What MRT skill helps in avoiding rigid thinking patterns?

The skill of avoiding thinking traps is specifically designed to help individuals recognize and alter rigid or unhelpful thought patterns. Thinking traps, such as all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, or catastrophizing, can hinder an individual’s flexibility in thinking and decision-making. By learning to identify these traps, individuals can challenge and reframe their thoughts, leading to healthier and more adaptive ways of processing experiences.

Avoiding thinking traps enables a person to develop a more balanced perspective, making it easier to adapt and respond to various situations without falling into the rigidity that often accompanies negative or distorted thinking. This skill is particularly valuable in building resilience, as it equips individuals with strategies to maintain emotional equilibrium and make more thoughtful choices in challenging circumstances.

While the other skills listed, such as interpreting physical reactions and deliberate breathing, contribute to overall emotional regulation and awareness, avoiding thinking traps specifically targets cognitive patterns that can lead to trouble in flexible thinking. Proactive ATC (Activating Event, Thoughts, Consequences) focuses on recognizing the connection between thoughts and emotional responses, but it is the process of avoiding thinking traps that directly addresses rigid cognitive patterns.