CBT
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the term for a combination of two therapies that are designed to help solve problems in people's lives, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or drug misuse. CBT was developed from two earlier types of psychotherapy: Cognitive therapy, designed to change people's thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and expectations and Behavioural therapy, designed to change how people act.
How does CBT work?
CBT is based on the belief that people learn most of their unhealthy ways of thinking and behaving over a long period of time. Using a set of structured techniques, a CBT practitioner aims to identify how you are thinking and how this can cause problematic feelings and behaviour. You will learn to challenge negative ways of thinking, which helps you to react more positively. This can lead to behavioural changes and then to improved self-esteem.
For example, negative thoughts usually lead to upsetting or angry feelings which can affect your mood and your behaviour. If you're unable to balance such thoughts with a more positive view, a negative spiral starts and your perceptions of a situation become distorted. CBT encourages you to challenge the way you react to events, your beliefs about yourself and your perceptions of those around you, so that you achieve a more realistic and balanced view of a situation.
For example, negative thoughts usually lead to upsetting or angry feelings which can affect your mood and your behaviour. If you're unable to balance such thoughts with a more positive view, a negative spiral starts and your perceptions of a situation become distorted. CBT encourages you to challenge the way you react to events, your beliefs about yourself and your perceptions of those around you, so that you achieve a more realistic and balanced view of a situation.
What strategies does CBT employ?
You will learn to make sense of problems by breaking them down into smaller areas so that you can see how they are connected and how they can affect you. This includes looking at your thoughts, emotions, physical feelings and actions in reaction to a situation.
Once you've learnt to identify negative patterns, you'll be asked to practise replacing negative thoughts with positive ones during everyday events. This isn't always easy but using CBT techniques you can try out different behavioural approaches in real situations, which can help to bring about sustainable changes. You won't be asked to do anything that you don't feel comfortable with.
What are the clinical applications of CBT?
CBT can be used to treat general anxiety, social anxiety, performance anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, stress related conditions such as IBS, obsessions and compulsions, depression, drug and alcohol dependency, eating disorders, insomnia and relationship difficulties.
Studies have shown that two years after therapy has ended, CBT patients do better than those using other treatments. They also suggest that CBT brings about a real change in how people feel about themselves in only 6 to 12 sessions and is the therapy of choice for anxiety and depression with the National Health Service (NHS). And key to this is the fact that CBT aims to provide you with the insights and skills necessary to improve your quality of life by practising and developing on your own what you have learnt in therapy. CBT is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE).