Thoughts on Trial is a structured tool designed to help you step back and examine your unhelpful thoughts with fairness and clarity. Using a courtroom metaphor, you’ll put a distressing thought “on trial,” gather evidence for and against it, and reach a balanced verdict. By becoming the judge in your own inner courtroom, you can learn to respond to anxious or critical thoughts with curiosity instead of fear — and choose a response rooted in reason, not reaction.
Write down the thought you want to put on trial.
What evidence supports this thought? What makes you believe it's true?
What evidence goes against this thought? What facts go against it?
What would a trusted friend say to you in this situation? What would you say to a friend?
What unhelpful thinking patterns may be influencing this thought?
Now that you have heard the evidence for and against, what is the most fair, realistic, and balanced conclusion?
