Click a word to see what it means for Thought Detectives.
An important kind of detective who is curious about their own thoughts.
A Thought Detective NOTICES what is going on inside their mind and body AND USES THINKING TOOLS to train their mind to think in ways that are more reliable and helpful.
When you think something has to be ALL one way or ALL another way.
Instead of being all one way or all another way, there are a lot of parts. When you think in an All or Nothing way you miss all the good, important, helpful things in the middle.
All or Nothing Thinking is a Sneaky Suspect. Find Sneaky Suspect in this word list.
Learn a Thinking Tool for catching All or Nothing Thinking in Amber’s Big Jump! Find Thinking Tool in this word list.
A story or situation to think about and learn from.
Thought Detectives Cases are stories or situations that can help you become a better Thought Detective. Both real stories and made up ones can be helpful in learning Thought Detective skills.
Amber’s Big Jump! is a Thought Detectives Case.
Questions to ask yourself about a Case that can help you learn from it.
A Case Report is a Thinking Tool that can help you see and remember important things you have learned from each Case. It is a type of journaling activity.
Look for Case and Thinking Tool in this word list.
After reading Amber’s Big Jump! Try out a Case Report here.
Details to notice.
Clues are things going on inside or around you that can help you understand more about yourself or others. (It’s important to learn how to use clues. They can mean different things than we think they mean.)
Look for Clue Words in this word list.
Words that are clues.
Some words are Clue Words that help you understand what is going on inside or around you. Sometimes there are Clue Words that can help you catch a Sneaky Suspect.
Look for Sneaky Suspect and Clues in this word list.
Learn about some Clue Words in Amber’s Big Jump!
A promise to do a certain thing.
The Thought Detective Pledge has words to remind you of what Thought Detectives try to do and why it’s helpful to do. The Pledge can help you remember and stay focused on the direction you want to go.
The ability you have to direct your own experiences.
You have the Power to make choices. This lets you decide what direction you want your life to go from here (no matter what has happened in the past). There are a lot of things to learn about this superpower in order to let it be helpful, instead of hurtful, in your life. One of those things is knowing what parts you can or can’t choose. Lots of Sneaky Suspects try to get you to ignore or give away this Power.
Look for Sneaky Suspect in this word list.
A way of thinking that can twist your thoughts.
Sneaky Suspects can get you to think in a way that gives you information that isn’t all true. They are a problem because those inaccurate messages create feelings that can lead to unhelpful actions.
Sneaky Suspects are also called Thinking Traps, Inaccurate Thinking Patterns, and Cognitive Distortions.
Look for All or Nothing Thinking in this word list. It is an example of a Sneaky Suspect.
See an example of a Sneaky Suspect catching someone’s thoughts in Amber’s Big Jump!
A way you think again and again.
The ways you think right now are your current Thinking Patterns. There are many ways to think. However, some ways are more accurate or more helpful than others. We can use our Power to choose ways we want to think. Sneaky Suspects are inaccurate and unhelpful Thinking Patterns.
Look for Power and Sneaky Suspect in this word list.
A simple action to train your mind to think in more helpful ways.
Thinking Tools are specific, repeatable actions you can do to think like a Thought Detective. As you use Thinking Tools over and over they are more helpful and get easier and feel more normal to do. This repetition can help create a new Thinking Pattern.
Look for Thinking Pattern in this word list.
A Case Report is an example of a Thinking Tool. Find Case Report in this word list.
Learn about another Thinking Tool in Amber’s Big Jump!