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 personal belief system and the way you think
about events, yourself, and the future.
- Become familiar with your 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 RelayHealth.
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.
© 2009 RelayHealth and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
