Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: How it Might Benefit You
In today’s society, the idea of “therapy” has become quite common. While in some places the word may still carry a stigma, in many areas therapy is actually quite commonplace. Many of us may know someone personally who sees a therapist, or may even engage in therapy ourselves, for a wide array of reasons. But how much do we actually know about therapy? Rather than therapy being a “one size fits all” situation, there are many different schools of and approaches to therapy, making it a highly personalized experience. We will examine today cognitive behavioral therapy specifically; what it is, what makes it unique, and who it may help.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, often abbreviated as CBT, was developed in the 1960s by psychiatrist Aaron Beck. It is a unique type of therapy that integrates aspects of both psychotherapy and behavioral therapy. It functions by targeting dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors, and focuses on reforming and correcting them to improve the patient’s well-being. CBT is a goal-oriented type of therapy that focuses more on finding solutions to whatever may be troubling the patient. This characteristic differentiates it from more traditional, Freudian psychoanalysis, in which sources of trauma are evaluated in an attempt to identify the origin of the patient’s troubles. In CBT, however, the focus is very much on the patient’s thoughts at the moment, and teaching individuals to identify CBT strives to integrate various approaches that focus both on individuals' thinking patterns as well as the connection between behavior and thought in an attempt to create a very well-rounded approach to therapy.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can be used in the treatment of a wide range of problems, including anxiety, depression, phobias, bulimia, PTSD, sleeping problems, and drug abuse. Aside from the wide-range of afflictions it can aid one in recovering from, it is typically short-term. Often, patients attend hourly, weekly therapy sessions from between 5 and 10 months. This makes CBT attractive to many patients, as it can be easily integrated into their lives. Because of CBT’s short-term nature, however, it is usually not the most adept at treating seriously debilitating, long-term issues. However, one can learn various approaches to change their behaviors and ways of thinking through attending Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, which can aid a person suffering from any type or degree of problem.
While it is true that in some cases CBT can be as effective as a physical medication, this is not true for all people or all afflictions. Like anything else, CBT comes with limitations and disadvantages, and cannot be taken as a definitive “cure.” For instance, since CBT focuses very much on how one can change their own behaviors to better their happiness, it often does not confront or give ways of correcting a person’s wider environment and relationships, which may very well influence their thoughts and behaviors. Also, it may be difficult for some to address their own ways of thinking and their anxieties, which can greatly limit the effectiveness of the therapy. And while for some, the fact that CBT does not confront underlying emotional traumas is a positive, as they do not have to relive emotionally trying situations, others argue that this limits the effectiveness of the therapy.
No matter the severity of the problem one is facing, if an individual believes that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy may be helpful to them, they are encouraged to reach out and find a therapist. Even if the problem seems unorthodox, in that it is not usually treated through therapy, CBT is widely useful in that it teaches skills that can be applied to a vast array of emotional difficulties. One should never hesitate to test approaches to improve their mental or emotional health should they think they need it, and for many, CBT offers an effective, short-term alternative.
References:
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610