What is CBT?
The world of therapy is big. There are a lot of different approaches that clinicians take, and they receive different kinds of training in each. So it can be a little confusing to know which is right and how to access it.
There are a number of effective therapies. One increasingly common approach is called cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT. CBT is the one of the most carefully studied, evidence-based approaches. It helps people dealing with a wide variety of issues, ranging from depression and anxiety to problems with body image and substance abuse. Rigorous data say that it can reduce symptoms and have positive long term effects on functioning.
So how does it work?
CBT is based on the premise that a lot of the psychological tension we face stems from unhelpful thoughts or behaviors. As a result, many tools and methods in CBT focus on identifying certain thoughts and understanding them better. For example, one CBT exercise involves identifying “distortions” in our thoughts. There are several types of distortions. For example, take the thought, “I missed another question on this Stats exam, I’m never going to make it in this major.” The “I’m never going to make it” is an example of all-or-nothing thinking, a type of distortion that CBT helps identify. More likely, you’re not going to fail the exam or be doomed in the major from missing that one question. But we regularly tell ourselves thoughts like this — things that we wouldn’t say to a friend who missed the same question. The thought is black and white, so it creates a false dichotomy and unneeded tension.
In this way, CBT is also an exercise in mindfulness and positivity. In fact, there are several variations of CBT that therapists use to focus on specific problem areas like relationships or addiction.
What’s the science?
Studies on the effects of CBT have been followed by studies on how it affects the brain’s structure. The results: these therapies can change our neurobiology in good ways. It helps the brain function in areas of our brain that have been affected, and can even recruit new areas of the brain. If we think of the thought patterns in the brain traveling across synapses as a sled travels down a hill, the more we sled down a particular path, the deeper that path becomes, the easier to travel down. If we can improve our awareness of thoughts and the distortions within them, it creates the possibility that we can exercise more control over which path that thought pattern travels down, even if the path is deep.
Want to learn more?
CBT is one of many kinds of therapy, but since its efficacy has been studied more, it gets due attention. If you want to learn more, several notable books are helpful resources and go in depth.
The Anti-Depressant Book, by Jacob Towery
Feeling Good, by David Burns
The Anxiety and Worry Workbook, by David Clark and Aaron Beck
