Blank worksheets

On the following pages you’ll find a series of blank worksheets for the exercises described in Part 2.

Glossary

anxiety: a mood state, which can be brief or prolonged and characterized by negative feelings such as apprehension, dread, uneasiness and distress. Anxiety is related to fear, but unlike fear, a specific object, person or event does not always induce it.

attribution: a statement or belief that something causes something else to happen, or explains it.

avoidance: the tendency not to do something, or keep away from something that we believe is likely to result in a negative outcome. For example, we may not take an exam because we believe that the most likely outcome is failure, or we may avoid leaving the house because we fear that we would not be able to cope.

cognitive errors/distortions: these are common errors of thinking (or imagining) that happen automatically (see NATs). Examples of cognitive errors/distortions are ‘jumping to conclusions’ or ‘believing that we know what others are thinking’. Although everyone makes these types of errors, they become more frequent and distorted when we experience negative emotional states.

delusion: a false belief that is maintained to the contrary of the available information and data, and despite what almost everyone with the same background argues. An example of a delusion would be the belief that intelligence forces are spying on you from outer space, or that you have supernatural powers.

depersonalization: the feeling of loss of the self or any aspect of the self and/or of one’s identity.

depressive illness/depression: a state characterized by low mood which persists and is of such a severity that it interferes with day-to-day life. It is likely to be deemed to merit medical or psychological treatment.

derealization: an alteration in the perception of the environment and/or disconnection from it, such that it feels changed, altered or unreal.

dissociation/dissociative experiences: experiences that cover a range of sensations of feeling disconnected from oneself, others or the world. These can include the feeling of being outside, or separated from, your own body, personality, or functions, or forgetting who you are or what you have been doing over a period of time.

emotional reasoning: the belief that something is ‘true’ or ‘real’ because it feels emotionally as if that were the case. For example, believing that you are a complete failure just because you feel a sense of failure at the present moment.

hallucination: an experience of false perception which occurs when a person is wide awake. The experience is believed to be real but lacks the physical stimulus. Some common examples are hearing voices that are not present (auditory hallucination) or likewise seeing objects that are not present (visual hallucination). Any of the senses may be involved, including smell, taste, or touch.

low mood: a relatively short-lived mood state characterized by negative feelings such as sadness, depression, despondency, pessimism, self-doubt and/or hopelessness.

negative automatic thoughts (NATs): thoughts by their very nature are automatic in that they ‘pop’ into our head without control or volition. Negative automatic thoughts are distressing and tend to be linked to negative beliefs about ourselves, the world and/or others. These types of thought are likely to be biased in nature (see cognitive errors/distortions).

neurological: relating to the structure and function of the nervous system which encompasses the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.

obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): is a clinical condition. Obsessions are annoying thoughts or images that repeatedly enter the mind. Compulsions are useless behaviors – actions that you feel you have to do but find difficult to resist. They therefore tend to be repeated again and again.

phobia: a state of anxiety induced by a specific situation, object, or event.

psychosis: a generic term, often used by psychiatrists and psychologists to describe a range of conditions that are characterized by a combination of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, unpredictable and/or disturbed behavior and mood. Examples of these conditions are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

recurrent DPAFU (depersonalization and/or feelings of unreality): feelings of depersonalization and/or derealization that continue to re-occur. Each episode may last for a substantial period of time.

rumination: dwelling upon thoughts, ideas, beliefs and/or images. This process is usually unwanted and/or intrusive and cannot be controlled or stopped at will.

safety-seeking behavior: any behavior that we adopt because we believe it is likely to prevent harm and/or something bad happening. Safety-seeking behaviors can be ‘overt’ and clearly observable by others, or ‘covert’ which means they only involve our thoughts. An example of an overt safety-seeking behavior might be taking sips of water because we believe it will prevent fainting. A covert safety-seeking behavior might be repeating specific words or counting to try to prevent something bad from happening. It is important to recognize that the safety-seeking behaviors themselves do not prevent harm from happening despite the belief that they do.

social anxiety/phobia: feelings of anxiety when placed in a ‘social’ or ‘public’ situation fed by the belief that one is likely to be judged negatively by others. A common example of this is a fear of embarrassing yourself while making a speech or giving a presentation.

transient DPAFU (depersonalization and/or feelings of unreality): feelings of depersonalization and/or derealization that come and go, and only last a very brief time.

Further information

Books

Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: A Practice Manual and Conceptual Guide by A. Wells, Wiley (1997)

Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self by D. Simeon and J. Abugel, Oxford University Press (2006)

Full Catastrophe Living by J. Kabat-Zinn, Piatkus (1996)

Handbook of Individual Therapy 4th Edition by W. Dryden, Sage Publications (2002)

Mind over Mood: Change How You Feel By Changing The Way You Think by D.A. Greenberger and C.A. Padesky, Guildford Press (1995)

10 Days to Great Self-Esteem by D. Burns, Vermillion (2000)

Other relevant books in the Overcoming series

Overcoming Anxiety by H. Kennerley, Constable & Robinson (2009)

Overcoming Childhood Trauma by H. Kennerley, Constable & Robinson (2000)

Overcoming Depression by P. Gilbert, Constable & Robinson (2009)

Overcoming Insomnia and Sleep Problems by C. Espie, Constable & Robinson (2006)

Overcoming Low Self-Esteem by M. Fennell, Constable & Robinson (2009)

Overcoming Traumatic Stress by C. Herbert and A. Wetmore, Constable & Robinson (1999)