Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Using CBT to change your negative automatic thoughts

By making connections between what you do, what you think and what you feel, CBT may enable you to make changes in the way you think (“Cognitive”) and the way you act (“Behaviour)”.  Changing what you think will influence what you do and feel, and changing what you do, may influence what you think and feel.  Modifying these connections may make you feel better.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on the present moment

Although there may be lessons to be learnt from past behaviour or experiences, CBT mostly focuses on looking for ways to improve your mental wellbeing in the here and now.

Applying CBT to help you change your interpretations of events

In CBT terms it’s not the event which causes your emotions, but how you translate that event – what you think or the meaning you give to an event or situation.

As an example, if someone you know passes you in the street without saying hello or nodding to you; you can take it a couple of ways.  You may think they don’t like you anymore (and feel depressed); your thought may be that you hope they don’t stop to talk to you, because you won’t know what to say (anxiety), or you may think they are being snobby (leading to anger).  A more balanced thought might be that they were so preoccupied with their own thoughts that they just didn’t notice you.

Another example may be waking up in the morning and because it is dull outside you think “it’s going to be awful day today”, “I’m going to be fed-up”, or “What’s the point of anything?”.  This kind of thinking may lead to negative thoughts and negative actions making you feel even more miserable and, therefore, you chose escape back into sleep.  It’s very likely that this will increase your negativity and make you less likely to have a happy, fulfilled day.  A vicious cycle ensues – continuing to think and act the same way will maintain your negativity, anxiety, depression or low self-esteem.

CBT can help you to break the vicious cycle

When you understand the cycle clearly, I can help you change your unhelpful thoughts – and therefore change the way you feel.  I can also help you to look at the way your thoughts and feelings affect your body, and the physical sensations you may experience.  Things such as headaches; palpitations or stomach ache.

Different emotions are often associated with particular types of thoughts:

As an example, if you are depressed you may feel you are worthless and that nothing will ever change.  If you are anxious you may feel that something awful will happen and you won’t cope and if you are angry you may feel life is unfair or that you have been disrespected.

The goal of CBT

Through the use of CBT, I can help you get you to a point where you can work out your own ways of tackling problems. This is done through me helping you to identify your negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours, then recognising that just because you have a negative thought it doesn’t necessarily mean the thought is true.

What issues does CBT help?

Cognitive behaviour therapy can be very powerful for issues such as depression, anxiety panic attacks and low self-esteem.  However, it also plays a part in weight loss, and smoking cessation.  My clients’ feel it is even more powerful when reinforced by hypnotherapy.