An interactive tool to find relief by intentionally blowing negative thoughts completely out of proportion.
You may have heard of the cognitive distortion known as magnification or catastrophizing, where you exaggerate things negatively. Paradoxical Magnification takes this concept and flips it: what if you exaggerate that negative thought to an even more ridiculous degree?
By intentionally blowing a negative thought completely out of proportion, it can paradoxically bring us tremendous relief rather than more pain and distress. When we exaggerate a thought to an extreme amount, it makes the idea seem a bit silly, which helps us uncover the truth and create a powerful positive thought to overcome negative emotions.
Joanna shared that she had been struggling with feelings of guilt and self-consciousness. On her way into her office building, she was not thinking and accidentally let the door close on another woman, only to find out later that the woman was pregnant. She began telling herself critical thoughts like "I am a bad person" because she believed she should have held the door, especially for a pregnant woman.
Therapist: The thought "I am a bad person" brings up so much distress for you. Paradoxical magnification can help with getting relief. It is a technique where you blow this thought out of proportion and make it sound ridiculous. It will be important to make it sound as ridiculous as possible because if it is not, it can bring more pain. Is that something you are willing to try?
Joanna: Yes, I am.
Therapist: Okay great. In what way are you a bad person? What does it mean? What are you capable of doing? What is the limit of your evilness? Tell me all about it. Let's make it sound completely ridiculous.
Joanna: Okay. Well, I am a bad person because I let the door close on a pregnant woman. This means I am probably going to let a door close on a newborn next time. My limit of evilness is endless. I am the scum of the earth. I probably am responsible for all the pain in the world. Next time I walk into the building, I'm just going to push everyone down so I can get in first. I am so horrible I shouldn't be allowed in society.
Therapist: (Laughs) So you are the most evil person in the world and are responsible for all the pain in the world?
Joanna: (Laughs) Yes! I am basically the devil. Wait, no, that sounds ridiculous. I just made a simple mistake and was not paying attention. I am actually a very kind person. I care about people. I just didn't see her.
Blow it entirely out of proportion until it sounds ridiculous. Write it down. (Note: Make sure it is extremely exaggerated to the point of absurdity).
If not, go back to step 2 and try again. If it is ridiculous, write down exactly why it is ridiculous.
What positive thoughts can you write down?
Clicking this will open your device's print menu. Select "Save as PDF" as the destination.
Paradoxical Magnification is a humor-based technique where you blow things out of proportion, similar to the cognitive distortion of magnification or catastrophizing. However, the intent behind this tool is to find relief rather than cause distress. When we make a negative thought sound silly, it can often help us uncover the truth behind it and create lasting relief.
Copyright © 2026 by Richard Lam, LMFT. (www.RLTherapy.com) This handout is intended to enhance your Paradoxical Magnification, which was created by David D. Burns, M.D. (www.feelinggood.com).