COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
What is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)?
CBT is a model of therapy which is based on the principle that the way we think affects the ways in which we respond. Individuals will interpret the same life event very differently. This leads to a wide range of emotional and behavioural consequences. Some of these responses can be helpful, and some not so helpful in our daily lives.
Example: Three different people stub their toe on uneven paving in the shopping mall.
Person One thinks, “I am always so clumsy and stupid. People will think I am an idiot!”
Response: Feels embarrassed, humiliated, self conscious and distressed, avoids contact with others, quickly leaves to go home.
Person Two thinks, “I could have really injured myself. The owners should keep this place maintained better. It is disgraceful!”
Response: Feels anxious, flustered, angry and stressed and is curt with others and stressed all day.
Person Three thinks, “Oops! Nearly came a cropper! But I’m okay so I’ll just keep walking!”
Response: Doesn’t give it another thought and the incident has no impact on his day.
This example shows how a person’s thoughts about an event or situation have a direct influence on how they feel and react (behave) in that situation. This is contrary to the commonly accepted belief that it is the event that directly impacts on how we feel and behave, rather than our thoughts about the event.
The theoretical underpinning of cognitive therapy suggests that unhelpful thoughts and beliefs are significant factors in the development or exacerbation of depression, anxiety, anger, low self esteem, self defeating behaviours and difficulty with coping. It then follows that teaching people to identify and challenge these thoughts and beliefs can assist them in reducing distress and enhancing their capacity to cope in everyday life.
CBT has been shown through research to be extremely effective in working with conditions such as anxiety and depression. It has also been found to be a beneficial component of treatment with many other mental health conditions, including eating disorders, pain disorders, addictions, marital or family problems, anger, guilt and shame issues and sexual dysfunction.
How does CBT work?
CBT is not about “looking on the bright side of life”. It is about learning specific strategies to enable people to think more realistically about life – or cognitive restructuring.
CBT works on the principle that unhelpful thoughts and beliefs need to be tested to determine whether they are accurate, realistic and truthful (rational). In most cases the thoughts are actually irrational misconceptions (known as cognitive distortions).
Cognitive distortions work to maintain an unhelpful belief system, leading to distress and difficulty coping.
Common cognitive distortions include:
Black and white thinking – seeing things in terms of all good or all bad with no middle ground;
Catastrophising –blowing mistakes or problems out of proportion;
Mindreading – reading more into the behavior of others than is really there:
Fortune Telling (or whatifing) – predicting things/worrying about things that may never happen (can result in self fulfilling prophesy):
Labelling – attaching a negative label to yourself or others instead of describing the behavior:
Overgeneralising – drawing a conclusion on the basis of one incident.
CBT can assist people to identify and restructure these irrational thoughts and beliefs by replacing them with alternative interpretations that are more realistic and rational. Then people are able to think about day to day life events in a more helpful or constructive way, which enables them to have more control over how they respond and behave.
Using CBT in everyday life
As with learning any new skill, CBT strategies work better when practiced regularly and used daily. People who use the strategies of CBT in their everyday life sometimes refer to the process as “becoming your own therapist”. The skills are extremely practical, can be applied in almost any situation and if utilized regularly can be life changing and with the person for life.
There are a number of other strategies and skills, which when used in conjunction with CBT enhance the process of cognitive restructuring. They include:
What is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)?
CBT is a model of therapy which is based on the principle that the way we think affects the ways in which we respond. Individuals will interpret the same life event very differently. This leads to a wide range of emotional and behavioural consequences. Some of these responses can be helpful, and some not so helpful in our daily lives.
Example: Three different people stub their toe on uneven paving in the shopping mall.
Person One thinks, “I am always so clumsy and stupid. People will think I am an idiot!”
Response: Feels embarrassed, humiliated, self conscious and distressed, avoids contact with others, quickly leaves to go home.
Person Two thinks, “I could have really injured myself. The owners should keep this place maintained better. It is disgraceful!”
Response: Feels anxious, flustered, angry and stressed and is curt with others and stressed all day.
Person Three thinks, “Oops! Nearly came a cropper! But I’m okay so I’ll just keep walking!”
Response: Doesn’t give it another thought and the incident has no impact on his day.
This example shows how a person’s thoughts about an event or situation have a direct influence on how they feel and react (behave) in that situation. This is contrary to the commonly accepted belief that it is the event that directly impacts on how we feel and behave, rather than our thoughts about the event.
The theoretical underpinning of cognitive therapy suggests that unhelpful thoughts and beliefs are significant factors in the development or exacerbation of depression, anxiety, anger, low self esteem, self defeating behaviours and difficulty with coping. It then follows that teaching people to identify and challenge these thoughts and beliefs can assist them in reducing distress and enhancing their capacity to cope in everyday life.
CBT has been shown through research to be extremely effective in working with conditions such as anxiety and depression. It has also been found to be a beneficial component of treatment with many other mental health conditions, including eating disorders, pain disorders, addictions, marital or family problems, anger, guilt and shame issues and sexual dysfunction.
How does CBT work?
CBT is not about “looking on the bright side of life”. It is about learning specific strategies to enable people to think more realistically about life – or cognitive restructuring.
CBT works on the principle that unhelpful thoughts and beliefs need to be tested to determine whether they are accurate, realistic and truthful (rational). In most cases the thoughts are actually irrational misconceptions (known as cognitive distortions).
Cognitive distortions work to maintain an unhelpful belief system, leading to distress and difficulty coping.
Common cognitive distortions include:
Black and white thinking – seeing things in terms of all good or all bad with no middle ground;
Catastrophising –blowing mistakes or problems out of proportion;
Mindreading – reading more into the behavior of others than is really there:
Fortune Telling (or whatifing) – predicting things/worrying about things that may never happen (can result in self fulfilling prophesy):
Labelling – attaching a negative label to yourself or others instead of describing the behavior:
Overgeneralising – drawing a conclusion on the basis of one incident.
CBT can assist people to identify and restructure these irrational thoughts and beliefs by replacing them with alternative interpretations that are more realistic and rational. Then people are able to think about day to day life events in a more helpful or constructive way, which enables them to have more control over how they respond and behave.
Using CBT in everyday life
As with learning any new skill, CBT strategies work better when practiced regularly and used daily. People who use the strategies of CBT in their everyday life sometimes refer to the process as “becoming your own therapist”. The skills are extremely practical, can be applied in almost any situation and if utilized regularly can be life changing and with the person for life.
There are a number of other strategies and skills, which when used in conjunction with CBT enhance the process of cognitive restructuring. They include:
- Relaxation techniques
- Breathing techniques
- Distraction
- Coping statements
- Thought stopping