Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a proven treatment that helps people recognize negative thought patterns and destructive behaviors, and overcome the challenging state of mental affairs through structured mechanisms. CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people overcome stress, depression, anxiety, and other issues by identifying the root thoughts that influence and drive such emotions.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

CBT therapy is a form of psychotherapy that treats negative thought patterns. In psychology, there is something called ‘overgeneralizing’, where people draw a negative conclusion from an event and tend to apply the same to every other situation they endure. They try to generalize negative conclusions derived from an occurrence to everything that happens in their life. There is also something called ‘catastrophizing’, where people try to exaggerate and extrapolate the scope and scale of a disastrous event or a negative conclusion.

How does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy work?

Cognitive Therapy helps identify distortive thought patterns and influence the behavior of the person. CBT for anxiety works to challenge and replace such negative thoughts with positive, constructive thought patterns. CBT therapy intervenes in the three important aspects that influence mental health –

• Thoughts,
• Feelings,
• Situations,
• Actions, and
• Behaviors.

Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is beneficial not just for the person who is enduring stress and depression, but also to family and friends.

• The therapy is very affordable and can also be taken in groups. So, if you are looking for cheaper options to treat stress, depression, and other behavioral disorders, CBT therapy is an optimal solution.
• CBT therapy requires less time than other therapies and treatment options. They take anywhere between 5 and 20 weeks, and each session lasts for about 30 to 60 minutes.
• The chances of relapse are lower when compared to other therapies. People who are exposed to CBT therapy are proven to yield long-term results. CBT therapies yield better results when compared to consuming antidepressants or other therapies.

There are various types of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. Important among them include the following.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapies are optimal for people experiencing phobias and other disorders like panic, post-traumatic stress, and Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In exposure therapy, the therapist induces anxiety in your mind for a specific time period. The therapist also creates an environment where individuals feel safe and unjudged to reveal their feared activities or situations.

This was initially used to treat Borderline Personality Disorders (BPD). It helps people develop mindfulness and tolerance to distraction and stress by educating them on the advantages and disadvantages of tolerating stress. This way people can prepare themselves to handle situations that involve intense emotions and behaviors. It is also a form of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Cognitive Therapy involves recognizing, challenging, and changing distorted thought processes, behaviors, and responses. Through cognitive structuring, people can develop abilities to examine negative thought patterns and deal with problematic situations.

Through this, therapists help people understand that emotions and behaviors are developed in response to certain situations and that they should not be allowed to exert a negative influence on their life in the longer run. This is particularly used to treat anxiety, depression, psychosis, eating disorders, stress, and so on.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapies can be used to treat several mental health conditions. Some of them include the following.

• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Bipolar disorders
• Phobias
• Anger management
• OCD – Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder

If you or your loved ones are experiencing the aforementioned symptoms, you may look for one at Abhasa, the best rehabilitation center in India. We offer in-person therapies and online consultations to treat several mental health conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, phobias, panic disorders, depression, and so on.