“Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought.”
– The Buddha, Dhammapada, Verse 1
Cognitive restructuring, a core Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) technique, systematically identifies and modifies distorted or maladaptive thoughts. Its goal is to help individuals recognize automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) that cause distress and dysfunction, evaluate their accuracy, and shift them toward more realistic and constructive perspectives. Typical distortions addressed include catastrophizing (assuming the worst), overgeneralization (making broad conclusions from single events), and personalization (taking undue responsibility for negative outcomes)—highlighting cognitive processes (ways of thinking) rather than simply cognitive content (specific thoughts). The restructuring process involves three steps: recognizing negative thoughts, examining their validity through evidence-based reflection, and replacing them with balanced alternatives to enhance emotional well-being and functioning.
With that in mind, Existential-Humanistic (E-H) therapy emphasizes clients’ meaning-making process—the active, ongoing way individuals interpret and give significance to their experiences. Central to this processare self-and-world constructs—core beliefs about oneself, others, and existence—that shape clients’ perceptions, feelings, and interactions. These constructs often solidify into unconscious protective patterns (“life stances”) guarding against vulnerabilities. Relationally and experientially, E-H therapists help illuminate these patterns, enabling clients to recognize how such protective patterns constrain authentic or constructive living. Through compassionate attention to these constructs, E-H therapy promotes deeper awareness and authenticity, supporting clients in consciously evaluating, “How am I presently living?” and “How do I want to live?”
Existential-Humanistic (E-H) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) see cognition, a client’s interpretations and meanings, as central to shaping how they live. Cognitive restructuring enriches E-H by clearly articulating specific cognitive distortions (e.g., catastrophizing), providing tangible detail and precision to understand cognitive processes. It also provides a touchstone for working with meanings—identifying, examining, and relating to negative automatic thoughts through reality-based inquiry and collaborative development of more adaptive beliefs. Within an E-H context, therapists notice distorted cognitions as they arise relationally and experientially in sessions, then draw attention to, relate to, and potentially reframe or replace them. This frame helps E-H therapists pragmatically address the client’s meanings and protective patterns. Ultimately, combining these approaches empowers therapists to help clients potentially reshape limiting beliefs and live more authentically and meaningfully.
Links to Related Blog Posts:
Explore the therapeutic relationship in E-H therapy in previous posts.
Read more posts about meaning-making, primary process, and working with client protections in E-H therapy on EHI’s blog.
Read more posts about relational and the experiential in E-H therapy on EHI’s blog.
View all the Existential Moment series posts on EHI’s blog.
Existential Moment Author: Scott Gibbs, LMFT, EHI Board Member-at-Large | Website: www.mscottgibbs.com | Twitter: @Novum_Organum
