Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is a treatment approach that helps you recognize negative or unhelpful thought and behavior patterns, and learn to change them.
As you identify and explore the ways your emotions and thoughts can affect your actions, you can notice the patterns, and then begin learning how to change your behaviors and develop new coping strategies.
According to the American Psychological Association, the core concepts of CBT include:
- psychological issues are partly based on unhelpful ways of thinking
- psychological issues are partly based on learned patterns of behavior
- those living with these issues can improve with better coping mechanisms and management to help relieve their symptoms
THE CYCLE OF THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS
Here’s a closer look at how thoughts and emotions can influence behavior — in a positive or negative way:
- Inaccurate or negative perceptions or thoughts contribute to emotional distress and mental health concerns.
- These thoughts and the resulting distress sometimes lead to unhelpful or harmful behaviors.
- Eventually, these thoughts and resulting behaviors can become a pattern that repeats itself.
- Learning how to address and change these patterns can help you deal with problems as they arise, which can help reduce future distress.