# Can you type out your CBT instead of writing?



## Redefine (Jan 11, 2005)

Do you think it's ok? Is writing better, because I always hear to write out your thoughts. I never hear type them out. Obviously it would be easier to type since it's much faster. Does it take anything out of the exercise?


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## CleptaK (May 8, 2009)

Hi Redefine, I type my answers out as it is much quicker (that, and my handwriting verges on illegible most of the time!). I find that it helps with the exercise as typing takes less effort and I can concentrate on what I'm writing rather than how to write it. 

Good luck!


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## britisharrow (Jun 18, 2009)

Redefine said:


> Do you think it's ok? Is writing better, because I always hear to write out your thoughts. I never hear type them out. Obviously it would be easier to type since it's much faster. Does it take anything out of the exercise?


I don't know if there is actually a difference but if you're the kind of person who feels better working with pen and paper then stick to that. When learning, for example, I seem to take in information better when I write it rather than type it.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

It should not make any difference. However, do you really want to lug around a laptop all the time. You can write things out on the fly, and then type them out later.

Do both!


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## socially inept (Mar 6, 2009)

Redefine said:


> Do you think it's ok? Is writing better, because I always hear to write out your thoughts. I never hear type them out. Obviously it would be easier to type since it's much faster. Does it take anything out of the exercise?


thats a stupid question


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## Redefine (Jan 11, 2005)

socially inept said:


> thats a stupid question


uhh.... thanks?

Anyway I just thought maybe there is a reason that they always tell you to write out your thoughts, like maybe it makes you think about it deeper when you actually write out your thoughts than typing. I know they say you should write out your thoughts instead of just refuting your negative thoughts in your head because it makes you think it out more. So I was just wondering if typing is inferior to writing your thoughts out in this way.


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## socially inept (Mar 6, 2009)

it wasnt meant as an insult, i was stating the obvious.

if you write down your answers or type your answers what is the difference ? absolutely nothing. in both cases you are simply transfering info from your mind onto either paper or a screen

i would expect a 5 years old to ask a question like that but not somebody on this forum


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

socially inept said:


> it wasnt meant as an insult, i was stating the obvious.
> 
> i would expect a 5 years old to ask a question like that but not somebody on this forum


I really think that that's an incredibly disrespectful and rude comment to make. Especially to someone who you are aware suffers from SAD. If you're not prepared to say anything useful or supportive, then fine that's your choice. But is it really necessary to resort to such comments like that? I personally don't see how. Especially as it's hardly likely to be of any constructive help to anybody.

Anyway Redefine, I think you should do whatever you are the most comfortable with. Personally I don't see how it matters too much ;-) Just so long as you do what you feel works best for you which is the important thing. Maybe you'd find it helpful to try to do both - just as a bit of an experiment - and just see which you find is the easiest/most helpful approach. If it happens that typing things helps things to stick in your mind every bit as much as writing by hand, then by all means I say go for it!


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## socially inept (Mar 6, 2009)

Black_Widow said:


> I really think that that's an incredibly disrespectful and rude comment to make. Especially to someone who you are aware suffers from SAD. If you're not prepared to say anything useful or supportive, then fine that's your choice. But is it really necessary to resort to such comments like that? I personally don't see how. Especially as it's hardly likely to be of any constructive help to anybody.
> 
> Anyway Redefine, I think you should do whatever you are the most comfortable with. Personally I don't see how it matters too much ;-) Just so long as you do what you feel works best for you which is the important thing. Maybe you'd find it helpful to try to do both - just as a bit of an experiment - and just see which you find is the easiest/most helpful approach. If it happens that typing things helps things to stick in your mind every bit as much as writing by hand, then by all means I say go for it!


i thnk the pblem lies in not wat i sed but int he way you are interpretting it .

my first answer was ''thats a silly questuin'' with the intent tomake the op realise thats there is absoluetly no difference between the 2 and no probs with either

and my 2nd post was to explain the answer in my 1st post

i have not intended to insult anyone and if you are offeded by what i sed then is quite sinply YOUR problm, cos you are interpretting it in the way that you have chose. is your problem not mine


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

socially inept said:


> i thnk the pblem lies in not wat i sed but int he way you are interpretting it .
> 
> my first answer was ''thats a silly questuin'' with the intent tomake the op realise thats there is absoluetly no difference between the 2 and no probs with either
> 
> ...


To come up with a response like that, you obviously don't know very much about the meaning of manners. And telling someone that something they have said is stupid in the way you did is one of the most obvious ways you can go about insulting somebody. If you really didn't mean to insult anyone, then you picked a very poor choice of words. And that certainly is your problem. You expressed yourself in a rude manner, regardless of whether you realise you did or not - so I called you on it.


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## jer (Jun 16, 2009)

socially_inept,

Black_Widow is absolutely right.

We have to be kind to each other. whether there was an issue with Redefine's question or not. 
In a world that doesnt understand us, we have to offer each other comforting words.


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## zookeeper (Jun 3, 2009)

socially inept said:


> my first answer was ''thats a silly questuin''


Ummm, that's not what your first post said.



socially inept said:


> thats a stupid question


That is. There's a big difference.

Either way there is something to be said of going through the motions of handwriting, a connection between what is being thought and the action of putting it to paper. It also slows the mind to a more mid-pace, allowing you to perhaps shape ideas with greater depth than you would while typing at full speed.

However, having said all that, for the purposes of CBT I don't think it would make much difference. I can't read my writing anyway.


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## britisharrow (Jun 18, 2009)

I think this question was very valid and I've wondered it myself. As I said before, I find writing things down with my hand somehow connects better with my brain, there is most likely a reason for this. Consider drawing with a pencil or using a mouse, there are differences in what comes out.


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## socially inept (Mar 6, 2009)

zookeeper said:


> Ummm, that's not what your first post said.
> 
> That is. There's a big difference.
> 
> ...


silly/stupid whats the difference


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## socially inept (Mar 6, 2009)

ok lets clear this up, ''thats a stupid questions'' was meant so the op could relaise that there reallty is absolutely no difference between typing and writing , thats it nothing more nothing else

op sorry if i offended u, was not intended


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## Redefine (Jan 11, 2005)

socially inept said:


> ok lets clear this up, ''thats a stupid questions'' was meant so the op could relaise that there reallty is absolutely no difference between typing and writing , thats it nothing more nothing else
> 
> op sorry if i offended u, was not intended


I wasn't offended because I know it's not a stupid question at all. There is a difference. Writing accesses your brain differently than typing. You never gave me any kind of scientific evidence anyway to prove otherwise so I can't see how it's a stupid question.

Anyway don't worry about it. I haven't even looked at this post in a long time, I kind of forgot about it.


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## socially inept (Mar 6, 2009)

Redefine said:


> I wasn't offended because I know it's not a stupid question at all. There is a difference. Writing accesses your brain differently than typing. You never gave me any kind of scientific evidence anyway to prove otherwise so I can't see how it's a stupid question.
> 
> Anyway don't worry about it. I haven't even looked at this post in a long time, I kind of forgot about it.


i think if anyone should be asking to see scientiific evidence its me not you .

i dont think i need scientific evidence to prove that typing and writing are both just examples of reverting info from your mind to a screen or a piece of paper .

however to say that writing accesses your brain differently than typing is a statement that i think would require a bit of evidence to prove its authenticity before people could actually accept that comment as true


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Hmm, I'm not sure. In my opinion, the point of the exercise is that you write down negative/ unhelpful thoughts as soon as you have them so that you can challenge them immediately. If you can be bothered to start up a computer everytime you need to record something, I think it would be fine. When I did CBT I carried a notebook everywhere because it was easily accessible. 
As you say though, it's probably quicker typing it out.


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## Spangles Muldoon (Jan 5, 2005)

tutliputli said:


> In my opinion, the point of the exercise is that you write down negative/ unhelpful thoughts as soon as you have them so that you can challenge them immediately. If you can be bothered to start up a computer everytime you need to record something, I think it would be fine. When I did CBT I carried a notebook everywhere because it was easily accessible.
> As you say though, it's probably quicker typing it out.


This answer is perfect, because it recognizes the major purpose of recording one's automatic thoughts.

The excellent book _Managing Social Anxiety_, by Hope, Heimberg and Turk, states that the client should record his or her automatic thoughts "when cognitions are fresh: (a) When anticipating a situation, or (b) As soon after a situation as possible." Long after the situation, we tend to repress, de-emphasize or recast our automatic thoughts in light of a mental attitude quite different than the one we had while the anxiety-provoking situation was being experienced.


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## hihoum (Aug 22, 2009)

*it's not big deal*

i used to type my CBT, but then i found that writing was more practical, or maybe more natural. but i don't think it matters, the most imortant thing is to take time of reflexion into what you're typing or writing.


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