What is Cognitive Behavior Therapy
What is CBT, or cognitive behavior therapy? CBT is a common form of talk therapy that is done with a mental health counselor. This type of therapy brings to light the connection between positive thinking and emotional health.
In many people with mental illness, including depression and anxiety, negative thoughts lead to negative emotions and both are very hard to reverse. CBT helps you to identify negative thinking so you can view a situation from a different perspective to be able to respond and react in a more appropriate way.
I just attended my very first session of group CBT for depression. It was a difficult decision to attend something like this. I also suffer from an extreme social anxiety which makes group therapy a very daunting experience.
I came out of the session with hope. It feels like it will be a positive group and although it will involve a lot of work on my part, I am looking forward to where it goes.
One of the things that stood out to me the most was the quality of the councellors that were assigned to the group. A man and a woman that are both very easy to talk to and are excellent at making what they are trying to say, relatable to you.
This makes the idea of therapy a lot easier.
I felt like a bit of a nerd while I was there because I was one of only 3 people who were taking notes. But with my memory, I’m glad I did. There is no way that I would have remembered everything that was said and there was some really good stuff.
Motivation
What hit home with me the most was comments about motivation.
“You cannot wait for motivation to change behaviors”
“Motivation comes after action”
My excuse for almost everything is that I don’t do it because I’m not motivated. Those two quotes make so much sense to me.
If I wait for motivation, I’ll never do anything. And also, once you do just one thing, it gives you the motivation to do more. One session and I’ve already changed the way I view something.
Is CBT for you?
Cognitive behavior therapy is a useful tool for mental health treatment. Whether it is in a group setting or one on one with a therapist.
Although I wouldn’t rely on just the one form of treatment, it should in my opinion be combined with other mental health strategies. Just try not to do different forms of therapy at the same time as they may contradict each other.
I am actually looking forward to the next session to see if there is anything else that I can relate to and work on at home. I’ll be updating the progress of the cognitive behavior therapy as the sessions progress and I learn more coping strategies.
Let me know in the comments below if you have ever attended any type of group or individual therapy and what did you get out of it?
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