Stigma still exists even if the topic of mental health and the importance of speaking up is being normalized. This is making it difficult to live with a mental condition that needs the attention of a medical professional.
Cognitive behavioral therapy NYC aims to help manage mental health problems in a more personal way. It helps you manage problems by helping you recognize how your thoughts can affect your feelings and behavior.
It is also known as talking therapy because a cognitive behavioral therapist will help you express your thoughts on your overwhelming problems and break them down into smaller parts that are easier to manage.
Understanding CBT
CBT combines a cognitive approach with a behavioral approach to deal with common health conditions, like depression and anxiety. It is considered the most popular form of talk therapy.
A CBT therapist works with you to help you focus on the “here and how” during the treatment. You will learn how recognizing past events may have shaped your thinking and behaviors. Then your therapist will teach you how to adapt and manage your thoughts.
You will understand how both the cognitive and behavioral processes affect one another on the issue you are facing. This understanding will eventually lead to what can be done to change them.
Who May Benefit From CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is particularly helpful for individuals with specific issues. It helps you become aware of negative thinking, learn how to view your challenges more clearly, and how to respond to them in a more effective way. If you are experiencing the following issues, you may benefit from CBT:
- Depression and/or anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Eating disorder
- Addiction
- Sleeping problems, such as insomnia
- Fear or phobia
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- A desire to change behavior
- Long-standing health problems like chronic pain
- Sexual disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorders
Why CBT is Being Done
There is a wide range of issues that CBT can address. It is a preferred type of psychotherapy that can help you identify and cope with specific challenges. CBT is a useful tool to help you cope with emotional challenges and lower stress levels. According to Mayo Clinic, it may help you:
- Manage symptoms of mental illness
- Prevent a relapse of mental illness symptoms
- Treat a mental illness when medications aren’t a good option
- Learn techniques for coping with stressful life situations
- Identify ways to manage emotions
- Resolve relationships conflicts and learn better ways to communicate
- Cope with grief or loss
- Overcome emotional trauma related to abuse or violence
- Cope with a medical illness
- Manage chronic physical symptoms
How CBT Can Work For You
If you feel that you have an overwhelming problem, cognitive behavioral therapy helps you make sense of what you feel and breaks it down into more manageable parts. These parts are your thoughts, feelings, actions, and physical sensations.
Because these elements are interconnected and may trap you in a negative spiral, CBT will show you other ways of reacting so you can break out of your negative cycles. For example, instead of thinking that you are a failure when a relationship ends, you can choose to learn from your mistakes and move on.
CBT focuses on how changing the way you think and behave can affect you in a significant way. Your therapist will help you recognize your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings while you are learning other, potentially more helpful ways of thinking and behaving. You will also learn coping skills that will help you deal with different problems even in the future.
If you will be committed to doing the assignments set for you in the process, you will feel the impact that CBT has on your life. Your focus and commitment will determine the rate of your progress. You will start to develop a stronger sense of self-confidence and self-belief as you do so.
Getting the Most Out of CBT
If you have decided that cognitive behavioral therapy is for you, commit to getting the most out of it. Make sure that you are one with your therapist in setting goals and assessing your progress over time. Be open and honest, stay committed to your treatment plan, and complete all your at-home tasks. Just like all psychological therapies, the CBT approach can be suitable for you if you can relate to the ideas behind it.