Defining Safety
The CBT term for a rigid, extreme negative belief that gets in the way of trauma recovery.
What is a stuck point?
"I can never trust anyone again" is an example of this extreme type of thinking.
What is all-or-nothing (or black-and-white) thinking?
The core belief that sounds like: "I cannot protect myself from harm."
What is a negative belief about self-safety?
"Everyone is out to get me" or "People are malicious."
What is a stuck point about other-safety?
The therapeutic question: "What are the facts that support or contradict this thought?"
What is examining the evidence?
The two main types of safety beliefs discussed in trauma therapy.
What are self-safety and other-safety?
Believing a single past traumatic event means all future events will end the exact same way.
What is overgeneralization?
Constantly scanning exits, over-checking locks, or sitting with your back to the wall are examples of this.
What is hypervigilance (or safety behaviors)?
Setting these helps maintain your personal safety while still interacting with the world.
What are boundaries?
The standard CPT worksheet used to break down events, thoughts, and feelings.
What is the A-B-C Sheet (or Challenging Beliefs Worksheet)?
The goal of CBT when addressing safety—not to guarantee 100% safety, but to find a realistic balance known as this.
What is relative safety?
"If I drop my guard for one second, I will be attacked."
What is a stuck point about self-safety?
Recognizing the difference between a situation being "possible" vs "probable."
What is assessing true risk?
Building this concept involves gradually testing relationships rather than giving 100% immediately.
What is trust?
Coming up with a new, realistic thought to replace the stuck point.
What is an alternative thought?
The brain's "alarm system" that often misinterprets safe situations as dangerous after trauma.
What is the amygdala?
Assuming you know what others are thinking or intending, usually anticipating danger.
What is mind-reading?
A technique used to anchor yourself in the present moment when you feel physically unsafe due to a trauma trigger.
What is grounding?
The cognitive realization that the actions of a perpetrator do not represent the actions of the entire population.
What is balanced thinking about others?
Asking yourself, "What is the worst that could happen, and could I cope with it?"
What is decatastrophizing?
Avoiding all social events because "nowhere is safe" is an example of this trauma-response behavior.
What is avoidance?
Blaming yourself for a past event because you believe you should have known how to stay safe.
What is hindsight bias (or self-blame)?
The process of learning to trust your own judgment and decision-making abilities again.
What is rebuilding self-trust?
The act of intentionally looking for evidence that people can be helpful, neutral, or kind to challenge a negative belief.
What is examining the evidence?
Treating your trauma-related thoughts as hypotheses to be tested rather than absolute, unchangeable facts.
What is cognitive restructuring?