THUNAIWhat is CBT:
Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychological therapy used to treat depression and anxiety disorders and for trauma recovery. It involves a collaborative approach between the therapist and client, is problem-focused and structured in nature, and is brief (6-20 sessions) depending on the severity of the problem. This makes it an efficient form of therapy.
CBT helps patients step back and consider the accuracy of their thoughts - a common CBT motto is that “thoughts are opinions, not facts - and like all opinions they may or may not be accurate”. The therapy process helps challenge dysfunctional assumptions and frame thoughts so that they are specific, accessible and therefore easier to change. Specific thought patterns that the patient is taught to identify might include:
Automatic thoughts (ATs): A stream of thoughts that almost all of us can notice if we try to pay attention to them.
Negative Automatic Thoughts (NATs): These are negative thoughts that are triggered by different situations or emotions. For example, becoming upset can lead to thoughts about defeat, loss, or a poor view of the self. Examples include thoughts like “It’s not fair”, or “They don’t like me”, or “I’m messing up”. Learning to recognize NAT’s is fundamental in CBT.
Underlying assumptions (UAs): “My children don't want to spend time with me so i must buy them good food or give them money” - meaning, i am unlovable. “If i tell my boss how i feel about him treating me without respect, he will be very upset. I should just put up with this''. These dysfunctional ways of thinking are often conditional (notice how they use “must” or “should” or “If”).
How does it work/What to expect:
This treatment involves various strategies for recovery such as:
Guided Discovery: The therapist asks questions that clarify thoughts and beliefs, and helps create alternative perspectives and plans.
Behavioral tasks: Such as breaking down new tasks into manageable chunks.
In-vivo approach: Takes therapy out of the office and into the real world.
Maintaining a daily thought record where the patient records the situation, the associated feelings and thoughts, and rates the degree of physical and emotional reactions.
Weighing PROs and CONs of reactions and responses,
Planned Behavioral experiments (BEs) during or in-between therapy sessions.
Overall, CBT is considered an effective form of therapy, and can improve a person’s quality of life as it teaches sustainable coping mechanisms and improves emotion regulation.