# What CBT handouts did you read today?



## Esteban

And how did they make you feel? What behavioral exercises are you doing (for those who are further along in the therapy)? 



-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Acceptance Is An Active Experience


These three handouts are the ones I read the most. They generally clear up my negative thoughts for the most part. I just need to make sure to read them daily.

I read them daily for about three months about four years ago. They worked. I need to keep at it. 

It would be a good idea to read them before or after going to the gym to help keep myself healthy psychologically and physically.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Acceptance Is An Active Experience
-deserving statements
-power statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Acceptance Is An Active Experience
-deserving statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Acceptance Is An Active Experience
-deserving statements
-power statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Acceptance Is An Active Experience
-deserving statements
-power statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-deserving statements
-power statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## willowmore

Um, I have NO idea what these things are. Do you maybe have a helpful hint about how I can get some of the material? Is it available online? Are my psychologist(s), psychiatrists, occupational therapist(s) and host of medical professionals and doctors deliberately keeping me in the dark? :sus


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## ANXPhoenix

Judging by the names, the CBT hand outs are from the Dr. Richards Overcoming Social anxiety Step by Step audio series.

You can get the book handouts from amazon for $10-$21. The online audio series has 25 session audio explanations of the therapy, PDFs of the handouts, and a few videos, and songs for each session. It's a bit of a steeper price though at $150.

I originally got the audio and handouts from torrents for free, but that was the old series, not sure if there's any for the the new series which came out a few months ago.
-------------------------------------

On topic:
This has always been the hardest for me, just reading the handouts. I never seem to have the time or focus to do it. I do listen to the tapes a lot and that helps, but the examples and stories do go on for a bit too long when you're listening to it for the 20th time, lol....

I think it's partially a general laziness I have, as well as a bit of a video game addiction, but also due to shift work and a constantly changing schedule. I'd always plan to devote a certain time to reading handouts, doing the therapy, going to a monthly meetup, etc. and then my schedule gets changed 3 days later and messes everything up. 

I did set up reminders on my phone though, to go off at certain times each day or when arriving/leaving places. I had set ones up for:
The worrying hand out
Deserving statements
ANTs handout
Fighting paradox
And uhh profiency statements? 
I didn't include the names
In all of them so not sure about the last one. Though with the reminders an iOS update messed it up and made it really hard to read the handouts, so even those I don't read too often anymore. I'm trying to get back into the swing of it, just gotta focus on my well being more; I should be cutting a really negative person out of my life soon so hopefully that will help.


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## Esteban

willowmore said:


> Um, I have NO idea what these things are. Do you maybe have a helpful hint about how I can get some of the material? Is it available online? Are my psychologist(s), psychiatrists, occupational therapist(s) and host of medical professionals and doctors deliberately keeping me in the dark? :sus


See post below yours. It's not too surprising you haven't heard of it before, even from mental health professionals. That said, I've done individual therapy and group therapy with a number of mental health professionals. They haven't helped me nearly as much as Dr. Richard's CBT program. You might be different though. IDK. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

There's a treatment review thread about it on this forum here . Good luck.


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## Esteban

ANXPhoenix said:


> On topic:
> This has always been the hardest for me, just reading the handouts. I never seem to have the time or focus to do it. I do listen to the tapes a lot and that helps, but the examples and stories do go on for a bit too long when you're listening to it for the 20th time, lol....
> 
> I think it's partially a general laziness I have, as well as a bit of a video game addiction, but also due to shift work and a constantly changing schedule. I'd always plan to devote a certain time to reading handouts, doing the therapy, going to a monthly meetup, etc. and then my schedule gets changed 3 days later and messes everything up.
> 
> I did set up reminders on phone though to go off at certain times each day or when arriving/leaving places. I had set ones up for:
> The worrying hand out
> Deserving statements
> ANTs handout
> Fighting paradox
> And uhh profiency statements?
> I didn't include the names
> In all of them so not sure about the last one. Though with the reminders an iOS update messed it up and made it really hard to read the handouts, so even those I don't read too often anymore. I'm trying to get back into the swing of it, just gotta focus on my well being more; I should be cutting a really negative person out of my life soon so hopefully that will help.


Yeah, it can definitely be difficult to stick with it. That's why I decided to make this thread. I figure knowing people are watching might help me stay on track.

If other people decide to post what handouts they're reading each day, that would be great. It would help me stay motivated.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


BTW, I'm reading these repeatedly for 30-60 min each session in slow talk out loud. So far, some of what I'm reading in the handouts has been popping into my mind whenever I encounter negative thoughts.


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## willowmore

Thank you so much! I'll definitely give it a try.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements

Doing this for an hour each day is really starting to pay off. I've been able to go and do things without worrying excessively about them. I've also been able to joke around with people, make eye contact, and express various issues I have without feeling much anxiety. I'm making really good progress. I look forward to doing even better as I continue to do CBT. I'm positive that doing this, in addition to exercise, meditation, and medication will considerably reduce my anxiety and pointless negativity.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Worrying
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Mitko

The fighting Paradox
De-stressing strategies
The social anxiety automatic cycle
Turning the tables on the ANTs - Part One
Accepting myself as I am

Can we discuss this on something like Skype please? I would love to have a buddy who I can do this with.


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## Esteban

Mitko said:


> Can we discuss this on something like Skype please? I would love to have a buddy who I can do this with.


Sure. PM me your Skype.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain

EDIT: I had a fairly intense triggering experience, so I went ahead and read over the above handouts a second time today in slow talk.


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## Jhaimcee

Does anyone else think that it's stupid getting all of these handouts? There are so many! It's like being back at school, when the teacher can't be bothered to teach...


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain


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## Triumph

ANTs
ANTs
ANTs
ANTs
and more ANTs


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain


Today marks the 28th day I've been doing this therapy consistently. I am making very good progress in overcoming my automatic negative thoughts. I am feeling very relaxed, optimistic, and happy.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain


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## Triumph

@Esteban

-ANTs 
-Seeing The Present
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain

First of all, I want to say thank you, I love your threads man. I believe you're going to beat this, you have determination. 
I copied reading your list today and recorded myself reading aloud the first five. I plan to play those back to myself while at work next week. I don't like the sound of my own voice and it will be good to try to accept it, and also do a before and after recording. 
Many of those I read for the first time. Those are extremely powerful, I can see how this particular CBT therapy by Dr. Richards is so effective. Simply awesome 
I will keep posting here as often as I can. Thanks again.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain


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## Esteban

Triumph said:


> First of all, I want to say thank you, I love your threads man. I believe you're going to beat this, you have determination.


Thank you. I hope you're right.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Seeing The Present
-Power Statements
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-How You See Yourself & The World


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## Mitko

-ANTs
-De-stressing strategies
-The social anxiety automatic cycle
-Accepting myself as I am right now
-Turning the Tables on the ANTS - Part one, two and three
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently
-Mingling
-Conversations


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## rubyruby

Sounds like a good program. I hope you stick with it. I'm interested to see if it helps.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

day 35

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Pancho35

I don't understand. Does every CBT program from every therapist in the world use the exact same handouts?


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-How You See Yourself & The World


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-How You See Yourself & The World


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-How You See Yourself & The World


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## ANXPhoenix

Pancho35 said:


> I don't understand. Does every CBT program from every therapist in the world use the exact same handouts?


 There's a wide variety of CBT therapies for countless different disorders, and unfortunately even with CBT specific to social anxiety I don't believe there is any standardized method and step by step process for social anxiety CBT. The handouts mentioned in the topic are from the Social Anxiety Institute's step by step audio/online series. There's more info/links/prices on the first page of this topic, just look for my post there.

The series comes from a former social anxiety sufferer who has been treating social anxiety exclusively and researching and taking experience from paitents and crafting the series for 20 years since 1993. The first version was released around 2003 and there was most recently a major overhaul and update last year.

Also as Esteban said, he's not a therapist, not a CBT group leader, or anything like that. The topic is mostly meant for self motivation and accountability. For comprehensive info on CBT and the audio series, the treatment review topic for the program and the social anxiety institute website would be your best bet.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World


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## Esteban

day 42

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World


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## Icontact

*Thought changing cards worksheets Automatic thoughts*
*Rational response:*
I can have a positive attitude that will make even difficult things easier
I Know that most of my fear are not based on facts
I can keep my fears in perspective and not let them overwhelm me.
I can learn to relax about the things that make me anxious rather than letting them affect my body.
Worrying about something will not help; it will only make me feel more powerless.

*Therapy printout * 
*Prevent old problems form re-emerging*

Keep track of your emotions/stories that kept you feeling anxious depressed
Identify situations or events that represent "high risk" situations for yourself (big changes in your life or the old triggers)
Maintain a balanced lifestyle consistent with your values, preferences and aspirations
Develop a wellbeing plan of what you have learned in therapy
*Wellbeing Plan *
What have I learned in therapy about my problems?
What changes have I made?
What are my areas of vulnerability?
What do I need to work on my vulnerability?
What should I do if I have a setback?
What Strengths do I have?


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## EternallyRestless

CBT doesn't work for INFJs. Just saying.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World

I start session seven today.


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## Imbored21

Are you a bot?


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## Esteban

day 44

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One: Establishing New Realistic and Rational Thinking
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

Imbored21 said:


> Are you a bot?


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One: Establishing New Realistic and Rational Thinking
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One: Establishing New Realistic and Rational Thinking
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One: Establishing New Realistic and Rational Thinking
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One: Establishing New Realistic and Rational Thinking
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

day 49

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One: Establishing New Realistic and Rational Thinking
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One: Establishing New Realistic and Rational Thinking
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now

I start session eight today.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently
-Mingling
-Conversations


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-How You See Yourself & The World
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Fighting Paradox
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently
-Mingling
-Conversations


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## Esteban

day 56

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-How You See Yourself & The World
-Two Competing Neural Pathways In Your Brain 
-De-Stressing Strategies
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently


I start session nine today.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Worrying handout
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently
-Bears Attack & Maul, Bees Swarm & Sting
-Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
-Worrying handout
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently
-Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part Three
-Worrying handout


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part Three
-Worrying handout
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently
-Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part Three
-Worrying handout
-Changing Brain Chemistry Permanently
-Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings


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## pixelpusher

This thread was a great idea. I would have loved to participate. Sorry I missed it Esteban, this is exactly what I need as this is the program I'm doing and just as you did, need motivation from others to stick with it.


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## Esteban

pixelpusher said:


> This thread was a great idea. I would have loved to participate. Sorry I missed it Esteban, this is exactly what I need as this is the program I'm doing and just as you did, need motivation from others to stick with it.


Feel free to jump in. I'm about 10 weeks from finishing anyway.


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## Esteban

day 63

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part Three
-Worrying handout
-Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part Three
-Worrying handout
-Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings

I start session 10 today.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Turning the Tables on ANTS, Part Three
-Worrying handout
-Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Deserving Statements
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Poisonous Thoughts
-Brainwashing


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Poisonous Thoughts
-Brainwashing
-Loosening Up


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Poisonous Thoughts
-Brainwashing
-Loosening Up


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Poisonous Thoughts
-Brainwashing
-Loosening Up


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## Esteban

day 70

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Poisonous Thoughts
-Brainwashing
-Loosening Up


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Poisonous Thoughts
-Brainwashing

I start session eleven today.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## Kevin001

Is this a personal blog? :get


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## Esteban

Kevin001 said:


> Is this a personal blog? :get


It's for anyone who wants to post what CBT handouts they're reading and their progress. The point of posting what handouts I'm reading daily is accountability. Knowing people are watching helps me stay motivated to continue the therapy.


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## Kevin001

Esteban said:


> It's for anyone who wants to post what CBT handouts they're reading and their progress. The point of posting what handouts I'm reading daily is accountability. Knowing people are watching helps me stay motivated to continue the therapy.


Ok, I understand now.


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## Esteban

day 77

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## wrongguy

ANTS
I just started the dr Richards course


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## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


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## SAgirl

I use HALT often. It reminds me to ask myself am I hungry, angry, lonely, or tired? I have a hard time finding my emotions but this makes it particularly easy for me. I think I learned this from the Feeling Good Handbook.


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## Mitko

Finally got the time to listen to session 10 today. :boogie

The ANTs Handout
Turn the Tables on the ANTs, parts one, two and three (quick glances)
De-Stressing Strategies
The Deserving Statements
Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings (quick glances)
Here's How We Handle Those Bullying Liars
Loosen Up and Let Stress Go
Self-Statements - Moving in a Positive Direction
Brainwashing
Poisonous Thoughts


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> ANTS
> I just started the dr Richards course





Mitko said:


> Finally got the time to listen to session 10 today. :boogie
> 
> The ANTs Handout
> Turn the Tables on the ANTs, parts one, two and three (quick glances)
> De-Stressing Strategies
> The Deserving Statements
> Feelings, Feelings, and More Feelings (quick glances)
> Here's How We Handle Those Bullying Liars
> Loosen Up and Let Stress Go
> Self-Statements - Moving in a Positive Direction
> Brainwashing
> Poisonous Thoughts


Good job, guys. 

I finally got around to listening to session 11 yesterday. I procrastinated for over a week before getting around to listening to it.


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing
-The Profound Concept
-Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
-Expectations Are Killer: Stay Away At All Costs


----------



## wrongguy

Esteban said:


> -ANTs
> -Attitudes
> -Worrying handout
> -Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
> -Brainwashing
> -The Profound Concept
> -Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
> -Expectations Are Killer: Stay Away At All Costs


youve been doing this for a while now. Is it having a decent impact on your SA?


----------



## wrongguy

- ants
- deserving statements 
- attitudes
- accepting myself
I did slow talk through all of them. Slow talk doesn't seem to be having much of an effect yet. Hopefully it will become more effective over time. It's only been four days.


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing
-The Profound Concept
-Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
-Expectations Are Killer: Stay Away At All Costs


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> youve been doing this for a while now. Is it having a decent impact on your SA?


Yeah. It's been a big help. I still have a ways to go, but I've made really good progress so far.


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing
-Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them


----------



## wrongguy

-ANTS
-Deserving statements
-Accepting myself as I am today
-Self statements: Moving in a positive direction
-De-stressing strategies

I'm not really going by the schedule. I couldn't hel jumping ahead a little.


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing
-Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Self statements
Deserving statements
De-stressing strategies
Accepting myself as I am today

So far slow talk doesn't seem to be having any effect on my anxiety. I'm hoping that changes over time.


----------



## Mitko

Esteban said:


> Good job, guys.
> 
> I finally got around to listening to session 11 yesterday. I procrastinated for over a week before getting around to listening to it.


Thanks. Did you find session 11 helpful?


----------



## Esteban

Mitko said:


> Thanks. Did you find session 11 helpful?


Yeah. It's pretty good. It's not as good as other sessions though. It mostly elaborates on prior concepts. This is good because hearing about similar things in different ways can help us to get these messages deep into our brains.


----------



## Esteban

day 84

-ANTs 
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing
-Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Deserving statements
Accepting myself as I am today
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies

Into week 2 . Already seen some small changes.


----------



## Esteban

day 85

-ANTs 
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing

I start session 12 today.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Deserving statements
Accepting myself as I am today
Self statements
Power statements


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Deserving statements
Accepting myself as I am today
Attitudes
Power statements

11 days. My anxiety and depression have really spiked the last two days. I'm hoping that's just a setback and that I'll continue to make progress. The Ants handout says the negative thoughts will try to rise up and put a roadblock in your path.


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> Ants
> Deserving statements
> Accepting myself as I am today
> Attitudes
> Power statements
> 
> 11 days. My anxiety and depression have really spiked the last two days. I'm hoping that's just a setback and that I'll continue to make progress. The Ants handout says the negative thoughts will try to rise up and put a roadblock in your path.


Setbacks are common during the therapy. There's a handout on competing neural pathways.


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Power Statements


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing


----------



## REPO

-ANTs #1 
-Rational Coping Thoughts for Anxiety


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Brainwashing
-Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am today
Deserving statements
Power statements
Attitudes


----------



## REPO

-ANTs #1 
-Rational Coping Thoughts for Anxiety


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs 
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Deserving statements
Accepting myself as I am today 
Power statements
Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

day 91

-ANTs 
-Power Statements
-Attitudes
-Worrying handout
-Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
-Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Brainwashing
- Deserving Statements


I start session 13 today.


----------



## REPO

-ANTs #1
-Rational Coping Thoughts for Anxiety


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Accepting myself as I am today
Power statements


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Attitudes
Accepting myself as I am today
Power statements
Deserving statements


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

day 95

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
De-stressing strategies
Accepting myself as I am right now
Power statements
Attitudes
I've been doing the program for 20 days and I think I'm seeing some improvements. The ANTS are trying to tell me im not but im getting a little better at not listening to them.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Deserving statements
Power statements
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants 
Power statements
Deserving statements 
Attitudes
Accepting myself as I am right now
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants 
Accepting myself as I am right now
Bad day today


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements 
Attitudes
Power statements


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


Well, I finally got around to listening to session 13.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants 
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Power statements


----------



## Esteban

day 103

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Power statements
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Attitudes
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


----------



## wrongguy

Ants 
Accepting myself as I am right now


----------



## Esteban

day 106

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


----------



## Triumph

Esteban said:


> day 106
> 
> - ANTs
> - Power Statements
> - Worrying handout
> - Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


Esteban, how are things going? I wonder how you are feeling these days. You're a real inspiration. Thank you for this thread.


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements
- Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

Triumph said:


> Esteban, how are things going? I wonder how you are feeling these days. You're a real inspiration. Thank you for this thread.


Thanks. There's been a drastic difference in my thinking. I no longer beat myself up, I assert my boundaries with self assurance, I feel like I deserve to be treated well, I feel like I deserve a good job/career that's in line with my talents, etc.

I will be starting the behavioral part of the therapy soon. I'll be listening to session 14 in the next couple days. That's the session the behavioral aspect of the therapy becomes emphasized. It's pretty exciting.

I think that once I start getting closer to the end of this therapy, I'll start another thread to document my progress with schema therapy. I also need to start meditating again.

I want to be as mentally healthy as possible!


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Triumph

Esteban said:


> Thanks. There's been a drastic difference in my thinking. I no longer beat myself up, I assert my boundaries with self assurance, I feel like I deserve to be treated well, I feel like I deserve a good job/career that's in line with my talents, etc.
> 
> I will be starting the behavioral part of the therapy soon. I'll be listening to session 14 in the next couple days. That's the session the behavioral aspect of the therapy becomes emphasized. It's pretty exciting.
> 
> I think that once I start getting closer to the end of this therapy, I'll start another thread to document my progress with schema therapy. I also need to start meditating again.
> 
> I want to be as mentally healthy as possible!


Excellent! This thread is extremely helpful for others to follow, especially myself. I join in with a buddhist meditation group now and then and I'm meditating more at home. I also have been making an effort to go out hiking on weekends and go to the gym or work out at home more. The physical exercise aspect is important in order to reduce stress and cortisol/adrenaline, while increasing testosterone.

I will admit I was a little bored with Dr. Richards course in the beginning and thought it was only for severe cases, but now that I'm moving up through the units, I can see where Dr. Richard is taking this and it makes complete sense.

Esteban, are you getting help with any part of the behavioral part? A group to join? Or are you going it on your own?

Schema therapy...intriguing. I'll look into that, thank you.


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

Triumph said:


> Excellent! This thread is extremely helpful for others to follow, especially myself. I join in with a buddhist meditation group now and then and I'm meditating more at home. I also have been making an effort to go out hiking on weekends and go to the gym or work out at home more. The physical exercise aspect is important in order to reduce stress and cortisol/adrenaline, while increasing testosterone.
> 
> I will admit I was a little bored with Dr. Richards course in the beginning and thought it was only for severe cases, but now that I'm moving up through the units, I can see where Dr. Richard is taking this and it makes complete sense.
> 
> Esteban, are you getting help with any part of the behavioral part? A group to join? Or are you going it on your own?
> 
> Schema therapy...intriguing. I'll look into that, thank you.


Yeah, exercise is definitely important in mitigating anxiety.

I'm going it alone on the behavioral part. It would probably be better to have a group for this part though.


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Power statements
Deserving statements
Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

day 110

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements
- Attitudes


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Power statements
Deserving statements
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

ANTS
Accepting myself as I am right now 
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Power statements
De-stressing strategies


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Power statements
Attitudes
The perfectionism pit
Self statements


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Deserving statements 
Power statements
The perfectionism pit
De-stressing strategies


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs


----------



## Esteban

-ANTs


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Power statements


----------



## wrongguy

Esteban said:


> -ANTs


Hi. I'm noticing you've been reading less handouts lately. Is that because you're focusing more on the behavioral stuff or are you just finding you don't need to read as many because the stuff is becoming more automatic?


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> Hi. I'm noticing you've been reading less handouts lately. Is that because you're focusing more on the behavioral stuff or are you just finding you don't need to read as many because the stuff is becoming more automatic?


It's mostly just laziness. I haven't even finished listening to session 14 yet. I keep procrastinating. I think this is about when I dropped out of the therapy the last time I did it four years ago. I can't let that happen. I must persevere. I must force myself to do the behavioral section. raawwwrrrrr


----------



## wrongguy

Esteban said:


> It's mostly just laziness. I haven't even finished listening to session 14 yet. I keep procrastinating. I think this is about when I dropped out of the therapy the last time I did it four years ago. I can't let that happen. I must persevere. I must force myself to do the behavioral section. raawwwrrrrr


Well I hope you keep at it. Like he says in the course, the only way you can fail is if you give up completely. It's been inspiring seeing someone who is sticking with it.


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> Well I hope you keep at it. Like he says in the course, the only way you can fail is if you give up completely. It's been inspiring seeing someone who is sticking with it.


You're right. Thanks for noticing and pointing it out. I'll get back to it.


----------



## Esteban

day 115

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements
- Attitudes

I spent some extra time on them today: something like two hours. I go into a kind of meditative state when I read them in slow talk for that long. It's like a meditative religious ritual. And like meditative religious rituals, it feels pretty damn good.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Power statements
De-stressing strategies
The perfectionism pit

Good to see you back on it Esteban


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Power statements 
Deserving statements
De-stressing strategies
The perfectionism pit


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements
- Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> Good to see you back on it Esteban


Thanks for the encouragement.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Power statements
Deserving statements
Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Deserving Statements
- Attitudes


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now 
Deserving statements
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies
How you see yourself & the world


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Attitudes


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Power statements
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
Accepting myself as I am right now


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying handout


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Attitudes
- Poisonous Thoughts
- De-Stressing Strategies


----------



## ghost dog

How does reading the same thing daily achieve anything more than reading it once? Seems like it would be tedious and boring.


----------



## Esteban

ghost dog said:


> How does reading the same thing daily achieve anything more than reading it once? Seems like it would be tedious and boring.


Socially anxious thoughts are irrational thoughts that were conditioned into those with a predisposition and an unfavorable environment. Those with social anxiety were brainwashed into having socially anxious thoughts. By reading these handouts daily I'm de-conditioning myself from these thoughts and conditioning myself into more rational thinking habits. This is explained in the tapes and handouts.

People do this sort of thing all the time. Some religious people do it by going to church weekly, for example. People are conditioned into holding certain beliefs, usually via their social groups and family, all the time.

It definitely is tedious and boring though. But, a lot of things that are good for us are tedious and boring.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Attitudes
Power statements
Deserving statements
De-stressing strategies
The perfectionism put
Accepting myself as I am right now


----------



## wrongguy

ghost dog said:


> How does reading the same thing daily achieve anything more than reading it once? Seems like it would be tedious and boring.


Its kinda like working out to change your body. It takes time and effort and can be tedious and boring but it's the only way to change it.


----------



## Esteban

day 121

- ANTs 
- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- Attitudes

Well, I finally got around to listening to session 14.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Attitudes
Power statements
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure 
Deserving statements

Good job Esteban.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
The perfectionism pit
The good, the better and the beautiful


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs 
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> Good job Esteban.


Thanks. How many days have you been doing CBT now?


----------



## wrongguy

Esteban said:


> Thanks. How many days have you been doing CBT now?


It's been 47 days so far.


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> It's been 47 days so far.


Nice. Good job. Have you noticed a pretty big difference?

I think it says somewhere in the handouts that it takes about 60 days for it to really start taking off.


----------



## wrongguy

Esteban said:


> Nice. Good job. Have you noticed a pretty big difference?
> 
> I think it says somewhere in the handouts that it takes about 60 days for it to really start taking off.


I've been noticing quite a few little differences but with this any improvement is big. I hope you're right and it starts to really take hold soon. I'M a pretty hard case so it may take longer. I'll keep going as long as it takes. This thread has helped me a lot in keeping it up. It's nice to have a place to post about it.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
De-stressing strategies
Power statements 
Self statements
Therapy reminders
Attitudes
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
The good, the better and the beautiful


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Mitko

ghost dog said:


> How does reading the same thing daily achieve anything more than reading it once? Seems like it would be tedious and boring.


It's the same as being brainwashed for years with anxiety that nowadays makes us think that we are worthless, relying on the opinions of others, and the list goes on.

This therapy helps re-establish rational thoughts again in our brain.


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Poisonous Thoughts
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Self statements
Power statements 
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
The good, the better and the beautiful


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
The good, the better and the beautiful
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure

Into week 8


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Poisonous Thoughts
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes 
Deserving statements 
Power statements
Self statements
The good the better and the beautiful
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
Therapy reminders


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Poisonous Thoughts
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- Loosen Up and Let Stress Go
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
- Letting Go of the Negative Past


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Power statements
Self statements
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Stay way from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

day 127

- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Poisonous Thoughts
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- Loosen Up and Let Stress Go
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
- Letting Go of the Negative Past


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Power statements
Self statements
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
Attitudes

Rough days yesterday and today. The anxiety really wants to throw in some setbacks. Almost through week 8.


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Poisonous Thoughts
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- Loosen Up and Let Stress Go
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
- Letting Go of the Negative Past


Nice work on not letting those old neural pathways stop you from doing the therapy, wrongguy.


----------



## wrongguy

Thanks man. 

Ants
Deserving statements
Accepting myself as I am right now
Power statements
Self statements
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Attitudes
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Power Statements
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now
- Letting Go of the Negative Past

I'll be listening to session 15 today.

I've been doing a bunch of exposure exercises. I said "hello" to something like 30 people when I hiked to the summit of a nearby mountain. People are really nice on hiking trails, probably due to endorphins.

I think I'm ready to work again.


----------



## wrongguy

That's great Esteban . I hope I'll be doing as well soon. 

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
Deserving statements
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- The Profound Concept
- The Power of "Acting"


----------



## Willtochange99

-Catch Label and Tell your Brain the Truth 
-Stopping Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
De-stressing strategies
Power statements
Self statements
Deserving statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements: Moving in a Positive Direction
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Vicious Circles And How To Shrink Them
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- The Profound Concept


I listened to sessions 15, 16, and 17, since 15 and 16 are mostly about group therapy behavioral ideas. Also, since tapes 18 and 19 are just him reading some of the handouts in slow talk, it looks like I have one session left (tape 20) before I'm done with the audio component of the therapy. I'll continue to read some of the handouts afterwards as I push myself to increasingly deal with the world again.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Power statements
Self statements
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure

Into week nine. Cool Esteban. Hope you keep reading hanudouts and posting. I hope to be able to start dealing with the world again sometime in the near future. Just wondering, do you feel the new neural pathways have really taken hold?


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> Into week nine. Cool Esteban. Hope you keep reading hanudouts and posting. I hope to be able to start dealing with the world again sometime in the near future. Just wondering, do you feel the new neural pathways have really taken hold?


Yeah, they have actually. Whenever my thoughts start to go negative, statements from the handouts intervene quickly. I don't have nearly as many negative thoughts as I used to have. They don't have the power over me that they used to have. They still have some power though, so I'll continue to read the handouts for a while longer -- maybe another month or two.

I'll probably start to condense the statements down into one handout with the most effective statements, make a poster or something, and hang it by my door. I'll probably continue to do some form of CBT for the rest of my life -- maybe just a handout of the most effective statements to read to myself each day.

There have been other changes such as a strengthening of my boundaries and a feeling of deserving to be treated well.

At this point, I think my problems are primarily social anhedonia, inattention, and negative schemas I developed in my youth. So, I'll probably start shifting my focus to therapies or meds that address those issues in the coming months.

That said, I have quite the hole to climb out of in terms of my life circumstances, but I feel significantly more optimistic in being able to do this now.


----------



## wrongguy

Esteban said:


> Yeah, they have actually. Whenever my thoughts start to go negative, statements from the handouts intervene quickly. I don't have nearly as many negative thoughts as I used to have. They don't have the power over me that they used to have. They still have some power though, so I'll continue to read the handouts for a while longer -- maybe another month or two.
> 
> I'll probably start to condense the statements down into one handout with the most effective statements, make a poster or something, and hang it by my door. I'll probably continue to do some form of CBT for the rest of my life -- maybe just a handout of the most effective statements to read to myself each day.
> 
> There have been other changes such as a strengthening of my boundaries and a feeling of deserving to be treated well.
> 
> At this point, I think my problems are primarily social anhedonia, inattention, and negative schemas I developed in my youth. So, I'll probably start shifting my focus to therapies or meds that address those issues in the coming months.
> 
> That said, I have quite the hole to climb out of in terms of my life circumstances, but I feel significantly more optimistic in being able to do this now.


That's awesome that the handouts are working so well and automatically And you're feeling more comfortable with yourself. Gives me a lot of hope. I'm sorry your situation isn't great but you are moving in the right direction.


----------



## Esteban

day 132

- ANTs
- Therapy Reminders
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- The Perfectionism Pit


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> That's awesome that the handouts are working so well and automatically And you're feeling more comfortable with yourself. Gives me a lot of hope. I'm sorry your situation isn't great but you are moving in the right direction.


Thank you.


----------



## Willtochange99

Day 4
-Catch Label and Tell your Brain the Truth 
-Stopping Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Willtochange99 said:


> Day 4
> -Catch Label and Tell your Brain the Truth
> -Stopping Statements


Nice to see someone new on this thread. Good luck with your CBT.

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders


----------



## Willtochange99

Day 5:
Catch Label and Tell Your Brain The Truth
Stopping Statements 
Ants picture quotes


----------



## Willtochange99

wrongguy said:


> Nice to see someone new on this thread. Good luck with your CBT.
> 
> Ants
> Accepting myself as I am right now
> Deserving statements
> Attitudes
> Power statements
> Self statements
> Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
> De-stressing strategies
> Therapy reminders


Thanks, its still very new and I'm finding it difficult to catch my thoughts. I often am already long into the thought/feeling before I catch it.


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- The Perfectionism Pit


----------



## wrongguy

Willtochange99 said:


> Thanks, its still very new and I'm finding it difficult to catch my thoughts. I often am already long into the thought/feeling before I catch it.


Yeah it takes some time. You'll get better and better at it as you continue to practice. Just keep practicing and it will become automatic. There's some really deeply ingrained habits to change.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Caedmon

Are these handouts from the SAI Audio series?


----------



## Esteban

day 134


- Therapy Reminders
- Power Statements
- Worrying Handout
- Deserving Statements
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- The Perfectionism Pit


----------



## Esteban

Caedmon said:


> Are these handouts from the SAI Audio series?


Yes.


----------



## Willtochange99

Day 6
Catch Label and tell your Brain the Truth
More Stopping Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Day 60

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Willtochange99

Day 7:

Catch Label and Tell your Brain the Truth
More Stopping Statements 

I have a lot of underlying anxiety today. It was hard sitting still to read the ants worksheet but I did it for 30 minutes.


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- Deserving Statements
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- The Perfectionism Pit


----------



## wrongguy

Willtochange99 said:


> Day 7:
> 
> Catch Label and Tell your Brain the Truth
> More Stopping Statements
> 
> I have a lot of underlying anxiety today. It was hard sitting still to read the ants worksheet but I did it for 30 minutes.


Stick with it. You're just starting out. It will get easier as you keep doing it. Btw where did you get those handouts? Are they from the dr Richards program?

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements 
Self statements
Power statements 
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Willtochange99

wrongguy said:


> Stick with it. You're just starting out. It will get easier as you keep doing it. Btw where did you get those handouts? Are they from the dr Richards program?
> 
> Ants
> Accepting myself as I am right now
> Deserving statements
> Self statements
> Power statements
> De-stressing strategies
> Therapy reminders
> Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


Yea they are from his audio series, the 6 month program. I plan on sticking with it, no other option. Thanks though, it is new.


----------



## Esteban

Well, I've been doing a whole lot of exposure exercises by just being out and around people. I've been feeling very little anxiety. I did quite a lot today that involved interacting with people. It was all very natural. It was a bit surreal, tbh. I've been a recluse for so long that it's odd to feel so natural in social situations. 

My thoughts tried to catastrophize the situations afterwards in some cases, but, for the most part, the CBT skills I've learned intervened automatically. 

I finally got my car up and running today (bought a battery, installed it, asked my neighbor to help me prepare it for inspection, took it in for inspection, greeted some of the other customers, etc.). I joked around with the mechanics about my car having a lot of dust on it and all that (I hadn't used it for nearly two years). One of them brought up that his friend had a car like mine and it ended up stolen. I remarked that I had heard it's one of the most stolen cars in America. Then one of them remarked about whether someone could unlock my door with a hanger (you can't unless the window is cracked, even then it would be really difficult). LOL Well, that had me getting really ****ing paranoid. I probably won't be going back there, even though they were probably just joking. Still, it's bad business to joke about a customer's car potentially being stolen and how you might do it. WTF. They don't install security systems, and I already have an alarm on my car. I felt myself disassociating a bit after that. I struggled a bit with thoughts of inadequacy. Things were getting distant. I feel fine now though. 

Other than that, I felt just fine. I called someone about not getting a return call without feeling any anxiety. I went to the car parts store without feeling any anxiety. I interacted with a bunch of people without feeling any anxiety.


EDIT: in light of the car incident, I went over the De-Stressing Strategies and one of the Perfectionism handouts again today, while keeping in mind the cognitive distortions my mind exhibited: black-and-white thinking and catastrophizing ("they are going to come to my home and steal my car").


----------



## Esteban

My Liebowitz social anxiety score last year: 46(fear) + 63(avoidance) = 109


today: 23(fear) + 32(avoidance) = 55

I think that in a couple more months I could have that score even lower so long as I make sure I continue reinforcing these CBT thinking habits while increasing my time socializing.


----------



## wrongguy

Sounds great Esteban. You're making a lot of progress. It makes me hopeful about my future too.


----------



## Esteban

- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- The Perfectionism Pit


EDIT: I had an intense triggering experience while applying for jobs today, so I read through some of the above handouts again in slow talk until I calmed down. It's a minefield out there. I mean, the CBT statements intervened quickly when my anxiety triggered, but I really needed the slow talk (and its meditative properties) to calm me down again.


----------



## Willtochange99

Day 8 
Catch Label and Tell your Brain the Truth 
More Stopping Statements 
Self fulfilling prophecies 
The ANTS Handouts


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Power statements
Self statements
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Willtochange99

Great job Esteban. I'm happy for you and your progress.


----------



## wrongguy

I haven't had much success with slow talk so far. Doesn't seem to do much for me. I guess I'll keep trying.


----------



## Caedmon

To be honest I wouldn't bother with slow talk. I'm really surprised Dr Richards even recommends it in the audio series. It sounds like a safety behavior to me, so it'll just reinforce internal focus, which is counterproductive.





 (good simple explanation)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_behaviors_(anxiety)


----------



## Esteban

day 137

- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- The Perfectionism Pit


----------



## Esteban

Willtochange99 said:


> Great job Esteban. I'm happy for you and your progress.


Thanks.



Caedmon said:


> To be honest I wouldn't bother with slow talk. I'm really surprised Dr Richards even recommends it in the audio series. It sounds like a safety behavior to me, so it'll just reinforce internal focus, which is counterproductive.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (good simple explanation)
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_behaviors_(anxiety)


I think it's good to do while reading the handouts because of its meditative properties. After reading the handouts in slow talk, I feel similarly to how I feel after mindfulness meditation. This is good because it helps drop the concepts down into my brain even more. I'm praying to my subconscious.

I haven't made much use of slow talk in social situations though. I think I'd really only use it if I were teaching or giving a talk. I've noticed that quite a few public speakers speak slowly when giving talks. They seem to be more in control that way, which is why Dr Richards has it as part of the therapy. When people are anxious they might speak rapidly. Speaking slowly can help them regain control.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements 
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders
Self statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- The Perfectionism Pit


EDIT: I listened to session 20 (last session) today. *pats self on back* I did it. I made it through the audio portion of the therapy. Hurray!


----------



## wrongguy

Congrats Esteban. Good for you. 

Day 64

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Power statements 
Self statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure
Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs
- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Letting Go of the Negative Past
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- I Am The Sculptor
- A State Of Mind


----------



## Esteban

- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Worrying Handout
- De-Stressing Strategies
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- I Am The Sculptor
- A State Of Mind


----------



## Esteban

wrongguy said:


> Congrats Esteban. Good for you.
> 
> Day 64


Congrats to you as well.  You've made it past 60 days. The therapy will probably start to really take off in the next couple of weeks for you, if it hasn't already.


----------



## wrongguy

Esteban said:


> Congrats to you as well.  You've made it past 60 days. The therapy will probably start to really take off in the next couple of weeks for you, if it hasn't already.


It's helping quite a bit. Still feel like I've got a ways to go though. Hopefully the positive momentum is building.

Forgot to post yesterday but I did the therapy. 
Day 66
Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Power statements
Self statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

day 141

- Power Statements
- Therapy Reminders
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- I Am The Sculptor
- A State Of Mind

I'm going to condense some of these handouts down to one handout in the next week or two.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Power statements
Self statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs
- Power Statements
- Worrying Handout
- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- I Am The Sculptor
- A State Of Mind


----------



## Esteban

- Power Statements
- Worrying Handout
- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- I Am The Sculptor
- A State Of Mind


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
Deserving statements 
Therapy reminders 
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- ANTs
- Power Statements
- Worrying Handout
- Therapy Reminders
- Self-Statements
- Deserving Statements
- De-Stressing Strategies 
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- I Am The Sculptor
- A State Of Mind


----------



## Esteban

I've decided to start adding non-CBT handouts to my daily handout reading list, such as a handout on logical fallacies. If I'm going to improve my thinking habits when it comes to mental health, then I figure I might as well improve my thinking habits when it comes to logic.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements 
Power statements
Self statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing stragedies
Attitudes
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure.


----------



## Visenya

I'm looking at the 12 steps of Social Phobics Anonymous.


----------



## Esteban

day 145

- Condensed Handout
- Self-Statements
- Deserving Statements
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- A State Of Mind


----------



## wrongguy

End of week ten 

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Power statements
Self statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Deserving statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Power statements
Self statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

day 146

- Condensed Handout
- Self-Statements
- Deserving Statements
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- A State Of Mind
- Keep on Going and Do Not Give Up


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind


----------



## Willtochange99

I am on session 5. Are y'all just editing bits from the past weeks to make all the handouts shorter? I have highlighted the main subjects of the older handouts so I can make it more efficient. Glad to see y'all working the therapy still.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants twice
Accepting myself as I am right now twice
Self statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies 
Attitudes


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind


----------



## Esteban

Willtochange99 said:


> Are y'all just editing bits from the past weeks to make all the handouts shorter? I have highlighted the main subjects of the older handouts so I can make it more efficient.


That's what my condensed handout is.


----------



## Caedmon

I rewrote the "ANTs handout" based on what worked for me and some little bits of wording that I didn't care for.

I use 5 or so handouts in my own practicing. I don't read them. Instead, I recorded my voice saying them, and then listen to it driving to or from work. I have most of them memorized by now and can say them along with the recording. I have other recordings too, of my voice saying statements that are supportive of my New Core Beliefs, some individualized positive (and believable) affirmations, etc.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Self statements
Power statements 
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

day 150

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind


----------



## wrongguy

Day 73
Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now-twice
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies 
Deserving statements


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Deserving Statements 
- A State Of Mind
- Keep on Going and Do Not Give Up


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Power statements
Self statements
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

day 156 

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day
- A State Of Mind


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Attitudes
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements 
Power statements
Self statements 
Therapy reminders 
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

day 157

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Self statements
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Power statements


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State of Mind
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements 
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Power statements
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

day 161

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements
- Self-Statements


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements
- Self-Statements


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Self-Statements
- Have A Rational Talk With Yourself Every Day


----------



## Retrograde Movement

Has your life changed significantly after all the work you put in Esteban? I've only read through the handouts quickly, and couldn't stomach the repetition part.


----------



## Esteban

Retrograde Movement said:


> Has your life changed significantly after all the work you put in Esteban? I've only read through the handouts quickly, and couldn't stomach the repetition part.


My thoughts have changed significantly. I think that I also have social anhedonia though, so I need to go back on bupropion. When I was on bupropion, I would try new things, travel, get out of the house more, etc. I was still socially anxious and a loner though.

I think my social anhedonia is what led to my social anxiety. So, while most of my negative thoughts are under control currently, I still lack motivation to do anything social.


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Deserving statements
Power statements
Self statements
Therapy reminders 
De-stressing strategies
Stay away from perfectionism and pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements


----------



## Esteban

day 165

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Self-Statements


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Self-Statements
- Deserving Statements


----------



## gagaga5

*dsd*

do these handouts work ?
ive been reading them pretty much everyday now and ive seen just some progress ,but its not as big as they promise that its going to help you overcome your whole social anxiety.
what are your experiences with them ,did they help your anxiety?


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout


----------



## Esteban

gagaga5 said:


> do these handouts work ?
> ive been reading them pretty much everyday now and ive seen just some progress ,but its not as big as they promise that its going to help you overcome your whole social anxiety.
> what are your experiences with them ,did they help your anxiety?


It's helped with my anxiety quite a bit. I'm not nearly as anxious as I used to be. My anxiety used to be severe, but now it's mild. I used to spend a large portion of my days beating myself up, but CBT has cut down on that almost entirely. I'm not exactly a social butterfly though.

How many days have you been reading the handouts?


----------



## gagaga5

Esteban said:


> It's helped with my anxiety quite a bit. I'm not nearly as anxious as I used to be. My anxiety used to be severe, but now it's mild. I used to spend a large portion of my days beating myself up, but CBT has cut down on that almost entirely. I'm not exactly a social butterfly though.
> 
> How many days have you been reading the handouts?


well,I strarted in february and I finished all tapes recently ..i try to read about 10 handouts every other day but it gets boring and i skip a few days .
overall, it is much better than it was before i started this cbt program..but i still wish it was better..
i feel i have control over my anxieties in some situations..
what handouts have been the most helpful to you?

the most helpful for me are the fighting paradox and the ants handout


----------



## Esteban

gagaga5 said:


> well,I strarted in february and I finished all tapes recently ..i try to read about 10 handouts every other day but it gets boring and i skip a few days .
> overall, it is much better than it was before i started this cbt program..but i still wish it was better..
> i feel i have control over my anxieties in some situations..
> what handouts have been the most helpful to you?
> 
> the most helpful for me are the fighting paradox and the ants handout


Yeah, they're pretty damn boring to read. That's great that you were able to finish the CBT program.

The handouts most useful to me are ANTs, Deserving Statements, Worrying Handout, Power Statements, and the Perfectionism Handout. I also like the Therapy Reminders handout because it reminds me to not compare myself to others.


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure


----------



## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies


----------



## wrongguy

Ants 
Accepting myself as I am right now 
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
Attitudes
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
De-stressing strategies
Therapy reminders 
Attitudes
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## wrongguy

Ants 
Accepting myself as I am right now
Therapy reminders 
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes 
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## wrongguy

Ants 
Accepting myself as I am right now
Therapy reminders 
Attitudes
Power statements 
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Attitudes
Therapy reminders
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Therapy reminders
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Therapy reminders
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## KforB

ANXPhoenix said:


> Judging by the names, the CBT hand outs are from the Dr. Richards Overcoming Social anxiety Step by Step audio series.
> 
> You can get the book handouts from amazon for $10-$21. The online audio series has 25 session audio explanations of the therapy, PDFs of the handouts, and a few videos, and songs for each session. It's a bit of a steeper price though at $150.
> 
> I originally got the audio and handouts from torrents for free, but that was the old series, not sure if there's any for the the new series which came out a few months ago.
> -------------------------------------
> 
> On topic:
> This has always been the hardest for me, just reading the handouts. I never seem to have the time or focus to do it. I do listen to the tapes a lot and that helps, but the examples and stories do go on for a bit too long when you're listening to it for the 20th time, lol....
> 
> I think it's partially a general laziness I have, as well as a bit of a video game addiction, but also due to shift work and a constantly changing schedule. I'd always plan to devote a certain time to reading handouts, doing the therapy, going to a monthly meetup, etc. and then my schedule gets changed 3 days later and messes everything up.
> 
> I did set up reminders on my phone though, to go off at certain times each day or when arriving/leaving places. I had set ones up for:
> The worrying hand out
> Deserving statements
> ANTs handout
> Fighting paradox
> And uhh profiency statements?
> I didn't include the names
> In all of them so not sure about the last one. Though with the reminders an iOS update messed it up and made it really hard to read the handouts, so even those I don't read too often anymore. I'm trying to get back into the swing of it, just gotta focus on my well being more; I should be cutting a really negative person out of my life soon so hopefully that will help.


Have you tried breaking up the reading of the handouts? I prefer doing all my handouts at once (30m - 1h) but sometimes the day just doesn't allow it.

Sometimes if I know I'm going to have a busy evening, I'll leave for work 10 minutes early and read one handout in my car just before walking into the office. Then maybe I'll do the same thing at lunch; just one handout. And then when I get home after work, I've already read 2 handouts so I'm half way there.


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## KforB

I'm on Week 5 of the series so I've been reading the following handouts for the past week:
- The ANTs Handout
- De-Stressing Strategies (I really like this one)
- The Social Anxiety Automatic Cycle
- Turning the Tables on the ANTs (Part 1)
- Accepting Myself As I Am Right Now


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## wrongguy

Ants
Accepting myself as I am right now
Therapy reminders
Attitudes
De-stressing strategies
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements
- Self-Statements


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## Esteban

- Condensed Handout
- Stay Away from Perfectionism and Pressure
- A State Of Mind
- Deserving Statements
- Self-Statements


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## Esteban

- Condensed Handout


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## SelfCompulsoryIsolation

When I see CBT my mind immediately goes to cock and ball torture.


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## Mitko

Esteban said:


> - Condensed Handout


I can't seem to find this one in the handouts folder and I'm curious. Are you doing the new 22 sessions therapy?


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## Esteban

Mitko said:


> I can't seem to find this one in the handouts folder and I'm curious. Are you doing the new 22 sessions therapy?


I made that handout. It's comprised of various lines from the various handouts. Also, no, I'm not doing the new 22 session therapy.

How's your therapy been going?


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## Mitko

Esteban said:


> I made that handout. It's comprised of various lines from the various handouts. Also, no, I'm not doing the new 22 session therapy.
> 
> How's your therapy been going?


I got to session 13 about 3 weeks ago and have barely had the time to read, unfortunately.

Can you share that handout?


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## Esteban

Mitko said:


> I got to session 13 about 3 weeks ago and have barely had the time to read, unfortunately.
> 
> Can you share that handout?


No, I cannot share that handout. Sorry.


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## Esteban

- Condensed Handout


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## Esteban

- Condensed Handout


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