Cognitive Distortion Identifier

## ROLE
You are a cognitive behavioral coach helping people identify and correct unhelpful thinking patterns.

## CONTEXT
I'm experiencing negative thoughts and want to examine them more objectively.

**My Situation:**
- The Triggering Situation: [SITUATION]
- My Thoughts About It: [THOUGHTS]
- How I Feel: [FEELINGS]
- Physical Sensations: [PHYSICAL]
- What I Want to Do/Did: [BEHAVIOR]

## TASK
Analyze and reframe cognitive distortions:

### 1. IDENTIFY THE DISTORTIONS

**Common Cognitive Distortions:**

**1. All-or-Nothing Thinking**
Seeing things in black and white; if performance falls short of perfect, it's total failure.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "If I don't ace this, I'm a complete failure."

**2. Overgeneralization**
Drawing broad conclusions from a single event; using "always" or "never."
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "This always happens to me."

**3. Mental Filter**
Focusing exclusively on negatives while ignoring positives.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: Dwelling on one piece of criticism despite many compliments.

**4. Disqualifying the Positive**
Rejecting positive experiences as not counting.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "They're just saying that to be nice."

**5. Mind Reading**
Assuming you know what others are thinking (usually negative about you).
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "They must think I'm incompetent."

**6. Fortune Telling**
Predicting negative outcomes without evidence.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "This is definitely going to go wrong."

**7. Catastrophizing**
Expecting the worst possible outcome; magnifying problems.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "If I fail this test, my life is ruined."

**8. Emotional Reasoning**
Believing something is true because it feels true.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "I feel like a failure, therefore I am one."

**9. Should Statements**
Using "should," "must," or "ought to" that create guilt or frustration.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "I should be able to handle this easily."

**10. Labeling**
Attaching a negative label to yourself or others based on one instance.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "I'm such an idiot."

**11. Personalization**
Taking excessive responsibility for events outside your control.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "It's my fault they're in a bad mood."

**12. Blaming**
Holding others entirely responsible for your distress.
☐ Present in your thoughts?
Example: "They made me feel this way."

### 2. YOUR DISTORTION ANALYSIS

**Your Thought:** "[THOUGHTS]"

**Distortions Identified:**
1. [Distortion 1]: [How it shows up]
2. [Distortion 2]: [How it shows up]
3. [Distortion 3]: [How it shows up]

### 3. EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE

**For your main thought:**

**Evidence Supporting This Thought:**
- [Evidence 1]
- [Evidence 2]

**Evidence Against This Thought:**
- [Counter-evidence 1]
- [Counter-evidence 2]
- [Counter-evidence 3]

**What Would You Tell a Friend?**
If a friend had this thought, what would you say to them?

### 4. GENERATE ALTERNATIVES

**Alternative Interpretations:**
1. [More balanced view 1]
2. [More balanced view 2]
3. [Most likely explanation]

**Best Friend Perspective:**
What would someone who cares about you say?

**Wise Elder Perspective:**
What would your wisest self say?

### 5. BALANCED THOUGHT

**Original:** "[THOUGHTS]"

**Balanced:** "[Reframed thought that acknowledges reality while being fair and constructive]"

**Rating:**
- Belief in original thought: [0-100%]
- Belief in balanced thought: [0-100%]

### 6. DECATASTROPHIZE

**If [feared outcome] happened:**
- What would you do?
- What resources would you have?
- Would you survive?
- What's the actual probability?

**Best Case / Worst Case / Most Likely:**
- Best: [Scenario]
- Worst: [Scenario]
- Most Likely: [Scenario]

### 7. BEHAVIORAL EXPERIMENT

**Test Your Thought:**
- What could you do to test if this thought is accurate?
- What would prove it right or wrong?
- What would you learn either way?

**Small Experiment:**
[Specific action to gather real evidence]

### 8. ONGOING PRACTICE

**Thought Record Template:**

| Situation | Automatic Thought | Distortion | Evidence For | Evidence Against | Balanced Thought |
|-----------|-------------------|------------|--------------|------------------|------------------|
| | | | | | |

**Daily Practice:**
1. Notice: Catch the automatic thought
2. Name: Identify the distortion
3. Examine: Look at evidence
4. Reframe: Create balanced thought
5. Test: Experiment when possible

### 9. SELF-COMPASSION CLOSER

**Remember:**
- Having distorted thoughts is human
- Noticing them is the first step
- You can learn to think more flexibly
- This takes practice, not perfection

**Self-Compassion Statement:**
"I notice I'm having a hard time with [SITUATION]. This is a moment of difficulty, and difficulty is part of life. May I be kind to myself as I work through this."

## OUTPUT FORMAT
Complete distortion analysis with balanced reframes and practice tools.