Today, the Cognitive Distortion Starter Kit Continues with
Magnification and Minimization
Rhonda begins by reading two beautiful, inspiring emails from Dr. Heather Clague and Dr. Dipti Joshi. Heather and Dipti are also dear friends and esteemed colleagues of David and Rhonda.
Rhonda and David begin with a brief overview of distortion #6: Magnification and Minimization. Magnification is when you blow things out of proportion. This is common in anxiety and is also called “Catastrophizing.” For example, during panics patients often tell themselves—and believe—that they are on the verge of something catastrophic, like a stroke, a sudden, fatal heart attack, or losing their minds and becoming hopelessly psychotic.
Minimization is just the opposite. You shrink the importance of something like your good qualities or the things you’ve accomplished. Minimization is common in depression.
Magnification and Minimization almost always play a big role in procrastination as well. For example, you may Magnify the enormity and difficult of the task you’ve been putting off, and Minimize the value of just getting started on it today, even if you only have a few minutes.
I sometimes call this distortion the “binocular trick” because it’s like looking through the opposite ends of a binocular, so things either appear much larger or much smaller than they actually are.
Techniques that can be especially helpful include Examine the Evidence, the Semantic Technique, Little Steps for Big Feats, the Experimental Technique, the Double Standard Technique, and Externalization of Voices / Acceptance Paradox.
Rhonda brings these techniques to life in a description of a depressed man she recently treated who’s been divorced for 2 to 3 years, and living alone due to the Shelter in Place orders during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although he’s lonely, he’s telling himself that he’s “too depressed and scattered” to be in a relationship.
At the start of the session, he feels:
- sad, 90%
- panicky, 50%
- ashamed, 50%
- worthless 50%
- alone, 90%
- hopeless90%
- frustrated, 90%
- upset, 90%.
Rhonda describes her skillful and compassionate TEAM treatment of this man, starting with the Magic Button, Positive Reframing, and Magic Dial, followed by Identify the Distortions, the Paradoxical Double Standard Technique, and Externalization of Voices (including the Acceptance Paradox, the Self-Defense Paradigm, and the Counter-Attack Technique, or “Cat”)
These techniques were tremendously helpful, and at the end of the session, he no longer believed his negative thoughts about himself and his negative feelings all fell to zero. He recovered, essentially, in one extended (3-hour) TEAM therapy session.
David and Rhonda discuss the impact of this type of experience on the therapist as well as the patient. Obviously, the patient feels fantastic, but Rhonda said she also felt “rejuvenated,” with much warmth and kindness. I (David) always feel this as well at the end of an amazing session.
Rhonda and David
You can reach Dr. Burns at david@feelinggood.com. Dr. Rhonda Barovsky practices in Walnut Creek, California, and can be reached at rbarovsky@aol.com. She is a Certified TEAM-CBT therapist and specializes in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. She also does forensic work in family court, but finds TEAM-CBT to be way more rewarding!
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This is the cover of my new book, Feeling Great. It will be released in September of 2020, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon! If you pre-order it, this will help greatly in the ratings the day actually released.
Wonderful and very educative podcasts for a person not in the psychology field.
I wonder if you have any material on past life regrets.
Thank you.
Thanks!i use TEAM for past life regrets. It is a powerful systematic approach, and not a formula. Lots of podcasts on that topic, use my feelinggood.com search function for TEAM, motivation, and words like that. You’ll get lots of useful links. All the best, david
Hi Rondha, At last we podcast listeners have got to hear your psychotherapeutic calibre, exactness and sophistication as well as your emotional courage and generosity of spirit as a live podcast subject. Beautiful on both counts. That’s why I applied for your Wednesday group. With all good wishes to you and yours.
Shalom.
Joshua
Thank you, Joshua. Forwarded to Rhonda! Warmly, david