A Growing Cognition...

I saw Dr. Grant again on Tuesday. We continued to hone the skills he'd taught me and he recommended some additional books he thought would help. Several of these books are listed on Dr. Grant's website.

We spent some time in each session just talking, and by doing so, more and more "issues" came to the surface. As they surfaced, I began to question how simply working a thought record or completing an S.E.A.T. was going to make everything ok every time. I asked Dr. Grant about this growing suspicion and he understood. He explained that there were many "tools" I could use to "test out" the balanced, or alternative thoughts I derived from the thought record or S.E.A.T. For instance, I unknowingly conducted an experiment of sorts when I decided to "clock out" and take to my bed. "Did it work for you?", he asked. "Well, most definitely NOT!", came my reply. However, I learned from that failed experiment that going to bed for the rest of my life was NOT the solution to my problem, and as tapped out as I was mentally, I continued to search for a solution that would work. I didn't realize I was "experimenting" at the time, but in fact, I was.
"You decided to fly across the United States for help, didn't you?", he asked me. I said, "No I didn't. Josh decided that I needed to do that, and he made it possible for me to get here." "But", he said, "YOU were the one who ultimately made the decision to go, correct? YOU were the one who packed your bags, got on the plane, and flew down here. Josh had nothing to do with that. YOU were the one who ultimately decided to give it a try. You didn't know if it would work, but you decided it was worth a chance, and you took it. And did that experiment work for you?"
Did it WORK for me? Are you kidding?? In the 6 or so days I'd been there, my mood lightened considerably; I felt that I was beginning to think clearly again, and I hadn't taken (or even really cared about taking) one single drink! I was even learning to successfully work Josh and Tia's microwave. Why yes, I believed it WAS working for me!

Dr. Grant then explained that I could conduct experiments on any of the alternative or balanced thoughts I derived from the completed thought records. As my belief in the balanced or alternative thoughts increased, my improved mood became more stabilized. And if the experiments did not support my new beliefs, I could use that information to to create different beliefs that more accurately reflected my experiences. Dr. Grant explained that I would likely have to do a number of experiments before I shifted my old beliefs. The workbook told me that it was important to keep a written record of experiments in order to track results that would accumulate over time.

The whole idea of an experiment is to discover what really happens when we try something new. When experiments don't turn out as we hope, it is time to problem solve, not quit! Sometimes you can tweak your experiment by adding or changing a few steps.
Sometimes a thought record or S.E.A.T. will help you realize and identify a problem that needs to be solved. In these cases, you make an ACTION PLAN.

I practiced working several thought records on past, recurring experiences that evoked negative emotions in me. In some cases, I realized that I was actually making mountains out of mole hills, and I determined that I would conduct experiments to help change my way of thinking so when these experiences happened in the future, I wouldn't make more of them than they really are. In other cases, I realized there were problems that need to be solved, and I knew I could develop Action Plans to solve the problems. It was interesting and a bit exciting as I realized more and more that I really could control the way I felt on a daily basis. I was really beginning to believe it would WORK!