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Aug 18
1h 5m

462: The Perfectionism Webinar, Part 1 o...

David Burns, MD
About this episode

Defeat Perfectionism 

and Discover the Art of Self-Acceptance

Part 1 of 2

This Is for Everyone--Shrinks AND the General Public!

On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Dr. Jill Levitt and I did a FREE, two-hour webinar on one of the most common causes of stress and feelings of inadequacy--perfectionism. More than 2200 individuals registered, reflecting the widespread interest in this topic.

Although perfectionism causes lots of suffering, it’s not easy to get rid of this mindset because it can promise and sometimes deliver tremendous benefits, too!

Rhonda and I will be presenting this webinar on the podcast in two parts. This week, in Part 1 you’ll learn

  • About the many emotional consequences of perfectionism
  • How to identify the perfectionistic beliefs that fuel anxiety, procrastination, and shame
  • How and why these beliefs can trigger immense emotional pain
  • How to use Positive Reframing and the Cost-Benefit Analysis to melt away your resistance to change.

You can take a look at the workshop handout if you CLICK HERE!

Next week, in Part 2, you’ll learn many powerful methods to crush the distorted thoughts that trigger perfectionism, including

  • Identify the Distortions
  • Explain the Distortions
  • The Externalization of Voices
  • The Acceptance Paradox
  • The Counter-Attack Technique
  • The Feared Fantasy Technique
  • Self-Disclosure
  • Relapse Prevention Training
  • And more!

This live, practical training will equip you with powerful, research-backed techniques to help yourself and your clients transform perfectionism into peace, power, self-acceptance, and emotional freedom, all illustrated with dramatic video clips from an actual TEAM CBT session with a woman struggling mightily from brutal self-criticisms, self-doubt, and sleepless nights, due to the very perfectionism that has catapulted her into an incredible career.

Thanks for listening today!

Jill, David and Rhonda

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