According to CBT, and the Socratic philosophy that inspired it, what caused my social anxiety and depression was not repressed libidinal instincts, as psychoanalysis might argue. Nor was it neurological malfunctions that could only be corrected with pharmaceutical drugs, as psychiatry might argue. It was my beliefs. I held certain toxic beliefs and habits of thinking which were poisoning me, such as ‘I have permanently damaged myself’ and ‘Everyone must approve of me, and if they don’t, it’s a disaster.’ These toxic beliefs were at the core of my emotional suffering. My emotions followed my
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