waking nightmares’. When you have a nasty dream you probably shake it off pretty quickly because you just think, ‘Yuck; oh well, it was just a bad dream’. You probably don’t usually give the content of your dreams much credence. Do the same with unpleasant images that come when you’re awake. Just because you’re awake doesn’t make them any more valid or important.

Even though some thoughts and images are uncomfortable, you can tolerate them. As you increase your tolerance for unwelcome mental images, you simultaneously reduce your fear of them. Disliking specific kinds of thought is okay, but remind yourself that thoughts are all they are.