The time has come when you, or perhaps your doctor, have recognized that psychotherapy may be helpful in modifying your dysfunctional emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. You may have heard of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is one of many psychotherapies available, and have wondered if it might be helpful for you.
This article will guide you on:
What CBT is
How to determine if CBT is the right therapy for you
How to find the right therapist for you
How CBT works
Your role in CBT
Limitations to CBT
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
The basis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the belief that thoughts, perceptions, and emotions influence behaviors. The goal of CBT is to gain insight into these cognitive and behavioral processes and learn how to recognize and challenge distorted and dysfunctional thinking in order to change destructive behaviors.
Is CBT the Right Therapy for You?
Evidence indicates that CBT can be appropriate for all ages and for many conditions, including eating disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorders, self-esteem issues, ADHD, phobias, and even relationship problems like unrealistic expectations of a spouse.
If your problems stem from your thoughts and behaviors, then you can probably benefit from CBT. If you want to explore how events from your past influence you today or your purpose and meaning in life, there are other therapies that will likely work better for you.
How to Find the Right Therapist for You
While referrals from friends or even your doctor can be helpful, it is important to find a qualified therapist that is a good “fit.” You can start your search online at:
https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/ or https://www.goodtherapy.org/find-therapist.html, by entering your zip code then narrowing the list to three or four by selecting various options.
Most therapists offer a free initial phone consultation, so use that opportunity to ask any questions you may have, and then go with the one with whom you feel most comfortable.
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Works
The first sessions will be used to review your history and problems, and then create an action plan that will work for you. Since CBT is focused on providing effective reduction in symptoms within a short time, usually 8-12 weeks, “what” and “how” questions are used rather than “why” questions. For instance, if you have panic attacks when entering a classroom, CBT focuses on how to reduce your fear, not on why you have that fear.
To resolve symptoms quickly, it is important to create an action plan (homework) that you will work on throughout the week. Depending on your issues, the action plan may include things like practicing relaxation techniques, journaling your thoughts and feelings, or battling negative internal self-talk by mindfully interrupting the flow of thoughts and changing them to something more positive, or using meditation.
At the next session, you will discuss with your therapist what’s working and what isn’t, tweak the goals and techniques as needed, and continue to the next session.
Limitations to CBT
Managing and overcoming yourspecific symptoms may be satisfactory and sufficient for you, but sometimes a deeper approach may be necessary and preferred to root out the actual cause of the issues.Exploring life experiences to determine an emotional root cause and then dealing with that cause through other therapies may resolve the issues.
Sometimes there is a medical cause not rooted in emotional life experiences, in which case CBT may be helpful for managing symptoms but won’t treat the underlying medical condition. For instance, autoimmune disease, heavy metal toxicity, Lyme disease, parasite infection, or even certain medications are all known to cause dysfunctional thinking and behaviors that masquerade as mental illness rather than a physical illness.
You’ll want to be sure to check into possible medical causes for your issues so you can get the correct treatment(s) for recovery and healing, not just management of symptoms.
You can learn much more through the recently released docuseries, Depression and Anxiety Secrets, that shares true root causes of mental illness and the powerful protocols that are healing people worldwide.
In Depression and Anxiety Secrets, Jonathan Otto,an investigative journalist and film director of several popular docuseries, will help you discover that complete and total restoration is a possibility, and that there are several safe and effective methods that can help to accomplish that goal. More importantly, when applied together, these protocols can bring quick relief even for those who have suffered from depression or anxiety for years.
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