ABSTRACT
Westbrook et al. point out that these distortions 'reflect normal fluctuations in our information-processing styles, and they only become a problem when the bias is chronic or too extreme'. The client can be given a list of cognitive distortions and asked by the therapist if he can identify the ones that are usually found in his thinking. For example, a client with social anxiety said: 'I know that when I walk into a room people are thinking "he's boring, so I'll keep away from him" or if they do start talking to me then they quickly move away because they're thinking "he's so uninteresting"'. The client quickly identified mind-reading as one of his key cognitive distortions, but then added, 'I do believe I can read minds, its true'. Mind-reading can be seen as a form of projection: 'the thoughts patients believe others are having about them are usually the very thoughts they are having about themselves'.
