Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive Therapy is structured way of changing your thinking, and it helps with all sorts of mood disorders. And it is quick, effective, and long lasting. For minor mood problems Cognitive Therapy may work faster and last longer than medication. Plus you can do it on yourself .
For a brief but accurate summary of how it works, you can find a short book on the essentials by clicking here.
For a brief but accurate summary of how it works, you can find a short book on the essentials by clicking here.
Cognitive Behavourial Therapy Overview.
Everybody had automatic thoughts , sometimes called self-talk. And tends to believe the automatic talk. Especially when it is negative about ourself. It seems one of the perverse facts of human nature that we are always quicker to believe bad things about ourselves than the good things.
Cognitive Therapy teaches how to modify our behaviours to focus a little bit more on the good things.
Cognitive Therapy teaches how to modify our behaviours to focus a little bit more on the good things.
"It's Easier to Believe the Bad Stuff"
It is always easier to believe the bad stuff about yourself. CBT teaches you to think of the good stuff
Many of you will remember this movie. Because the sentiment hits close to home. Click on the picture to see it most eloquently expressed.
Keeping an Automatic Thought Record (ATR)
An important part of CBT is keeping Automatic Thought Records. An Automatic Thought record (see below) is a one-page chart that allows you to capture key pieces of information to which you can apply CBT strategies. The purpose of keeping this record is to help you catch your automatic thoughts, recognize the feelings that go along with them, and work on balancing out your thinking towards modifying your mood.
The Automatic Thought Record has six columns within which you are asked to enter certain information such as Date and Time, the Situation, your Automatic Thoughts, and so forth. There are also some bulleted prompts to help you remember the specific details you need. It may look like there are a lot of things to do on this chart, but we'll take it a step at a time. It will take a little patience, and perhaps some fumbling through from time to time, but you can do it!
You can download your own Automatic Thought Record as a .pdf file.
A similar batch of worksheets, with a little more comprehensive explanation can be found by clicking here.
Doing this well takes some patience and practice, but if you stick with it you will be very pleasantly surprised at the results you can get. It is common for people to initially express doubt that this technique will work for them. They may say things like, "How can this possibly help me to feel better?" or they otherwise express disbelief that it is possible to change their moods at all. However, people who work with this technique get to the point where they become quite adept at catching their Automatic Thoughts, responding to them, and modifying their mood without even needing to use the record any longer.
We will work step by step through how to properly use your Automatic Thought Record. Notice at the top that you are prompted to fill one out when you notice that your mood has become worse. When you do, it is helpful to ask yourself, "What am I thinking and feeling right now?" You want to capture what is going through your mind just as soon as you can and get it down onto paper. If you wait hours or days to fill out your Automatic Thought Record, you will lose precious information as the details of the moment will certainly fade away.
An important part of CBT is keeping Automatic Thought Records. An Automatic Thought record (see below) is a one-page chart that allows you to capture key pieces of information to which you can apply CBT strategies. The purpose of keeping this record is to help you catch your automatic thoughts, recognize the feelings that go along with them, and work on balancing out your thinking towards modifying your mood.
The Automatic Thought Record has six columns within which you are asked to enter certain information such as Date and Time, the Situation, your Automatic Thoughts, and so forth. There are also some bulleted prompts to help you remember the specific details you need. It may look like there are a lot of things to do on this chart, but we'll take it a step at a time. It will take a little patience, and perhaps some fumbling through from time to time, but you can do it!
You can download your own Automatic Thought Record as a .pdf file.
A similar batch of worksheets, with a little more comprehensive explanation can be found by clicking here.
Doing this well takes some patience and practice, but if you stick with it you will be very pleasantly surprised at the results you can get. It is common for people to initially express doubt that this technique will work for them. They may say things like, "How can this possibly help me to feel better?" or they otherwise express disbelief that it is possible to change their moods at all. However, people who work with this technique get to the point where they become quite adept at catching their Automatic Thoughts, responding to them, and modifying their mood without even needing to use the record any longer.
We will work step by step through how to properly use your Automatic Thought Record. Notice at the top that you are prompted to fill one out when you notice that your mood has become worse. When you do, it is helpful to ask yourself, "What am I thinking and feeling right now?" You want to capture what is going through your mind just as soon as you can and get it down onto paper. If you wait hours or days to fill out your Automatic Thought Record, you will lose precious information as the details of the moment will certainly fade away.
Self Help Books
There are literally dozens of self help books about CBT. Read half a dozen and I am sure you will start to feel more cheerful in no time ! Click on the picture for some examples of the better ones.
Cognitive Therapy Works better than Classical Psychotherapy
People tend to think that psychotherapy is laying back on a catch talking to Freud about what you want to have sex with your gerbil or why you hate your parents. That works, but CBT works better and faster, and you don't have to talk about your childhood. Plus it can be done by computer ! ( Check out the Mood Gym - a computer web side that does Cognitive Therapy )
And here is a study showing that computers can indeed do CBT rather well.
Here is a video that explains a bit how CBT works
And here is a study showing that computers can indeed do CBT rather well.
Here is a video that explains a bit how CBT works