Catastrophising and negative thoughts: how hypnotherapy can help

Everyone has an internal dialogue: the things we say to ourselves in our head, often without noticing. This is normal; no one has a totally silent mind. Unless your head chatter is nonstop or keeps you from relaxing and switching off, there is no need to worry. The issue is not that you think; it is what you think.

What we say to ourselves affects how we feel and how we behave. If you have a positive mindset, you might be more likely to feel confident in your decisions and your ability to manage whatever arises. But if you are self-critical or habitually put yourself down, you may feel worse and less in control.

Being aware of our thinking matters because the thoughts we have can shape our self-image and self-worth, often more than the events themselves.

What is catastrophising? 

Catastrophising is the term used to describe dramatic, negative thinking: the exaggerated interpretations that lead the mind towards an imagined worst-case outcome. For instance, if someone is slow to reply to an email, the assumption could be that they must be upset or that something has gone badly wrong (without any evidence for that being true). A minor ache may escalate into the belief that it’s the start of something serious and concerning, without any proof.

Difficulties arise when exaggerated or irrational thoughts are treated as if they are indisputably true. Left unexamined, a thought pattern can spiral, rather than settle and resolve on its own. Continuing to think in this way is likely to result in feeling more anxious than you would if you had a more laid-back approach. It's important to remember that what we tell ourselves about the likely outcome of a situation can increase the level of anxiety and stress we experience.

Changing how you think

If you notice your thoughts make you feel negatively toward yourself or others, adopting a more pragmatic attitude can help. Naturally, changing how you think and process information is not a single, one-off adjustment. Like any other form of habit change, it requires practice, and hypnotherapists often see clients who want to make changes of this sort to improve their quality of life. 

A good first step is to imagine you have a ‘pause button’ you can use before you rush ahead to the worst possible conclusions. Learning to recognise, then challenge, a negative thought rather than accepting it automatically as fact will become more natural through repetition. The key is to notice when your mind moves from "something has happened" to "this is a disaster" without any evidence to support that leap.

When a negative thought arises (and after activating your pause button), ask yourself a few straightforward questions:

• Are there other possible explanations for what has happened?
• Could this be different to what I have assumed?
• Could I have misunderstood something, or someone?
• Is there any real evidence for this belief, or is it simply a feeling?
• Whilst this outcome may not be impossible, is it probable or likely?

These questions interrupt the automatic pattern and create an opportunity to examine thoughts rather than react to them.

Addressing negative automatic thoughts

By developing the habit of questioning our negative thoughts, we can begin to shift some of our negative interpretations to something more balanced and realistic. Over time, this tends to affect not only how we feel about ourselves, but also how tolerant and non-judgemental we are towards others. This is not incidental; the way we speak to (and about) ourselves can influence how we interpret and judge the people around us as well.

Interrupting your thinking pattern in real time (rather than letting it run to its most negative conclusion unchecked) is most effective. If you catch yourself saying something critical about yourself, whether silently or out loud, remember to pause before reacting. Then consider whether there is a more measured or compassionate way to put it.

This will feel unfamiliar or forced at first, but you need to persist. It's unrealistic to expect a long-standing habit to shift simply because you've decided to change it. Repeated and deliberate practice over time will make a difference.

How hypnotherapy can help

Hypnotherapy can be a very useful therapy for modifying entrenched patterns, habits and beliefs. It can complement conscious, questioning work. A therapist is trained to listen carefully to a client’s language and will often pick up on any unhelpful narratives that are running in the background, which the client may be unaware of.

Outdated ‘scripts’ they respond to can then be brought into the open, making them easier to address. Many hypnotherapists combine CBT-style questioning with deeper work done in hypnosis. Hypnotherapy can offer a relaxed setting to explore unhelpful thinking patterns, alongside the practical strategies outlined above.

A pathway to change

Catastrophising and negative automatic thinking are more common than people may assume. This is probably because much of this process happens privately, within our own thoughts, unseen by anyone else.

Recognising the pattern is the first step. Learning to question it, whether through conscious practice or with the support of a hypnotherapist, comes next. Hypnotherapy is a popular choice for those experiencing anxious thinking, and many people find it incredibly relaxing.