Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a type of talking therapy, with which you analyze your thought processes, see how they are linked with your feelings and challenge things that you fear. It may be guided with the help of a trained psychologist, computer program or even tackled by yourself in a self help form. It aims to change the way you think (cognition), the way you act (behavioural) and the way you feel as an end result.

According to Cognitive Behavioural Therapists, our moods are directly affected by the things we tell ourselves, our internal dialogue. These thoughts are generally negatively distorted and as such we end up feeling bad when we tell ourselves these things. The solution is surprisingly simple. Change the thoughts...change the mood. Cognitive behavioural therapy has been shown to be as effective as prescription medications for things like depression, anxiety, panic attacks and low self esteem.

Unlike classical psychotherapy, which takes you back into the past to unlock the reasons for your negative feelings and can take years to be effective, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy deals with the here and now. What is going on in your life at this time, what are your negative thoughts and how might be a better way to view yourself and others? The results can be immediate in some cases.

You must first recognize what your cognitive distortions are. According to David D. Burns MD, a leading expert in cognitive behavioural therapy, there are 10 common types of cognitive distortions:

  • All of nothing thinking
  • Over generalization
  • Mental Filter
  • Discounting the positive
  • Jumping to conclusions
  • Magnification
  • Emotional Reasoning
  • "Should statements"
  • Labelling
  • Personalization and blame

All or nothing thinking

Those who engage in this type of distortion tend to see events in their lives as being all black or all white. They fail to see gradations of success. No event is all negative. There is almost always something positive to be gleaned, but those who engage in all or nothing thinking fail to see anything positive. Anything short of perfection is viewed as a total failure.

Over generalization

This distortion occurs when a person views a single negative event as part of a neverending stream of defeat. This event is viewed as just the latest in a overwhelming series of negative events. A person who engages in this distortion tells themselves..."This is always happening to me".

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy



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