Make a Dysfunctional Thought Record (DTR) for a real life psychological problem you have experienced recently. Make sure you identify the dysfunctional thought category.

What is a dysfunctional thought?

2 min readAug 9, 2020

The assumption that dysfunctional thoughts underlie mood (and other) disorders is at the heart of cognitive therapy, which aims to alter negatively biased thoughts, also referred to as “dysfunctional thoughts” or “cognitive distortions.” Dysfunctional thoughts generally ex- press negative perceptions of oneself

What is a dysfunctional thought record?

The Dysfunctional Thought Record is a style of thought record which encourages identification of any cognitive biases / cognitive errors which are operating. ... This thought record can also be used to identify characteristic ways in which an individual’s cognitive styles are distorted .

What is thought record?

Thought records are a tool used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you recognize and change your unhelpful thoughts. The purpose of a thought record is to get you into the habit of paying attention to your thoughts and working to change them

How do you record your thoughts?

Focus really hard on the idea you are trying to remember and make it as clear as you can in your mind. Focusing on something helps you remember it for later.
Connect the idea with as many other things as you can, like other ideas, names, places, or anything that will help you remember it later

How do you challenge negative thoughts?

Apply the same logic to your own thoughts. Ask yourself if you are assuming the worst will happen or blaming yourself for something that has not gone the way you wanted. And then think about other possible outcomes or reasons that something turned out differently than you hoped.