Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

There are several factors that make you the person you are, make you behave the way you do, make you think the way you do, make you feel the way you do.

• Earlier life experiences
• Beliefs that you have about yourself
• The rules that you live your life by
• Recent events

CBT combines cognitive therapy, which can modify or eliminate your unwanted thoughts and beliefs, and behavioural therapy, which can help you change your behaviour in response to those thoughts and beliefs.

Cognitive therapy (e.g. challenging negative thoughts) and behavioural techniques (e.g. exposure therapy that gradually desensitises you to your phobia and relaxation techniques) are used to reduce anxiety and depression by changing your thoughts, behaviour and beliefs.

CBT works because most unwanted thinking patterns, emotional and behavioural reactions are learned during your life. CBT identifies the thinking that is causing your unwanted feelings and behaviours and helps you learn to replace this thinking with more positive, helpful thoughts.

If you're reading this with more than just passing curiosity, then you've already acknowledged that you may have problems and wish that you could do something about them. Your troubles may seem overwhelming now (I certainly thought mine were), but CBT can change things - but you must take it a step at a time.

There are two words of warning that I have to give you:

1. CBT isn't necessarily a quick fix. It does take working at, and there'll be times when you feel frustrated at your lack of progress. I always told myself that I didn’t become ill overnight so I didn’t expect to be cured overnight.

2. You may feel that things get worse at first. This is because before you can do anything about your symptoms, you may need to concentrate on them and increase your awareness of them. You may well feel that you couldn't be more aware of them than you already are - but you may be surprised. Being more aware may make you feel worse - but it also suggests that you're working towards solving the problem.

Speaking from a personal point of view I didn’t find things got worse, as I began to understand my problems and deal with them it was like a weight being slowly lifted off my shoulders. Having said that, there were people in my group who became very emotional when discussing their problems. It was like touching a raw nerve that had been buried since childhood and exposing it again was painful and brave. The long-term rewards for doing so far outweighed the short-term pain.

The subject of CBT is very specialised and cannot be adequately covered on a site such as this. I recommend that you read the course book used in my theraphy sessions Mind Over Mood: Cognitive Treatment Therapy Manual for Clients. The book is written by experienced clinicians and teachers of cognitive therapy. It is designed to help you successfully understand and improve your moods, alter your behaviour, and enhance your relationships. It contains case examples and presents the skills for identifying problems, setting goals, and achieving the desired changes.