FOUNDATIONS OF CBT
At its very core, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) aims to instill methods to challenge, then change cognitive distortions (i.e., dysfunctional thoughts or simply distorted automatic thoughts) and behaviours, with a focus on improving emotional regulation and developing coping strategies to address current and short-term problems. It is commonly used as a form of psychotherapy to boost general happiness as well as a treatment method for anxiety and depression. Many of our core beliefs, automatic thoughts and behaviours are so deeply entrenched that they almost feel unalterable, however, in essence, CBT tools provide a way to, over-time, re-wire our core beliefs, automatic thoughts and behaviours.
CONNECTION BETWEEN THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, BEHAVIOUR
Understanding the interconnected relationship between thoughts, emotions and behaviours is fundamental to this process. In “Mind Over Mood, Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think”, authors Dr. Dennis Greenberger and Dr. Christine A. Padesky, discuss five areas that are interconnected. These five areas are environment, thoughts, moods, behaviours and physical reactions. Greenberger and Padesky point out that for example, “changes in our behaviour influence how we think and how we feel (both physically and emotionally). Our behaviour can also change our environment and life events. Likewise, changes in our thinking affect our behaviour, moods, and physical reactions, and can lead to changes in our environment. Understanding how these five parts of our lives interact can help us understand our problems.” (Greenberger & Padesky, 2016, page 7).
VARIOUS METHODS
There are various CBT plans and methods practitioners rely on to provide treatment; one is through cognitive restructuring using thought records. This requires dedication from the patient to track and challenge “hot thoughts” in an organized and systematic way using various tools and worksheets. Another treatment method is behavioural exposure which requires gradually introducing and then repeatedly facing symptom-causing-situations with the goal of eventually eradicating symptoms. Another method is to introduce the patient to relaxation techniques to illicit physical and mental calmness (e.g., mindfulness exercises or mindfulness-based progressive muscle relaxation). Using a combination of the above clinically proven strategies to provide treatment over a ten-to-twelve-week period has been demonstrated to help manage thoughts, emotions and behaviours. For various “Mindfulness Exercises” as well as “Mindfulness-based Progressive Muscle Relaxation” exercises check out the link below.
DO YOU ENGAGE IN ANY OF THESE THOUGHT DISTORIONS
Mind Reading
Mind Reading: You assume that you know what people think without having sufficient evidence of their thoughts. Example: “He thinks I’m a loser.”
Fortune Telling
Fortunetelling: You predict the future negatively: Things will get worse, or there is danger ahead. Example: “I’ll fail that exam,” or “I won’t get the job.”
Catastrophizing
You believe that what has happened or will happen will be so awful and unbearable that you won’t be able to stand it. Example: “It would be terrible if I failed.”
Labeling
You assign global negative traits to yourself and others. Example: “I’m undesirable,” or “He’s a rotten person.”
Discounting Positives
You claim that the positive things you or others do are trivial. Example: “That’s what wives are supposed to do – so it doesn’t count when she’s nice to me,” or “Those successes were easy, so they don’t matter.”
Negative Filtering
You focus almost exclusively on the negatives and seldom notice the positives. Example: “Look at all of the people who don’t like me.”
Overgeneralizing
You perceive a global pattern of negatives on the basis of a single incident. Example: “This generally happens to me. I seem to fail at a lot of things.”
Black and White Thinking
You view events or people in all-or-nothing terms. Example: “I get rejected by everyone,” or “It was a complete waste of time.”
Shoulds/Musts
You interpret events in terms of how things should/must be, rather than simply focusing on what is. Example: “I should/must do well. If I don’t, then I’m a failure.”
Personalizing
You attribute a disproportionate amount of the blame to yourself for negative events, and you fail to see that certain events are also caused by others. Example: “The marriage ended because I failed.”
Blaming
You focus on the other person as the source of your negative feelings, and you refuse to take responsibility for changing yourself. Example: “She’s to blame for the way I feel now,” or “My parents caused all my problems.”
Compare and Despair
You interpret events in terms of standards that are unrealistic – for example, you focus primarily on others who do better than you and find yourself inferior in the comparison. Example: “She’s more successful than I am,” or “Others did better than I did on the test.”
Regret Orientation
Regret Orientation: You focus on the idea that you could have done better in the past, rather on what you can do better now. Example: “I could have had a better job if I had tried,” or “I shouldn’t have said that.”
What if
You keep asking a series of questions about “what if” something happens, and you fail to be satisfied with any of the answers. Example: “Yeah, but what if I get anxious?” or “What if I can’t catch my breath?”
Emotional Reasoning
You let your feelings guide your interpretation of reality. Example: “I feel depressed; therefore, my marriage is not working out.”
Inability To Disconfirm
You reject any evidence or arguments that might contradict your negative thoughts. For example, when you have the thought “I’m unlovable,” you reject as irrelevant any evidence that people like you. Consequently, your thought cannot be refuted. Example: “That’s not the real issue. There are deeper problems. There are other factors.”
Judgement Focus
You view yourself, others, and events in terms of evaluations as good-bad or superior-inferior, rather than simply describing, accepting, or understanding. You are continually measuring yourself and others according to arbitrary standards, and finding that you and others fall short. You are focused on the judgments of others as well as your own judgments of yourself. Example: “I didn’t perform well in college,” or “If I take up tennis, I won’t do well,” or “Look how successful she is. I’m not successful.”