Dr. David Burns

You want to do Feared Fantasy?

You want to do Feared Fantasy?

Well, for Feared Fantasy, you would tell us if we were having negative thoughts about you, but not saying them, just thinking them, what would we be thinking? What are you afraid that Rhonda and David and maybe Jacob would be thinking about you, Michael?

Well, for Feared Fantasy, you would tell us if we were having negative thoughts about you, but not saying them, just thinking them, what would we be thinking? What are you afraid that Rhonda and David and maybe Jacob would be thinking about you, Michael?

Don't know what I'm talking about. Talking about not in the right place.

Don't know what I'm talking about. Talking about not in the right place.

We're just looking for distorted thoughts, Michael. Okay, kind of a fraud for helping out. And any others? These are really good ones.

We're just looking for distorted thoughts, Michael. Okay, kind of a fraud for helping out. And any others? These are really good ones.

Okay. And when those things go through your mind, how believable are they? I don't know what I'm... David and Rhonda and Jacob will think I don't know what I'm talking about. They'll think I'm not in the right place. They'll think I'm kind of a fraud for trying to help out at a social anxiety workshop.

Okay. And when those things go through your mind, how believable are they? I don't know what I'm... David and Rhonda and Jacob will think I don't know what I'm talking about. They'll think I'm not in the right place. They'll think I'm kind of a fraud for trying to help out at a social anxiety workshop.

Okay. And then are there times when you've been very anxious when they seemed much more true than that? Yes. How true have they seemed in the past?

Okay. And then are there times when you've been very anxious when they seemed much more true than that? Yes. How true have they seemed in the past?

Okay. Okay. Well, we'll see if we can get them back up to that level. Now, the way that this works for listeners who may not be familiar or if you are familiar – The feared fantasy is a kind of exposure technique, and it's designed when you have fears that you can't confront very easily in reality because if people are having these thoughts about you, they'll deny it.

Okay. Okay. Well, we'll see if we can get them back up to that level. Now, the way that this works for listeners who may not be familiar or if you are familiar – The feared fantasy is a kind of exposure technique, and it's designed when you have fears that you can't confront very easily in reality because if people are having these thoughts about you, they'll deny it.

And so you never get a chance to confront this monster. And so when we do feared fantasy, we're going to go into an Alice in Wonderland nightmare world where there are two unusual rules. First, if you think that Jacob and David and Rhonda are having these thoughts about you, they really are. And they're not at all polite.

And so you never get a chance to confront this monster. And so when we do feared fantasy, we're going to go into an Alice in Wonderland nightmare world where there are two unusual rules. First, if you think that Jacob and David and Rhonda are having these thoughts about you, they really are. And they're not at all polite.

The second weird rule is they get right up in your face and try to humiliate you and say these things to you. And the point of the exercise is not to be cruel, but to give, in this case, you, Michael, or whoever we're doing it with, the chance to transcend some of your deepest fears and discover for the first time that the monster really has no teeth.

The second weird rule is they get right up in your face and try to humiliate you and say these things to you. And the point of the exercise is not to be cruel, but to give, in this case, you, Michael, or whoever we're doing it with, the chance to transcend some of your deepest fears and discover for the first time that the monster really has no teeth.

And there's a variety of ways to defend against these attacks. But let's just dive right into it. Is that okay, Michael? I'm ready. And who would you like to attack you first with one of these thoughts? We'll say things like, you know, you don't know what you're talking about. You're not in the right place. You're kind of a fraud for trying to help out.

And there's a variety of ways to defend against these attacks. But let's just dive right into it. Is that okay, Michael? I'm ready. And who would you like to attack you first with one of these thoughts? We'll say things like, you know, you don't know what you're talking about. You're not in the right place. You're kind of a fraud for trying to help out.