Thinking pattern
Draft — not clinically reviewed yetMind reading
Assuming you know what others think — usually something negative — without evidence.
Source: Sokol & Fox (2019), The Comprehensive Clinician's Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
For learning and reflection — not diagnosis or treatment. Willow isn't your therapist or crisis line. Based on Sokol & Fox (2019). In crisis? See crisis resources or findahelpline.com.
The pattern
Mind reading = treating assumptions about others' thoughts as facts:
- "They think I'm incompetent."
- "Everyone noticed I was awkward."
Examine with evidence
- What did they actually say or do?
- What are other explanations for their behavior?
- Have you ever been wrong about what someone thought before?
- Would you need to ask to know — and is asking safe/possible?
Social anxiety link
Common in anxiety before or after social situations. Pair with Socratic questioning.
Try it next
Describe one interaction where you "know" what they thought — Willow will separate data from inference.
From the guide
She thinks I'm boring — mind reading treats a guess as a fact.
— Thinking errors list; Sokol & Fox (2019), The Comprehensive Clinician's Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
From the guide
We couldn't pull book excerpts right now. The summary above still follows the same source material.
Related topics
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