I actually think it's part of human nature to think in a black and white manner. Like it's built into language (this is part of the theory behind ACT therapy, which I don't purport to actually understand!). If I say hot, one of the first things that probably jumps to mind is cold. The trick (as I understand it), is to hold both the thing and its opposite (the black and the white) in mind at the same time, while avoiding being drawn directly toward either one.

So if the thought is that losing flexion = failure, a middle ground response might be that physiotherapy is a work in progress, that there is something incorrect about the exercises your therapist is recommending, etc. It's useful to think in shades of grey because it opens up possibilities. We become more able to respond, rather than react in a knee jerk fashion.

I'm not sure if I'm articulating this very well. Probably because it's more theoretical than practical for me at the moment!

The most recent example from my own therapy:

My boss is ... he's just UGH. Trust me on this one.

However, he gave me a very nice review & raise. This was VERY hard for me to process because he's such a pig. T pointed out that not everything about nastyboss is bad. I want to think EVERYTHING the guy does is evil. But there are some positives to him. Barf.

what help me to "improve" my thinking in gray is that I identified my thought, usually negative to the black, then the extreme positive opposite, and then work my way through the middle. It took a bit of imaginations sometime to find some "gray" alternative. (i write them down, black at the bottom, with at the top, gray in the middle, from dark to light!) So when I had a few alternative, I pick one that fits best with the situation. It was quite an exercise, but it helped.
Hope I was able to explain it in a way it make sense!
Take care
Carla

So now you will all understand why I chose my username

I've always told my T that if I was to write a self help book I'd call it "embracing shades of gray"