ABSTRACT
Given the inherent mechanisms of the self-destructive cycle, when clients are unable to reground from triggering they will likely begin to experience thoughts that are negative and distorted. Burns (1999) suggested, “e negative thoughts which cause your emotional turmoil nearly always contain gross distortions.” (p. 13). However, the fact that clients’ cognitions are not rooted in present reality is irrelevant. ey are experienced as real because they hijack cognitive schema and resonate with distorted self-effacing core beliefs that connect with earlier traumatic experiences. erefore, these thoughts must be identified and addressed using cognitive therapy techniques designed to label and then reframe them. is becomes another “intervention site” within the cycle of self-destructive behaviors.
