Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people to identify and change unhelpful and destructive thought patterns that negatively influence one’s emotions and behaviors. Yet CBT is about more than identifying thought patterns; it’s focused on using a wide range of strategies to help people overcome these thoughts.
The goals of CBT include:
- identifying specific problems or issues in your daily life
- recognizing negative thought patterns and beliefs, and how they impact your life
- challenging negative though patterns and beliefs and reshaping them in a way that changes how you feel
- replacing negative thought patterns and beliefs with more objective, realistic ones.
- utilizing strategies such as journaling, role-playing, relaxation techniques, or mental distractions to overcome negative thought patterns and beliefs.
Cognitive Restructuring – unraveling cognitive distortions
CBT focuses on changing habitual ways of thinking or automatic negative thoughts that are often inaccurate and negatively biased. When people experience thoughts or feelings that reinforce flawed beliefs, it can contribute to and worsen emotional struggles, anxiety and depression and lead to problematic behaviors that can affect daily life.
Cognitive restructuring involves taking a hard look at negative and distorted thought patterns. These patterns of faulty thinking convince us that something is true when it is not. Perhaps you tend to over-generalize, assume the worst will happen, or place far too much importance on minor details. Thinking this way can affect what you do and it can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy. To unravel them, you will learn how to recognize negative thought patterns and present beliefs and how to challenge them. Once you’re aware of them, you can begin to reframe those thoughts, so they are more positive and productive.
If you would like to learn how to examine your thoughts and how they affect how you feel and respond, I can provide you with the guidance and support to help you get back on track and better deal with stressful and overwhelming emotions.