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I am a bit lost with my therapy homework and would be very grateful if someone could help me to understand what I'm supposed to do. My therapist is away at the moment and won't be back until my next session so I can't ask her about it. 

I have been given a Core Beliefs Rules sheet that talks about Negative Automatic thoughts, Rules for living, Core Beliefs about yourself, others and the world. I have been asked to make a timeline list/bullet point events from my whole life that I think have lead to me having OCD, using the Core Belief sheet to help. I'm supposed to think of big and small events that have happened that I believe might be linked. I have no idea what this really means, I can think of 2 things that have happened that might be linked but nothing else, but have been asked to think of things throughout my life. So if anyone can give me any examples or help explain this differently to me as I just don't get what I'm supposed to do at the moment and feel l must be missing something. 

 

Thank you very much. 

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12 minutes ago, Purplegirl said:

I have been asked to make a timeline list/bullet point events from my whole life that I think have lead to me having OCD, using the Core Belief sheet to help.

My therapist suggested I do something similar  at the end of one of my sessions and we could discuss it at my next session.  When the next session came along I said that I see no benefit from this exercise.  My reasons for this were:

  • Some of the beliefs and events were formulated/happened well over 50 years ago
  • The people who instilled (or were involved in) these beliefs in me are long gone or they are well out of my life

I explained to my therapist that I wanted to concentrate on the beliefs I have in the here and now (eg. catastrophisation) and how I can use the therapy in the here and now to tackle my OCD thinking and move me forward to a place where I am in control and not my OCD.

To me it was a case of I want to move forward towards a better life and not to be dragged backwards by searching the deep archive of my mind.

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Hi, thanks for your reply. I've often heard people say that with OCD the past isn't that important in recovery and that it's best to look at the present and future and why it happens 'doesn't matter' but I don't know how accurate that is or not though!  

I guess it could depend on each person and their situation, I just don't really understand why they've asked me to do it or even how I'm supposed to know what to write down! 

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I agree with Paul that the timeline is irrelevant. Other than maybe helping you to see 'Oh yeah, I started thinking like this (core belief/ automatic negative thought response) after xyz happened. But it's all about idenitifying what your automatic thoughts and core beliefs are, not about 'events that might have given me ocd'. OCD is way more complicated than a response to a single event. And far simpler once you understand it's just a way of thinking you've become used to doing by default. You can then look at alternative ways of thinking, alternative ways to interpret the same events / the world/ life.

Do you understand what core beliefs and automatic negative thoughts are? :)

 

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Core Belief Outline:

**Introduction**

* What is a core belief?
* What are the different types of core beliefs?
* Why are core beliefs important?

**Body**

* Identify your core beliefs.
* Evaluate your core beliefs.
* Challenge your core beliefs.
* Reframe your core beliefs.

**Conclusion**

* Summarize your core beliefs.
* Discuss the implications of your core beliefs

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Hi Snowbear, thanks for your reply. That's what I thought, that it just doesn't seem very helpful to try 'figure out where it all came from' as I'm unsure how that will help with recovery. and I'm  having a hard time trying to think of events that my therapist wants me to come up with for this excercise. I think I understand them? from my understanding Core beliefs being beliefs within that we think of ourselves, the world etc such as 'I am not a good person' 'people can't be trusted' etc. and Automatic Negative thoughts are bad thoughts that aren't helpful such as 'something bad will happen to me' and 'I am not going to succeed in....'  I think? but I'm still not really sure to be honest, which is probably why I just don't get this homework. 

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On 27/05/2023 at 23:37, snowbear said:

I agree with Paul that the timeline is irrelevant. Other than maybe helping you to see 'Oh yeah, I started thinking like this (core belief/ automatic negative thought response) after xyz happened. But it's all about idenitifying what your automatic thoughts and core beliefs are, not about 'events that might have given me ocd'. OCD is way more complicated than a response to a single event. And far simpler once you understand it's just a way of thinking you've become used to doing by default. You can then look at alternative ways of thinking, alternative ways to interpret the same events / the world/ life.

Do you understand what core beliefs and automatic negative thoughts are? :)

 

Hi Snowbear, thanks for your reply. That's what I thought, that it just doesn't seem very helpful to try 'figure out where it all came from' as I'm unsure how that will help with recovery. and I'm  having a hard time trying to think of events that my therapist wants me to come up with for this excercise. I think I understand them? from my understanding Core beliefs being beliefs within that we think of ourselves, the world etc such as 'I am not a good person' 'people can't be trusted' etc. and Automatic Negative thoughts are bad thoughts that aren't helpful such as 'something bad will happen to me' and 'I am not going to succeed in....'  I think? but I'm still not really sure to be honest, which is probably why I just don't get this homework. 

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On 29/05/2023 at 03:34, Handy said:

Core Belief Outline:

**Introduction**

* What is a core belief?
* What are the different types of core beliefs?
* Why are core beliefs important?

**Body**

* Identify your core beliefs.
* Evaluate your core beliefs.
* Challenge your core beliefs.
* Reframe your core beliefs.

**Conclusion**

* Summarize your core beliefs.
* Discuss the implications of your core beliefs

Thanks for your reply Handy. I've not seen this layout before and unsure what you mean. 

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3 hours ago, Purplegirl said:

from my understanding Core beliefs being beliefs within that we think of ourselves, the world etc such as 'I am not a good person' 'people can't be trusted' etc. and Automatic Negative thoughts are bad thoughts that aren't helpful such as 'something bad will happen to me' and 'I am not going to succeed in....'  I think? but I'm still not really sure to be honest, which is probably why I just don't get this homework. 

Spot on with both definitions. :yes:

You can't change something if it's so automatic and below consciousness that you don't know it's happening.

So, this homework is about identifying your core beliefs and automatic negatives. Just make a list of the ones you think apply to you. At this stage I'd suggest you write down ALL the core beliefs and automatic responses you identify. Then you can discuss with the therapist which ones you think are helpful and which ones you need to work on and change.

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On 30/05/2023 at 16:50, Purplegirl said:

Hi Snowbear, thanks for your reply. That's what I thought, that it just doesn't seem very helpful to try 'figure out where it all came from' as I'm unsure how that will help with recovery. and I'm  having a hard time trying to think of events that my therapist wants me to come up with for this excercise. I think I understand them? from my understanding Core beliefs being beliefs within that we think of ourselves, the world etc such as 'I am not a good person' 'people can't be trusted' etc. and Automatic Negative thoughts are bad thoughts that aren't helpful such as 'something bad will happen to me' and 'I am not going to succeed in....'  I think? but I'm still not really sure to be honest, which is probably why I just don't get this homework. 

Good advice on this thread already but just wanted to add that if you don't feel the exercise is valuable, it is totally ok to ask your therapist why you are doing it, especially if you feel you've already identified your core beliefs.

In terms of the exercise itself, it is something I've come across before, albeit framed slightly differently perhaps. I did something similar when I went through secondary care treatment after making a bit of progress each time I went through primary care (I'm in England so the primary care services were IAPT, now known as NHS Talking Therapies services). I'd been able to take on some big exposures and had learned lots of CBT strategies but I was still struggling with multiple OCD themes as well as depression, social anxiety and low self esteem. I struggled to articulate what I thought my core beliefs might be and the way the exercise was presented to me was to do homework to write down any events and experiences through my life that felt 'significant' - in a good or bad way, she gave a couple of examples. I ended up coming back to the next session with a HUGE list which included a lot of traumatic experiences as well as many smaller things that I had strong feelings about - mistakes I felt I'd made, regrets, times I'd felt hurt as well as times I'd felt proud, loved etc. We went through each event in session (some very briefly, others in more depth) to identify how I felt about it and discussed the potential core beliefs (about myself, others and the world) that might have resulted from it - which we tweaked throughout as we discussed each event/experience. At the end of the exercise, I had the opportunity to do some exercises related to processing one particular traumatic event and I had a good idea of my core beliefs and the events that had shaped them which helped me to be more compassionate to myself: it made sense to me that I'd ended up struggling with OCD and other mental health difficulties given how the experiences I'd had had affected my core beliefs so I was able to be more patient and kind to myself for being unwell, and crucially, to feel deserving of recovery. We also came up with some alternative/new core beliefs that were less rigid, more compassionate to myself and allowed me space to feel more positive, and these have been helpful to refer to since. She used Melanie Fennell's book Overcoming Low Self Esteem as we worked through it, and this took up only a few sessions out of 27/28 overall (if I remember right!) so there was plenty of space for other work. I don't know if this is how the exercise is typically used and if the way my therapist approached it is the norm (and this was back in 2017/2018ish so my memory may be lacking!) but I hope it may be helpful to have this context.

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6 hours ago, LauraOCDUK said:

I'd been able to take on some big exposures and had learned lots of CBT strategies but I was still struggling with multiple OCD themes as well as depression, social anxiety and low self esteem. I struggled to articulate what I thought my core beliefs might be and the way the exercise was presented to me was to do homework to write down any events and experiences through my life that felt 'significant' - in a good or bad way, she gave a couple of examples. I ended up coming back to the next session with a HUGE list which included a lot of traumatic experiences as well as many smaller things that I had strong feelings about - mistakes I felt I'd made, regrets, times I'd felt hurt as well as times I'd felt proud, loved etc. We went through each event in session (some very briefly, others in more depth) to identify how I felt about it and discussed the potential core beliefs (about myself, others and the world) that might have resulted from it - which we tweaked throughout as we discussed each event/experience. At the end of the exercise, I had the opportunity to do some exercises related to processing one particular traumatic event and I had a good idea of my core beliefs and the events that had shaped them which helped me to be more compassionate to myself: it made sense to me that I'd ended up struggling with OCD and other mental health difficulties given how the experiences I'd had had affected my core beliefs so I was able to be more patient and kind to myself for being unwell, and crucially, to feel deserving of recovery. We also came up with some alternative/new core beliefs that were less rigid, more compassionate to myself and allowed me space to feel more positive, and these have been helpful to refer to since. She used Melanie Fennell's book Overcoming Low Self Esteem as we worked through it, and this took up only a few sessions out of 27/28 overall (if I remember right!) so there was plenty of space for other work. I don't know if this is how the exercise is typically used and if the way my therapist approached it is the norm (and this was back in 2017/2018ish so my memory may be lacking!) but I hope it may be helpful to have this context.

 

I love this!  :clapping:  This is how cognitive therapy is supposed to be.

Also love how you've explained it in such a clear way, Laura.  :)

I might steal some of this for giving future explanations myself. :D

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35 minutes ago, snowbear said:

 

I love this!  :clapping:  This is how cognitive therapy is supposed to be.

Also love how you've explained it in such a clear way, Laura.  :)

I might steal some of this for giving future explanations myself. :D

Glad you found it helpful, feel free to steal away! :biggrin: I am grateful that I was able to access good quality treatment because it was life changing!

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8 hours ago, LauraOCDUK said:

Good advice on this thread already but just wanted to add that if you don't feel the exercise is valuable, it is totally ok to ask your therapist why you are doing it, especially if you feel you've already identified your core beliefs.

In terms of the exercise itself, it is something I've come across before, albeit framed slightly differently perhaps. I did something similar when I went through secondary care treatment after making a bit of progress each time I went through primary care (I'm in England so the primary care services were IAPT, now known as NHS Talking Therapies services). I'd been able to take on some big exposures and had learned lots of CBT strategies but I was still struggling with multiple OCD themes as well as depression, social anxiety and low self esteem. I struggled to articulate what I thought my core beliefs might be and the way the exercise was presented to me was to do homework to write down any events and experiences through my life that felt 'significant' - in a good or bad way, she gave a couple of examples. I ended up coming back to the next session with a HUGE list which included a lot of traumatic experiences as well as many smaller things that I had strong feelings about - mistakes I felt I'd made, regrets, times I'd felt hurt as well as times I'd felt proud, loved etc. We went through each event in session (some very briefly, others in more depth) to identify how I felt about it and discussed the potential core beliefs (about myself, others and the world) that might have resulted from it - which we tweaked throughout as we discussed each event/experience. At the end of the exercise, I had the opportunity to do some exercises related to processing one particular traumatic event and I had a good idea of my core beliefs and the events that had shaped them which helped me to be more compassionate to myself: it made sense to me that I'd ended up struggling with OCD and other mental health difficulties given how the experiences I'd had had affected my core beliefs so I was able to be more patient and kind to myself for being unwell, and crucially, to feel deserving of recovery. We also came up with some alternative/new core beliefs that were less rigid, more compassionate to myself and allowed me space to feel more positive, and these have been helpful to refer to since. She used Melanie Fennell's book Overcoming Low Self Esteem as we worked through it, and this took up only a few sessions out of 27/28 overall (if I remember right!) so there was plenty of space for other work. I don't know if this is how the exercise is typically used and if the way my therapist approached it is the norm (and this was back in 2017/2018ish so my memory may be lacking!) but I hope it may be helpful to have this context.

I too would struggle to identify my core beliefs but the exercise your therapist gave you allowed you to contextualise them in your experiences.
 

You had to identify significant experiences which were in your case accompanied by strong feelings and these feelings were both positive and negative.

In your therapeutic dialogue about these events your core beliefs were elicited. I like the way the therapist categorised three forms of core beliefs: self beliefs, beliefs about others and the world. You then could evaluate whether your core beliefs  still served a purpose or whether they should be changed. In terms of self beliefs you came to the conclusion that self compassion would be appropriate.

For me too, significant events evoke strong emotions both positive and negative. And I think that we can hold on to strong beliefs that are no longer appropriate. I mentioned in another thread the book ‘CBT for OCD’ and this reframing of significant events was seen as an important part of therapy. 
 

You have inspired me to have a go at the approach myself!

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It's important to ask what method your counselor uses, Jung? Freud? What kind of education do they have? What college & what degree.  There are so many methods but if you know their training it is a lot easier to figure out what they are doing with you. 

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8 hours ago, Handy said:

It's important to ask what method your counselor uses, Jung? Freud? What kind of education do they have? What college & what degree.  There are so many methods but if you know their training it is a lot easier to figure out what they are doing with you. 

 

I don't think it's the least bit necessary to ask about Jung and Freud, Handy. In fact it's totally misleading.  :dry:  Neither is which college or having a degree relevant in the UK.

What is important is to check your therapist is BABCP registered  (not just BACP registered) This ensures they are trained in cognitive behavioural therapy and will take this CBT approach when doing therapy.  UK residents can check if their therapist is BABCP registered here

 

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