Short case example
A patient spends the night imagining every way a meeting could go wrong and arrives exhausted but still uncertain.
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Formulation mechanism
Repetitive future-oriented thinking about possible threats, uncertainty, or negative outcomes.
What matters now
Fit, function, and alternatives
Use sequence, function, patient language, and disconfirming evidence to decide whether this hypothesis adds explanatory value.
Across the formulation
Short case example
A patient spends the night imagining every way a meeting could go wrong and arrives exhausted but still uncertain.
Formulation language
Worry gives a brief sense of preparation, but it also sustains threat monitoring and prevents uncertainty tolerance.
Treatment implications
Sort worries into solvable problems versus hypothetical threats, then practise uncertainty exposure.