The Tree of Faulty Core Beliefs
My therapist explained The Tree of Faulty Core Beliefs to me.
This tree represents the layers of our subconscious that contribute to negative thinking patterns (cognitive distortions) in our lives.
The Faulty Core Identity is the “soil” that nourishes the seed of unhealthy beliefs, often formed during early childhood.
The Faulty Core Belief resembles the “roots”, which reinforce a belief system that shapes our perceptions and behaviours.
Limiting Beliefs are housed in the “trunk”, that dictates how we perceive ourselves and filter our experiences.
Negative Programs are the “leaves and branches”, which are the behaviours and thoughts we live by, often stemming from these core beliefs.
Examples of CPT’s Negative Thought Patterns
- Jumping to conclusions or predicting the future
- Ignoring Important parts of a situation
- Oversimplifying things as “good-bad” or “right-wrong” or overreaching from a simple incident (applying one experience too broadly)
- Mind reading – assuming that people are thinking negatively of you whe there is no definitive evidence of this
- Emotional reasoning – using your emotions as proof – I feel fear so I must be in danger
Trauma reinforces faulty core beliefs.
The goal of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is to start putting a crack into those beliefs.
I am currently using Thinking Pattern Worksheets that help identify my negative thinking patterns – the “leaves and branches” of The Tree of Faulty Core Beliefs – to help me put a crack into my faulty core beliefs, reinforced by trauma.
S, 🌻
