Compassion for Cognitive Distortions script 1

The mind likes to play tricks on you. You might think you are seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there.

When you are in the thick of these distortions, you may feel anger, anxiety, frustration, or even fear.

These emotions arise because the mind is creating these mental scenarios. But if you can recognize the distortions and compassionately bring your attention back to the present moment, you can stop the mind from getting tangled in thoughts and feelings.

This exercise will show you that it is possible to change these distorted ways of thinking. The mind will begin to see them as mental constructions that can be changed.

Find a comfortable meditation posture. Begin with a few deep breaths, noticing the sensations in your body. As you inhale, imagine that you are inhaling the breath into a light being of peace.

Bring to mind this image of peace and inhale with the image. On the outbreath, send out a wave of kindness. You might think of how kind people are to each other, or how kind you have been in the past.

On the next inbreath, repeat this process until you feel you are sending a wave of kindness out of every cell in your body.

When you have done this for a few minutes, return your awareness to the body and notice what is going on in the mind. What are your thoughts like? Do they feel different?

If you notice that your thoughts are distorted, begin by saying “I am aware of the thought.” This allows you to acknowledge your thoughts and bring your awareness to the distortion without falling into the story of the thought.

You can repeat the phrase, “I am aware of the thought,” several times while continuing to breathe and sending waves of kindness out of the body.

Say the phrase slowly in your head, feeling the difference as you do. Try it again after a few minutes.

Begin again with a few deep breaths, and use the phrase, “I am aware of the thought.” Keep breathing and sending out waves of kindness.

Continue for a few more minutes until the mind feels different, or when you are ready to end the meditation.

Breathing deeply, come back to the body and open your eyes.

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Compassion for Cognitive Distortions script 2

When we are under stress, we can use distortions to protect ourselves.

We tend to have beliefs and judgments that limit us. These include stories about the world that can lead to anger and despair.

These cognitive distortions make it difficult to understand the world. They often keep you from feeling safe and secure in relationships.

Mindfulness helps you understand what’s going on with these thoughts and feelings. This allows you to look at them with less bias and compassion. You will be less likely to react out of fear.

When you work with this exercise, you will bring your attention to your thoughts, emotions, and sensations in the present moment.

In the exercise, we will look at three cognitive distortions:

The first distortion is the belief that everything you experience is an attack. You will notice the belief that life is dangerous and your mind is being attacked.

The second distortion is thinking that you are worthless. You can feel that you are bad, that you are worthless, and you are going to lose everything.

The third distortion is believing that you should be in control of everything. You may believe that your body, mind, and thoughts are in control and that you can do whatever you want.

Close the eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Let it be gentle and unhurried. You can choose a comfortable posture to sit in.

As you breathe, be aware of your breath and the sensations of your body.

Allow your attention to settle and return to the breath as many times as you need.

You can do the same for the distortions. When you notice your thoughts, gently and kindly notice them as you would with a friend. You don’t need to judge or correct them.

Recognize their existence but don’t get caught up in them. This is like when you are walking down the street and notice the feeling of air coming in and out of your lungs.

It’s like that when you recognize your thoughts and feelings.

With each thought or feeling, let it come and go, not getting involved with it. Don’t dwell on the story.

Compassion for Cognitive Distortions script 3

When we look at our lives, it seems like we are constantly trying to avoid pain.

We want to avoid pain, but it’s important to look beyond the avoidance and see it for what it is. The mind is constantly making cognitive distortions to avoid being hurt. When we look at our minds, we realize that there is always an aversion. This leads to suffering because we are always trying to avoid what we dislike.

This exercise helps you understand the nature of the mind.

Find a comfortable posture in which to sit. Invite gentle, soft attention to the body.

Bring to mind the experience of pain. Notice what you feel in the body. Notice any kind of aversive sensation. You may notice tightness, aching, or warmth.

Notice what the mind is doing as you experience the aversive sensation. Notice what thoughts arise, and how they relate to the aversive sensation. For example, you may have a thought like, “I’m so hot,” or “I’m about to get burned.”

As you notice the thoughts arising, just watch them come and go. If they seem to have some relationship to the experience of pain, you may want to ask yourself if they really have any connection.

Ask yourself, “Is it true? Is the pain actually worse than I’ve imagined? Or is the mind just imagining a story about what’s happening?

Be aware of what the mind is doing. When you recognize that the mind is creating a story, simply allow it to do so.

It’s possible for the mind to create a story, but not necessarily true. It’s like a cloud in the sky. You can’t say that it is raining, or that it’s not raining, because it doesn’t have any substance to it. It is just a concept.

If the mind is saying that the pain is terrible, it’s just talking. It’s not true. That’s all. It’s just words.

The mind may also tell you that you are going to be harmed, and you may feel fear.

For example, you may say to yourself, “I’m afraid I’m going to get burned.” In reality, your body may be feeling hot or uncomfortable, and you may be aware of that discomfort, but you don’t feel as though you are about to get burned.

Allow the mind to talk without engaging the aversive sensation. You can simply notice it as the mind is talking, and that’s all.

In this moment, you are aware of the aversive sensation, and the mind is aware of the aversive sensation. There is a relationship, but it is not the same thing.

When you have noticed that the mind has created a story, and the aversive sensation is present, you can bring compassion into the mind.

You may notice a thought like, “That must be awful to be so hot.” You may think, “I wish I didn’t have this experience.” You may feel the aversive sensation in the body and notice the thoughts that arise.

Bring to mind someone who you feel compassion for.

Call to mind a specific person you feel compassion for, and ask yourself, “How could I show this person my kindness?”

Begin by simply sending kindness to that person, like a feather light shower.

Send kindness to that person with the awareness that the person will know that you are sending it.

When you are ready, invite more awareness into your own body and mind.

Bring to mind the specific person you have compassion for, and ask yourself, “How can I send more kindness to that person?”

Begin by sending more kindness to that person. Again, send the kindness with an awareness that this person will know it is coming from you.

After a few minutes, return to your own body.

Close your eyes, and invite the same quality of awareness that was in your heart before you began. Stay with the sensation of pain for a few breaths, then open your eyes.

Take a few minutes to rest your awareness on the breath before moving on.

 Click here to get back to the list of self-compassion meditation scripts

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