Thoughts about Thinking: Meta-Cognitions in CBT Personal Coaching

Have you ever told yourself that it’s a good thing that you worry so much or else everything in your life would fall apart? Or maybe you believe that once you start worrying, there’s no way you can stop yourself? I’m Dr. Jason Holland, and I hear some version of these ‘meta-cognitions’ almost daily in my work as a clinical psychologist and virtual CBT personal coach in Gallatin, TN. 

Meta-cognitions are thoughts about our own pattern of thinking. Studies have shown that dysfunctional meta-cognitions (e.g., I can’t ignore my anxious thoughts) are associated with a number of negative outcomes, including poor concentration and less emotional wellbeing. And CBT-based therapies that target these metacognitions have been found to be superior to those that focus solely on challenging the content of specific thoughts (e.g., scrutinizing a pervasive negative belief like ‘I’m no good’).

Here are 5 different types of unhelpful meta-cognitions that I encounter routinely in my work as a virtual CBT personal coach in Gallatin, TN:

1. Beliefs that thoughts are uncontrollable and dangerous. Examples: I can’t ignore my worried thoughts; Worrying could make me go crazy. 

2. Positive beliefs about worry. Examples: Worrying is a helpful coping strategy; I need to worry to perform at my best. 

3. Lack of confidence in one’s thinking. Examples: My memory can mislead me; I can’t trust that I’ll remember what I’m supposed to do. 

4. Self-consciousness about thinking. Examples: I have to constantly examine my thoughts; It’s important to always monitor my thinking.

5. Need to control thoughts. Examples: I’ll pay later for not controlling certain thoughts;  It’s bad to have certain thoughts.

So, what can you do if you notice yourself having a lot of these kinds of thoughts about your thinking? Instead of focusing on all the negative and anxious thoughts you’re having, which in some ways can serve to make them more important in your life, metacognitive therapy is a form of CBT that takes a step back and works on creating some distance between you and your thinking. 

From this perspective, problems arise when people become too fused with their ruminations. Worried thoughts become like a sticky film that wrap themselves around our personal identity. We become the thoughts.  

In reality, however, our identity encompasses far more than the scripts that run through our head, which are often a byproduct of our personal histories (e.g., messages repeated throughout childhood) and evolutionary past (e.g., the pull of the brain to hone in on perceived threats). And we have the power to shift our focus and detach from the tired scripts that play in our head. 

Developing Meta-Cognitive Awareness

Metacognitive awareness means being more attuned to the way you’re thinking. It involves cultivating a healthy skepticism for beliefs that maintain worry (e.g., worrying protects me from danger) and developing an ability to mindfully watch your thoughts without completely attaching yourself to them.

Virtual CBT Personal Coaching
If you’re feeling stressed and anxious and have unhelpful meta-cognitions that have taken over your life, consider working with a CBT psychologist or personal coach trained in CBT.  As a clinical psychologist with extensive training in CBT, I offer in-person CBT personal coaching to individuals in the Gallatin, TN area as well as virtual CBT personal coaching to clients worldwide. Complete a Contact Us form to get the conversation started.