How to Separate Facts from Trauma Beliefs (CPT Thought Test)

(Summary) Trauma can make certain thoughts feel true even when they’re shaped by old survival patterns, not facts. In this post, I share a gentle tool from Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) that teaches you how to test the thought, examine the evidence, and recognize when a belief is coming from shame rather than truth. Learning to separate facts from opinions that feel like facts can loosen the grip of trauma-based self-judgments and open the door to deeper healing.

Some thoughts sound like facts because we’ve believed them for so long.
“I’m stupid.”
“I’m broken.”
“I’m worthless.”
They feel like statements of reality — not opinions.

In Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), a fact is something that can’t be disputed with evidence.
Two plus two equals four.
That’s a fact.
No one can present evidence to the contrary.

But if someone said, “You’re worthless,” another person could present evidence against that — your kindness, your survival, your courage, your care for others.
That means it’s not a fact — it’s a judgment.

Judgments often sound convincing because they’re backed by emotion or by how we were treated — not by truth.
When people who hurt or dismissed us said those things, their opinions got stored like data.
But opinions — even repeated ones — are not facts.

So when a thought that feels like a fact, like “I don’t matter” — try asking:

1️⃣ Can this be disputed with real evidence?
Could someone who knows me show proof of something different — even if I find it hard to believe?

2️⃣ Whose evidence am I using?
Did it come from someone who shamed, silenced, or controlled me?
Did it come from someone who was motivated by my best interests?

If it can be disputed, it isn’t a fact — it’s an opinion.
And if the “evidence” came from people who distorted the truth, it’s not credible.

You don’t have to replace that belief with it’s complete opposite, such as “I’m amazing.”
You can start smaller and truer:

“That’s an opinion I learned to believe — but it can be challenged with evidence.”

Learning to separate facts from judgments — and to check whose “proof” you’re relying on — is one of the most freeing parts of healing.
Because once you see that shame can be disputed, it stops feeling like truth.

But sometimes, even after you realize a belief isn’t factual, it still feels factual — because you’ve heard it thousands of times.
That’s normal.
The feeling doesn’t prove the belief is true; it just shows how deeply it was practiced.

I’ll talk more about that in another video — why those old messages can still feel true even after you stop believing them.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do some thoughts feel like facts even when I know they aren’t true?

Trauma can repeat certain messages so many times that they feel like reality. When a belief has been reinforced by fear, shame, or past experiences, the body reacts to it as if it’s factual — even when the evidence doesn’t support it.

2. What is CPT, and how does it help with trauma-based thoughts?

Instead of accepting a belief because it “feels true,” CPT helps you evaluate whether it’s a fact, a judgment, or a survival-based assumption. CPT helps you to evaluate how trustworthy the source of the belief is and examine evidence that supports or argues against the belief.

3. How do I know if a belief is coming from trauma?

A belief is likely trauma-based if:

it’s harsh, global, or absolute
it feels familiar, like something you’ve heard before
it triggers shame or fear
it’s extreme or “all or nothing” (“I’m worthless,” “I ruin everything”)
it can be contradicted with real examples or evidence

If it can be disputed, it isn’t a fact — it’s a thought shaped by experience.

4. What does it mean to “test the thought”?

Testing the thought means checking whether the belief can be disproven with real evidence. Ask:

Could someone who knows me provide examples that contradict this thought?
Is this belief based on facts, or on how I was treated?

If contradictions exist, the thought is not factual — it’s a learned judgment.

5. What if the belief still “feels” true even after I test it?

That’s completely normal. The emotional weight of trauma can linger long after you recognize a belief isn’t factual. Feeling is not proof. Persistence simply shows how deeply the belief was practiced, not that it’s accurate.

6. Does challenging my beliefs mean pretending everything is positive?

No. CPT doesn’t ask you to replace a painful belief with unrealistic positivity. It helps you shift from extremes (“I’m terrible”) to balanced truths (“This is a belief shaped by trauma, not a fact about me”).

7. Can testing thoughts reduce shame?

Yes. Shame often relies on beliefs that go unquestioned. When you see that a belief is an opinion — sometimes someone else’s opinion — the shame loses its authority. Many readers find that testing thoughts loosens self-blame over time.

8. What if questioning the belief makes me feel unsafe?

That can happen. Trauma sometimes links certain beliefs to protection or predictability. If questioning a belief brings up anxiety, go slowly. You can start by simply noticing the belief rather than challenging it immediately, or practice with a therapist who understands CPT and trauma.