Whether you are suffering from a mild depression or major depression, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help with healing the condition. CBT uses a combination of behavioral and cognitive techniques to help you identify and replace negative thoughts with positive beneficial ones. CBT was developed in the 1960-s by psychiatrist Aaron Beck. He was disillusioned with Freudian psychoanalysis and wanted to explore more empirical forms of therapy. He based his work on Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior therapy (REBT). | |
CBT is goal-oriented and involves structured sessions. These sessions generally last 50 to 55 minutes. In addition to tasks that you conduct during your meeting with the therapist, you will also be given homework assignments. These assignments are designed to help you apply the principles that are taught during your therapy sessions.
During your sessions, your therapist will try to identify the situations that may be contributing to your depression. He or she will also encourage you to talk about your feelings. The goal of such CBT sessions is to help you learn to assess your emotional mindset. To help you understand your actions by understanding the thoughts and emotions behind them. By doing do, you will start to understand how your repressed and blocked emotions play an important role in your mental makeup.
Our beliefs and emotions govern our thoughts and ultimately our thoughts channel our actions and behavior. So, by understanding the underlying emotional challenges during CBT sessions, you can learn various resolution and coping skills and ultimately learn to live in balance.
Often, people with depression focus on just one negative issue, or take things personally. They may even experience a lowered sense of energy. CBT can help you change these thought patterns and develop healthier habits.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can also help you learn to manage your emotions, which in turn will help you to overcome depression. CBT can also help you to improve your inter-personal skills and because of this, improve your relationships.
CBT is one of the most effective forms of treatment for depression. It can also be helpful for other psychological problems, such as anxiety and substance use disorder.