Introduction
Cognitive therapy helps you to change how you think in certain situations, and making the appropriate adjustments. This therapy is highly practical approach to problem-solving. With cognitive therapy you change patterns of thinking or behavior and so you change the way you feel. We continue to hold on to the same old thoughts and fail to learn anything new. Cognitive therapy is not a cure for depression or bipolar disorder. This therapy introduces you with some principles that you can apply whenever you need to. Cognitive therapy focuses on the thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes that we hold and how this relates to the way we behave, as a way of dealing with emotional problems. This therapy is typically used in combination with drug treatment, and last 3 to 6 months, cognitive therapy isn%26rsquo;t over night process.
Cognitive Therapy Theory
Cognitive Therapy is based on the theory that how we think how we feel and how we act all interact together. Our thoughts determine our feelings and our behavior. When you say %26quot;I'm useless. I can't do anything right%26quot;, this impacts negatively on your mood, making the you feel depressed. The problem may be serious if the you react by avoiding activities. The therapy identify those irrational thoughts that lead to negative emotion and identify what it is about them is not helpful.
When you in depression all kinds of negative thoughts could overtake your life. There is theory that it's not events themselves that upset us, but the meanings we give them.
The thinking patterns are set up in childhood, and become automatic. Cognitive therapy could help you to understand your thinking patterns. It helps you to step outside your automatic thoughts and test them out. This therapy would encourage you examine real-life experiences to see what happens to you, in similar situations.
You must be aware that negative things can and do happen. You may be basing your predictions and interpretations on a biased view of the situation, making the difficulty that you face seem much worse. Cognitive therapy can help you with exercise to correct these misinterpretations.
How does it work?
We all too easily fall into the kind of thinking that can take us one-way down. We usually filter out positive feedback and assume the worst based on little or no evidence. There are some examples. We assume that we are stupid when we misplace book, keys, or lose some other thing. When we don't see life is going as we expect, are thought are seriously negative.
In cognitive therapy, therapist is likely to ask you to recall what you were thinking as you plunged down into your last depression, and work with you in recognizing them before they can cause future damage. Cognitive therapy will help you to develop skills for dealing with your problems. If you have anxiety you may learn that avoiding situations helps to fan your fears. Confronting fears in a gradual way helps give you hope in your own ability to cope. If you are in depression you may learn to record your thoughts and look at them more realistically.
Cognitive therapy may teach you a new approach to dealing with problems that have their basis in an emotional disturbance.
You should be observer of your own nearly automatic worst thoughts. When you recognize those thoughts, you can turn these thoughts around and substitute new ones.
Cognitive therapy is way for long-term recovery. Also is early warning system against future depressions and manic episodes. For more moderate forms of depression cognitive therapy may be a preferred option to drugs. In cognitive therapy you aren%26rsquo;t a passive recipient of care. There are cognitive therapy exercises, homework; they are tools which help you to deal with negative thoughts.
Cognitive therapy has a highly educational component, much use is made of reading material in individual therapy and this has been expanded into a large self-help literature over recent years. Cognitive therapy could be done individually or with a group of people. Therapy can also be done from a self-help book or computer program.
If you have individual therapy, session will last between 30 and 60 minutes. You will need between 5 and 20 sessions. In the first sessions, the therapist will check that you can use cognitive therapy.
You should know that the therapist will also ask you questions about your past life and background.
With the therapist, you break each problem down into its separate parts. You should to keep a diary. This will help you to identify your individual patterns of thoughts.
Together you will look at your thoughts, feelings and behaviors to work out unrealistic or unhelpful thoughts. After you see what you can change, your therapist will recommend %26quot;homework%26quot;. You should practice these changes in your everyday life. Depending on the situation, you might start to: recognize negative thoughts and replace it with a positive (and more realistic), recognize that you are about to do something that will make you feel worse and, instead, do something more helpful. In each session you will discus with your therapist about your progress. The goal of Cognitive therapy is that you can continue to practice and develop your skills even after the sessions have finished. This makes it less likely that your symptoms or problems will return.
Examples of Cognitive Therapy Exercises
According to Mary Ellen Copeland, cognitive therapy's greatest asset is the simple knowledge that we are not helpless bystanders that in the unending battle for control of our own brains there is still an %26quot;I%26quot; that can put up a fight. And where there is %26quot;I%26quot; there is hope.
You could applied cognitive therapy is a do-it-yourself program called WRAP (wellness recovery action plan), popularized by Mary Ellen Copeland, MS, MA.
To start, on the first tab you should write, %26quot;Daily Maintenance List,%26quot;. On the next pages describe what it's like when you are feeling fine and what you need to do to keep yourself that way.
On the second tab, write down, %26quot;Triggers,%26quot;. On the following pages you should write down events that might result in an increase in your symptoms, together with an action plan. An action plan is what you need to do to get back on track again. Your toolbox should also include things to avoid, such as caffeine, alcohol, and certain people who are not good for you.
On the third tab, you should write down, %26quot;Early Warning Signs,%26quot;. You should use the following pages to list the internal signs of change, along with an action plan.
On the fourth tab, write, %26quot;When Things are Breaking Down,%26quot; . You should make a list of symptoms that signal the onset of the crisis stage, together with an action plan.
Use the last tab and pages for %26quot; Crisis plan,%26quot;. You should set out instructions for others to follow when you are not well. Others will know what to do when you aren%26rsquo;t well. You should develop this plan slowly when you are feeling well.
Cognitive therapy is a psychotherapy used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, delusional disorder and other forms of mental disorder. If you have some of those problems you should find a good therapist. Cognitive therapy is not an overnight process. With patience and a good therapist, cognitive therapy can be a valuable tool in recovery.
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