Master Your Mind With the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Technique

Ever thought about how your thoughts influence your feelings and decisions? This involves the core aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy, a dynamic approach that redirects your thought process so that you can be at your best daily!

What you need to know:

Definition and a brief explanation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Principles and core concepts of cognitive behavioral therapy
Applications of cognitive behavioral therapy
CBT techniques and strategies for self-help

Definition and a brief explanation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy technique (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that is effective for treating various mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety. It involves being more aware of your thought process and reaction to triggering events. Several mental health practitioners use CBT to help you develop healthy coping skills and manage stressful situations.

Principles and core concepts of cognitive behavioral therapy

Here are the main principles of the cognitive behavioral therapy technique:

Childhood experiences:

Human beings are shaped by their childhood experiences. Your earliest memories play a huge role in shaping your core personality traits. Hence, understanding your childhood environment can help you understand the origin of your beliefs and make you more aware of your thought process.

Negative emotions:

We pay more attention to negative news than positive ones. This can lead to cognitive errors, such as irrational thought processes. These emotions are typically rigid and are, therefore, unrealistic.

Involuntary negative thoughts:

We all have negative thoughts at times. Involuntary negative thoughts or cognitive distortions are sudden thoughts about specific events that invoke feelings of low self-esteem and uselessness. These thoughts often occur rapidly and are hard to pinpoint. Some examples of cognitive distortions are:

Impulsive thought patterns like thinking you are a failure for making a mistake.
Overgeneralization, which involves making far-fetched assumptions about a subject from a very limited experience.

Applications of cognitive behavioral therapy

Here are some of the applications in daily life where you can use the cognitive behavioral therapy technique to make effective changes:

Help manage strong emotions like fear, grief, anger or sadness
Prevents mental illness relapses
Improves communication skills
Helps deal with conflict resolution
Helps you to be more assertive

The cognitive behavioral therapy technique can help you manage certain mental health issues, including:

Substance abuse
Bipolar disorder
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Schizophrenia
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Phobias
Sleep disorders

CBT techniques and strategies for self-help

Here are three easy CBT techniques that can help you make meaningful changes to your life.

Exposure therapy

Deliberate exposure to triggering events or anxiety-inducing activities can enable you to overcome certain phobias. While the initial sessions might be challenging, note that exposure therapy is conducted in a highly monitored environment for a limited timeframe and under the guidance of a professional therapist.

ABC technique

This technique aims to help you notice the negative cycle of thoughts and feelings and transform them into positive perspectives. You can break free from these negative thought patterns, thereby fostering a behavioral shift.

Activating event: An event that led you to negative thinking
Belief: Negative thoughts that surfaced during the event
Consequences: Ultimate result or the behavior that occurred because of the event

The main goal behind this practise is to understand your reactions to certain events and how you can change them to transform your quality of life.

Journaling

Keeping track of your thoughts and feelings can make you aware of your own cognitive errors and manage them.

Cognitive behavioral therapy’s essence lies in understanding your thoughts, feelings and actions. By learning to manage the way you think, you can identify dysfunctional thought patterns and remove them with a reformed mindset.

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