In today's world, mental health professionals are quick to give psychotropic medications, which can have harmful side effects, for any condition originating from thought patterns. However, what if I told you there was a safer, more effective method for treating and managing brain problems and stress? Let's start with cognitive behavioral treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy (psychotherapy) that can alter your thought and behavior patterns to assist you in managing your mental and physical health issues. It is conducted through a series of planned sessions in collaboration with a mental health professional. CBT can care the management of emotional matters like coping with stress or dealing with sorrow and loss of a loved one, as well as mental health illnesses like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse.

All About Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 

 

In today's world, mental health professionals are quick to give psychotropic medications, which can have harmful side effects, for any condition originating from thought patterns. However, what if I told you there was a safer, more effective method for treating and managing brain problems and stress? Let's start with cognitive behavioral treatment.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy (psychotherapy) that can alter your thought and behavior patterns to assist you in managing your mental and physical health issues. It is conducted through a series of planned sessions in collaboration with a mental health professional. CBT can care the management of emotional matters like coping with stress or dealing with sorrow and loss of a loved one, as well as mental health illnesses like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse.

 

 

How does CBT Work?

The goal of CBT treatment is often to alter thought habits and behavioral patterns simultaneously.

 

The goals of cognitive behavioral therapy are:

 

• A portion of psychological issues stem from flawed or harmful thought patterns.
• Parts of psychological issues stem from ingrained, maladaptive behavioral patterns.
• Individuals with psychiatric disorders can become more effective in their lives and alleviate their symptoms by learning more efficient coping mechanisms.
  
  

Cognitive therapy focuses on the idea that a person's quality of life is influenced by their thoughts, feelings, attitude, and expectations taken together. The strategies might include:

 

• Acknowledging one's own thinking distortions that cause issues and then reassessing them in the context of reality.
• Gaining enhanced comprehension of other people's motivations and behaviors.
• Applying problem-solving techniques to handle challenging circumstances.
• Developing a sense of confidence in one’s own abilities.
  
  

Behavioral therapy focuses on changing behavioral patterns. These strategies might include:

• Overcoming one's fears by facing them head-on instead of avoiding.
• Role-playing helps you get ready for social situations that could go wrong.
• Understanding to relax one's body and quiet the thoughts.

 

 

 How CBT Helps You

 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is used to treat a range of psychological problems, including:

 

• Depression, Anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder
• Schizophrenia and bipolar disorders
• Low self-esteem
• Phobia or other irrational fears
• Hypochondria
• smoking, drinking, or other drug use
• Issues in marriage or relationships
• Psychosis
• Sexual disorders
• Sleeplessness or insomnia
• Certain emotional or behavioral problems in children or teenagers.

 

It can also be used to treat people with chronic health conditions, such as:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraine
• Chronic pain

 

 

 Treatment with CBT

The specifics of your treatment will depend on the nature of your issue. But CBT usually consists of the following:

 

• Assessment: It involves completing questionnaires to help identify troubling symptoms and define specific issues. Periodically, patients will be asked to fill out questionnaires so as to monitor progress and pinpoint problems or symptoms that require further care.
  
  
• Personal education: To assist one learn more about a specific issue, therapist may provide written resources (books or brochures). Having a thorough grasp of the patient’s specific psychological issue, enables the therapist to put the patient’s unfounded fears to rest, thereby reducing anxiety and other unpleasant emotions.
  
  
• Setting goals: With the assistance of a therapist, the patient is asked to make a list of the things they wish to accomplish during therapy (e.g., one might want to overcome fear of a dentist). Together with the therapist, the patients can devise workable plans to assist in achieving these objectives.
  
  
• Practice new techniques: The patient and the therapist practice new strategies to get rid of negative feelings and thoughts. To substitute harmful or negative self-talk, one could, for instance, role-play challenging social settings or use realistic self-talk (internal dialogue).
  
  
• Homework: The patient will be required to actively engage in one’s own therapy as part of homework. It is recommended to apply the useful techniques in day-to-day activities and let the therapist know how it goes.

 

 

We have learned so far that the concept of CBT is based on your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and bodily sensations that are all interrelated, and any negative thought can keep you stuck in a negative cycle. By breaking down large problems into smaller ones, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) seeks to help you cope with them in a more constructive way by following doable strategies to elevate your mood every day. In CBT, a mental health expert assists closely examining individual thoughts and feelings. You'll learn how your thoughts influence your behavior in a set number of sessions. With the use of a question-and-answer style, The therapist assists  developing new insights and improved coping mechanisms to alleviate stress and discomfort.

 

If you have any questions about cognitive behavioral therapy, you can check with our therapist and counsellors at Ask a doctor, 24x7.