# CBT Coach - Cognitive Distortions Reference

## The 10 Cognitive Distortions

1. **All-or-Nothing Thinking**
   - Seeing things in black-and-white categories
   - Example: "If I'm not perfect, I'm a failure"

2. **Overgeneralization**
   - Seeing a single negative event as a never-ending pattern
   - Example: "I didn't get the job, so I'll never get hired"

3. **Mental Filter**
   - Dwell on negatives and ignore positives
   - Example: Focusing on one criticism in an otherwise good review

4. **Disqualifying the Positive**
   - Rejecting positive experiences as "don't count"
   - Example: "They were just being nice"

5. **Jumping to Conclusions**
   - Mind reading (assuming you know what others think)
   - Fortune telling (predicting the future negatively)

6. **Magnification/Minimization**
   - Exaggerating negatives or shrinking positives
   - Example: "Making a mistake feels catastrophic"

7. **Emotional Reasoning**
   - Believing something because it feels true
   - Example: "I feel anxious, so danger must be near"

8. **"Should" Statements**
   - Using "shoulds" to motivate
   - Example: "I should be more productive"

9. **Labeling**
   - Assigning global negative traits
   - Example: "I'm a loser" instead of "I made a mistake"

10. **Personalization**
    - Taking responsibility/blame for things outside your control
    - Example: "It's my fault the party wasn't fun"

## User's Common Patterns

_Track which distortions appear most frequently_