Understanding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Services
A major objective of CBT is to help the patient recognize and understand the unhealthy thought patterns that are the source of symptoms and adverse effects related to psychological stress, problems, and challenges. Unhealthy thoughts and ideas contribute to the development of moods, which in turn become the source of undesirable and inappropriate behaviors. So, by approaching and preparing the patient with methods to recognize, understand, confront, and deter negative thoughts and ideas, the resulting behavior can be changed.
At the heart of CBT therapy is the acknowledgment and understanding of cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are erroneous and unproductive ways of thinking which can adversely affect emotions, mood, and behavior. They’re the biased perspectives that lead people to consistently interpret situations in unhelpful ways. To put it another way, cognitive distortions can be described as the mind playing tricks or altering our sense of reality thereby limiting flexible thinking and making individuals believe things that simply aren’t true.
One critical objective of CBT is to prepare the client with an awareness and understanding of what these distortions are and how they work to therapeutically diminish their adverse power and effects on the patient. The rigid thinking that is influenced by cognitive distortions might only allow you to see things in one way — but learning to counter this limited perspective and develop a more flexible way of thinking can significantly improve a variety of mental health challenges.
Uses for CBT
The objective of Cognitive Behavior Therapy is to recognize the fallacies behind thought patterns that can adversely affect psychological well-being, and instead, substitute for them more positive, honest, logical, and reasonable ways of thinking which lead to improved mental health and fewer psychological problems.
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been found to be effective for treating a large number of mental health disorders. Some of them include:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Sleep Disorders
- Depression
- Phobias
- Eating disorders
- PTSD
- Schizophrenia
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Bipolar Disorders
- Sexual Disorders
- Substance Use Disorders
Other Services:
Other Cognitive Distortions
The examples above are just some of the cognitive distortions which can be the cause of psychological problems. There are others, such as the belief that life or people are treating you unfairly, labeling (associated with stereotypes), the belief that you can change other people in ways that are important to you but not necessarily to them, the preoccupation with always being right, and the belief that “heaven” or some outward power is directing your life and controlling your actions to damage you in some way.
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Common Cognitive Distortions
1) Personalization: This is an overemphasis on the belief that everything, in some way or another, relates to you. It’s a belief that you are the central causative agent and any blame or fault for things that happen is yours. The error of this cognitive distortion is that, in fact, that are usually a number of causative factors, and just because something happens to you or in relation to you, that you are responsible for it is likely not true. Thus, personalization leads to mistaken and erroneous judgments on yourself that are wrong or out of proportion.
2) Blaming: Related to personalization, in this cognitive distortion, the person feels guilty and blames him or herself for the things that happen. An example of this is when a woman is raped, she comes to blame herself for it in some way or another — she was dressed too sexily, she was provocative in her behavior, or in some way, she consciously or unconsciously invited the sexualization of a situation that led to the rape. This is mistaken thinking because these factors identified by the victim may have had nothing to do with the motivation for the rape by the rapist who acted due to his own psychological problems. Thus, self-blaming for things that were not necessarily due to causation by oneself is erroneous thinking.
3) Emotional Reasoning: This is when one’s thinking is dominated by emotions rather than logic and reason. This is where the mindfulness concept of “emotions are not facts” has not been recognized. Individuals with this cognitive distortion try to reason based on emotional ideas and experiences, but these are not rational or logical and should not serve as the basis for rational thought and decision-making in behavior. Thus, this cognitive distortion can cause one to reason illogically based on their emotions and come to false conclusions about themselves, their thoughts and ideas, and other people’s thoughts and ideas, as well.
4) Filtering: Some people focus on the negative aspects of life rather than the positive, but, even worse, they focus on things that they identify as negative about themselves and the people and events around them. This is negative filtering, and it is a way of thinking that is, to a great extent, self-defeating. What is even worse is that they become obsessed with some negative aspects of life, people around them, or themselves. CBT seeks to alter this way of thinking and to give the patient the insight to identify and suppress these negative trends in thought and to exchange them for more positive ways of thinking which will yield more desirable results and effects in their lives.
5) “Black and White” Thinking: Often associated with negative filtering is the tendency of seeing everything including ideas, opinions, events, and the actions of oneself and other people, as either 100% one thing or another. The problem is that in life, this is most often a logical fallacy. Ideas, people (even yourself), and events have gradations of negative and positive elements, so they are not 100% one way or another, but somewhere in between. CBT seeks to train individuals to avoid the “black or white” fallacy and to consider ideas, people, and events in more realistic terms instead of being thought of as all good or all bad. In doing so, this contributes to a better understanding of these elements in one’s life.
6) Overgeneralization: Both filtering and “black and white” thinking are examples of the cognitive distortion of overgeneralization. The error of overgeneralization is that it distorts thoughts and decisions when someone mistakenly takes one or two examples and makes a generalization out of it — creating a kind of “universal rule” that they see as particularly effective in their own lives. For example, if one has had bad experiences in the past with people from a particular state, the overgeneralizing person will make the assumption that all of the people from that state are problematic in some way or another and therefore may avoid or shun them. Overgeneralization leads to stereotyping, by generalizing certain characteristics of a few members of some sector of people or society and making the false assumption that these characteristics are typical of all members of that people or social group. Thus, overgeneralization leads one to make false assumptions and decisions based on too little or prejudiced information.
7) Jumping to Conclusions: The next illogical step from overgeneralization and stereotyping is jumping to conclusions based on these two fallacies. In both cases where overgeneralization and stereotyping are used to guide thoughts, opinions, and actions, decision-making will also result in being erroneous and mistaken. Jumping to conclusions leads to false attitudes and actions that can be psychologically damaging to oneself and other people. For example, you might conclude that, because someone gave you a strange look or made a questionable remark that they dislike or hate you, when in fact, they were likely not talking about you at all. This incorrect conclusion is based on too little information that ultimately affects your behavior toward that other person. Therefore, one should avoid coming to hasty conclusions without significant input as that can lead to psychologically damaging thoughts and actions.
Methods Used in CBT
At its core, cognitive behavioral therapy is about identifying and modifying negative thought patterns — but there are several different techniques used to accomplish this overall goal. The following is a brief overview of some of the methods that may be used during CBT sessions.
Guided Discovery
Psychologist may engage in questioning aimed at developing awareness and identifying troublesome areas as well as the negative thought patterns and assumptions that may be causing them.
Self-Talk
Self-talk can also be described as your inner voice. It is the combination of thoughts, beliefs, and ideas that you feel, but don’t necessarily express out loud. When working with a psychologist during CBT, clients may be asked to explain instances of negative self-talk and then be given the opportunity to restructure that inner discussion to be more realistic and constructive.
Journaling
Cognitive behavioral therapy doesn’t just happen in the psychologist office. By writing down negative or self-defeating thoughts that occur in everyday situations, you can address them as they happen and nurture more productive ways of thinking.
Learn Problem-Solving Skills
Changing negative thought patterns is sometimes easier said than done. When faced with a particularly difficult challenge, it can be easy to resort to old ways of thinking and self-destructive behavior. CBT can help individuals learn problem-solving skills that they can apply to real-world situations so they are better prepared to handle whatever may come their way.
Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness is a type of meditation that brings awareness to the present moment, promoting greater focus, deeper reflection, and insight into one’s innermost thoughts and feelings. It also allows individuals to reflect on their challenges with greater clarity.
Benefits of CBT
Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the central concept that behavior is driven by thoughts and feelings — whether they are negative or positive, realistic, or false. By learning to control how you interpret your feelings about the people and events around you, you can ultimately change unproductive and maladaptive behaviors.
Whether you have a diagnosed mental health condition, need help coping with emotional challenges, or you’re just looking to improve your outlook on life, CBT is a powerful tool that can provide many benefits. Cognitive behavioral therapy can show you that even though you may not be able to control your environment, it’s possible to control how you feel and react to things, and that can make all the difference.
What To Expect From Therapy
CBT is one of the most well-studied forms of therapy and has been proven to be effective in treating depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and more. However, like all mental health disorders, therapy can look different for each person. Used by itself or in conjunction with other therapies and/or prescription medications, Cognitive Behavior Therapy can have significant positive results in affecting the psychological outlook and attitudes of patients. Remember, however, that these therapies do not remove the source of problems — that is not the role of psychological counseling. The purpose is to provide the client with knowledge, understanding, and techniques that allow them to respond to the people and circumstances in their life which cause psychological distress.
CBT is often paired with other forms of psychotherapy and the length of therapy can vary depending on the type of disorder and severity of your symptoms. At Blair Wellness Group, we tailor our services to meet the unique challenges and goals of each of our clients using the optimum combination of therapies and treatments to achieve the most effective results.
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