CBT Examples

Hi Dr. Hubbard,
I know a big part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is taking negative phrases re tinnitus and substituting them for positive ones.
Can you give examples of these? Or maybe positive phrases that may have helped you or your clients with t?
Have tried "This too shall pass", but not sure I am believing it, 11 months in.
Thanks so much, Dr. Hubbard.
Lisa

 

Lisa,
That's funny you ask as I've been putting together a list of phrases, statements to help redirect tinnitus sufferers in positive, effective directions. I will get that into shape tomorrow and post it then.
best wishes!
Dr Hubbard

 

Hi Dr Hubbard, Just wondering if you have those CBT examples ready, I am interested too.
Thanks, Blair

 

Here you go!

These are some examples of "cognitive scripts" - phrases and statements intended to establish a healthy, effective perspective on tinnitus and your response to it. These scripts are used to ground thinking over the course of the day, redirect your attention away from tinnitus and on to what you can do to recover. Cognitive scripts are typically tailored to each person. These examples capture some of the typical themes. It's important to remember that cognitive skills are just one part of an integrated CBT program for tinnitus distress. Contemporary CBT also includes acceptance, exposure, and reactivating in healthy, valued directions.

“OK, maybe this condition won’t go away, but over time, I will learn to live with it, adjust to it, screen it out. And I certainly hope it doesn’t get any worse, but I refuse to let my brain ‘what if’ me to death. I choose to live! And in the event that my condition does get worse, then I will be just as determined as I am now to accept, adjust and habituate.”

"I refuse to be bullied by tinnitus. It will take all the courage I can muster, but I choose to live. And that means getting back out into my world a little at a time. So I'm going to that party tonight, because my friends are an important part of my life and I want to see them. I know the noise level may be high, but the fact is it won't exceed the levels of safe hearing. I will need to accept my fear, and spontaneous negative thoughts, and of course, this high pitched tone (whooshing, crickets, etc) will be part of the experience, but I refuse to sit home another weekend."

"My mind keeps telling me that no one could accept this noise – it's not possible. If others could hear this, they would understand why my brain keeps telling me that I'll be miserable the rest of my life. But the fact is, the loudness and complexity of tinnitus do not predict the course of habituation. Even people with tinnitus louder than mine have come to ignore it and live healthy lives. I want to believe that I can, too. It will be hard, and take a lot of courage, but I will work to accept these tones, a little at a time, take them with me as I begin each day. Even where there is pain, there can be meaning. It's important for me to commit to resuming life, for my (valued goals) career/spiritual practice/hobby/friends/family members. So take three deep breaths, trust the process, and here I go..."

"If I continue to view tinnitus as the bane of my existence, it will never go away. I can't stop these sounds/sensations, but I can change how I respond. I can allow the sounds to be present, even if I don't want them, and courageously move forward into my life. I can be reassured by the facts – the vast number of people who have gone on to accept and habituate to their own tinnitus – that over time, I will adjust and get my life back. So, here I go..."

Best Wishes!
DR Hubbard

 

Thanks for the examples if you have any more, or can point to some resources that would provide more examples it would be appreciated. I am presently doing CBT and the material we are covering does not provide chronic illness examples which I could integrate as T examples, so having some difficulty integrating their examples to my (our/us) situation with T. Thanks for any help.

Blair

 

Is there something specific your struggling with?

 

Nothing specific, I just feel I need all the positivity I can get and if CBT is to help I have to change very ingrained way of thinking that goes back to my childhood. If I have these automatic thoughts that affect mood and behavior I very much need to be totally conscious to be successful in making changes. I give you an example if you have had repeated disappoints and continue to be hammered and you come to expect it, you do not have much hope or high expectations, at least for me, so I don't have many highs because I don't expect it to last and try to stay flat line so the lows don't whack me, unfortunately this has whacked me and I certainly haven't lived a fairy tale life. I feel if I have to have lots of artillery, to use military terminology "blitzkrieg" my thinking that I feel I have many options (CBT examples) to refer to and thus a safety net. So unfortunately for me to have survived this long I just never allowed myself to go above the flat line to protect myself. Much like I am doing now trying to get as much support in place that hopefully maximize my opportunity to adapt to what appears to be my new life. I am on a wait list to May 2015 to see a psychiatrist to do individual CBT

Thanks, Blair.