What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Depression?
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If you’re hip on the mental health scene, you may already be familiar with cognitive behavioral therapy. As a type of talk therapy, aka psychotherapy, CBT is the practice of working to change your thought patterns.
As someone who struggles with depression, cognitive behavioral therapy has changed my life in many ways. I’ve found that with rigorous determination and the guidance of my therapist, CBT has altered the way I perceive and react to my thoughts.
Do you think that cognitive behavioral therapy could be the right approach for you? Let’s dive in deeper and get to the root of how it works and the positive impact it has on the seekers of better mental health.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
The 101 Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Considering that I’m a patient, not a psychotherapist, I’m going to refer to various sources of research to be able to properly define cognitive behavioral therapy.
According to Medical News Today, “Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a short term therapy technique that can help people find new ways to behave by changing their thought patterns. Engaging with CBT can help people reduce stress, cope with complicated relationships, deal with grief and face many other common life challenges.”
Essentially, CBT works by way of interpretation. How we think and interpret what happens to us is directly related to how we feel. So, if we can in some ways “rewire” our brain to assess and interpret our situation and experiences differently, then we can ultimately change how we feel and process our emotions. Sounds like a good deal, right?
“The American Psychological Association notes that CBT is based on a number of beliefs:
Unhelpful ways that people think can lead to psychological problems.
If people learn unhelpful behavior, this too, can lead to psychological issues.
People can learn more beneficial ways of thinking and behaving
New habits can relieve symptoms of mental and physical condition.”
What’s most important about CBT is that it, “focuses on present-day challenges, thoughts and behaviors.” If you’re bogged down by depression, like me, you understand that triggers are often accompanied by overwhelming sadness and a feeling of disinterest in one’s life. And, more times than none, depression is linked to negative feelings regarding the past.
While anxiety on the other hand, twists its ugly head to the future - a feeling of worry and panic so severe that it can often interfere with your daily life.
If depression is the past and anxiety is the future, cognitive behavioral therapy is the present that allows the patient to ground themselves in their thoughts and actions that they can currently control. In essence, CBT aims to give you back the reins to your life.
How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Depression Work?
“CBT is a problem-specific, goal-orientated approach. It is also time-limited, meaning the person knows when a course will end.” - Medical News Today
The time limit that is set for CBT is most likely what makes it so effective. Personally, I’m someone who frames my life based on achievable goals within a certain period of time. Of course, you can always adjust your expectations when needed, but I find that by setting a desired outcome and having some kind of glimpse of the finish line, allows me to keep myself on track and accountable.
Therefore, for me - cognitive behavioral therapy works. And, if you’re looking for an approach that is crafted to give you tangible progress, then it just may be the type of therapy for you too.
The one aspect of CBT that differs from other therapeutic approaches is that it isn’t built to be long lasting. Now, you could seek CBT several times over the course of a few years - but most likely, each bucket of sessions would be focused on a unique problem area. If CBT is done right, after your standard 20 weeks of session, you should be able to move forward on your own guidance and accord.
Can You Do Cognitive Behavioral Therapy On Your Own?
Medical News Today says, “CBT is a collaborative therapy, requiring the individual and counselor to work together. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the person eventually learns to become their own therapist.”
As you can see, the end goal is to teach yourself how to think and process, so that you can move in the direction of actual change. And in turn, give you the tools and insight you need to become your own therapist.
To sum it up, let’s take a look at what you can learn during a course of CBT. This list is from Medical News Today:
Identify problems more clearly
Develop an awareness of automatic thoughts
Challenged underlying assumptions that may be wrong
Distinguish between facts and irrational thoughts
Understand how past experience can affect present feelings and beliefs
Stop fearing the worst
See a situation from a different perspective
Better understand other people’s actions and motivations
Develop a more positive way of thinking and seeing situations
Become more aware of their own mood
Establish attainable goals
Avoid generalizations and all or nothing thinking
That list is quite expansive and shows that CBT is definitely not a single method approach. Therefore, it’s safe to say that cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective, multi-level treatment.
Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Right For You?
Now that the research has been presented, what do you think? Is CBT just the type of therapy you’ve been looking for? Although I can’t make the decision for you, you’re the only one who knows what’s going on inside that brain of yours, I can give you my final two cents.
In my personal situation, I am aware that depression is going to be a challenge that I battle on a daily basis. And, I’ve fully accepted that strengthening and nursing my mental health will be a lifelong job. With such self awareness, I’m fully committed to finding solutions and techniques that help me process and deal with my thoughts and emotions. I can say with confidence that CBT has done just that.
So, if you’re looking for a targeted approach to therapy that can help you change your thoughts for the better, I urge you to talk to your therapist about cognitive behavioral therapy options. There are plenty of options around the country and you should search out the program that will work best for you.
Let’s make space for a world built on better mental health. Wishing you the best of luck in your journey.