CBT Longitudinal Formulation
Understanding How You Got HereA guided way to make sense of how your earlier experiences shaped the beliefs, patterns, and difficulties you live with today. About this workbook
What is a longitudinal formulation?A longitudinal formulation is a way to understand how your current difficulties have developed over time. By working through it, you can begin to see how early experiences may have shaped your deeper beliefs about yourself, other people, and the world. These beliefs often influence how you think, feel, and behave today — even when you are not fully aware of them. Seeing the whole picture laid out can make patterns that once felt confusing start to make sense. This is not about blaming yourself or others. It is about building understanding: noticing how your mind has adapted over time, and how some patterns, once helpful, may now be holding you back. What you'll be exploringSix connected parts of your story. You'll reflect on each one in turn, then draw them together into a single map. 1
Early experiencesImportant events, relationships, or environments from childhood and adolescence. 2
Core beliefsDeeply held views about yourself, others, or the world (e.g. “I'm not good enough”). 3
Rules & assumptionsThe “if–then” statements you live by (e.g. “If I don't make mistakes, I'll be accepted”). 4
Coping strategiesThe ways you've learned to manage difficult feelings — avoiding, people-pleasing, striving. 5
Repeating patternsHow experiences over time have reinforced your beliefs, keeping the cycle going. 6
Current difficultiesHow these patterns might be affecting you now, in your day-to-day life. How to use this workbook1
Work at your own pace, and be gentle with yourself. There are no right answers — write honestly, in your own words, and pause whenever you need to. 2
Reflect through sections one to six first. Then use the Formulation Map at the end to gently connect the dots into one picture. 3
Your answers save only in this browser, on this device — nothing is sent to us or stored online. Close the page and return any time to continue. 4
When you're ready, select Download as PDF at the top to keep, print, or share a finished copy — perhaps with a therapist. Your privacy. Everything you write stays on this device, in your browser only. It is never uploaded, sent to us, or shared with anyone. You can turn saving off at any time with the Saving on this device switch at the top. On a shared or public computer, switch it off or select Clear when you finish, so nothing is left behind.
A note on care. Looking back can bring up strong feelings. Go slowly, and stop if you need to. This workbook is a tool for reflection, not a replacement for support — if things feel overwhelming, consider working through it alongside a therapist or trusted professional.
Contents
Your journey through the workbookSix reflective steps that build understanding, then the Formulation Map that brings them together. The dots fill in as you complete each section. 01
Where it began Early ExperiencesThink about key moments in your life, particularly growing up. There's no need to relive anything painful in detail — a few words is enough. 02
Deeply held views Core BeliefsNotice the repeated themes in how you see things. What messages did you learn about your worth, your safety, and your relationships? Try to summarise these as short beliefs.
Summarise the beliefs that can run underneath. Keep them short and in your own voice, e.g. “I'm not good enough”, “People will let me down”, “The world isn't safe”.
About myself About other people About the world / life 03
Rules for living Rules & AssumptionsTo live with those beliefs, we develop rules for coping. Ask yourself: “What do I feel I must do to cope, or to be okay?” 04
How you get by Coping StrategiesThink about what you do when things feel difficult. These strategies usually made sense — they developed for good reasons — but they may also keep certain patterns going.
Tick any ways of coping that feel familiar. There's no judgement here — just noticing.
Any other ways you cope that aren't listed above.
05
Links over time Repeating PatternsGently connect the dots. Notice how experiences over time may have reinforced your beliefs — often as a cycle that repeats without you realising. 06
The present day Current DifficultiesFinally, bring it to the present. Consider how these long-standing patterns show up in your life now.  Bringing it together Your Formulation MapThis is where the picture comes together. Drawing on your reflections, fill in each part of the map below and follow the arrows down. Keep your answers short — a phrase in each box is enough to see how one thing has led to another. Where it began Early Experiences The events, relationships, and environments that shaped you growing up.
These experiences shaped what I came to believe…
Reinforced over time
Deeply held views Core Beliefs About myself About others About the world …so I developed rules to protect myself…
Rules for living Rules & Assumptions The “if–then”, “must” and “should” statements you live by.
…which led to my ways of coping…
How I get by Coping Strategies What you do to manage difficult feelings — e.g. avoiding, striving, people-pleasing.
…and over time, a cycle takes hold.
The maintaining cycle Repeating Patterns A situation stirs up the belief, you cope in familiar ways, and what happens seems to prove the belief true — so it grows stronger.
A situation stirs up my beliefs
I think, feel & behave in familiar ways
What happens seems to prove the belief true
…and so the core beliefs above are strengthened, making the cycle more likely to repeat next time.
…and this is how it shows up for me today.
The present day Current Difficulties How these patterns affect your life now — in relationships, work, mood, or choices.
Remember: this map explains a pattern — it does not define you. Your mind adapted in the ways it needed to at the time. Seeing the pattern clearly is the first step towards gently, and with self-compassion, choosing something different.
Understanding where a pattern began is the first step towards choosing something new. Return to this workbook whenever you need to. Understanding builds gently, over time. 
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