As one of the most prominent talking therapies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people address their mental health concerns. Primarily, it treats psychological conditions like anxiety and depression by altering one's behaviors and thoughts. Unlike other therapies that focus on past issues, CBT addresses an individual’s current problems by utilizing practical strategies to improve their state of mind and overall health.
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Works
CBT is effective because it finds the connections between one’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. By doing this, individuals can address their negative thoughts and feelings that could potentially lead them to develop harmful habits. Simply, CBT breaks down people’s complex issues into smaller parts, which makes it easier for these individuals to adopt more positive thoughts and behaviors.
Overall, CBT’s structural approach explains its success as patients can learn how to identify their distorted thinking patterns. Once they do this, they can challenge these negative thoughts to mitigate their anxiety or struggling mental health. Eventually, patients can alter their thoughts to be more positive, allowing them to improve their emotional well-being. Since CBT encourages active participation, individuals are pushed to practice new skills and coping methods in between sessions, resulting in them becoming therapists themselves over time.
Uses of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Not only is CBT great at treating depression and anxiety disorders, it's effective at helping people with other mental health conditions. Namely, the individuals who benefit most tend to struggle with bipolar disorder, obsession-compulsive disorder (OCD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and schizophrenia. Additionally, CBT can address people's suffering from phobias, psychosis, eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, and sleep issues like insomnia. More than that, those struggling with drug and alcohol addictions can even find help with their issues.
Similarly, CBT can help people manage their chronic physical conditions along with their mental health issues. Specifically, CBT helps people cope with health issues such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain conditions. Although CBT cannot properly cure these conditions’ physical symptoms, these affected individuals gain better-coping strategies. By changing their thinking and behavior, they improve their overall health.
Pros and Cons of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
On the plus side, CBT has been widely successful because of its various notable advantages in treating mental health problems. Compared to other therapies, clients can complete CBT in a relatively short amount of time and it can utilize various formats. Due to its structured nature, individuals can seek CBT through group sessions, online platforms, and even by reading self-help books. Moreover, CBT can be as effective in treating mental health conditions as medication, including being beneficial when medication alone doesn’t produce the best results.
Despite these benefits, CBT may not work for everyone as it comes with some limitations. While this therapy can be completed in a short period, it still takes commitment to be effective. Clients must attend all regular sessions and be willing to complete tasks outside of therapy. Complex mental issues or learning disabilities may hinder some people's progress as they're pushed to face their traumas and emotions head-on. Additionally, CBD doesn’t properly address broader systemic or even familiar problems impacting an individual’s mental health. Research shows that CBT isn’t as effective in addressing the underlying causes of one’s mental problems caused by a troubled childhood.
What to Expect From CBT Sessions
Typically, this therapy involves weekly to bi-weekly sessions between a client and their therapist, spanning 30 to 60 minutes each. Overall, this therapist contains between 6 to 20 sessions where clients work with their therapist to manage their mental health problems. Particularly, these breakdowns help to identify and analyze thinking and behavioral patterns leading to unrealistic or negative outcomes. Afterward, the therapist encourages their clients to practice new coping methods in their daily lives to be discussed in future sessions.
Ultimately, CBT teaches individuals the skills and strategies needed to manage their mental health issues independently. By altering their negative thoughts and behaviors, these individuals can reduce their impact to live better lives. Therapists engaging with CBT aim to encourage their clients to apply their new skills and strategies in the real world and not just in their sessions. Even when CBT is no longer required, clients can use these skills to prevent recurrences of their problems and attain a positive mental well-being long-term.
Disclaimer: This article is intended simply to provide information. It does not replace the medical advice of a physician or other medical professional. Please speak with your doctor or therapist if you have any questions or concerns.
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