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5. 识别来访的情绪、生理反应和行为

第二部分

了解来访的问题

第五章

识别来访的情绪、身体反应和行为

在上一章中,我们讨论了如何结构化会话。你有机会尝试与新来访或现有来访设置议程吗?进展如何?关于会话结束时的回顾呢?使用结构化方法对你的治疗会话有何影响?我希望你会继续使用结构化格式。维持改变的最佳方法之一是给自己分配一个强化新行为的具体任务。你愿意选择四位来访,尝试设置议程和回顾吗?

如果你没有机会尝试结构化会话,是什么阻碍了你?你对结构化会话有负面预测吗?试着在接下来的一周内只与一位来访设置议程,并注意来访的反应。

设置议程

在本章中,我们将讨论如何识别触发来访的情境,然后如何使用四因素模型来理解来访的反应。我们将重点关注识别来访的情绪、身体反应和行为。识别来访的思维将在接下来的两章中讨论。

议程项目 #1:在治疗中使用四因素模型

议程项目 #2:识别来访的触发因素

议程项目 #3:理解来访的反应

议程项目 #4:帮助来访识别情绪

议程项目 #5:帮助来访识别身体反应

议程项目 #6:帮助来访识别行为

议程项目 #7:保持同理心

进一步的知识点阐述

  • 结构化会话的重要性

    • 设置议程:通过设置议程,治疗师和来访可以明确会话的目标和方向,提高会话的效率和效果。
    • 回顾会话:通过回顾会话,来访可以更好地记住会话中的重要内容,确认治疗的方向,治疗师也可以根据来访的反馈调整方法。
  • 四因素模型

    • 定义:四因素模型是一种帮助理解来访反应的工具,包括情境、情绪、身体反应和行为四个因素。
    • 应用:通过四因素模型,治疗师可以系统地识别和分析来访的反应,帮助来访更好地理解自己的问题。
  • 识别触发因素

    • 定义:触发因素是指引发来访特定情绪、身体反应或行为的情境。
    • 方法:通过询问来访在特定情境下的感受和反应,帮助来访识别触发因素。
  • 理解来访的反应

    • 情绪:情绪是来访对特定情境的情感反应,如愤怒、悲伤、焦虑等。
    • 身体反应:身体反应是来访在特定情境下的生理变化,如心跳加快、肌肉紧张等。
    • 行为:行为是来访在特定情境下的具体行动,如逃避、攻击等。
  • 帮助来访识别情绪

    • 方法:通过开放性问题和情感词汇表,帮助来访更准确地描述自己的情绪。
    • 目的:帮助来访更好地理解自己的情绪,为后续的治疗打下基础。
  • 帮助来访识别身体反应

    • 方法:通过询问来访在特定情境下的身体感觉,帮助来访识别身体反应。
    • 目的:帮助来访意识到身体反应与情绪之间的联系,提高自我意识。
  • 帮助来访识别行为

    • 方法:通过具体的情境描述,帮助来访识别自己的行为模式。
    • 目的:帮助来访理解行为对情绪和身体反应的影响,为行为改变提供依据。
  • 保持同理心

    • 定义:同理心是指治疗师能够理解并感受到来访的情绪和体验。
    • 重要性:保持同理心可以增强来访对治疗师的信任,提高治疗效果。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地理解和帮助来访,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

执行议程

来访带着各种各样的问题来到治疗中。例如,苏珊因为过于焦虑而无法与同事交谈和建立友谊,劳尔在工作中拖延项目,有些来访饮酒过量,还有一些来访在尝试使用电梯时感到恐慌。在本章中,我们将开始使用四因素模型来理解来访的问题。

议程项目 #1:在治疗中使用四因素模型

几乎每一位来访都有特定的情境会触发他们,当被触发时,他们会自动沿着一条熟悉的消极路径前行。这条路径充满了各种情绪、身体反应、行为和思维,最终形成一个大的消极混乱的黑球。这一切发生得如此迅速和自动,以至于来访从未停下脚步去注意或质疑这条消极路径。他们只是意识到路径尽头的那个大的消极黑球。消极路径似乎成了唯一的选择。请参见图5.1,了解消极路径的工作原理。

黑球 触发情境 消极路径

图5.1. 来访的消极路径

在接下来的三章中,我们将使用四因素模型帮助来访在消极自动路径上按下暂停键(见图5.2)。这开始了一个自我反思的过程,通常是来访首次完全承认自己的想法和感受。随着来访对四因素如何维持他们问题的认识加深,改变成为可能。

情绪? 暂停 思维? 理解 4因素 改变的可能性 自我反思 触发情境 身体反应? 行为?

图5.2. 来访按下暂停键

第一步是识别触发情境,然后识别和记录来访的情绪、身体反应、行为和思维。我们将使用《理解你的反应》工作表(与思维记录的前五列相同)作为工具,来识别和记录来访的反应。你可以在 http://www.newharbinger.com/38501 下载该工作表。

理解你的反应

情境 情绪(评分1-10) 身体反应(评分1-10) 行为 思维
什么?谁?在哪里?什么时候? 我感受到了什么? 我的身体有什么反应? 我做了什么? 我想了什么?

进一步的知识点阐述

  • 四因素模型

    • 定义:四因素模型是一种帮助理解来访反应的工具,包括情境、情绪、身体反应和行为四个因素。
    • 应用:通过四因素模型,治疗师可以系统地识别和分析来访的反应,帮助来访更好地理解自己的问题。
  • 识别触发情境

    • 定义:触发情境是指引发来访特定情绪、身体反应或行为的情境。
    • 方法:通过询问来访在特定情境下的感受和反应,帮助来访识别触发情境。
  • 理解来访的反应

    • 情绪:情绪是来访对特定情境的情感反应,如愤怒、悲伤、焦虑等。
    • 身体反应:身体反应是来访在特定情境下的生理变化,如心跳加快、肌肉紧张等。
    • 行为:行为是来访在特定情境下的具体行动,如逃避、攻击等。
    • 思维:思维是来访在特定情境下的内心活动,如负面想法、自我批判等。
  • 暂停按钮

    • 定义:暂停按钮是指帮助来访在消极自动路径上暂停,进行自我反思。
    • 重要性:通过暂停,来访可以更清楚地认识到自己的反应模式,为改变提供机会。
  • 自我反思

    • 定义:自我反思是指来访对自己的情绪、身体反应、行为和思维进行深入思考。
    • 目的:帮助来访更好地理解自己的问题,为后续的治疗打下基础。
  • 改变的可能性

    • 定义:改变的可能性是指通过自我反思和理解,来访可以意识到改变的必要性和可能性。
    • 重要性:提高来访的自我意识,增强改变的动力和信心。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地理解和帮助来访,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

如果你不习惯在治疗过程中写作,一开始可能会觉得不自然。然而,一旦你尝试了,我认为你会发现写作非常有用。对于大多数来访来说,写下想法和感受与在头脑中思考它们是不同的体验;写作鼓励暂停和反思。使用书面工作表有助于组织会话。此外,来访可以在治疗之外使用《理解你的反应》工作表来放慢速度,识别他们在情绪激动时发生了什么。

虽然我认为尝试书面工作表很重要,但认知行为疗法(CBT)是灵活的;识别四因素也可以通过口头对话来完成。

议程项目 #2:识别来访的触发因素

每位来访都有特定类型的情境会启动他们的自动消极路径;这些情境就是他们的触发因素。为了应对来访的问题,你需要知道哪些情境对他来说是困难的,触发了他的消极路径。

虽然许多来访能意识到自己的触发因素,但其他来访在识别特定的触发情境时有困难。例如,一位来访可能会告诉你他“总是”感到悲伤,或“总是”饮酒过量,无法识别特定的问题情境。识别来访的触发因素有助于你开始看到模式,从而知道在治疗中应该关注什么。

一个有帮助的第一步是要求来访监控其问题情绪或行为,并观察在哪些情境下这些情绪更强烈或行为更极端。例如,我的一位来访艾尔斯贝斯因为总是生气而来寻求治疗。当我要求她举出具体的情境例子时,她回答说她“一直”生气。她的第一个家庭作业是监控她的愤怒情绪,并观察何时最强。她回来时发现,当她的十几岁儿子不按她的要求行事时,她最生气,比如他在凌晨2点做作业、违反宵禁或不做家务。她发现对儿子的愤怒蔓延到了生活的其他方面。

我经常使用一个简单的监控工作表,如下所示。你可以在 http://www.newharbinger.com/38501 下载《什么是你的触发因素?》工作表。我要求来访记录最困难的情境,并对其情绪从1到10进行评分。我们通常会开始看到模式。例如,苏珊告诉她的治疗师她在新学校“一直”很不开心。作为家庭作业,治疗师要求她注意最不开心的情境,并对其情绪进行评分。看看苏珊是如何填写工作表的。你看到模式了吗?

什么是你的触发因素?

情境 情绪(评分1-10;1=非常快乐;10=非常不快乐)
周一:午餐时没人一起吃 不开心:10
周二:在学校集会上,坐在我旁边的两位老师在交谈,没有和我说话 不开心:8
周三:我无意中听到一位老师在谈论她举办的聚会,但没有邀请我 不开心:10
周四:一位老师在课间休息时问坐在旁边的人是否愿意和她一起参加学校的戏剧表演 不开心:10
周五:课间休息时独自一人 不开心:9

当苏珊和她的治疗师查看工作表时,他们发现她在与教师的社交情境中最为不开心。她识别出的情境中没有涉及学生。苏珊感到惊讶。记录她的反应帮助她专注于对她来说困难的情境,同时也帮助她意识到学校的一些方面其实进展得不错。

进一步的知识点阐述

  • 写作的重要性

    • 不同体验:写下想法和感受与在头脑中思考它们是不同的体验,写作鼓励暂停和反思。
    • 组织会话:使用书面工作表有助于组织会话,使治疗过程更加有序。
    • 自我监控:来访可以在治疗之外使用工作表来放慢速度,识别他们在情绪激动时发生了什么。
  • 识别触发因素

    • 定义:触发因素是指引发来访特定情绪、身体反应或行为的情境。
    • 方法:通过询问来访在特定情境下的感受和反应,帮助来访识别触发因素。
    • 监控:要求来访监控其问题情绪或行为,并观察在哪些情境下这些情绪更强烈或行为更极端。
  • 模式识别

    • 重要性:识别模式有助于治疗师了解来访的问题所在,从而知道在治疗中应该关注什么。
    • 实例:通过记录和评分,苏珊发现她在与教师的社交情境中最为不开心,这帮助她和治疗师明确了治疗的重点。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地理解和帮助来访,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

帮助来访识别具体且明确的情境

你开始会话时进行检查,设置议程,然后决定要首先处理的议程项目。接下来会发生什么?你希望识别一个对来访来说有问题的具体情境,并在治疗中加以处理。

通常,来访会用模糊的术语描述触发情境,你很难真正理解发生了什么。你需要帮助来访变得更加具体和明确。具体且明确的描述包括发生了什么、与谁有关,以及具体的时间和地点。例如,模糊的情境描述可能是“我的伴侣不尊重我的工作”,而更具体且明确的描述则是“我的伴侣告诉我,她认为她的工作比我更重要。”以下是一些其他情境的例子,包括模糊的描述和更具体且明确的描述。

模糊和具体情境的例子

模糊描述 具体且明确的描述
我的孩子对继母无礼。 我的女儿在晚餐后被继母要求帮忙洗碗时骂了继母,并离开了房间。
我在父亲面前不得不小心翼翼,他因为小事就会生气。 我问父亲周六晚上是否可以用车,他冲我大喊,说我应该知道他要用车出去和朋友见面。
我在周末喝多了。 我和朋友们在酒吧,可能喝了八杯啤酒和至少四杯烈酒。

来访的描述越具体和明确,他们就越能情感投入情境中,更容易接触到自己的感受和想法。考虑你自己的经历:想想一个让你有点恼火的人。现在,回想一个具体的情境,当时你对这个人感到恼火。试着详细回忆这个情境。很可能,当你想到一个具体的情境时,你会变得更恼火,你的感受和想法也变得更加直接。同样的情况也会发生在来访谈论具体情境时。

有时,来访的情境是一个漫长而复杂的故事。在这种情况下,先听完整个故事,然后问来访最糟糕或最困难的部分是什么。识别一个持续几秒到三十分钟的情境是有帮助的(Greenberger & Padesky, 2016)——时间过长,来访可能会有多种多样的感受和想法,难以聚焦在主要的几个上。

进一步的知识点阐述

  • 具体且明确的情境

    • 定义:具体且明确的情境包括发生了什么、与谁有关,以及具体的时间和地点。
    • 重要性:具体且明确的描述有助于来访情感投入情境中,更容易接触到自己的感受和想法。
  • 帮助来访变得具体

    • 方法:通过提问和引导,帮助来访详细描述情境。例如,询问来访具体的时间、地点、人物和事件。
    • 示例:通过具体的情境描述,来访可以更清晰地表达自己的感受和想法,治疗师也能更好地理解来访的问题。
  • 处理复杂情境

    • 方法:先听完来访的完整故事,然后问来访最糟糕或最困难的部分是什么。
    • 时间限制:识别一个持续几秒到三十分钟的情境,避免时间过长导致来访难以聚焦主要的感受和想法。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和描述具体且明确的情境,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

帮助识别具体情境的问题

我知道我对情境有清晰的理解,如果我能在脑海中形成一幅画面。如果不能,我会问来访W问题:发生了什么?谁参与了?在哪里发生的?什么时候发生的?我在寻找情境的事实。在某些方面,这类似于侦探或新闻记者在调查事实,只不过你不是单打独斗,而是与来访组成一个事实调查团队。我通常从确保自己理解发生了什么开始。

让我们来看一个例子。我的一位来访对她的男朋友感到不满。我要求她举个例子。她回答说:“我的男朋友昨晚对我真的很刻薄。”让我们看看是否回答了W问题。我们知道发生了什么吗?不,不知道。我们知道谁参与了吗?是的,男朋友,但我们不知道是否有其他人参与。我们知道在哪里发生的吗?不,不知道。我们知道什么时候发生的吗?是的,昨晚。在我们开始探讨来访的情绪、身体反应、行为和思维之前,我们需要更清楚地了解发生了什么。

这里还有一个例子。如果你还记得第四章的内容,苏珊的主要议程项目是关于被邀请参加校长家的烧烤聚会。她不想去,打算直接拒绝。她的治疗师想更好地了解情况。让我们看看当她的治疗师使用四个W问题时会发生什么。

苏珊:我被邀请参加校长家的烧烤聚会。

治疗师:我需要确保我理解清楚。(注意治疗师解释了她要做什么。)这个活动是什么?

苏珊:校长邀请所有新老师到她家参加烧烤聚会。

治疗师不想连续不断地问苏珊一系列问题,但她也需要更多的信息。你可以同时问多个W问题。

治疗师:你能给我更多关于烧烤聚会的信息吗?比如,谁被邀请了,地点在哪里,时间是什么时候?

通过这些提问,苏珊的治疗师了解到,苏珊被邀请参加校长家的烧烤聚会,还有其他三位新老师也被邀请了。聚会将在两周后的放学后举行。一旦你对情境有了清晰的了解,你和来访就可以开始使用四因素模型来理解为什么她感到不安。

进一步的知识点阐述

  • W问题的重要性

    • 定义:W问题包括发生了什么(What)、谁参与了(Who)、在哪里发生的(Where)、什么时候发生的(When)。
    • 目的:通过W问题,治疗师可以确保对来访的情境有清晰和具体的理解,从而更好地帮助来访。
  • 具体情境的描述

    • 方法:通过提问和引导,帮助来访详细描述情境,确保情境的具体性和明确性。
    • 示例:通过具体的例子,治疗师可以更清晰地了解来访的问题,从而更好地进行治疗。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 合作调查:治疗师和来访组成一个事实调查团队,共同寻找情境的事实。
    • 避免连珠炮式提问:治疗师在获取信息时,避免连续不断地提问,以免来访感到压力。
  • 四因素模型的应用

    • 定义:四因素模型包括情境、情绪、身体反应和行为。
    • 应用:通过四因素模型,治疗师和来访可以系统地识别和分析来访的问题,帮助来访更好地理解自己的反应。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和描述具体情境,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

轮到你了!

帮助尼尔识别具体情境

尼尔,一位36岁的男性,在会话开始时说他想专注于与母亲的关系。试着帮助他具体化他想要解决的情境。

治疗师:你说今天想专注于与母亲的关系。 尼尔:一切都出了问题;我和母亲的关系比以往任何时候都糟。

看看下面三种可能的回应,选择一种能帮助你更好地了解困扰尼尔的情境。

  1. 你能多告诉我一些关于你和母亲的关系吗?
  2. 我可以看出你和母亲的关系真的让你很困扰;感觉一切都出了问题。
  3. 你能举一个例子,说明你和母亲之间出了什么问题吗?

回应#3最有可能帮助来访识别具体情境。回应#1太模糊了。如果这是你第一次听说尼尔与母亲的困难,这可能是一个好问题,但它无助于聚焦于一个具体困难的情境。回应#2是支持性的,但也没有帮助识别困难情境。

治疗师:你能举一个例子,说明你和母亲之间出了什么问题吗? 尼尔:上周日下午我们全家聚餐,简直糟糕透了。我和母亲相处不来。

在看治疗师的回应之前,问问自己治疗师可以问些什么来帮助尼尔更具体地描述发生了什么。

治疗师:你说上周日的家族聚餐糟糕透了。你能告诉我发生了什么吗? 尼尔:我非常生气,因为母亲对我非常挑剔。

问问自己W问题:你知道发生了什么吗?谁参与了?在哪里发生的?什么时候发生的?你不知道具体发生了什么,但你知道尼尔的母亲参与了,情况发生在上周日的家族聚餐中。我们需要更多信息。

看看下面三种可能的回应,选择一种能帮助你更好地了解情境。

  1. 当你说母亲对你挑剔时,你能帮我理解母亲具体做了什么吗?
  2. 你能多告诉我一些关于母亲挑剔的情况吗?
  3. 当母亲挑剔时,你在想什么?

回应#1最有可能帮助尼尔更具体地描述情境。回应#2是个好的开始,但太模糊了。尼尔可能会谈论他的感受、想法或情境。在回应#3中,你还不知道来访所说的挑剔具体指什么,所以现在问他的想法还为时过早。

进一步的知识点阐述

  • W问题的重要性

    • 定义:W问题包括发生了什么(What)、谁参与了(Who)、在哪里发生的(Where)、什么时候发生的(When)。
    • 目的:通过W问题,治疗师可以确保对来访的情境有清晰和具体的理解,从而更好地帮助来访。
  • 具体情境的描述

    • 方法:通过提问和引导,帮助来访详细描述情境,确保情境的具体性和明确性。
    • 示例:通过具体的例子,治疗师可以更清晰地了解来访的问题,从而更好地进行治疗。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 合作调查:治疗师和来访组成一个事实调查团队,共同寻找情境的事实。
    • 避免连珠炮式提问:治疗师在获取信息时,避免连续不断地提问,以免来访感到压力。
  • 有效提问的技巧

    • 具体化:通过具体化的问题,帮助来访详细描述情境,例如“母亲具体做了什么”。
    • 避免模糊:避免使用模糊的问题,确保来访能够提供具体的信息。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和描述具体情境,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

练习 5.1:劳尔的老板很难相处

练习识别具体情境。

情境的事实与情境的意义不同

来访在描述情境时,经常会包含他们的想法或对情境的解读。当你开始将情境的事实与情境的想法和感受分开时,你和来访开始对发生了什么有一个更客观的认识。

让我们来看一个例子。来访识别了以下情境:“我的妻子不在乎我母亲;她告诉母亲我们太忙了,不能去看她。”情境的事实是他的妻子告诉母亲他们太忙了,不能去看她;来访的想法或对情境的解读是“我的妻子不在乎我母亲。”再来看另一个例子。来访说:“我的新女友让我回家见她的父母。她进展太快了;我不想认真对待。”在这个例子中,情境的事实是女友邀请来访回家见她的父母;来访的想法或对情境的解读是“她进展太快了;我不想认真对待。”

来访经常用形容词来描述情境中的另一个人;这个形容词通常是来访对那个人的想法。例如,来访说:“我的孩子对老师非常不体贴。”“不体贴”是一个形容词。你知道来访认为孩子不体贴,但你不知道孩子具体做了什么。如果你想了解情境的事实,最好问:“孩子做了什么让你觉得他不体贴?”

有时来访会在描述情境时包含自己的感受,例如,他会说:“当母亲迟到时,我对她非常生气。”事实是母亲迟到了;感受是生气。来访还可以在描述情境时包含自己的行为,例如:“当我的老板对另一位同事大喊大叫时,我只是坐在那里什么也没做。”老板对另一位同事大喊大叫是情境中的事实;来访什么也没做是来访的行为。

轮到你了!

将情境的事实与来访的想法分开

以下是来访将情境的事实与他们对情境的想法混淆的例子。在下面的例子中,将情境的事实与来访的想法分开。在查看附录中的答案之前,先完成以下工作表。

情境的例子

情境描述 情境的事实 来访对情境的想法
我没有做家庭作业,而是懒惰地和朋友出去了。 没有做家庭作业,和朋友出去了。 我很懒惰。
我的老板告诉我我做得很好,但他并不是真心的。 老板告诉我我做得很好。 他并不是真心的。
我的孩子不正常;他五个月大时还不会爬。 孩子五个月大时还不会爬。 孩子不正常。
我丈夫在厨房留下了一大堆脏乱。 丈夫在厨房留下了一大堆脏乱。

练习 5.2:找到事实

练习区分情境的事实与情境的想法和感受。

视频 5.1:识别触发因素并解释《理解你的反应》工作表

进一步的知识点阐述

情境的事实与意义的区别

  • 定义

    • 情境的事实:实际发生的事情。
    • 情境的意义:来访对这些事实的看法或解读。
  • 重要性

    • 区分事实与意义有助于治疗师和来访对情境有一个更客观的认识,从而更好地理解来访的问题。

具体情境的描述

  • 方法
    • 通过提问和引导,帮助来访详细描述情境,确保情境的具体性和明确性。
    • 示例:通过具体的例子,治疗师可以更清晰地了解来访的问题,从而更好地进行治疗。

形容词的使用

  • 定义

    • 来访经常用形容词来描述情境中的另一个人,这些形容词通常是来访对那个人的想法。
  • 方法

    • 通过具体化的问题,帮助来访详细描述情境,例如“孩子做了什么让你觉得他不体贴?”

情感和行为的描述

  • 情感

    • 来访在描述情境时可能会包含自己的感受,例如“我对她非常生气。”
  • 行为

    • 来访在描述情境时可能会包含自己的行为,例如“我只是坐在那里什么也没做。”

练习与应用

  • 练习

    • 通过练习,帮助来访学会区分情境的事实与他们的想法和感受。
  • 工作表

    • 使用工作表帮助来访更系统地记录和分析情境。

实际应用

  • 治疗师的角色

    • 合作调查:治疗师和来访组成一个事实调查团队,共同寻找情境的事实。
    • 避免连珠炮式提问:治疗师在获取信息时,避免连续不断地提问,以免来访感到压力。
  • 有效提问的技巧

    • 具体化:通过具体化的问题,帮助来访详细描述情境,例如“孩子做了什么让你觉得他不体贴?”
    • 避免模糊:避免使用模糊的问题,确保来访能够提供具体的信息。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和描述具体情境,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

议程项目 #3:理解来访的反应

识别触发情境是重要的第一步。下一步是使用四因素模型来理解来访的反应。解释你将要做的事情非常重要,这样来访既能理解过程,又能学习一种在治疗之外使用的工具。我使用我们在本章开头提到的《理解你的反应》工作表作为结构。我向来访展示工作表并解释每一列。我通常会这样说:

治疗师:我认为你很好地识别了情境。现在我想看看我们是否可以通过识别你的感受、身体反应、行为和想法来理解你的反应,然后看看它们是如何相互关联的。我称之为使用四因素模型。 治疗师:我想完成这个工作表。(我拿出工作表或在一张纸上画一个。)你看这里有五列。第一列写着“情境”,我们将写下我们刚刚识别的情境。(我写下来或让来访写下来。)然后我们将尝试识别你的感受、身体反应、行为和想法,并将它们写在后面的列中。

当来访看到五列时,他们会自动变得更加有条理,一些混乱和痛苦也会开始减少。我自己持有一种积极参与的好奇态度,这为来访如何对待自己的问题树立了一个有益的态度。请注意我是如何开始说“我认为你很好地识别了情境”的。为学习特定技能提供正面反馈可以强化该技能,并有助于治疗关系。我们的许多来访很少收到任何正面反馈;听到他们做得好是很重要的。

轮到你了!

在想象中练习:解释《理解你的反应》工作表

选择一个你认为可以从识别其感受、身体反应、行为和想法中受益的来访。在开始之前,从1到10评估你对介绍和使用《理解你的反应》工作表的舒适度。练习结束后,再次评估你的舒适度,看看是否有变化。现在,让我们尝试这个练习。

想象你想要向来访介绍《理解你的反应》工作表。试着在脑海中想象他或她。想象自己在办公室里与来访在一起。看到你的办公室;注意房间里的声音和气味。阅读我建议如何介绍工作表的内容,同时想象自己说出这些话。你也可以使用自己的措辞。真正听到并感受到自己拿出工作表并向来访解释的过程。现在,想象自己再向同一个来访解释两次工作表。每次,想象来访都给予积极的回应。

议程项目 #4:帮助来访识别他们的感受

在这本书中,我们将从识别感受开始,然后是身体反应和行为,最后是想法。这是因为大多数来访对自己的感受比对想法更为敏感,倾向于谈论感受。然而,在实践中,你可以从四个因素中的任何一个开始。我通常从来访首先提到的因素开始。

识别和标记感受是情感调节的一部分,即以健康的方式管理自己的感受。当你问来访“你当时有什么感受?”时,你是在要求他暂停并反思,这会自动中断他的消极路径。标记感受有助于来访和治疗师理解来访的反应。要求来访标记感受传达了你对他的经历感兴趣的信息。来访的情感也可以指导治疗。根据来访的主导情感,你可能希望尝试不同的干预措施。例如,如果来访告诉你他感到“不好”,很难知道从哪里开始,但如果他告诉你他感到“焦虑”,你可以开始探索他的恐惧。

进一步的知识点阐述

识别触发情境

  • 定义

    • 触发情境:导致来访产生强烈情感或行为反应的具体事件或情境。
  • 重要性

    • 识别触发情境是理解来访反应的第一步,有助于治疗师和来访共同找到问题的根源。

四因素模型

  • 定义

    • 四因素模型:包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为。通过这四个因素,治疗师和来访可以更全面地理解来访的反应。
  • 步骤

    1. 情境:识别具体发生了什么。
    2. 感受:来访在情境中产生了哪些情感。
    3. 身体反应:来访在情境中有哪些身体上的反应。
    4. 行为:来访在情境中采取了哪些行动。
  • 作用

    • 通过四因素模型,治疗师和来访可以更客观地分析问题,找出解决问题的方法。

工作表的使用

  • 结构

    • 《理解你的反应》工作表:包含五列,分别是情境、感受、身体反应、行为和想法。
  • 操作

    • 解释工作表:向来访解释每列的含义。
    • 填写工作表:引导来访填写工作表,确保每个部分都详细记录。

治疗师的态度

  • 积极参与的好奇态度

    • 定义:治疗师表现出积极的、好奇的态度,鼓励来访开放地讨论问题。
  • 作用

    • 帮助来访以更健康的方式对待自己的问题。
    • 通过正面反馈强化来访的技能,增强治疗关系。

在想象中练习

  • 选择来访

    • 选择一个你认为可以从识别其感受、身体反应、行为和想法中受益的来访。
  • 评估舒适度

    • 在开始练习前,从1到10评估你对介绍和使用《理解你的反应》工作表的舒适度。
    • 练习结束后,再次评估你的舒适度,看看是否有变化。
  • 想象场景

    • 想象自己在办公室中向来访介绍《理解你的反应》工作表。
    • 多次重复这一过程,每次想象来访都给予积极的回应。

帮助来访识别感受

  • 顺序

    • 从识别感受开始,然后是身体反应和行为,最后是想法。
  • 原因

    • 大多数来访对自己的感受比对想法更为敏感,倾向于谈论感受。
  • 情感调节

    • 定义:识别和标记感受是情感调节的一部分,即以健康的方式管理自己的感受。
  • 作用

    • 通过问“你当时有什么感受?”要求来访暂停并反思,中断消极路径。
    • 标记感受有助于来访和治疗师理解来访的反应。
  • 指导治疗

    • 来访的情感可以指导治疗。根据来访的主导情感,治疗师可以尝试不同的干预措施。
    • 例如,如果来访感到“焦虑”,可以开始探索他的恐惧。

通过这些技巧和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和理解自己的反应,确保来访能够有效地参与治疗,从而提高治疗的整体效果。

什么是感受?

让我们来看看苏珊对去校长家烧烤的感受。当苏珊的治疗师问她有什么感受时,苏珊回答说:“我只是不想去。”让我们停一下。苏珊的回答不是一种感受,而是关于她想做或不想做某事(她不想去烧烤)的一个想法。

如果苏珊的回答不是感受,那么什么是感受呢?如我前面提到的,感受通常是一个词。来访通常会识别出六种主要情绪:快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚和羞愧。虽然还有很多其他感受,但这些都是基本的情绪。花一点时间看看《识别你的感受》手册,这是一个更全面的感受列表;你可以在 http://www.newharbinger.com/38501 下载。阅读这份手册可以帮助扩展你的词汇量。当你能找到一个准确捕捉来访感受的词时,来访会觉得很有帮助。

识别来访感受的策略

虽然有些来访能给出非常准确和详细的感受描述,但其他人则有困难。还记得本章前面提到的我的来访埃尔塞思吗?她因为儿子不做作业或家务而感到愤怒。最初她只意识到自己的愤怒,但在我们开始关注她的感受时,她发现自己的焦虑多于愤怒。

如果你的来访在识别感受方面有困难,你可以尝试以下一些干预措施:

  • 向来访展示《识别你的感受》手册,并询问其中是否有一种感受适合他。
  • 要求来访在接下来的一周内注意自己的感受,看看是否能开始识别自己的感受。仅仅关注感受往往就有帮助。有些来访从未问过自己“我现在有什么感受?”这个问题。
  • 要求来访注意自己何时变得身体紧张,并尝试在那一刻标记自己的感受。
  • 你可以与来访讨论感受以及如何判断一个人是快乐、悲伤、愤怒、高兴、焦虑、内疚还是羞愧。要求来访识别与每种感受相关的身体症状、行为和想法。

进一步的知识点阐述

什么是感受?

  • 定义

    • 感受:通常是一个词,表示个人在某个情境下的情感状态。
    • 主要情绪:快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚和羞愧是最常见的六种主要情绪。
  • 识别感受的重要性

    • 通过准确识别感受,来访可以更好地理解自己的情感状态,从而更有效地应对问题。
    • 感受的准确表达有助于治疗师和来访建立更好的沟通和信任关系。

识别来访感受的策略

  • 使用《识别你的感受》手册

    • 手册的作用:提供一个全面的感受列表,帮助来访找到准确描述自己感受的词。
    • 下载链接:http://www.newharbinger.com/38501
  • 日常练习

    • 注意感受:要求来访在一周内注意自己的感受,尝试识别并记录下来。
    • 身体紧张:要求来访注意自己何时变得身体紧张,并尝试在那一刻标记自己的感受。
  • 讨论感受

    • 具体化感受:与来访讨论每种感受的具体表现,包括身体症状、行为和想法。
    • 示例
      • 快乐:笑容、轻松的心情、积极的想法。
      • 悲伤:流泪、低落的心情、消极的想法。
      • 愤怒:心跳加快、拳头紧握、愤怒的想法。
      • 焦虑:心慌、出汗、担忧的想法。
      • 内疚:自责、不安的心情、后悔的想法。
      • 羞愧:脸红、回避目光、自我贬低的想法。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 埃尔塞思的案例:最初只意识到愤怒,但在关注感受后发现自己的焦虑更多。
    • 苏珊的案例:回答“我只是不想去”实际上是一个想法,而不是感受。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和表达自己的感受。
    • 提供资源:向来访提供《识别你的感受》手册,帮助他们扩展词汇量。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和理解自己的感受,从而提高治疗的效果。

劳尔通常很难识别自己的感受

劳尔通常很难识别自己的感受。在一次治疗过程中,他显得非常焦躁,并说他对老板在会议上的评论感到非常不满。他的老板说劳尔的项目进展缓慢,希望他能按时完成。当治疗师问劳尔能否更详细地描述他的感受时,劳尔耸了耸肩,低头看着地板,说他感觉“糟糕透了”。治疗师认为如果劳尔能开始更加意识到自己的感受,这将会有帮助。她尝试了三种干预措施:

  1. 讨论感受:他们讨论了感受以及如何知道自己正在体验什么样的感受。
  2. 提供《识别你的感受》手册:治疗师给了劳尔《识别你的感受》手册,并与他一起讨论。
  3. 布置家庭作业:治疗师要求劳尔记录下三次他感觉“糟糕”的情况,注意当时身体的反应,并查看《识别你的感受》手册,尝试标记自己的感受。

当劳尔下周回来时,他已经完成了家庭作业,并能够识别出他感到紧张和愤怒。这帮助他和治疗师开始更具体地处理这些感受。治疗师也开始直接问他,当他感到“糟糕”或“不满”时,是否感到紧张或愤怒。

识别感受的困难

识别感受的一个难点在于,我们经常在做出判断时使用“感觉”,实际上是描述我们“认为”的事情。例如,你可能会说:“我觉得这部电影太慢了”,而你真正想说的是:“我认为这部电影太慢了。”在像“我觉得我很笨”或“我觉得我很无能”这样的陈述中,区分思想和感受就更加困难了。尽管这些陈述以“我觉得”开头,但实际上它们是对自己的评判性想法。思想和感受之间的联系如此紧密,以至于一开始很难看出区别,但随着四因素模型的使用,这种区别会变得更容易看出来。

再回到苏珊的情况

让我们回到苏珊,看看她的治疗师如何帮助她识别对校长烧烤邀请的感受。

治疗师:我听到你不想去,但我想知道当你想到这个邀请时,你的感受是什么? 苏珊:你是什么意思?我只是不想去。

当问来访他们的感受时,他们通常会用一个感受词来回答。然而,苏珊重复了她的初始回答。治疗师认为苏珊需要更多的指导。

治疗师:好吧,感受通常用一个词来表达。虽然有很多感受,但问问自己是否感到快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚、羞愧或其他任何感受会有所帮助。 苏珊:哦,这很简单,我真的很紧张和担心,而且我觉得还有些尴尬。

给苏珊提供基本的感受列表帮助她开始识别自己的感受。

进一步的知识点阐述

识别感受的重要性

  • 定义

    • 感受:通常用一个词来表达,表示个人在某个情境下的情感状态。
    • 主要情绪:快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚和羞愧是最常见的六种主要情绪。
  • 重要性

    • 准确识别感受有助于来访更好地理解自己的情感状态,从而更有效地应对问题。
    • 感受的准确表达有助于治疗师和来访建立更好的沟通和信任关系。

识别感受的策略

  • 讨论感受

    • 具体化感受:与来访讨论每种感受的具体表现,包括身体症状、行为和想法。
    • 示例
      • 快乐:笑容、轻松的心情、积极的想法。
      • 悲伤:流泪、低落的心情、消极的想法。
      • 愤怒:心跳加快、拳头紧握、愤怒的想法。
      • 焦虑:心慌、出汗、担忧的想法。
      • 内疚:自责、不安的心情、后悔的想法。
      • 羞愧:脸红、回避目光、自我贬低的想法。
  • 提供《识别你的感受》手册

    • 手册的作用:提供一个全面的感受列表,帮助来访找到准确描述自己感受的词。
    • 下载链接:http://www.newharbinger.com/38501
  • 布置家庭作业

    • 记录感受:要求来访记录下三次他们感觉“糟糕”的情况,注意当时身体的反应,并查看《识别你的感受》手册,尝试标记自己的感受。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 劳尔的案例:通过讨论、提供手册和布置家庭作业,劳尔能够识别出自己感到紧张和愤怒。
    • 苏珊的案例:通过提供基本的感受列表,苏珊能够识别出自己感到紧张、担心和尴尬。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和表达自己的感受。
    • 直接提问:当来访使用模糊的词语描述感受时,直接问他们是否感到具体的某种情绪,如紧张或愤怒。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和理解自己的感受,从而提高治疗的效果。

帮助来访评估他们的感受

在认知行为疗法(CBT)中,我们经常要求来访评估他们感受的强度。刚开始时,要求来访评估感受可能会感觉有点奇怪,但这是非常有帮助的。你是在要求来访反思他们的感受,而不是自动地作出反应。这里有一个例子,说明评估感受如何帮助了我的一位来访。他是一位四十多岁的男士,工作中经常出现强烈的焦虑发作,随后整天无法动弹。我们合作了几周后,他微笑着走进来说:“上周我在工作中又出现了焦虑发作,但我评估了自己的焦虑,发现只有7级。所以我继续工作,焦虑最终消失了。”评估感受帮助我的来访从不同的角度看待自己的感受。

我通常先要求来访识别和标记他们的感受,然后再评估感受的强度。我会说:

  • 治疗师:你很好地识别了你的感受。(请注意,我在为来访的特定任务提供正面反馈。)在我们继续之前,我想请你看看你识别的每一个感受,并评估你当时感受到的强度,从1到10打分。10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪,1表示完全没有这种感受。评估你的感受可以帮助我们更好地理解你的情绪。你愿意尝试一下吗?

轮到你了!

帮助苏珊评估她的感受

让我们回到苏珊被邀请参加校长烧烤的情境。假设苏珊刚刚识别了她的感受,你现在想帮助她评估感受的强度。

治疗师:当你收到烧烤邀请时,你的感受是什么? 苏珊:哦,这很简单,我真的很紧张和担心,而且我觉得还有些尴尬。

治疗师:你刚才很好地识别了你的感受。(注意治疗师是如何针对特定任务给予具体反馈的。)请看下面的三个可能的回应,选择一个能帮助苏珊评估她感受的选项。

  1. 你能告诉我你为什么紧张吗?
  2. 我认为如果你能看看每一种感受,并评估你感受到的强度,从1到10打分,会很有帮助。10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪,1表示完全没有这种感受。你愿意尝试一下吗?
  3. 很多人在被邀请参加聚会时都会感到紧张。这是一种非常正常的反应。

进一步的知识点阐述

评估感受的重要性

  • 定义

    • 评估感受:要求来访对他们的感受强度进行评分,通常是从1到10的评分,1表示完全没有这种感受,10表示有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪。
  • 重要性

    • 评估感受可以帮助来访更客观地看待自己的情绪,而不是自动地作出反应。
    • 通过评估感受,来访可以更好地理解自己的情绪状态,从而更有效地应对问题。
    • 评估感受还可以帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的情绪,制定更有效的治疗计划。

评估感受的步骤

  1. 识别和标记感受

    • 定义:首先帮助来访识别和标记他们的感受,确保来访能够准确地描述自己的情绪。
    • 示例:苏珊识别出自己感到紧张、担心和尴尬。
  2. 评估感受的强度

    • 定义:要求来访对每一种感受的强度进行评分,从1到10打分。
    • 示例:治疗师要求苏珊评估她感到紧张、担心和尴尬的强度。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 苏珊的案例:治疗师通过提供具体反馈,帮助苏珊识别出她感到紧张、担心和尴尬。然后,治疗师要求苏珊评估这些感受的强度,帮助她更客观地看待自己的情绪。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和评估自己的感受。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和评估自己的感受,从而提高治疗的效果。

响应 #2 是最有可能帮助苏珊评估她的感受的。它清楚地解释了治疗师希望她做什么。响应 #1 开始探讨与紧张感相关的想法。在治疗初期,还没有完成识别和评估感受之前,不宜探讨想法。响应 #3 是一个支持性的评论,但它并不能帮助苏珊评估她的感受。

治疗师:我认为如果你能看看每一种感受,并评估你感受到的强度,从1到10打分,会很有帮助。10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪,1表示完全没有这种感受。你愿意尝试一下吗?

苏珊:当然可以。我从哪里开始呢?

请看下面的三个可能的回应,选择一个你认为能帮助苏珊开始评估她感受的选项。

  1. 你希望从哪里开始?
  2. 我可以看出你真的想变好,这非常重要。了解我们的感受是变好的关键部分。
  3. 我们从你列出的第一个感受“紧张”开始吧。当你想到邀请时,从1到10,你有多紧张?

苏珊在询问如何评估她的感受。响应 #3 最有可能帮助苏珊开始评估她的感受。它清楚地解释了治疗师希望苏珊做什么。响应 #1 和 #2 并没有回答苏珊的问题“我从哪里开始?”

苏珊和她的治疗师评估了她所有的感受。在填写《理解你的反应》工作表之前,治疗师说:“你很好地评估了你的感受。总结一下,你感到紧张的程度是7,担心的程度是8,尴尬的程度是6。对吗?我们可以写下来吗?”请注意,治疗师进行了总结陈述,然后解释了她要填写工作表。这使治疗更有条理。以下是苏珊在《理解你的反应》工作表上记录的回应。

理解你的反应

情境 感受(1-10) 身体反应(1-10) 行为 想法
校长邀请我和其他新教师参加烧烤 紧张(7)
担心(8)
尴尬(6)

进一步的知识点阐述

评估感受的重要性

  • 定义

    • 评估感受:要求来访对他们的感受强度进行评分,通常是从1到10的评分,1表示完全没有这种感受,10表示有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪。
  • 重要性

    • 评估感受可以帮助来访更客观地看待自己的情绪,而不是自动地作出反应。
    • 通过评估感受,来访可以更好地理解自己的情绪状态,从而更有效地应对问题。
    • 评估感受还可以帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的情绪,制定更有效的治疗计划。

评估感受的步骤

  1. 识别和标记感受

    • 定义:首先帮助来访识别和标记他们的感受,确保来访能够准确地描述自己的情绪。
    • 示例:苏珊识别出自己感到紧张、担心和尴尬。
  2. 评估感受的强度

    • 定义:要求来访对每一种感受的强度进行评分,从1到10打分。
    • 示例:治疗师要求苏珊评估她感到紧张、担心和尴尬的强度。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 苏珊的案例
      • 识别感受:治疗师通过提供具体反馈,帮助苏珊识别出她感到紧张、担心和尴尬。
      • 评估感受:治疗师要求苏珊评估这些感受的强度,帮助她更客观地看待自己的情绪。
      • 填写工作表:治疗师总结了苏珊的感受,并帮助她填写《理解你的反应》工作表。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和评估自己的感受。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和评估自己的感受,从而提高治疗的效果。

议程项目 #5:帮助来访识别他们的身体反应

身体反应往往是情绪的线索。此外,来访可能会误读自己的身体症状,导致情绪困扰或功能障碍行为。例如,来访可能认为如果心跳加速,他可能心脏病发作或对健康有危险。他会变得非常焦虑,开始避免那些使他心跳加速的情境。实际上,他的心跳加速可能是由于喝太多咖啡或其他原因,而不是危险的。除非来访能够识别自己的身体反应,否则你无法探究这些身体反应对他意味着什么。

虽然有些来访对自己的身体反应非常敏感,但其他来访则完全意识不到。识别来访身体反应的最简单方法是直接问:“你的身体有什么反应?”或“你在身体上有什么感觉?”

如果你正在与一个难以识别自己感受的来访工作,从识别他的身体反应开始,然后转向识别感受会很有帮助。通常特定的身体反应与特定的感受相关。例如,劳尔发现当他感到愤怒时会发热,当他感到焦虑时会颤抖,当他感到悲伤时喉咙会哽咽。当他学会将自己的身体症状与感受联系起来时,识别感受变得更容易。当来访识别出自己的身体反应时,这鼓励了自我反思,帮助他按下暂停键,停止自动的负面反应。

苏珊的治疗师让她识别出与受邀参加烧烤有关的身体反应。苏珊表示她的胃部紧绷,肩膀紧张。她将胃部紧绷的强度评为4,肩膀紧张的强度评为5。她惊讶于这些评分竟然这么低。通常当我的来访评估他们的身体反应时,他们会意识到这些反应并没有他们想象的那么强烈。另一方面,如果身体反应非常强烈,这表明你可能需要教来访一些特定的技能来管理他的身体症状。

这周试着注意自己身体紧张的任何增加。问自己当时有什么感受,有什么想法。看看你能学到什么。

议程项目 #6:帮助来访识别他们的行为

接下来,你需要识别来访的行为。我通常会直接问:“你做了什么?”我寻找的是表明来访在逃避情境、冲动行事或以可能使情况变得更糟的方式行事的行为。对于某些来访来说,当你放慢速度并帮助他们具体说明他们做了什么时,这是承认他们的问题行为并对其行为负责的第一步。我的一个来访康纳,难以控制自己的愤怒,倾向于淡化自己的暴怒行为。他描述了自己因朋友未归还小额债务而感到多么愤怒。他最初将他的行为描述为“发泄一下”。当我问他具体做了什么时,他不好意思地告诉我,他踢门踢得如此用力,以至于玻璃嵌板都被砸碎了。康纳继续指责朋友未还债,让他如此愤怒以至于踢了门。当我们审视他的行为时,康纳可以看到他的朋友并没有“逼迫”他踢门,而踢门踢得如此用力以至于玻璃嵌板破碎并不是简单的“发泄一下”。

进一步的知识点阐述

识别身体反应的重要性

  • 定义

    • 身体反应:身体对特定情境或情绪的生理反应,如心跳加速、肌肉紧张等。
    • 情绪线索:身体反应通常是情绪的线索,帮助来访更好地理解自己的情绪状态。
  • 重要性

    • 识别身体反应有助于来访更客观地看待自己的情绪,而不是自动地作出反应。
    • 通过识别身体反应,来访可以更好地管理自己的情绪,避免不必要的焦虑和恐惧。
    • 识别身体反应还可以帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的状态,制定更有效的治疗计划。

识别身体反应的步骤

  1. 直接提问

    • 提问:直接问来访“你的身体有什么反应?”或“你在身体上有什么感觉?”
    • 示例:苏珊的治疗师问她:“你的身体有什么反应?”苏珊回答她的胃部紧绷,肩膀紧张。
  2. 逐步引导

    • 引导:对于难以识别身体反应的来访,从识别身体反应开始,然后转向识别感受。
    • 示例:劳尔发现当他感到愤怒时会发热,当他感到焦虑时会颤抖,当他感到悲伤时喉咙会哽咽。
  3. 评估强度

    • 评估:要求来访评估身体反应的强度,从1到10打分。
    • 示例:苏珊将胃部紧绷的强度评为4,肩膀紧张的强度评为5。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 苏珊的案例
      • 识别身体反应:治疗师通过直接提问,帮助苏珊识别出她的胃部紧绷和肩膀紧张。
      • 评估强度:苏珊评估了这些身体反应的强度,发现它们并没有她想象的那么强烈。
    • 劳尔的案例
      • 识别身体反应:治疗师通过逐步引导,帮助劳尔识别出他的身体反应与不同情绪的关系。
      • 学会关联:劳尔学会了将自己的身体症状与感受联系起来,从而更好地识别自己的情绪。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和评估自己的身体反应。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

识别行为的重要性

  • 定义

    • 行为:来访在特定情境下的具体行动,如逃避、冲动行为等。
    • 问题行为:可能导致情况恶化的不适当行为。
  • 重要性

    • 识别行为有助于来访认识到自己的问题行为,并对其行为负责。
    • 通过识别行为,来访可以采取更有效的应对策略,改善自己的行为模式。
    • 识别行为还可以帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的行为模式,制定更有效的治疗计划。

识别行为的步骤

  1. 直接提问

    • 提问:直接问来访“你做了什么?”
    • 示例:治疗师问康纳:“你具体做了什么?”康纳承认他踢门踢得如此用力,以至于玻璃嵌板都被砸碎了。
  2. 具体化行为

    • 具体化:帮助来访具体描述他们的行为,避免模糊的表述。
    • 示例:康纳最初将他的行为描述为“发泄一下”,但在治疗师的引导下,他具体描述了自己踢门的行为。
  3. 反思行为

    • 反思:引导来访反思他们的行为,认识到行为的后果。
    • 示例:康纳在反思自己的行为后,意识到他的朋友并没有“逼迫”他踢门,而踢门踢得如此用力以至于玻璃嵌板破碎并不是简单的“发泄一下”。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 康纳的案例
      • 识别行为:治疗师通过直接提问,帮助康纳具体描述了他的行为。
      • 反思行为:康纳在反思自己的行为后,认识到自己的行为后果,并开始承担起责任。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和描述自己的行为。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和管理自己的身体反应和行为,从而提高治疗的效果。

全面理解来访的行为

为了真正理解来访的行为,你需要一个具体且明确的描述,就像康纳的例子一样。这样,你可以检查行为的后果及其反应的适当性。来访通常最初会使用模糊的描述,如“我只是放弃了”或“我失控了”。重要的是要问来访他实际做了什么。

以下是一些行为的模糊描述和具体描述的例子。你希望知道来访做了什么,与谁一起做,地点在哪里,以及何时发生。

模糊和具体行为的例子

情境 模糊行为 具体行为
我的父亲告诉我我不应该辍学 我退缩了 我坐在餐厅桌子旁,整个晚餐期间一言不发
我的丈夫喝得很醉,几乎站不稳 我生气了 我站在厨房里,对我丈夫大喊我已经厌倦了他总是喝酒
餐厅的老板告诉我我在两个顾客的订单上犯了错误,他希望我检查所有订单 我按老板的要求做了 我回到服务台,重新检查了所有订单

练习 5.3:玛丽对待儿子不好

练习帮助来访提供其行为的具体描述。

我经常问来访他们的行为后果。这是许多来访从未问过自己的问题。重要的是要考虑短期和长期的后果。通常,避免处理问题或发怒在短期内可能有相对积极的后果,但长期后果却非常负面,许多来访从未考虑过这一点。

让我们回到苏珊的邀请。她的治疗师希望识别她的行为,并问苏珊她是如何回应邀请的。苏珊说:“我三天前收到的邀请,还不确定该怎么办。”

问问你自己,你知道她的行为是什么吗?你其实并不知道。看起来她的行为是她还没有回应邀请,但你需要确认。鉴于已经过去了三天,我猜测苏珊在避免处理邀请。她的陈述“我不确定该怎么办”是行为、感受、身体反应还是想法?(在继续阅读之前尝试回答。)这是一个想法。在这个阶段,我会注意到这个想法但不会评论,因为我们专注于她的行为。记住,你需要保持条理。我把这个想法放在口袋里,等我让苏珊识别她的想法时,如果她没有提到“我不确定该怎么办”,我可以适时提出来。

以下是我们目前所知的苏珊对校长邀请的反应总结。我们还不知道苏珊的想法,但这将在下一章中讨论。

理解你的反应

情境 感受(1-10) 身体反应(1-10) 行为 想法
校长邀请我和其他新教师参加烧烤 紧张(7)
担心(8)
尴尬(6)
胃部紧绷(4)
肩膀紧张(5)
尚未回应

进一步的知识点阐述

具体描述行为的重要性

  • 定义

    • 具体描述:详细描述来访在特定情境下的具体行为,包括行为的对象、地点和时间。
    • 模糊描述:使用模糊的词汇描述行为,如“我放弃了”或“我失控了”。
  • 重要性

    • 具体描述行为有助于治疗师更准确地理解来访的行为及其后果。
    • 通过具体描述行为,来访可以更好地反思自己的行为,认识到行为的不当之处。
    • 具体描述行为还可以帮助治疗师制定更有效的干预措施。

具体描述行为的步骤

  1. 直接提问

    • 提问:直接问来访“你具体做了什么?”
    • 示例:治疗师问苏珊:“你具体做了什么?”苏珊回答她尚未回应邀请。
  2. 具体化行为

    • 具体化:帮助来访具体描述他们的行为,避免模糊的表述。
    • 示例:苏珊的具体行为是她尚未回应邀请,而不是模糊地说“我不确定该怎么办”。
  3. 记录细节

    • 记录:记录行为的具体细节,包括对象、地点和时间。
    • 示例:苏珊的具体行为是她在收到邀请后的三天内没有回应。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 苏珊的案例
      • 识别行为:治疗师通过直接提问,帮助苏珊具体描述了她的行为。
      • 记录细节:苏珊的具体行为是她尚未回应邀请,而不是模糊地说“我不确定该怎么办”。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地描述自己的行为。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

行为后果的重要性

  • 定义

    • 短期后果:行为在短期内产生的影响。
    • 长期后果:行为在长期内产生的影响。
  • 重要性

    • 考虑行为的短期和长期后果有助于来访全面理解自己的行为。
    • 通过讨论行为后果,来访可以更好地反思自己的行为,认识到行为的不当之处。
    • 了解行为后果还可以帮助治疗师制定更有效的干预措施。

讨论行为后果的步骤

  1. 直接提问

    • 提问:直接问来访“你的行为有哪些后果?”
    • 示例:治疗师问苏珊:“你没有回应邀请的行为有哪些后果?”
  2. 具体化后果

    • 具体化:帮助来访具体描述行为的短期和长期后果。
    • 示例:苏珊的短期后果是她暂时避免了处理邀请的压力,但长期后果可能是她错过了一个社交机会,影响了与同事的关系。
  3. 反思后果

    • 反思:引导来访反思行为后果,认识到行为的不当之处。
    • 示例:苏珊在反思行为后果后,意识到她需要更积极地应对邀请,而不是回避。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 苏珊的案例
      • 讨论后果:治疗师通过直接提问,帮助苏珊具体描述了她的行为后果。
      • 反思后果:苏珊在反思行为后果后,意识到她需要更积极地应对邀请,而不是回避。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地描述和反思自己的行为后果。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和管理自己的行为,从而提高治疗的效果。

视频 5.2:识别感受、身体反应和行为

议程项目 #7:保持共情

尽管认知行为疗法(CBT)具有结构化的特点,但它并不是僵化的,治疗关系至关重要。使用总结陈述和开放式问题是维持共情关系的关键咨询技巧,同时遵循CBT的结构。

总结陈述可以帮助来访暂停并反思他们刚说的话。一个好的总结陈述可以非常简单,就像你举起一面镜子,帮助来访看到自己。当你总结时,你也让来访知道你听到了他们的话。让我们试一下。你的来访开始会谈时说:“我不确定要关注哪个情境。首先,整个派对都是一场灾难。我的三岁孩子整晚都在尖叫和哭泣;晚上结束时,我的丈夫告诉我他再也不想举办派对了。其次,这周工作很糟糕,我的老板又一次在会议上忽视了我的意见;第三,雪上加霜的是,我的丈夫又喝得很醉。”你怎么总结来访刚说的话?一种方法是简单地说:“很难确定要关注哪个情境,因为发生了这么多事情。我们应该谈谈派对,还是你这周在工作上的遭遇,或者你丈夫又喝得很醉的事情?”总结可以帮助来访暂停并思考他们希望从哪里开始。

开放式和封闭式问题

我们之前讨论过开放式和封闭式问题。如果你还记得,封闭式问题可以用一个词或短语来回答。例如,“你向老板要求年终评估了吗?”和“周末你喝酒了吗?”封闭式问题通常可以用“是”或“否”来回答,或者用事实来回答。开放式问题要求人们思考并谈论他们的想法和感受。例如,“你向老板要求加薪后有什么感受?”和“当你的朋友给你酒时,你在想什么?”在使用四因素模型作为结构来探索来访的反应时,记得使用总结陈述和开放式问题。

作业:练习CBT

在继续下一章之前,花一些时间完成以下作业。

将所学应用于临床案例

完成以下练习。

  • 练习 5.1:劳尔的老板很难相处
  • 练习 5.2:找到事实
  • 练习 5.3:玛丽对待儿子不好

将所学应用于自己的生活

完成以下作业后,暂停片刻,思考你从中学到了什么。然后,思考这些练习对你的来访治疗有何启示。

作业 #1:描述一个具体的情境

想想你生活中一个你用一般、模糊的方式描述某人的情境,例如,“我的伴侣自私”,“我的老板不合理”,或“我的父亲非常虚弱”。现在尝试使这个情境更加具体和明确。想一个具体的例子,并问自己:发生了什么?谁在场?在哪里发生的?是什么时候发生的?

你从具体化情境中学到了什么?这是否有帮助?

进一步的知识点阐述

保持共情的重要性

  • 定义

    • 共情:理解并分享他人的情感和经历。
    • 总结陈述:简要概括来访所说的内容,帮助来访反思。
    • 开放式问题:鼓励来访深入思考和表达自己的想法和感受。
  • 重要性

    • 建立信任:共情可以帮助建立和维护治疗关系中的信任。
    • 促进反思:总结陈述和开放式问题可以促使来访停下来反思自己的经历和感受。
    • 提高疗效:共情和有效的沟通技巧可以提高治疗的效果。

总结陈述的技巧

  • 简明扼要:总结陈述应简洁明了,避免冗长。
  • 反映内容:确保总结陈述反映了来访所说的核心内容。
  • 鼓励反思:通过总结,帮助来访停下来思考他们刚说的话。

开放式问题的技巧

  • 鼓励深入:开放式问题可以鼓励来访深入思考和表达自己的想法和感受。
  • 避免封闭:避免使用只能用“是”或“否”回答的封闭式问题。
  • 具体化:通过开放式问题,帮助来访具体化他们的经历和感受。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 劳尔的案例:治疗师通过总结陈述和开放式问题,帮助劳尔具体化他在工作中的经历和感受。
    • 玛丽的案例:治疗师通过总结陈述和开放式问题,帮助玛丽反思她对待儿子的行为及其后果。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地描述和反思自己的经历和感受。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和管理自己的感受、身体反应和行为,从而提高治疗的效果。

作业 #2:描述一个具体的行为

直译

描述一个你对自己喜欢或不喜欢的行为,并且是一个模糊的描述。例如,你是否邋遢、善良、有组织、体贴、雄心勃勃、随和或容易分心?现在尝试想出这个行为的一个具体例子,并以更具体和具体的方式描述你的行为。给出具体描述后,对你的行为产生了什么影响?

信雅达原则调整

描述一个你对自己喜欢或不喜欢的行为,并且这个描述比较模糊。例如,你是否邋遢、善良、有组织、体贴、雄心勃勃、随和或容易分心?现在尝试想出一个具体的例子,并以更具体和详细的方式描述你的行为。给出具体描述后,对你的行为有什么新的认识?

更符合中文习惯的表达

描述一个你对自己满意或不满意的行为,并且这个描述比较笼统。例如,你是否邋遢、善良、有组织、体贴、雄心勃勃、随和或容易分心?现在尝试想出一个具体的例子,并以更具体和详细的方式描述你的行为。给出具体描述后,你对这个行为有了什么新的认识?

进一步的知识点阐述

描述具体行为的重要性

  • 定义

    • 具体行为:详细描述某个特定情境下的具体行为,包括行为的对象、地点和时间。
    • 笼统描述:用模糊的词汇描述行为,如“我邋遢”或“我善良”。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:具体描述行为有助于你更清晰地认识自己的行为模式。
    • 促进改变:通过具体描述行为,你可以更容易地识别需要改进的地方。
    • 提高沟通效果:具体描述行为可以更有效地与他人沟通,减少误解。

描述具体行为的步骤

  1. 选择行为

    • 选择一个你对自己满意或不满意的行为,并且这个描述比较笼统。
    • 示例:你认为自己“邋遢”。
  2. 具体化行为

    • 想出一个具体的例子,并以更具体和详细的方式描述你的行为。
    • 示例:上周五晚上,你回到家后把鞋子随意扔在门口,衣服随便丢在床上,没有整理。
  3. 反思行为

    • 给出具体描述后,反思这个行为对你有什么影响。
    • 示例:这种行为导致家里显得杂乱无章,影响了家人的舒适感,也让你自己感到不愉快。

作业 #3:评估自己的感受

直译

我的学生常常对评估感受的好处持怀疑态度,直到他们亲自尝试。这周,选择三种不同的情境。至少有一个情境是你感到不安的。首先尝试识别你的感受。你可能只有一种感受,也可能有很多。记住:如果你难以识别自己的感受,可以问自己是否感到快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚或羞愧。你可能还有许多其他感受。一旦识别出感受,给每种感受打分,从1到10分(1表示完全没有这种感受,10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪)。完成下面的表格。评估感受是否有帮助?你学到了什么?

信雅达原则调整

我的学生常常对评估感受的好处持怀疑态度,直到他们亲自尝试。这周,选择三种不同的情境。至少有一个情境是你感到不安的。首先尝试识别你的感受。你可能只有一种感受,也可能有很多。记住:如果你难以识别自己的感受,可以问自己是否感到快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚或羞愧。你可能还有许多其他感受。一旦识别出感受,给每种感受打分,从1到10分(1表示完全没有这种感受,10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪)。完成下面的表格。评估感受是否有帮助?你学到了什么?

更符合中文习惯的表达

我的学生常常对评估感受的好处持怀疑态度,直到他们亲自尝试。这周,选择三种不同的情境。至少有一个情境是你感到不安的。首先尝试识别你的感受。你可能只有一种感受,也可能有很多。记住:如果你难以识别自己的感受,可以问自己是否感到快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚或羞愧。你可能还有许多其他感受。一旦识别出感受,给每种感受打分,从1到10分(1表示完全没有这种感受,10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪)。完成下面的表格。评估感受是否有帮助?你学到了什么?

进一步的知识点阐述

评估感受的重要性

  • 定义

    • 评估感受:要求个人对某种感受的强度进行评分,通常是从1到10分。
    • 感受识别:帮助个体识别和命名自己的感受。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:评估感受有助于个体更清晰地认识自己的情感状态。
    • 促进情绪管理:通过评估感受,个体可以更好地管理和调节自己的情绪。
    • 提高治疗效果:评估感受可以帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的情绪状态,制定更有效的治疗计划。

评估感受的步骤

  1. 选择情境

    • 选择三种不同的情境,至少有一个情境是你感到不安的。
    • 示例:工作中的批评、家庭争吵、朋友聚会。
  2. 识别感受

    • 尝试识别你在每个情境中的感受。你可能只有一种感受,也可能有很多。
    • 示例:在工作中的批评情境中,你可能感到愤怒和焦虑。
  3. 评估感受

    • 给每种感受打分,从1到10分(1表示完全没有这种感受,10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪)。
    • 示例:愤怒(7),焦虑(8)。
  4. 反思感受

    • 反思评估感受的过程是否有帮助,你学到了什么。
    • 示例:评估感受帮助我更清晰地认识到自己的情绪状态,从而更好地管理情绪。

作业 #4:使用《理解你的反应》工作表

直译

现在是时候开始使用《理解你的反应》工作表了。刚开始可能会觉得别扭,但重要的是要尝试。 选择一个你认为会受益并喜欢使用《理解你的反应》工作表的当前来访。然后完成以下步骤。 步骤1:要求来访识别一个他想要解决的具体情境。确保问清楚发生了什么?涉及了谁?在哪里发生的?是什么时候发生的? 步骤2:解释你希望使用四因素模型来理解情境,并向来访展示《理解你的反应》工作表。 步骤3:询问来访的情绪,并让来访评估每种情绪的强度,从1到10分。 步骤4:询问来访的身体反应,并让来访评估每种身体反应的强度,从1到10分。 步骤5:询问来访的行为。 与来访一起完成工作表。如果你是第一次尝试使用四因素模型,可能会觉得别扭,过程可能不太顺利。但没关系!想想你第一次骑自行车、开车、游泳或烤火鸡的情景。如果你像大多数人一样,你当时可能不确定如何去做。多练习,你会越来越熟练。想象我在为你加油。记住,作业的目标不是做得完美,而是尝试。

信雅达原则调整

现在是时候开始使用《理解你的反应》工作表了。刚开始可能会觉得别扭,但重要的是要尝试。 选择一个你认为会受益并喜欢使用《理解你的反应》工作表的当前来访。然后完成以下步骤。 步骤1:要求来访识别一个他想要解决的具体情境。确保问清楚发生了什么?涉及了谁?在哪里发生的?是什么时候发生的? 步骤2:解释你希望使用四因素模型来理解情境,并向来访展示《理解你的反应》工作表。 步骤3:询问来访的情绪,并让来访评估每种情绪的强度,从1到10分。 步骤4:询问来访的身体反应,并让来访评估每种身体反应的强度,从1到10分。 步骤5:询问来访的行为。 与来访一起完成工作表。如果你是第一次尝试使用四因素模型,可能会觉得别扭,过程可能不太顺利。但没关系!想想你第一次骑自行车、开车、游泳或烤火鸡的情景。如果你像大多数人一样,你当时可能不确定如何去做。多练习,你会越来越熟练。想象我在为你加油。记住,作业的目标不是做得完美,而是尝试。

更符合中文习惯的表达

现在是时候开始使用《理解你的反应》工作表了。刚开始可能会觉得别扭,但重要的是要尝试。 选择一个你认为会受益并喜欢使用《理解你的反应》工作表的当前来访。然后完成以下步骤。

  1. 识别情境

    • 要求来访识别一个他想要解决的具体情境。确保问清楚发生了什么?涉及了谁?在哪里发生的?是什么时候发生的?
    • 示例:来访在工作中被批评的情境。
  2. 解释四因素模型

    • 解释你希望使用四因素模型来理解情境,并向来访展示《理解你的反应》工作表。
    • 示例:解释四因素模型包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为。
  3. 评估情绪

    • 询问来访的情绪,并让来访评估每种情绪的强度,从1到10分。
    • 示例:来访感到愤怒(7),焦虑(8)。
  4. 评估身体反应

    • 询问来访的身体反应,并让来访评估每种身体反应的强度,从1到10分。
    • 示例:来访感到心跳加速(6),肌肉紧张(7)。
  5. 询问行为

    • 询问来访的行为。
    • 示例:来访在被批评后选择了沉默,没有做出回应。

进一步的知识点阐述

使用《理解你的反应》工作表的重要性

  • 定义

    • 《理解你的反应》工作表:用于帮助来访识别和记录情境、感受、身体反应和行为的工具。
    • 四因素模型:包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为四个方面的模型。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:帮助来访更全面地理解自己的反应,包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为。
    • 促进情绪管理:通过记录和评估,来访可以更好地管理自己的情绪和行为。
    • 提高治疗效果:帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的状态,制定更有效的治疗计划。

使用《理解你的反应》工作表的步骤

  1. 识别情境

    • 要求来访识别一个他想要解决的具体情境。确保问清楚发生了什么?涉及了谁?在哪里发生的?是什么时候发生的?
    • 示例:来访在工作中被批评的情境。
  2. 解释四因素模型

    • 解释你希望使用四因素模型来理解情境,并向来访展示《理解你的反应》工作表。
    • 示例:解释四因素模型包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为。
  3. 评估情绪

    • 询问来访的情绪,并让来访评估每种情绪的强度,从1到10分。
    • 示例:来访感到愤怒(7),焦虑(8)。
  4. 评估身体反应

    • 询问来访的身体反应,并让来访评估每种身体反应的强度,从1到10分。
    • 示例:来访感到心跳加速(6),肌肉紧张(7)。
  5. 询问行为

    • 询问来访的行为。
    • 示例:来访在被批评后选择了沉默,没有做出回应。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 来访A:通过使用《理解你的反应》工作表,来访A识别出在工作中被批评的情境中,他感到愤怒和焦虑,身体反应是心跳加速和肌肉紧张,行为是选择沉默。通过这一过程,来访A学会了更好地管理自己的情绪和行为。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和记录自己的反应。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和管理自己的感受、身体反应和行为,从而提高治疗的效果。

作业 #2:描述一个具体的行为

思考一个你对自己喜欢或不喜欢的行为,并且这个描述比较模糊。例如,你是否邋遢、善良、有组织、体贴、雄心勃勃、随和或容易分心?现在尝试想出一个具体的例子,并以更具体和详细的方式描述你的行为。给出具体描述后,对你的行为有什么新的认识?

作业 #3:评估自己的感受

我的学生常常对评估感受的好处持怀疑态度,直到他们亲自尝试。这周,选择三种不同的情境。至少有一个情境是你感到不安的。首先尝试识别你的感受。你可能只有一种感受,也可能有很多。记住:如果你难以识别自己的感受,可以问自己是否感到快乐、愤怒、悲伤、焦虑、内疚或羞愧。你可能还有许多其他感受。一旦识别出感受,给每种感受打分,从1到10分(1表示完全没有这种感受,10表示你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪)。完成下面的表格。评估感受是否有帮助?你学到了什么?

识别三种情境

在每种情境中识别你的感受并评估每种感受的强度(1-10分)

(1 = 完全没有,10 = 你有史以来最强烈地感受到这种情绪)

将所学应用于你的治疗实践

现在是时候开始使用《理解你的反应》工作表了。刚开始可能会觉得别扭,但重要的是要尝试。

作业 #4:使用《理解你的反应》工作表与来访

选择一个你认为会受益并喜欢使用《理解你的反应》工作表的当前来访。然后完成以下步骤。

步骤 1:要求来访识别一个他想要解决的具体情境。确保问清楚发生了什么?涉及了谁?在哪里发生的?是什么时候发生的?

步骤 2:解释你希望使用四因素模型来理解情境,并向来访展示《理解你的反应》工作表。

步骤 3:询问来访的情绪,并让来访评估每种情绪的强度,从1到10分。

步骤 4:询问来访的身体反应,并让来访评估每种身体反应的强度,从1到10分。

步骤 5:询问来访的行为。

与来访一起完成工作表。如果你是第一次尝试使用四因素模型,可能会觉得别扭,过程可能不太顺利。但没关系!想想你第一次骑自行车、开车、游泳或烤火鸡的情景。如果你像大多数人一样,你当时可能不确定如何去做。多练习,你会越来越熟练。想象我在为你加油。记住,作业的目标不是做得完美,而是尝试。

进一步的知识点阐述

描述具体行为的重要性

  • 定义

    • 具体行为:详细描述某个特定情境下的具体行为,包括行为的对象、地点和时间。
    • 笼统描述:用模糊的词汇描述行为,如“我邋遢”或“我善良”。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:具体描述行为有助于你更清晰地认识自己的行为模式。
    • 促进改变:通过具体描述行为,你可以更容易地识别需要改进的地方。
    • 提高沟通效果:具体描述行为可以更有效地与他人沟通,减少误解。

评估感受的重要性

  • 定义

    • 评估感受:要求个人对某种感受的强度进行评分,通常是从1到10分。
    • 感受识别:帮助个体识别和命名自己的感受。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:评估感受有助于个体更清晰地认识自己的情感状态。
    • 促进情绪管理:通过评估感受,个体可以更好地管理和调节自己的情绪。
    • 提高治疗效果:评估感受可以帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的情绪状态,制定更有效的治疗计划。

使用《理解你的反应》工作表的重要性

  • 定义

    • 《理解你的反应》工作表:用于帮助来访识别和记录情境、感受、身体反应和行为的工具。
    • 四因素模型:包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为四个方面的模型。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:帮助来访更全面地理解自己的反应,包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为。
    • 促进情绪管理:通过记录和评估,来访可以更好地管理自己的情绪和行为。
    • 提高治疗效果:帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的状态,制定更有效的治疗计划。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 来访A:通过使用《理解你的反应》工作表,来访A识别出在工作中被批评的情境中,他感到愤怒和焦虑,身体反应是心跳加速和肌肉紧张,行为是选择沉默。通过这一过程,来访A学会了更好地管理自己的情绪和行为。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和记录自己的反应。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和管理自己的感受、身体反应和行为,从而提高治疗的效果。

感受

(Rate 1–10) 你感受到了什么?
情境 什么?谁?在哪里?什么时候?
身体反应 你的身体有什么反应?
行为 你做了什么?
想法 你在想什么?

理解你的反应

情境 什么?谁? 在哪里? 什么时候? 你感受到了什么? 你的身体有什么反应? 你做了什么? 你在想什么?
(Rate 1–10) (Rate 1–10) (Rate 1–10)

让我们回顾

回答议程项目下的问题。

议程项目 #1:在治疗中使用四因素模型

  • 你如何在治疗中使用四因素模型?

议程项目 #2:识别来访的触发因素

  • 你可以使用哪四个问题来具体化来访的触发情境?

议程项目 #3:理解来访的反应

  • 你如何介绍使用四因素来理解来访的反应?

议程项目 #4:帮助来访识别他们的感受

  • 你如何解释一种感受?
  • “我觉得自己是个失败者”是一种感受还是一种想法?

议程项目 #5:帮助来访识别他们的身体反应

  • 识别来访身体反应的好问题是什么?

议程项目 #6:帮助来访识别他们的行为

  • 来访说:“我想打他的脸。”这是行为吗?如果不是,它是感受、身体反应还是想法?

议程项目 #7:保持共情

  • 总结来访回应的目的是什么?

什么对你来说很重要?

  • 你希望记住哪些想法或概念?
  • 你希望将哪些想法或技能应用到自己的生活中?
  • 下周你希望与哪个来访尝试什么?(选择一个具体的来访。)

进一步的知识点阐述

四因素模型的应用

  • 定义

    • 四因素模型:包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为四个方面的模型,用于帮助来访全面理解自己的反应。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:帮助来访更全面地理解自己的反应,包括情境、感受、身体反应和行为。
    • 促进情绪管理:通过记录和评估,来访可以更好地管理自己的情绪和行为。
    • 提高治疗效果:帮助治疗师更准确地了解来访的状态,制定更有效的治疗计划。

识别来访的触发因素

  • 定义

    • 触发因素:引发来访特定反应的情境或事件。
  • 重要性

    • 预防问题:通过识别触发因素,可以提前采取措施预防问题的发生。
    • 针对性治疗:帮助治疗师针对特定的触发因素设计治疗方案。
  • 具体化问题

    • 发生了什么?
    • 涉及了谁?
    • 在哪里发生的?
    • 是什么时候发生的?

理解来访的反应

  • 定义

    • 理解来访的反应:通过四因素模型,帮助来访理解他们在特定情境下的感受、身体反应和行为。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:帮助来访更全面地理解自己的反应。
    • 促进改变:通过理解反应,来访可以更好地识别需要改进的地方。
  • 引入方法

    • 向来访解释四因素模型的概念和用途。
    • 展示《理解你的反应》工作表,说明如何填写。

帮助来访识别感受

  • 定义

    • 感受:个体在特定情境下体验到的情绪。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:帮助来访更清晰地认识自己的情感状态。
    • 促进情绪管理:通过识别感受,来访可以更好地管理和调节自己的情绪。
  • 解释感受

    • 感受是情感体验,可以用“快乐”、“愤怒”、“悲伤”等词汇来描述。
    • “我觉得自己是个失败者”是一种想法,而不是感受。

帮助来访识别身体反应

  • 定义

    • 身体反应:个体在特定情境下身体的生理变化。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:帮助来访更清晰地认识自己的身体反应。
    • 促进情绪管理:通过识别身体反应,来访可以更好地管理和调节自己的情绪。
  • 识别问题

    • “你当时的身体有什么反应?”
    • “你是否感到心跳加速、肌肉紧张或其他身体变化?”

帮助来访识别行为

  • 定义

    • 行为:个体在特定情境下的具体行动。
  • 重要性

    • 提高自我认识:帮助来访更清晰地认识自己的行为。
    • 促进改变:通过识别行为,来访可以更好地识别需要改进的地方。
  • 识别问题

    • “你想打他的脸”是一种想法,而不是行为。
    • 行为是指实际采取的行动,如“我握紧了拳头”或“我大声吼叫”。

保持共情

  • 定义

    • 共情:理解并分享他人的情感和经历。
  • 重要性

    • 建立信任:共情可以帮助建立和维护治疗关系中的信任。
    • 促进反思:通过共情,来访可以更愿意开放地分享自己的经历和感受。
  • 总结回应的目的

    • 确认理解:通过总结,让来访知道你听懂了他们的话。
    • 促进反思:帮助来访停下来反思自己的经历和感受。

实际应用

  • 案例分析

    • 来访A:通过使用《理解你的反应》工作表,来访A识别出在工作中被批评的情境中,他感到愤怒和焦虑,身体反应是心跳加速和肌肉紧张,行为是选择沉默。通过这一过程,来访A学会了更好地管理自己的情绪和行为。
  • 治疗师的角色

    • 引导和支持:通过提问和引导,帮助来访更准确地识别和记录自己的反应。
    • 提供反馈:在来访完成特定任务时,给予具体的正面反馈,增强来访的信心和参与度。
    • 保持条理:通过总结和解释,帮助来访保持治疗的条理性,确保治疗过程有序进行。

通过这些策略和注意事项,治疗师可以更好地帮助来访识别和管理自己的感受、身体反应和行为,从而提高治疗的效果。

CHAPTER 5 Identify Your Clients’ Feelings, Physical Reactions, and Behaviors In the previous chapter we covered how to structure a session. Did you have a chance to try setting an agenda with a new client or a current client? How did it go? What about reviewing at the end of the session? How did using a structure make a difference to your therapy sessions? I am hoping that you will keep using a structured format. One of the best ways to maintain change is to assign yourself a specific task that reinforces your new behavior. Would you be willing to pick four clients and try setting an agenda and reviewing? If you did not have a chance to try structuring a session, what got in the way? Did you have nega- tive predictions about structured sessions? Try to set an agenda with just one client this coming week and notice how your client responds. Set the Agenda In this chapter we will cover how to identify situations that trigger your client and then how to use the four-factor model to understand your client’s reactions. We will focus on identifying your client’s feel- ings, physical reactions, and behavior. I want to leave identifying thoughts for the next two chapters. Agenda Item #1: Use the four-factor model in therapy. Agenda Item #2: Identify your clients’ triggers. Agenda Item #3: Understand your clients’ reactions. Agenda Item #4: Help your clients identify their feelings. Agenda Item #5: Help your clients identify their physical reactions. Agenda Item #6: Help your clients identify their behaviors. Agenda Item #7: Remain empathic.

Work the Agenda Clients come to therapy with all kinds of problems. For example, Suzanne is too anxious to talk to the other teachers and make friends, Raoul is procrastinating on his project at work, some clients drink too much, and others feel panic when they try to use an elevator. In this chapter we are going to start using the four-factor model to understand your clients’ problems. Agenda Item #1: Use the Four-Factor Model in Therapy Almost every client has specific situations that trigger him, and when triggered he automatically zooms down a well-worn negative path. The path is strewn with a mix of feelings, physical reactions, behaviors, and thoughts and ends in a big negative jumbled black ball. It happens so quickly and auto- matically that your client never pauses to notice or question his negative path. He is just aware of the big negative ball at the end. The negative path feels like the only option. Take a look at figure 5.1 to see how the negative path works. BLACK BALL Trigger Situation NEGATIVE PATH Figure 5.1. Your client’s negative path. We are going to spend the next three chapters using the four-factor model to help your clients hit the pause button on their negative automatic paths (see figure 5.2). This starts a process of self-­ reflection, and it is often the first time that a client has fully acknowledged his own thoughts and feel- ings. As clients become more aware of how the four factors are maintaining their problems, change becomes a possibility.

Feelings? PAUSE Thoughts? UNDERSTAND 4 FACTORS & POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE Self-Reflection Trigger Situation Physical reactions? Behavior? Figure 5.2. Your client hits the pause button. The first step involves identifying a trigger situation and then identifying and recording your cli- ent’s feelings, physical reactions, behaviors, and thoughts. We are going to use the Understand Your Reaction worksheet (which is the same as the first five columns of a thought record) as a tool to identify and record your client’s reactions. You can download a copy at http://www.newharbinger.com/38501. Understand Your Reaction SituationFeelings (Rate 1–10)Physical Reactions (Rate 1–10)BehaviorsThoughts What? Who? Where? When?What did I feel?How did my body react?What did I do?What did I think?

If you are not used to writing during therapy, you may initially find it awkward. However, once you try it, I think you will find writing very useful. For most clients, writing down thoughts and feelings creates a different experience from saying them in their head; writing encourages pausing and reflect- ing. Using a written worksheet helps organize the session. Plus, your clients can use the Understand Your Reaction worksheet outside of therapy to slow down and identify what is going on when they are upset. While I think it is important to try a written worksheet, CBT is flexible; identifying the four factors can also be done orally, as part of a therapy dialogue. Agenda Item #2: Identify Your Clients’ Triggers Each client has specific types of situations that set his automatic negative path in motion; these are his triggers. To address your client’s problems, you need to know which situations are difficult for him and trigger his negative path. While many clients are aware of their triggers, other clients have trouble identifying their specific trigger situations. For example, a client may tell you that he is “always” sad, or “always” drinks too much, and can’t identify specific problematic situations. Identifying your client’s triggers helps you start to see patterns and then know what to focus on in therapy. A helpful first step is to ask your client to monitor his problematic feelings or behaviors and see if there are some situations where his feelings are stronger or his behavior is more extreme. For example, a client of mine, Elsbeth, came to therapy because she was always angry. When I asked for examples of specific situations, she responded that she was angry “all the time.” Her first homework assignment was to monitor her angry feelings and see when they were strongest. She came back having discovered that she was the most angry when her tee nage son didn’t do what she wanted him to do, for example, when he did his homework at 2 a.m., broke curfew, or did not do his chores. She discovered that her anger toward her son was spilling over into the rest of her life. I often use a simple monitoring worksheet like the one below. You can download a copy of What Is Your Trigger? at http://www.newharbinger.com/38501. I ask my clients to note situations that were the most difficult for them and to rate their feelings from 1 to 10. We often start to see patterns. For example, Suzanne told her therapist that she was very unhappy in her new school “all of the time.” As homework, her therapist asked her to notice situations where she was the most unhappy and rate her moods. Look at how Suzanne filled in the worksheet below. Do you see a pattern? What Is Your Trigger? SituationFeelings (Rate from 1–10; 1 = very happy; 10 = very unhappy) Monday: Lunch, no one to eat withUnhappy: 10 Tuesday: At the school assembly, the two teachers sitting next to me were talking together and did not talk to me.Unhappy: 8 Wednesday: I overheard a teacher talking about a party she was having, and she did not invite me.Unhappy: 10 Thursday: One of the teachers asked the person next to me at recess if she wanted to work on the school play with her.Unhappy: 10 Friday: I stood alone at recess.Unhappy: 9 When Suzanne and her therapist looked at the worksheet, they discovered that she was the most unhappy in social situations with other teachers. None of the situations she identified involved stu- dents. Suzanne was surprised. Charting her reactions helped her focus on the situations that were dif- ficult for her, and it also helped her realize that some aspects of school were going fairly well. HELP YOUR CLIENTS IDENTIFY SITUATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFIC AND CONCRETE You begin the session with a check-in, set the agenda, and then decide on the agenda item you want to start with. What happens next? You want to identify a specific situation that is problematic for your client and that you can work on in therapy. Frequently, your client will describe his trigger situation in vague terms, and you don’t really under- stand what happened. You need to help your client become more specific and concrete. A specific and concrete description includes what happened, with whom, and the specific time and place it occurred. For example, a vague description of a situation would be “My partner doesn’t respect my work”; a more concrete and specific description would be “My partner told me that she thought her work was more important than mine.” Below are some additional examples of situations that are described vaguely, along with more specific and concrete descriptions of the same situations.

Examples of Vague and Specific Situations Vague DescriptionSame Situation Described in a Specific and Concrete Manner My child was rude to her stepmother.My daughter swore at her stepmother and left the room when her stepmother asked her to help with the dishes after dinner. I have to walk on eggshells around my father; he I asked my father if I could have the car on gets angry at the smallest thing. Saturday night, and he yelled at me that I should know he wanted it to go out with his friends. I had a few too many drinks over the weekend. I was at a bar with my friends and probably drank over eight beers and at least four shots. The more specific and concrete your client’s description of the situation, the more your client will be emotionally engaged with the situation, and the more he will have access to his feelings and thoughts. Consider your own experience: Think of someone you are a little annoyed with. Now, think of a spe- cific situation when you were annoyed with this person. Try to remember the situation in detail. Chances are that as you thought about a specific situation, you became more annoyed and your feelings and thoughts became more immediate. The same thing will happen when your clients talk about spe- cific situations. Sometimes your client’s situation is a long, complicated story. In this case, listen to the whole story and then ask what was the worst or most difficult part for your client. It is helpful to identify a situation that lasts from a few seconds to thirty minutes (Greenberger & Padesky, 2016)—any longer and your client will probably have a large variety of feelings and thoughts, and it will be hard to focus on the main ones. Questions to help identify a specific situation. I know I have a clear understanding of the situation if I can form a picture in my mind. If not, I ask my client the W questions: What happened? Who was involved? Where did it happen? and When did it happen? I am looking for the facts of the situation. In some ways it is similar to being a detective or a newspaper reporter on a fact-finding mission, except rather than being a solo operator, you are a fact-finding team with your client. I usually start with being sure I understand What happened. Let’s look at an example. One of my clients was upset with her boyfriend. I asked for an example. She responded, “My boyfriend was really mean to me last night.” Let’s see if we have the answers to the W questions. Do we know What happened? No, we don’t. Do we know Who was involved? Yes, the boyfriend, but we don’t know if anyone else was involved. Do we know Where it happened? No, we don’t. Do we know When it happened? Yes, it happened last night. Before we can start to explore my client’s feelings, physical reactions, behaviors, and thoughts, we need a clearer idea of what occurred. Here is another example. If you remember from chapter 4, Suzanne’s main agenda item was about being invited to a barbecue at the principal’s house. She doesn’t feel like going and thinks she will just say no. Her therapist wants to get a better understanding of the situation. Let’s look at what happens when her therapist uses the four W questions. Suzanne:I was invited to a barbecue event at the principal’s house. Therapist:I want to make sure that I understand. (Notice her therapist explains what she will do.) What is the event? Suzanne:The principal invited all the new teachers to her home for a barbecue. Her therapist doesn’t want to fire a volley of questions at Suzanne, but she also wants more information. You can ask more than one of the W questions at the same time. Therapist: Can you give me a better sense of what’s involved with the barbecue, for example, who was invited, where is it happening, and when? Suzanne’s therapist learns that Suzanne was invited to a barbecue at her principal’s house along with the three other new teachers. It is taking place after school in two weeks. Once you are clear on the situation, you and your client can start to figure out why she is upset by using the four-factor model. Your Turn! Help Neale Identify a Specific Situation Neale, a thirty-six-year-old man, starts a session by saying he wants to focus on his relationship with his mother. Try to help him specify a situation that he wants to work on. Therapist:You said you wanted to focus on your relationship with your mother today. Neale:Everything is going wrong; my relationship with my mother is worse than ever. Look at the three possible responses below and pick the one that will help you get a better under- standing of the situation that is troubling Neale.

  1. Can you tell me more about your relationship with your mother?
  2. I can see that your relationship with your mother is really upsetting you; it feels as if everything is going wrong.
  3. Could you give me an example of what is going wrong between your mother and you? Response #3 is the most likely to help the client identify a specific situation. Response #1 is too vague. If this was the first time you were hearing about Neale’s difficulties with his mother, it could be a good question, but it does not help you focus on a specific difficult situation. Response #2 is supportive, but it also does not help identify a difficult situation. Therapist: Could you give me an example of what is going wrong between your mother and you Neale: We had a big family dinner on Sunday afternoon and it was just awful. My mother and I just don’t get along. Before looking at the therapist’s response, ask yourself what the therapist could ask to help Neale be more specific about what happened. Therapist: You were saying that the family dinner was just awful last Sunday. Can you tell me what happened? Neale: I am so upset because my mother was so critical of me. Ask yourself the W questions: Do you know What happened? Who was involved? Where it happened? When it happened? You don’t know what happened; you know Neale’s mother was involved and that the situation occurred at a family dinner last Sunday. We need more information. Look at the three possible responses below and pick the one that will help you get a better under- standing of the situation.
  4. When you say your mother was critical of you, can you help me understand what your mother did?
  5. Can you tell me more about your mother being critical?
  6. When your mother was critical, what did you think? Response #1 is most likely to help Neale become more specific about the situation. Response #2 is a good start, but it is too vague. Neale could react by talking about his feelings or thoughts, or about the situation. In response #3 you don’t know what the client means by critical, so it is too early to ask about his thoughts.  Exercise 5.1: Raoul’s Boss Is Difficult Practice identifying a specific situation. THE FACTS ABOUT A SITUATION ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE MEANING OF A SITUATION Clients frequently include their thoughts or interpretation of what the situation meant when describing the situation. When you start to separate the facts about the situation from the thoughts and feelings about the situation, you and your client begin to get a more objective idea of what occurred. Let’s look at an example. A client identifies the following situation: “My wife doesn’t care about my mother; she told my mother we were too busy to visit her.” The facts of the situation are that his wife told his mother that they were too busy to visit; the client’s thoughts or interpretation of the situation are, “My wife doesn’t care about my mother.” Let’s look at another example. A client says, “My new girlfriend asked me home to meet her parents. She’s moving too fast; I don’t want to get serious.” In this example, the facts of the situation are the girlfriend invited the client home to meet her parents; the thoughts or what the situation meant to the client are, “She is moving too fast; I don’t want to get serious.” Often a client will use an adjective to describe the other person in the situation; the adjective is usually the client’s thought about the other person. For example, a client says, “My child was very inconsiderate toward the teacher.” “Inconsiderate” is an adjective. You know that the client thought the child was inconsiderate, but you don’t know what the child did. If you want to understand the facts of the situation, it is helpful to ask, “What did your child do that made you think he was inconsiderate?” Sometimes a client will include his feelings as part of the situation; for example, when describing a situation he will say, “I was so angry at my mother when she was late.” The fact is that his mother was late; the feeling is anger. A client can also include his behavior in the description of the situation, for example, “When my boss yelled at another coworker, I just sat there and did nothing.” The boss yelling at another coworker is the fact in the situation; the client doing nothing is the client’s behavior. Your Turn! Separate the Facts about the Situation from the Thoughts about the Situation Below are examples of situations where clients mixed up the facts about the situation and their thoughts about the situation. In the examples below, separate the facts about the situation from the client’s thoughts. Complete the worksheet below before looking at my answers in the appendix. Examples of Situations Instead of doing homework, I was lazy and went out with friends. My boss told me I did a good job, but he didn’t really mean it. My child is not normal; he is not crawling at age five months. The huge mess my husband left in the kitchen Facts about the Situation Client’s Thoughts about the Situation

Exercise 5.2: Find the Facts Practice distinguishing the facts about a situation from the thoughts and feelings about the situation. Video 5.1: Identify a Trigger and Explain the Understand Your Reaction Worksheet Agenda Item #3: Understand Your Clients’ Reactions Identifying trigger situations is an important first step. The next step is using the four-factor model to understand your client’s reaction. It is important to explain what you will be doing, both so that your client understands the process and so that he learns a tool to use outside of therapy. I use the Understand Your Reaction worksheet that we looked at in the beginning of the chapter as a structure. I show the worksheet to my client and explain each column. I usually say: I think you did a really good job identifying the situation. What I would like to do now is to see if we can understand your reaction by identifying your feelings, physical reactions, behav- iors, and thoughts—and then see how they all go together. I call this using the four-factor model. I want to complete this worksheet. (I get out the worksheet or draw one on a sheet of paper.) You see there are five columns. This first column says “Situation,” and we are going to write down the situation we just identified. (I write it down or the client writes it down.) We are then going to see if we can identify your feelings, physical reactions, behaviors, and thoughts and write them down in the next columns. When clients see the five columns, they automatically become more organized, and some of the jumble and distress starts to diminish. My own attitude is one of engaged curiosity, as this models a helpful attitude my client can take toward his own problems. Notice how I start by saying, “I think you did a really good job identifying the situation.” Providing positive feedback for learning a specific skill reinforces the skill and helps the therapy relationship. Many of our clients rarely receive any positive feedback; to hear that they did something well is important. YOUR TURN! Practice in Your Imagination: Explain the Understand Your Reaction Worksheet  Choose a client who you think would benefit from identifying his or her feelings, physical reactions, behaviors, and thoughts. Before you start, rate from 1 to 10 how comfortable you feel introducing and using the Understand Your Reaction worksheet. At the end of the exercise, rate your level of comfort again to see if it changed. Now, let’s try this exercise.

Imagine you want to introduce the Understand Your Reaction worksheet to your client. Try to get a picture of him or her in your mind. Imagine yourself in your office with your client. See your office; notice the sounds and smells in the room. Read over how I suggest introducing the worksheet while imagining yourself saying the words. You can also use your own phrases. Really hear and feel yourself taking out the worksheet and explaining it to your client. Now, imagine explaining the worksheet two more times with the same client. Each time, imagine that your client responds positively. Agenda Item #4: Help Your Clients Identify Their Feelings In this book, we are going to start with identifying feelings, then physical reactions and behavior, and lastly thoughts. This is because most clients are more aware of their feelings than their thoughts and tend to come in talking about feelings. However, in practice, you could start with any of the four factors. I often start with the factor that my client brings up first. The ability to label feelings is a part of affect regulation, or managing one’s feelings in a healthy way. When you ask your client, “What were you feeling?” you are asking him to pause and reflect, which automatically interrupts his negative path. Labeling feelings helps both client and therapist understand the client’s reactions. Asking your client to label his feelings gives the message that you are interested in his experience. Clients’ feelings can also guide therapy. You may want to try different interventions depending on your client’s dominant feelings. For example, if your client tells you he feels “bad,” it is hard to know where to start, but if he tells you he feels “anxious,” you can start to explore his fears. WHAT ARE FEELINGS? Let’s see if we can understand Suzanne’s feelings about going to the principal’s barbecue. When Suzanne’s therapist asked her what she was feeling, Suzanne answered, “I just don’t want to go.” Let’s stop for a moment. Suzanne’s response is not a feeling, it is a thought about the behavior Suzanne wants—or in this case, doesn’t want—to do (she does not want to go to the barbecue). If Suzanne’s response was not a feeling, then what is a feeling? As I mentioned earlier, feelings are usually one word. There are generally six main emotions that clients identify: happy, mad, sad, anxious, guilty, and ashamed. While there are many other feelings, these are the basic ones. Take a moment to look at the Identify Your Feelings handout, which is a more comprehensive list of feelings; you can down- load it at http://www.newharbinger.com/38501. Reading over this handout will help expand your own vocabulary. Clients find it helpful when you find a word that exactly captures what they are feeling. STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY YOUR CLIENT’S FEELINGS While some clients can give very accurate and detailed descriptions of what they are feeling, others have difficulty. Remember my client Elsbeth, from earlier in the chapter, who was angry with her son for not doing his homework or his chores? Initially she was only aware of her anger, but when we started paying attention to her feelings, she discovered that she was more anxious than angry. If your client has trouble identifying his feelings, here are some interventions you can try: • Show your client the Identify Your Feelings handout and ask if one of these feelings seems to fit. •Ask your client to notice his feelings during the coming week, and see if he can start to identify his feelings. Often just paying attention to feelings can be helpful. Some clients have never asked themselves the question, What am I feeling? •Ask your client to notice when he becomes physically tense and to try and label his feelings at that moment. •You can discuss feelings with your client and how to know whether someone is happy, sad, mad, glad, anxious, guilty, or ashamed. Ask your client to identify physical symptoms, behav- iors, and thoughts that go with each feeling. Raoul generally found it hard to identify his feelings. In one of his therapy sessions, he came in looking very agitated and said he was really upset about his boss’s comment at a meeting. His boss had said that Raoul’s project seemed to be going slowly, and he hoped Raoul would be able to meet the deadline. When the therapist asked Raoul if he could describe his feelings a little more, Raoul shrugged, looked down at the floor, and said he felt “awful.” His therapist thought it would be helpful if Raoul could start to be more aware of his feelings. She tried three interventions. First, they talked about feel- ings and how you could know what you are feeling. Second, his therapist gave him the Identify Your Feelings handout and discussed it with him. Third, for homework his therapist asked him to record three situations when he felt awful, to note what was happening in his body, and to look at the Identify Your Feelings handout and try to label his feelings. When Raoul came back the next week, he had completed his homework and was able to identify that he felt nervous and angry. This helped him and his therapist start to address these feelings more specifically. His therapist also started directly asking whether he was nervous or angry when he said he was feeling “awful” or “upset.” One of the difficulties in identifying feelings is that we often use “feel” when we are making a judg- ment and are really describing what we “think.” For example, you might say, “I feel that the movie was too slow” when what you really mean is “I think the movie was too slow.” It is even more difficult to differentiate thoughts and feelings in statements like “I feel stupid” or “I feel incompetent.” Even though these statements start with “I feel,” they are really judgmental thoughts about ourselves. We say, “I feel stupid” when we mean, “I think I am stupid.” Thoughts are so closely connected to feelings that it can be hard at first to see the difference, but the more you use the four-factor model, the easier it will get. Now, let’s go back to Suzanne and see how her therapist helps her identify her feelings about the invitation to the principal’s barbecue. Therapist:I hear you don’t want to go, but I am wondering what your feelings are when you think of the invitation. Suzanne:What do you mean? I just don’t want to go. Often when you ask clients what they were feeling, they answer with a feeling word. However, Suzanne repeated her initial response. Her therapist thought that Suzanne needed more guidance. Therapist:Well, feelings are usually expressed in one word. While there are many feelings, it would be helpful to ask yourself whether you were feeling happy, mad, sad, anxious, guilty, ashamed, or any other feeling. Suzanne:Oh that’s easy, I was really nervous and worried, and I think also embarrassed. Giving Suzanne the basic list of feelings helped her start to identify her own feelings.

HELP YOUR CLIENTS RATE THEIR FEELINGS In CBT, we often ask our clients to rate the intensity of their feelings. At first it can feel strange to ask your client to rate his feelings; however, it is very helpful. You are asking your client to reflect on his feelings rather than automatically respond to them. Here is an example of how rating his feelings helped one of my clients. He was a man in his late forties who had intense anxiety attacks at work and would subsequently become immobilized for the whole day. A few weeks after we had started working together, he came in smiling and said, “I had one of my anxiety attacks at work last week, but I rated my anxiety, and I realized it was only a 7. So I kept on working and it went away.” Rating his feelings helped my client get a different perspective on his feelings. I usually ask clients to first identify and label their feelings and then to rate their feelings. I say, You did a good job identifying your feelings. (Notice I am reinforcing my client for a specific task.) Before we move on, I would like to ask you to look at each feeling you identified and rate how strongly you had this feeling from 1 to 10. Ten would be the strongest you have ever felt this feeling and 1 would be not having the feeling at all. Rating your feelings can help us get a better understanding of how you are feeling. Would you be willing to try? YOUR TURN! Help Suzanne Rate Her Feelings Let’s go back to the situation where Suzanne was invited to the principal’s barbecue. Imagine that Suzanne has just identified her feelings. You now want to help Suzanne rate the intensity of her feelings. Therapist:When you received the invitation to the barbecue, what were your feelings? Suzanne:Oh that’s easy, I was really nervous and worried, and I think also embarrassed. Therapist: You just did a really good job of identifying your feelings. (Note how the therapist is giving specific feedback on a task.) Look at the three possible responses below and pick the one that will help Suzanne rate her feelings.

  1. Can you tell me what you are nervous about?
  2. I think it would be helpful if you could look at each feeling and rate how strongly you felt, from 1 to 10. Ten is the strongest you have ever felt this feeling, and 1 is not at all. Would you be willing to try?
  3. Lots of people are nervous when they are invited to a party. It’s a very normal reaction. Response #2 is the most likely to help Suzanne rate her feelings. It clearly explains what the therapist would like her to do. Response #1 starts to explore the thoughts that go with the feeling of being nervous. It is too early in therapy to identify thoughts, as you have not finished identifying and rating feelings. Response #3 is a supportive comment, but it does not help Suzanne rate her feelings. Therapist: I think it would be helpful if you could look at each feeling and rate how strongly you feel it, from 1 to 10. Ten is the strongest you have ever felt this feeling, and 1 is not at all. Would you be willing to try? Suzanne: Well sure. Where do I start? Look at the three possible responses below and pick the one you think will help Suzanne start to rate her feelings.
  4. Where would you like to start?
  5. I can tell you really want to get better, which is very important. Learning about our feelings is a key part to getting better.
  6. Why don’t we start with the first feeling you listed, which was “nervous.” When you think of the invitation, 1 to 10, how nervous are you? Suzanne is asking for guidance on how to rate her feelings. Response #3 is the most likely to help Suzanne start to rate her feelings. It clearly explains what the therapist would like Suzanne to do. Responses #1 and #2 don’t address Suzanne’s question, “Where do I start?” Suzanne and her therapist rate all of her feelings. Before filling in the Understand Your Reaction worksheet, her therapist says, “You did a good job of rating your feelings. Just to summarize, you were nervous at a 7, and worried at an 8, and embarrassed at a 6. Is that right? Can we write it down?” Notice that the therapist makes a summary statement and then explains that she wants to fill in the work- sheet. This keeps therapy organized. Below is how Suzanne recorded her responses on the Understand Your Reaction worksheet. Understand Your Reaction SituationFeelings (Rate 1–10)Physical Reactions (Rate 1–10)BehaviorsThoughts What? Who? Where? When?What did I feel?How did my body react?What did I do?What did I think? Principal invited me Nervous (7) to barbecue with the Worried (8) other new teachers Embarrassed (6)

Agenda Item #5: Help Your Clients Identify Their Physical Reactions Physical reactions are often clues to our feelings. Plus, a client can misinterpret his physical symp- toms, leading to emotional distress or dysfunctional behaviors. For example, a client may assume that if his heart is pounding he is having a heart attack or it is dangerous for his health. He becomes very anxious and starts to avoid situations where his heart pounds. In reality, his pounding heart is related to too much coffee or another issue and is not dangerous. Unless your client is able to identify his physi- cal reactions, you can’t explore what these physical reactions mean to him. While some clients are very aware of their physical reactions, other clients are unaware. The easiest way to identify your client’s physical reactions is to simply ask, “How did your body react?” or, “What were you feeling in your body?” If you are working with a client who has difficulty identifying his feelings, it can be helpful to start with identifying his physical reactions, and then move on to identifying feelings. Often specific physical reactions go with specific feelings. For example, Raoul discovered that when he felt angry he was hot, when he felt anxious he was shaky, and when he felt sad he had a lump in his throat. As he learned to relate his physical symptoms to his feelings, it became easier for Raoul to identify his feelings. When your client identifies his physical reactions, it encourages self-reflection and helps him hit the pause button and stop zooming down the path of his automatic negative reaction. Suzanne’s therapist asked her to identify the physical reactions that went with her feelings about being invited to the barbecue. Suzanne indicated that she got a clenched stomach and felt tense in her shoulders. She rated her clenched stomach at about a 4 and her tense shoulders at about a 5. She was surprised at how low her ratings were. Often when my clients rate their physical reactions, they realize that they are not as strong as they had thought. If, on the other hand, the physical reactions are very strong, this suggests you may want to teach your client specific skills to manage his physical symptoms. This coming week, try to notice any increase in your own physical tension. Ask yourself what you were feeling and what you were thinking. See if you learn anything. Agenda Item #6: Help Your Clients Identify Their Behavior Next you want to identify your client’s behavior. I usually simply ask, “What did you do?” I am looking for behaviors that indicate that my client is avoiding a situation, acting impulsively, or behaving in a way that is likely to make the situation worse. For some clients, when you slow down and help them specify what they did, it is a first step in acknowledging their problematic behavior and taking respon- sibility for their actions. A client of mine, Connor, had difficulty controlling his anger and tended to minimize his angry outbursts. He was describing how angry he was at his friend for not repaying a minor debt. He initially described his behavior as “letting off some steam.” When I asked what he had done, he sheepishly told me that he kicked a door so hard that he smashed the glass insert. Connor went on to blame his friend for not paying the debt and making him so angry that he kicked the door. When we looked at his behavior, Connor could see that his friend had not “made” him kick the door, and that kicking a door so hard that he broke the glass insert was not just “letting off steam.”

To really understand your client’s behavior, you want a description of his behavior that is specific and concrete, like Connor’s. This way, you can examine the consequences of the behavior and the appropriateness of the response. Clients often initially use a vague descriptor, such as “I just gave up” or “I freaked out.” It is important to ask what your client actually did. Here are some examples of vague descriptions of behavior and specific descriptions of the same behavior. You want to know what your client did, whom he did the behavior with or to, where he was, and when it happened. Examples of Vague and Specific Behaviors SituationVague BehaviorSpecific Behavior My father told me I should not have dropped out of school.I withdrew.I sat at the dining room table completely silent for the rest of the meal. My husband came home so drunk he could barely stand.I got angry.I stood in the kitchen and yelled at my husband that I was tired of him drinking all the time. My boss at the restaurant told me I had made a mistake on two customers’ orders, and he wanted me to double-check all orders.I did what my boss asked.I returned to serving tables and double-checked the orders.

Exercise 5.3: Mary Treats Her Son Badly Practice helping clients provide a specific description of their behavior. I often ask my clients about the consequences of their behaviors. This is a question many of my clients have never asked themselves. It is important to look at both short-term and long-term conse- quences. Often, avoiding dealing with a situation or having angry outbursts has relatively positive short-term consequences but very negative long-term consequences, which many clients have never considered. Let’s return to Suzanne’s invitation. Her therapist wants to identify her behavior and asks Suzanne how she had responded to the invitation. Suzanne said, “I just got it three days ago and I’m not sure what to do.” Ask yourself if you know what her behavior is. You don’t really know. It seems that her behavior is that she has not responded to the invitation, but you need to check. Given that it has been three days, I would guess that Suzanne is avoiding dealing with the invitation. Is her statement “I’m not sure what to do” a behavior, feeling, physical reaction, or thought? (Try to answer before reading on.) It is a thought. At this point I would notice the thought but not comment on it, as we are concentrating on her behavior. Remember, you want to stay organized. I put that thought in my back pocket, so when I ask Suzanne to identify her thoughts, if she does not mention “I’m not sure what to do,” I have it in reserve and can take it out at the right moment. Below is a summary of what we know about Suzanne’s reaction to the invitation from the principal. We don’t yet know Suzanne’s thoughts, but we will cover that in the next chapter. Understand Your Reaction SituationFeelings (Rate 1–10)Physical Reactions (Rate 1–10)BehaviorsThoughts What? Who? Where? When?What did I feel?How did my body react?What did I do?What did I think? Principal invited me Nervous (7) to barbecue with the Worried (8) other new teachers Embarrassed (6)Clenched stomach (4)Has not responded Tense shoulders (5) Video 5.2: Identify Feelings, Physical Reactions, and Behavior Agenda Item #7: Remain Empathic Although CBT is structured, it is not rigid, and the therapeutic relationship is critically important. Using summary statements and asking open questions are key counseling skills for maintaining an empathic relationship while adhering to the structure of CBT. Summary statements help your clients pause and reflect on what they just said. A good summary statement can be very simple. It’s as if you are holding up a mirror that helps your clients look at them- selves. When you summarize, you also let your clients know that you heard them. Let’s try one. Your client starts a session saying, “I am not sure which situation I want to focus on. First, the whole party was a disaster. My three-year-old child screamed and cried most of the night; at the end of the evening, my husband told me he never wants to have another party. Second, work has been awful this week, once again my boss ignored my comments at a meeting; and third, to top it all off, my husband got really drunk again.” How could you summarize what your client just said? One way is to simply say, “It is hard to know what to focus on, since so much happened. Should we talk about the party, what’s been happening at work with your boss ignoring your comments, or your husband getting drunk again?” The summary helps your client pause and think about where she would like to start. Earlier we talked about open and closed questions. If you remember, closed questions can be answered with either a single word or a short phrase. Examples of closed questions are “Did you ask your boss for a year-end evaluation?” and “Did you use cocaine over the weekend?” Closed questions can usually be answered with a yes or no, or with facts. Open questions ask people to think and talk about their thoughts and feelings. Examples of open questions are “How did you feel after you asked your boss for a raise?” and “When your friend offered you cocaine, what were your thoughts?” As you use the four-factor model as a structure to explore your client’s reactions, remember to use summary statements and open questions. Homework: Practice CBT Before continuing with the next chapter, take some time to try the homework. Apply What You Learned to a Clinical Example Complete the following exercises.  Exercise 5.1: Raoul’s Boss Is Difficult Exercise 5.2: Find the Facts Exercise 5.3: Mary Treats Her Son Badly Apply What You Learned to Your Own Life After you have completed the homework assignments below, pause and take a moment to think about what you learned about yourself. Then, think about the implications of your experience with these exercises for your therapy with clients. Homework Assignment #1 Describe a Specific and Concrete Situation Think of a situation in your own life where you would describe someone in a general, vague manner, such as, “My partner is self-centered,” “My boss is unreasonable,” or “My father is very frail.” Now try to make the situation more concrete and specific. Think of a specific example and ask yourself, What happened? Who was in the situation? Where did it happen? and When did it happen? What did you learn from specifying the situation? Did it make a difference?

Homework Assignment #2 Describe a Specific and Concrete Behavior Think of a behavior that you either like or dislike about yourself and that is a vague description. For example, are you messy, kind, organized, thoughtful, ambitious, easygoing, or easily distracted? Now try to think of a specific example of this behavior and describe your behavior in a more specific and con- crete manner. What was the impact of giving a specific description of your behavior? Homework Assignment #3 Rate Your Own Feelings Often my students are skeptical about the benefit of rating feelings until they try it for themselves. This coming week, pick three different situations. At least one should be a situation that upset you. Try to first identify your feelings. You may have only one feeling, but you may have many. Remember: if you have trouble identifying your feelings, ask yourself if you felt happy, mad, sad, anxious, guilty, or ashamed. You may also have lots of other feelings. Once you have identified your feelings, rate each one. Complete the chart below. Did rating your feelings make a difference? What did you learn? Identify Three Situations Identify Your Feelings in Each Situation and Rate Each Feeling from 1–10 (1 = not at all, 10 = the strongest you have ever had this feeling)

Apply What You Learned to Your Therapy Practice It is now time to start using the Understand Your Reaction worksheet. Don’t worry if it feels awkward at first; it is important to try. Homework Assignment #4 Use the Understand Your Reaction Worksheet with a Client Choose a current client you think would benefit from and like using the Understand Your Reaction worksheet. Then complete the steps below. Step 1: Ask your client to identify a specific situation that he wants to work on. Be sure to ask What happened? Who was involved? Where did it happen? and When did it happen? Step 2: Explain that you want to understand the situation using the four-factor model, and show your client the Understand Your Reaction worksheet. Step 3: Ask about your client’s feelings and have your client rate their intensity from 1 to 10. Step 4: Ask about your client’s physical reactions and have your client rate their intensity from 1 to 10. Step 5: Ask about your client’s behavior. Complete the worksheet with your client. If it is the first time you are trying to use the four-factor model with a client, you may feel awkward, and it may not go smoothly. But that’s okay! Think of the first time you rode a bike, drove a car, tried to swim, or cooked a turkey. If you are like most people, you were unsure how to do it. The more you practiced, the better you got. Think of me cheering you on. Remember that the goal of homework is not to do it well, but to try.

Feelings (Rate 1–10)What did I feel? SituationWhat? Who? Where? When? How did my body react? What did I do? Physical Reactions Behaviors (Rate 1–10) Understand Your Reaction What did I think? Thoughts

Let’s Review Answer the questions under the agenda items. Agenda Item #1: Use the four-factor model in therapy. • How can you use the four-factor model in therapy? Agenda Item #2: Identify your clients’ triggers. • What are four questions you could use to specify your client’s trigger situation? Agenda Item #3: Understand your clients’ reactions. • How could you introduce using the four factors to understand your client’s reaction? Agenda Item #4: Help your clients identify their feelings. •How could you explain a feeling? •Is “I feel like a failure” a feeling or a thought? Agenda Item #5: Help your clients identify their physical reactions. • What is a good question to identify your clients’ physical reactions? Agenda Item#6: Help your clients identify their behaviors. • Your client says, “I want to punch him in the face.” Is this a behavior? If not, is it a feeling, physical reaction, or thought? Agenda Item #7: Remain empathic. • What is the purpose of summarizing your client’s response? What Was Important to You? What idea(s) or concept(s) would you like to remember? What idea(s) or skill(s) would you like to apply to your own life? What would you like to try this coming week with a client? (Choose a specific client.)