Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is an evidence based short-term, problem-focused form of treatment that helps people develop and understanding of the interaction between beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, identify maladaptive thought and behavioral patterns and adopt new strategies to challenge such thoughts and behaviors, leading to enhanced mood states and adaptive behaviors.
CBT is grounded in the belief that it is a person’s perception of events – rather than the events themselves – that determines how he or she will feel and act in response.
With CBT, you’ll be able to adjust the thoughts that directly influence your emotions and behavior. This adjustment process is referred to as cognitive reconstructing, which happens through different CBT techniques.
CBT can help with:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Phobias
- Obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD)
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Substance dependency
- Persistent pain
- Disordered eating
- Sexual issues
- Anger management issues
Most people with clearly defined behavioral and emotional concerns tend to reap the benefits of CBT. If any of the above issues resonate with you, I encourage you to try cognitive behavioral therapy.