One of the often-cited benefits of CBT is that it can work quickly. Some people achieve their goals in just a few sessions; for others, the process can take a year or more. Some of the people who report rapid progress tell me it's because they feel more aware--aware of their own thoughts, feelings or even just the "issue" that brought them to therapy.
There are many paths to awareness: meditation, yoga, reading and group therapy are but a few. In CBT, people often start to increase their awareness by noticing their thoughts, or more specifically, their automatic thoughts.
Psychiatrist Aaron Beck coined the term automatic thoughts after noticing something interesting. His patients' moods, such as sadness or nervousness, didn't always match the thoughts that they were expressing to him. He discovered that people often have two streams of thought going at any given time--thoughts they are fully conscious of, and others that happen "automatically," without any real acknowledgement or reflection. People notice the moods that happen as a result of these automatic thoughts, but they don't stop to articulate or question the thoughts themselves.
CBT helps people get into the habit of noticing their automatic thoughts. You can try this the next time you experience a strong emotion, and aren't sure why. Ask yourself, "What was going through my mind when I started to feel this way?" Other questions to try include "What does this situation mean to me?" or "What do I think this says about my life?"
Identifying these thoughts is the first step. In CBT, people also learn how to evaluate their thoughts for accuracy. Of course, some thoughts are 100 percent accurate. But when depression or anxiety is part of the picture, people often focus on the worst or most scary things they can think of. CBT can help broaden the view, helping people see their lives in the most realistic, balanced way possible. They may still feel sadness or worry, but their feelings will be more appropriate to the situation.
And it all starts with awareness.
Showing posts with label Aaron Beck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aaron Beck. Show all posts
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
What's it like to be in CBT?
If you imagine therapy as a place to lie on a couch and talk endlessly about your problems, then you may be surprised by CBT. Mental health pioneers like Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis had something very different in mind when they developed what has come to be known as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
First, CBT is a partnership between client and therapist. They work together throughout therapy to help the client achieve change. The therapist is not an all-knowing guru who imparts wisdom on the client, but more like a collaborator in the process of gathering data. The data is then used to help the client move forward toward their goals.
Second, CBT is an active therapy. The therapist routinely assigns homework to help the client learn more about themselves and to try new behaviors. Homework fits with CBT’s goal of having the client become their own therapist, since the client is practicing CBT on themselves each time they do an assignment. Homework can also be used to gather that all-important data mentioned above.
Third, CBT is solution-focused. Even if someone is depressed and is always thinking negatively, some of their thoughts may be 100 percent accurate. In these cases, the therapist helps the client to learn problem-solving skills. These skills can lead the client toward new behaviors, which in turn might help them to see things differently than they normally would.
Fourth, CBT is time-limited. This means that instead of taking the years required by some types of psychoanalysis, CBT is usually much briefer. The length of therapy is driven by the client’s progress toward specific goals. Eight to twelve sessions is often all it takes to help people achieve the changes they seek.
Finally, CBT is present- and future-oriented. This stands in contrast to a focus on the client’s past or childhood. The past can certainly be considered in CBT, but usually as a way of informing the client’s current way of thinking or acting. The idea is to make changes in the present, with an eye toward future goals.
First, CBT is a partnership between client and therapist. They work together throughout therapy to help the client achieve change. The therapist is not an all-knowing guru who imparts wisdom on the client, but more like a collaborator in the process of gathering data. The data is then used to help the client move forward toward their goals.
Second, CBT is an active therapy. The therapist routinely assigns homework to help the client learn more about themselves and to try new behaviors. Homework fits with CBT’s goal of having the client become their own therapist, since the client is practicing CBT on themselves each time they do an assignment. Homework can also be used to gather that all-important data mentioned above.
Third, CBT is solution-focused. Even if someone is depressed and is always thinking negatively, some of their thoughts may be 100 percent accurate. In these cases, the therapist helps the client to learn problem-solving skills. These skills can lead the client toward new behaviors, which in turn might help them to see things differently than they normally would.
Fourth, CBT is time-limited. This means that instead of taking the years required by some types of psychoanalysis, CBT is usually much briefer. The length of therapy is driven by the client’s progress toward specific goals. Eight to twelve sessions is often all it takes to help people achieve the changes they seek.
Finally, CBT is present- and future-oriented. This stands in contrast to a focus on the client’s past or childhood. The past can certainly be considered in CBT, but usually as a way of informing the client’s current way of thinking or acting. The idea is to make changes in the present, with an eye toward future goals.
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