What is cognitive therapy?
Cognitive therapy is a very active and direct type of
therapy that works by changing negative thoughts that cause
emotional distress. Although there are many kinds of
cognitive therapy that go by different names, they all focus
on your thoughts and beliefs as a primary cause of your
symptoms.
This type of therapy works well in treating depression,
anxiety, and panic disorders.
What is the theory behind this therapy?
Experts who study and use cognitive therapy believe that
depression is caused by:
- your negative outlook and thoughts about events, the
future, and yourself
- negative core beliefs you developed over time and through
events in your early life.
For example, your spouse may be mildly upset with you or
your boss may say he wants to see you. If you link
self-defeating beliefs with a negative view of reality, you may
leap to the conclusion that your spouse no longer loves you
or your boss is about to fire you.
How does your belief system impact your thoughts?
If you have an underlying belief that you should be perfect
and never make mistakes, you will probably be very critical
of yourself even over the most minor matters. You may tend
to blame yourself for everything. You may think you are a
failure in everything you do. Even a simple mistake can
lead to a series of negative thoughts that leave you feeling
hopeless and awful.
The goal of cognitive therapy is to break this cycle by
stopping these negative thinking habits and replacing them
with more realistic ones. You and your therapist will work
as a team to test the logic of your thoughts. For
example, your therapist may help you examine your underlying
belief that you should be perfect. Is it reasonable to
expect that of yourself? What has been the result of that
belief? What is likely to be the result of it in the
future?
You and your therapist will work together to help you to
accept that life is a balance between good and bad events,
and that your outlook affects your feelings and actions.
What are the steps in cognitive therapy?
- Learn to understand the theory behind this type of
therapy. Then test your underlying belief system
and the way you think about events, yourself, and the
future.
- Become familiar with your the negative thought patterns
so you are aware of them when they occur.
- Do the homework you and your therapist agree on.
Cognitive therapy is a team effort.
- Keep the momentum going once you have made changes in
your thinking habits. Read books on cognitive therapy.
Go in for booster sessions with your therapist.
Changing negative attitudes and beliefs takes a lot of work
but it can be done. Cognitive therapy can be an exciting
journey into discovering who you are and what makes you act
the way you do. It can change your entire outlook on life.
Written by Naakesh A. Dewan, MD for McKesson Corporation
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2007 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.
