ABC Worksheets in Trauma

The ABC Sheet: Breakdown of the Experience

In the second and third sessions, the ABC Worksheet is introduced as a fundamental tool for daily practice.

This instrument helps the patient to break down his or her experiences into three components: A (Activating Event), B (Belief/Thought) and C (Consequence/Emotion).

The goal is for the patient to understand that "C" (the intense emotion) does not come directly from "A" (the situation), but from "B" (what he tells himself about the situation).

The patient is instructed to use this sheet daily to record moments of discomfort.

Connecting Thought and Emotion (Labeling)

A common challenge is confusion between thoughts and emotions. Many patients report "I feel like I am broken," when in fact "being broken" is a thought, and the consequent emotion could be sadness or hopelessness.

The therapist helps to correctly label these experiences by reviewing the completed ABC sheets.

For example, if event (A) is "hearing a car brake", and consequence (C) is "panic", one looks for the intermediate thought (B), which could be "an imminent hit-and-run is going to occur".

By identifying "B", the door is opened to question whether that thought is realistic in the current context.

Identifying Trauma-Specific Conflict Points

Beyond everyday events, ABC sheets are used to analyze the main traumatic event.

The patient is asked to apply this outline to the memory of the trauma. Imagine a person who suffered a serious fall (A).

His thought at the time (B) might have been "I am clumsy, I deserve this," which generated shame (C). Or, alternatively, he could think "I'm going to die," generating terror.

Analyzing the thoughts that occurred during the trauma helps to understand why certain emotions persist today, allowing us to differentiate between reactions that were logical at the time of the danger and misinterpretations that remain in the present.

Summary

The ABC Worksheet helps to break down daily experiences in