What is Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies ?
Rooted in the belief that thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interrelated, CBT is a highly structured and goal-oriented form of therapy that aims to help individuals overcome emotional and psychological challenges by addressing these interconnected components.
Cognitive therapy
In cognitive therapy, the focus is on identifying and modifying distorted or irrational thought patterns that contribute to emotional distress. This process involves helping clients recognize and challenge their negative beliefs and cognitive biases. By reshaping these thought patterns, individuals can experience more balanced and constructive emotional responses. For instance, a person might respond to a trauma in several ways. They can take it sportingly or they can sink further into self-destructive practices and thoughts. Cognitive therapy equips one to construe a constructive response to the external world. Cognitive therapy helps patients substitute and supersede their negative and murky thought patterns with positive and more helpful ones. This mode of therapy is particularly effective in the treatment of depression and anxiety.
Behavioural therapy
Behavioural therapy, on the other hand, concentrates on the modification of problematic behaviours through techniques like systematic desensitization, exposure therapy, and operant conditioning. Behavioural therapists work with clients to identify maladaptive behaviours and replace them with healthier alternatives, effectively changing the way they respond to various situations. Hence, the CBT therapist helps the patients cultivate a more constructive set of habits, like: reading, journaling, picking up a hobby and so on, in place of self-destructive impulses of different kinds. Behavioural therapy is specifically suited to the treatment of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorders), Phobias, ADHD and substance use disorder.
The combined approach, aka cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT combines cognitive and behavioural techniques to offer a comprehensive approach to psychological issues. It is widely used to treat conditions such as anxiety, depression, phobias, and stress. The effectiveness of CBT lies in its structured, evidence-based nature, making it a popular and empirically supported choice for individuals seeking practical solutions to psychological challenges. Overall, cognitive and behavioural therapies empower individuals to gain greater control over their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, leading to improved mental well-being and enhanced coping strategies. People suffering from stress disorders, often tend to make it worse due to poor coping mechanism. CBT helps the clients break free from the vicious thought-feeling behavioural cycle.
Third-wave CBT
Third-wave CBT is a new development on the traditional CBT therapy. It combines two modes of therapy, aka ACT (Acceptance and commitment Theory) and DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy). ACT, or acceptance & commitment theory, encourages the clients to accept and make peace with their distressful thoughts. ACT therapy orients the patient to step outside themselves and look at themselves from a distance. So, previously, what was ‘I can’t succeed at anything’ becomes ‘I am having a thought that I never succeed at anything’. This kind of externalization, or looking at yourself in a journalistic manner, alleviates the suffering and maintains a stable self of inner awareness despite the disruptions of the external stimuli. This process is often termed as ‘Cognitive defusion’, where you distance yourself from the interpretations of your mind and just observe.
CPT (Cognitive processing therapy)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a well-established, evidence-based therapeutic approach primarily designed to help individuals struggling with the aftermath of traumatic events, particularly those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Developed by Dr. Patricia Resick, CPT is grounded in cognitive-behavioural principles and is widely used in the field of mental health.
CPT focuses on helping individuals understand and reframe their thoughts and beliefs about the traumatic experience, with the goal of reducing the distressing symptoms associated with PTSD, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance. During CPT, clients work with a trained therapist to identify and challenge unhelpful cognitive distortions, such as guilt, shame, and self-blame, that may result from the trauma.
The therapy typically consists of a structured 12-week program involving psychoeducation, writing exercises, and discussions aimed at promoting cognitive restructuring. Through this process, individuals can gain a better understanding of their traumatic experiences, develop healthier coping strategies, and ultimately reclaim a sense of control over their lives. CPT has proven to be an effective and valuable resource in helping survivors of trauma recover and heal.
REBT (Rational emotive behaviour therapy)
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by psychologist Albert Ellis in the mid-20th century. It is based on the premise that our emotional and behavioural responses are primarily influenced by our beliefs and thoughts rather than external events. REBT seeks to help individuals identify and challenge irrational beliefs and replace them with more rational, constructive ones.
At the core of REBT is the ABC model, which stands for Activating events, Beliefs, and Consequences. This model suggests that when an activating event occurs, our beliefs about that event lead to emotional and behavioural consequences. Through REBT, individuals learn to recognize and dispute irrational beliefs that lead to negative emotions like anxiety and depression, replacing them with rational, healthier beliefs.
Mindfulness
In CBT, mindfulness is integrated to help individuals become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, fostering self-understanding and self-regulation. Clients are encouraged to apply mindfulness techniques like mindful breathing and meditation to observe their automatic thought patterns and emotional responses without judgment. This heightened awareness enables them to challenge and reframe irrational beliefs, leading to healthier cognitive and behavioural outcomes. Mindfulness tactics in CBT contribute to greater emotional resilience, improved coping skills, and a more balanced perspective, making it a powerful combination for addressing various mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders.
Cognitive therapy
In cognitive therapy, the focus is on identifying and modifying distorted or irrational thought patterns that contribute to emotional distress. This process involves helping clients recognize and challenge their negative beliefs and cognitive biases. By reshaping these thought patterns, individuals can experience more balanced and constructive emotional responses. For instance, a person might respond to a trauma in several ways. They can take it sportingly or they can sink further into self-destructive practices and thoughts. Cognitive therapy equips one to construe a constructive response to the external world. Cognitive therapy helps patients substitute and supersede their negative and murky thought patterns with positive and more helpful ones. This mode of therapy is particularly effective in the treatment of depression and anxiety.
Behavioural therapy
Behavioural therapy, on the other hand, concentrates on the modification of problematic behaviours through techniques like systematic desensitization, exposure therapy, and operant conditioning. Behavioural therapists work with clients to identify maladaptive behaviours and replace them with healthier alternatives, effectively changing the way they respond to various situations. Hence, the CBT therapist helps the patients cultivate a more constructive set of habits, like: reading, journaling, picking up a hobby and so on, in place of self-destructive impulses of different kinds. Behavioural therapy is specifically suited to the treatment of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorders), Phobias, ADHD and substance use disorder.
The combined approach, aka cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT combines cognitive and behavioural techniques to offer a comprehensive approach to psychological issues. It is widely used to treat conditions such as anxiety, depression, phobias, and stress. The effectiveness of CBT lies in its structured, evidence-based nature, making it a popular and empirically supported choice for individuals seeking practical solutions to psychological challenges. Overall, cognitive and behavioural therapies empower individuals to gain greater control over their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, leading to improved mental well-being and enhanced coping strategies. People suffering from stress disorders, often tend to make it worse due to poor coping mechanism. CBT helps the clients break free from the vicious thought-feeling behavioural cycle.
Third-wave CBT
Third-wave CBT is a new development on the traditional CBT therapy. It combines two modes of therapy, aka ACT (Acceptance and commitment Theory) and DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy). ACT, or acceptance & commitment theory, encourages the clients to accept and make peace with their distressful thoughts. ACT therapy orients the patient to step outside themselves and look at themselves from a distance. So, previously, what was ‘I can’t succeed at anything’ becomes ‘I am having a thought that I never succeed at anything’. This kind of externalization, or looking at yourself in a journalistic manner, alleviates the suffering and maintains a stable self of inner awareness despite the disruptions of the external stimuli. This process is often termed as ‘Cognitive defusion’, where you distance yourself from the interpretations of your mind and just observe.
CPT (Cognitive processing therapy)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a well-established, evidence-based therapeutic approach primarily designed to help individuals struggling with the aftermath of traumatic events, particularly those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Developed by Dr. Patricia Resick, CPT is grounded in cognitive-behavioural principles and is widely used in the field of mental health.
CPT focuses on helping individuals understand and reframe their thoughts and beliefs about the traumatic experience, with the goal of reducing the distressing symptoms associated with PTSD, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance. During CPT, clients work with a trained therapist to identify and challenge unhelpful cognitive distortions, such as guilt, shame, and self-blame, that may result from the trauma.
The therapy typically consists of a structured 12-week program involving psychoeducation, writing exercises, and discussions aimed at promoting cognitive restructuring. Through this process, individuals can gain a better understanding of their traumatic experiences, develop healthier coping strategies, and ultimately reclaim a sense of control over their lives. CPT has proven to be an effective and valuable resource in helping survivors of trauma recover and heal.
REBT (Rational emotive behaviour therapy)
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by psychologist Albert Ellis in the mid-20th century. It is based on the premise that our emotional and behavioural responses are primarily influenced by our beliefs and thoughts rather than external events. REBT seeks to help individuals identify and challenge irrational beliefs and replace them with more rational, constructive ones.
At the core of REBT is the ABC model, which stands for Activating events, Beliefs, and Consequences. This model suggests that when an activating event occurs, our beliefs about that event lead to emotional and behavioural consequences. Through REBT, individuals learn to recognize and dispute irrational beliefs that lead to negative emotions like anxiety and depression, replacing them with rational, healthier beliefs.
Mindfulness
In CBT, mindfulness is integrated to help individuals become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, fostering self-understanding and self-regulation. Clients are encouraged to apply mindfulness techniques like mindful breathing and meditation to observe their automatic thought patterns and emotional responses without judgment. This heightened awareness enables them to challenge and reframe irrational beliefs, leading to healthier cognitive and behavioural outcomes. Mindfulness tactics in CBT contribute to greater emotional resilience, improved coping skills, and a more balanced perspective, making it a powerful combination for addressing various mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders.