Live Work with Elizabeth, Part 2 (of 2) “I’m tired of being terrified. I want to be at peace!” Last week, we brought you Part 1 of a session with a women who's been struggling with anxiety and the fear of poverty every since she was 13 years old. that included T = Testing and E = Empathy, including an empathy error that David and Jill corrected. Today, we bring you the conclusion of that amazing session! After the empathy correction, Elizabeth suddenly said: “I don’t talk about this stuff very much as an adult. I’m feeling overwhelmed in a good way right now. A sense of peace is opening up.” You can review the partially completed Daily Mood Log Elizabeth gave us at the start of the sess if you click here. Her goal for the session was to get some relief from the constant pressure she put herself under to function and to keep her practice full. A = Assessment of Resistance Together, we did Positive Reframing with her negative thoughts and feelings, asking: What does this thought or feeling show about you and your core values that’s positive and awesome? What are some benefits, or advantages, of this thought or feeling? Together, we came up with this list of the positives. They keep me moving. They are very familiar. They show I’ve got a good work ethic. They show I’m a responsible human being. They show I care deeply about my family and my business. They show I’m determined to change the family history of failure and deprivation. The anxiety protects me from failure. It has kept me alive. It has paid the bills. Keeps me independent and self-supportive. Shows I’m strong and confident. Shows my love for my daughter. You can see Elizabeth’s Daily Mood Log with her goals for each negative feeling cluster if you click here. M = Methods Next we helped Elizabeth challenge her negative thoughts using Identify the Distortions, Explain the Distortions, and Externalization of Voices, starting with her seventh Negative Thought, “I need the pressure to function,” which she initially believed 100%. She identified the following cognitive distortions in this thought: All-or-Nothing Thinking, Jumping to Conclusions (Fortune Telling), Emotional Reasoning, and Magnification / Minimization. She decided to challenge the Negative Thought with this Positive Thought: I do not need pressure to function. I have functioned many times without pressure just fine. She believed this thought 100%, and this reduced her belief in the Negative Thought to 10%. Then we did Externalization of Voices with this thought and many others. Then David suggested Cognitive Flooding. The idea is to flood yourself with anxiety by imagining whatever it is that terrifies you the most. Every minute or two you record the time, your anxiety (0 to 100), and any fantasies you are having. The goal is to make yourself as anxious as possible for as long as possible. Over time, your anxiety falls, and eventually disappears. This can be frightening, and requires some courage on the part of the therapist and patient, but it can be extremely helpful and often works rapidly. Cognitive Flooding Flow Sheet   Time Anxiety Fantasy Comment 6:34 100 I am looking at my appointment schedule, which is only half full, and the phone is not ringing with new patients   6:35 100 Only two patients are scheduled, no one is calling to inquire about therapy   6:36 110 My throat is getting tight, and I’m telling myself that other clinicians in our practice rely on me, and I’m letting them down.   6:37 Eliz can fill in anxiety ratings, perhaps I’m asking myself, “What will we do? What’s going to happen?”   6:38 Eliz can fill in anxiety ratings, perhaps My schedule is drying up. My associates don’t have any patients. Jill begins with the What-If Technique. What’s the worst that could happen? 6:39 Eliz can fill in anxiety ratings, perhaps The economy is crashing. I have to let go of my associates. This is devastating. And then what? What’s the worst that could happen? 6:40 Eliz can fill in a