Cognitive Restructuring & Exposure Lab

CBT Session

Automatic-thought distortion 0.6

Stressor intensity 0.7

Anxiety (SUDS)

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Distortion

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Habituation (desensitization)

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How it works

Anxiety (in SUDS units, 0–100 — the standard "subjective units of distress" scale clinicians use) rises while the stressor is present, amplified by how distorted the automatic thought about it is, and falls on its own once the stressor is removed. Staying with the exposure instead of avoiding it slowly builds habituation, which permanently lowers how intensely future exposures land — the real desensitization mechanic behind exposure therapy. Reframing a thought (a thought record / cognitive restructuring) directly shrinks the distortion parameter and gives immediate relief, independent of habituation.

dA/dt = R·S·(1+k·D)·(1−0.7·H) − γ·A
reframe:  D ← D·(1−ρ),  A ← A−8
dH/dt = 1/τ  while exposed & A > 30

Automatic-thought distortion (D) — how catastrophized/all-or-nothing the reflexive thought is; it multiplies the anxiety response to the same stressor.
Stressor intensity (S) — how provoking the situation itself is, independent of how it's interpreted.
Exposure toggle — start/stop facing the stressor; habituation (H) only accumulates while exposed and distressed, modelling "staying with it" rather than escaping.
Reframe thought — a cognitive-restructuring pass: cuts current distortion by 35% and gives an immediate anxiety drop, the measurable effect of a completed thought record.

Real-world relevance: this is the two engines behind most evidence-based CBT protocols — cognitive restructuring (challenge the thought, not just the feeling) and graded exposure (repeated, undefended contact lowers the nervous system's baseline reactivity over sessions).

Mind state Stressor Rational thought Distorted thought

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