Banish Your Irrational Fears Forever

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In this post you will learn to identify silent assumptions. A startlingly effective method called the " vertical-arrow technique," which allows you to probe your inner psyche. This method helps you feel better because you deprogram the distortions in your thinking patterns.
First, draw a short downward arrow directly beneath your automatic negative thought. This downward arrow is a form of shorthand which tell you to ask yourself "If this automatic thought were actually true, what would it mean to me? Why would it be upsetting to me?" Then write down the next automatic thought that immediately comes to mind.. Every time you come up with a new automatic thought, draw a vertical arrow beneath it and ask yourself,” If this were true why would it upset me?” As you do this over and over you will generate a chain of thoughts which will lead to silent assumptions that you can easily overcome. The downward-arrow method is likened to peeling successive layers of skin off an onion. The downward arrow is a form of shorthand for the following questions: "If that thought were true, why would it upset me? What would it mean to me?" The question represented by each downward arrow. This is what you might ask yourself if you had written down the automatic thought. This process leads to a chain of automatic thoughts that will reveal the root cause of the problem.

Automatic Thoughts
>My boss probably thinks I’m useless.

\/ If he did think this, why would it be upsetting to me?"


>That would mean I was a lousy worker because he's an expert.

\/
"Suppose I was a lousy worker, what would this mean to me?"


>That would mean I was a total failure. It would mean I was no good.

\/
"Suppose I was no good. Why would this be a problem? What would it mean to me?"


>Then the word would spread and everyone would find out what a bad worker I was. Then no one would respect me. I'd get drummed out of the office.

\/
"And what would that mean?"


>It would mean I was worthless. I'd feel so miserable I'd want to die.

Ordinarily you substitute a rational response that shows why your automatic thought is distorted, and invalid. This helps you change your thinking patterns in the here and now so that you can think about life more objectively and feel better. In the vertical-arrow method you imagine instead that your distorted automatic thought is absolutely valid, and you look for the grain of truth in it. This enables you to penetrate the core of your problems. Now review the chain of automatic thoughts in this example and ask yourself-what are the silent assumptions that predispose you to anxiety, guilt, and depression?
There are several:
1. If someone criticizes me, they're bound to be correct.
2. My worth is determined by my achievement.
3. One mistake and the whole is ruined. If I'm not successful at all times, I'm a total zero.
4. Others won't tolerate my imperfection. I have to be perfect to get people to respect and like me. When I goof up, I'll encounter fierce disapproval and be punished.
5. This disapproval will mean I am a bad, worthless person.

Once you have generated your own chain of automatic thoughts and clarified your silent assumptions, it is crucial to pinpoint the distortions and substitute rational responses
The beauty of the downward-arrow method is that it is inductive and Socratic: Through a process of thoughtful questioning, you discover on your own the beliefs that defeat you. You unearth the origin of your problems by repeating the following questions over and over: "If that negative thought were true, what would it mean to me? Why would it upset me?"

Without introducing some therapist's subjective bias or personal beliefs or theoretical leanings, you can objectively and systematically go right to the root of your problems. This circumvents a difficulty that has plagued the history of psychiatry. Therapists from all schools of thought have been notorious for interpreting patients' experiences in terms of preconceived notions that may have little or no experimental validation. If you don't "buy" your therapist's explanation of the origin of your problems, this is likely to be interpreted as "resistance" to the "truth." In this subtle way, your troubles get forced into your therapist's mold regardless of what you say. Imagine the bewildering array of explanations for suffering that you would hear if you went to a religious counselor (spiritual factors), a psychiatrist in a Communist country (the social-political-economic environment), a Freudian analyst (internalized anger), a behavior therapist (a low rate of positive reinforcement), a drug-oriented psychiatrist (genetic factors and brain chemistry imbalance), a family therapist (disturbed interpersonal relationships), etc.!

A word of caution when you apply the vertical-arrow method. You will short-circuit the process if you write down thoughts that contain descriptions of your emotional reactions. Instead, write down the negative thoughts that cause your emotional reactions. Here's an example of the wrong way to do it:

First Automatic Thought: My boyfriend didn't call me this weekend as he promised he would.
I "Why is that upsetting to me? What does it mean to me-?"

Second Automatic Thought: Oh, it's awful and terrible because I can't stand it.
This is useless. We already know you feel awful and terrible. The question is-what thoughts automatically crossed you mind that caused you to feel so upset? What would it mean to you if he had neglected you?


Here's the correct way to do it:
1. My boyfriend didn't call me this weekend as he promised] he would.

"Why would that be upsetting to me? What does it mean to"" me?"

2. That means he's neglecting me. That means he really doesn't love me.

And suppose that were true.,,, What would that mean to me?"

3 .That would mean there's something wrong with me, “Otherwise he'd be more attentive.”

"And suppose that were true-"What would that mean to me?"

4. That would mean I was going to be rejected.

"And if I were in fact rejected what then? What would that mean to me?"

5. That would mean I was unlovable and I would be rejected.

"And if that happened, would it upset me?"

6. That would mean I'd end up alone and miserable.

Thus, by pursuing the meaning rather than you your silent assumptions became obvious: Your real issue is your fear of abandonment. Work on conquering that fear with other forms of cognitive therapy, and you will one day find your depression a thing of the past.

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