What Is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on teaching people skills and strategies to manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. CBT is grounded in scientific research and combines cognitive (thinking) and behavioural (action-based) approaches to help people understand how their thinking affects their behaviours, moods, and emotions. It seeks to help individuals identify patterns of thinking that are unhelpful or irrational and replace them with more adaptive thinking styles. It has been found to be effective for many issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, anger management problems as well as relationship issues.
How Does It Work?
The main principle behind CBT is that our thoughts shape the way we feel and act. When we think distorted thoughts they lead us to experience negative emotions which may then result in maladaptive behaviour. For example if we experience negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough” this can lead us to feel down or have low self-esteem which can then cause us to behave in ways that are self-destructive such as avoiding social contact or engaging in substance abuse. On the other hand if we recognize these negative thoughts are irrational or unhelpful we can work on replacing them with healthier cognitive styles such as “I am capable of learning new things” which will enable us to engage with activities constructively rather than spiraling into self-defeat. CBT is most effective when it involves actively doing specific tasks related to the issue at hand instead of just talking about it in sessions; for instance someone suffering from panic attacks could learn relaxation techniques or exposure techniques for facing fear triggers head-on instead of running away from them. Other tools used are journaling challenges where clients will observe their thoughts/emotions daily over certain periods; thought challenging exercises that help question the validity of irrational ideas; role playing scenarios; guided imagery meditations; etc.
Benefits
The benefits associated with CBT are numerous: improved problem solving skills, better communication skills in relationships, improved resilience & adaptability when facing difficult challenges & crises; decreased anxiety & depression symptoms; increased insight into oneself & others during interactions; enhanced ability to stay focused & disciplined towards long term goals even under heavy stress/pressure; among many others!
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