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Introduction – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and How Can It Help Me?
Do you struggle with depression, anxiety, trauma, eating disorders, phobias, or addiction?
Does your mind often race with ‘worst case scenarios’, insulting phrases, and negative self-talk?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, you may be someone that could benefit greatly from cognitive behavioral therapy. Taking irrational or unhealthy thoughts, and turning them around into productive ones is at the core of CBT.
However, this incredibly powerful treatment technique is much more than that.
This method of therapy has been used for decades and has been proven to not only give clients a happier life overall, but guide them in understanding themselves and their thoughts in a much deeper way than they ever have before.
So, let’s talk a little bit about what cognitive behavioral therapy is, what to expect from your sessions, and how CBT can change your life.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
To describe it in the simplest way possible: cognitive behavioral therapy, otherwise known as CBT, is a psychological form of talk therapy that aims to restructure a patient’s unhealthy thinking patterns.
The idea of cognitive behavioral therapy is that our thoughts become our actions, which then become our behaviors. If a therapist can get to the root of the thought, they can change the way in which a person behaves.
There are a few core principles in cognitive behavioral therapy, two of the most important ones include:
- Mental health problems are (at least in part) based on faulty thinking patterns and unhelpful learned behaviors
- It is possible for someone with a mental health problem to learn healthier ways of coping with negative thoughts – doing so will relieve their symptoms and help them live happier lives
As you can see, cognitive behavioral therapy aims to help a client identify their negative thoughts, stop them in their tracks, and redirect them towards more positive and helpful thinking patterns.
Since these unhelpful thoughts have a direct influence on their mental health, clients typically see an improvement in depression, anxiety, and stress through the work of CBT.
How Does CBT Change Thinking Patterns?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is focused on thoughts (cognitive) and actions (behavioral). It’s a hybrid solution to address two problems interrelated with one another.
So how does CBT help change unhelpful thinking patterns? There are a few methods used to do so.
- Teaching a client to recognize weaknesses in the way they’re thinking about a situation
- Teaching a client to then take those thoughts and think about them in a more realistic way
- Teaching clients about how others may think or behave
- Teaching clients coping and problem-solving skills to handle real-life situations
- Teaching clients how to feel more confident about themselves
When a therapist encourages a client to explore other perspectives about a situation, they begin to challenge their own beliefs and assumptions promoting new ideas and growth. This helps our brains create new pathways of thinking and feeling.
How Does CBT Change Behavioral Patterns?
On the flip side of the same coin, CBT is used to then change unhealthy behaviors. This may be anger management, addiction, impulse control, emotional regulation, and more.
Some strategies used may include:
- Facing fears head-on rather than avoiding them
- Using the art of role-play to practice handling difficult situations with others
- Learning ways to calm our emotions down and/or relax our bodies
Since cognitive behavioral therapy places a heavy emphasis on encouraging patients to be their own therapists, clients may engage in “homework sessions” outside of therapy in order to keep treatment going even when not in session.
Many of our unhealthy thoughts are found in our subconscious, far below the surface. When we lash out at others and display problematic behaviors as such, we’re simply reacting to those automatic thoughts.
CBT aims to bring those thoughts to the surface and rewire them so that our brains react to healthier ones instead.
Techniques Used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
While it’s easy to simply say, “cognitive behavioral therapy redirects thoughts” it’s more than that. It uses a wide variety of methods to help clients overcome these thoughts for good and in turn, create a better sense of overall mental wellness.
There are a few techniques used in CBT that help facilitate this process.
Setting Goals
At the beginning of cognitive behavioral therapy, you’ll work with your therapist to set strength-based goals as well as identify what negative thoughts and behaviors are top priorities to work on.
If you’re someone that suffers from mental health problems then you may know just how important goal setting is in recovery. It can give you a sense of purpose, drive, and motivation to keep going.
Identifying Negative Thoughts
Yes, we’re talking about negative thoughts again. But, you can’t address CBT without it.
Through talking, your therapist will be able to help you identify what thoughts, emotions, situations, or relationships are contributing to your problematic behavior or circumstances.
It may be difficult at first, as you might be well aware of how your negative thoughts are affecting your life, but too afraid to make active changes to overcome them. However, CBT is focused heavily on addressing what is going on in your life right now rather than looking back at the past for answers.
Learning New Skills
Using cognitive behavioral therapy, clients are taught new coping skills to use in the real world. This can include emotional regulation, problem-solving, communication, healthier relationships, and dealing with social situations.
You may engage in role-play with your therapist as they act out a triggering circumstance and you use your new skills to work through the emotions that arise.
For someone with a substance abuse disorder, the client and therapist can work together to practice coping mechanisms to use when a patient feels triggered.
Who Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help?
One of the reasons cognitive behavioral therapy has become the gold standard in mental health treatment is its versatility. CBT can be used for a wide variety of mental health disorders and problems.
If you’re suffering from any of these issues, cognitive behavioral therapy may be right for you:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Alcohol and drug use
- Marriage problems
- Eating disorders
- Other types of mental illness
- Anger issues
- Panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Chronic pain
- Low self-esteem
- Insomnia
Since cognitive behavioral therapy focuses heavily on the client’s active role in treatment, anyone considering CBT has to have a mature capacity for self-reflection as well as the ability to identify thoughts, feelings, triggers, and unhealthy behaviors.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
I’ve said it more than once, but I’ll say it again: the main benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy is to teach a client to control their thoughts.
Since behaviors and thoughts are closely linked, the rest of the benefits follow closely behind. The use of cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to:
- Give clients hope about their life circumstances
- Give clients freedom in knowing that their thoughts aren’t always reality
- Give clients a better idea of who they are
- Give clients a self-esteem boost
- Give clients useful tips to help them relax
- Give clients the ability to think rationally about an emotionally charged situation
- Give clients peace without needing medication
Clients are taught to no longer allow negative thoughts to run the show. They are empowered to take control over their mind and their life by stopping hurtful, toxic, or unhelpful thoughts in their tracks.
The more a negative thought is stopped and redirected, the weaker the connection in the brain becomes. As positive thoughts are reinforced, they will soon become easier to fall back on and eventually become a part of an individual’s subconscious.
Take Back Your Life With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
If you’re someone that struggles with your inner critic or suffers from anxious thoughts day in and day out, you can benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is used by mental health professionals all over the world and has seen remarkable success in everything from depression to relationships.
However, when starting on the journey of CBT it’s important to remember to be kind to yourself. Show yourself patience. Change can be incredibly difficult but not impossible. You have to want to change. You have to work hard and stay motivated.
Once you do, though, you may just experience an inner change you never knew was possible.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by cottonbro
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