ABSTRACT
Adam regarded feeling low and down as an indication that something terrible would happen and was anxious about having these feelings. `It is terrible to have these feelings,' said Adam. `I would hate to be depressed again.' Adam had just recovered from depression. His doctor advised him that doing too much and not having enough rest could cause his mood to go down, which might contribute to another bout of depression. He therefore assumed that a low mood (or negative emotions) could be a symptom and a cause of depression. Angela had suffered from panic attacks over the previous two years and medication had not been as effective as she had hoped. She noticed that prior to having a panic attack, not only did she experience some uncomfortable bodily sensations (e.g. breathing very fast, pounding heart, feeling faint), but also she experienced feelings of anxiety. She developed a fear of anxiety and came to view anxiety as a threat which could trigger panic attacks. `I mustn't be anxious. I must control my anxiety. It is terrible to be anxious' were her views about anxiety. These examples illustrate that negative emotions (e.g. low, down, sadness, frustration, anxiety) tend to be seen as `abnormal'. One client said that he `needs to get rid of negative emotions and wants to be happy all the time'. He, like many other clients, wanted to have an `emotion switch' that could switch off negative emotions and switch on the positive ones, in a way that is similar to a light switch. Some clients wrongly believe that positive emotions are normal, whereas negative ones are not. In their view there must be something wrong with them or with their brain for having negative feelings.
