The ABC's of CBT |
What is ABC? |
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Albert Ellis created the ABC model while developing rational emotive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy with Aaron Beck.
The theory that he created was that your thoughts and beliefs drive your feelings and reactions. Sometimes those thoughts and beliefs are "irrational." Not logical. This is super important to social anxiety. Those overwhelming feelings you feel when someone unexpectedly asks you a question or you feel the need to talk to someone, anyone, at the playground are just a part of it. Your thoughts and actions are just as big. You can change one to change the rest. With logic. No sweat, right? I'll just stop thinking things and it'll go away. Unfortunately, as with everything else, you have to practice. You have to get good at looking at things from a different perspective, or view. Back to Albert Ellis. His idea was that you can use the ABC model to identify the unhealthy thoughts or belief system. (There's that word "identify"!) Paying attention to a situation (observing it like a scientist) and exploring how you internally respond allows you to explore certain thoughts or beliefs, especially in a pattern of similar thoughts. |
In the Albert Ellis ABC model, the ABC's stand for:
Activating event or antecedent: A situation that is considered to have led to a negative thought Beliefs: A negative or irrational thought that happened at the time of the event Consequence: A negative feeling or behavior that is perceived to have happened as a result of the event or the following thought. 
In the ABC model, beliefs are separated into two categories:
Sometimes negative emotions are necessary, such as:
The goal of ABC is not to get rid of negative emotions but to view them in a rational and more helpful way. |
An Example.
Once the belief is identified, you can consider the actions or feelings that occurred as a result.
For example, your friend isn't smiling when you are telling a new friend a story so you assume you sound foolish.
The thought you can identify is, "I must sound really boring."
You feel overwhelmingly ashamed and silly. They probably think you're not fun and won't want to play with you.
The feeling is "ashamed" and "sad" and "lonely."
You stop talking and sit down and feel sad. The two friends continue talking and start to walk away.
Now you get anxious when you want to tell a story.
According to Albert, your irrational thought "I must sound boring because my friend isn't smiling" and "they think I'm not fun and won't want to play with me" need to be explored.
You did this in our workbook so you already get it, of course.
The next step is to figure out how changing your perspective, or the way you see a situation, can change your feelings and behavior.
For example, your friend isn't smiling when you are telling a new friend a story so you assume you sound foolish.
The thought you can identify is, "I must sound really boring."
You feel overwhelmingly ashamed and silly. They probably think you're not fun and won't want to play with you.
The feeling is "ashamed" and "sad" and "lonely."
You stop talking and sit down and feel sad. The two friends continue talking and start to walk away.
Now you get anxious when you want to tell a story.
According to Albert, your irrational thought "I must sound boring because my friend isn't smiling" and "they think I'm not fun and won't want to play with me" need to be explored.
You did this in our workbook so you already get it, of course.
The next step is to figure out how changing your perspective, or the way you see a situation, can change your feelings and behavior.
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What if your friend wasn't smiling because they were thinking about the half of a sandwich they threw away at lunch? What if they were daydreaming? What if your friend was also feeling like the things they said sounded foolish???
Would you have reacted the same way if those thoughts had popped up first? The ABC model teaches us that writing down what happened (the A) as soon as you can. This will help you decide if your beliefs or thoughts (B) were rational or irrational and if your feelings and reaction (C) were reasonable. You can use our workbook or journal to record your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Join our mailing list to get free worksheets! You can find out what you can understand by your age by clicking on the boxes to the right. If your thoughts were not rational, like in the example from above, you will have to change the way you approach situations In the Moment (calm down strategies are in Chill, just click the link below). |
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But how do you change your beliefs or thoughts in the moment?
In the workbook, we show you the steps for working through irrational beliefs or thoughts. By editing the script, you are practicing new patterns of thoughts and beliefs.
That's it. That is how you do it.
You are challenging your brain to see other possible solutions.
You are reframing your illogical thoughts.
Have you ever wished for a do over? This is what you are doing. You are redoing the situation that made you anxious and creating a better outcome.
You need to identify the thoughts and feelings that lead to anxiety. Write down your triggers.
That's it. That is how you do it.
You are challenging your brain to see other possible solutions.
You are reframing your illogical thoughts.
Have you ever wished for a do over? This is what you are doing. You are redoing the situation that made you anxious and creating a better outcome.
You need to identify the thoughts and feelings that lead to anxiety. Write down your triggers.
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What CBT actually looks like
The details will vary according to your problem. However, CBT typically includes the following:
You can join us as we work through the process by logging into our membership page. It's free. We have worksheets and videos and even a schedule. We'd love to have you!!
- Assessment – This includes filling describing your biggest problem and pinpoint distressing symptoms. You will need to track your progress and identify problems or symptoms that need extra attention.
- Personal education – You'll need materials (such our workbook or other books) to help you learn more about your particular problem. The saying ‘knowledge is power’ is a cornerstone of CBT. A good understanding of your particular psychological problem will help you to dismiss unfounded fears, which will help to ease your anxiety and other negative feelings.
- Goal setting – You will need to draw up a list of goals you wish to achieve You and your caregiver work out practical strategies to help fulfil these goals.
- Practice Strategies – You will practice your new strategies. For example, you may role-play difficult social situations or realistic self-talk (how you talk to yourself in your head), practice mindfulness, or create a plan and practice the plan to replace unhealthy or negative thoughts.
- Homework – You have to actively participate. This is the hardest part. You are encouraged to use the practical strategies you have practiced during the course of your daily life and track the results. You'll need to set goals and update your progress. You'll need to revise your plan if something doesn't work, set new goals, and practice. But if you persist, you can retrain your brain and manage your anxiety!
You can join us as we work through the process by logging into our membership page. It's free. We have worksheets and videos and even a schedule. We'd love to have you!!
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