Fortune Telling: when your mind predicts the worst and calls it certain
Fortune telling is when you predict a negative outcome and treat it as if it’s certain. Learning to question these predictions can help you respond to situations with more flexibility and balance.
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What does the Fortune Telling Mini Course cover?
What fortune telling is, everyday examples before interviews, social events and medical appointments, why it peaks during anxiety and life transitions, and CBT questions for examining the evidence and making a more balanced prediction.
Who is this Fortune Telling Mini Course for?
Helpful if you:
🔮 Predict the worst and treat it as certain
😰 Feel anxious about things that have not happened yet
⚖️ Want to make more balanced predictions
For therapists:
Assign this course when anxious predictions feature in a client's formulation. Their recent example, evidence and alternative prediction give ready material for cognitive restructuring or behavioural experiments in session. Fully HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
Dr Harriet Mellotte
Clinical Psychologist & CBT Therapist, BABCP
“Offload is a fantastic resource for both clients and therapists. The world of CBT has been lacking an app which enables the sharing of CBT worksheets and homework tasks between clients and therapists, but Offload completely does this, making the service we offer more professional and the benefits to clients greater.”
Frequently asked questions
What is fortune telling in CBT?
Fortune telling is a thinking trap where you predict a negative outcome and treat it as certain: I will definitely mess up the interview, everyone will think I am boring. It is like having a crystal ball that only shows disasters, and it drives avoidance and anxiety before anything has happened.
How is fortune telling different from catastrophising?
They overlap. Catastrophising is jumping to the worst possible outcome; fortune telling is treating any negative prediction as fact, whether or not it is the worst case. Both are forms of jumping to conclusions, and both respond to the same remedy of examining the evidence.
How do I stop predicting the worst?
Notice when you are making a prediction, then ask what evidence supports it and what a more balanced prediction would be: I have prepared well, and even if it is not perfect I can handle it. Behavioural experiments, where you test the prediction in real life, are the most powerful way to weaken the habit.
Can my therapist assign this course?
Yes. Therapists on Offload can assign Fortune Telling when anxious predictions feature in your formulation, and your example, evidence and alternative prediction give material for cognitive restructuring or behavioural experiments. Your responses are available for them to review beforehand. Fully HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
Are you a therapist?
Assign this therapy tool and 200+ other interactive tools directly to your clients. Build personalised care plans, customise tools, and review client responses before sessions. HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
Explore Offload for therapistsReferences
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. — Foundational CBT text describing fortune-telling as a core cognitive distortion where people assume negative outcomes without evidence. Hofmann, S. G., et al. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440. — Comprehensive review showing CBT’s effectiveness in reducing patterns like negative prediction (fortune-telling) across anxiety and mood disorders. Watkins, E. R. (2008). Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 163–206. — Analyses maladaptive thought patterns such as negative future prediction (akin to fortune-telling), linking them to emotional distress.
