CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, involves changing thoughts, its the cognitive part, and actions, the behavior pattern, that interfere with leading a fulfilling and healthy life. The aim of CBT is to help you become your own therapist, and the skills are practical, goal-oriented, and can be practiced every day.
Some CBT strategies aim to change thoughts and behaviors, while others promote mindfulness and awareness. Anxiety may cause your thoughts to wander, you may fret about the past, or about what might go wrong in the future. Mindfulness helps focus your attention on whatever you’re doing right now, in the present moment. Acceptance strategies help you cope with, and even accept, uncomfortable situations or emotions that you can’t control or change.
THE CBT MODEL OF EMOTIONS
CBT breaks emotions down into three parts: thoughts
, physical sensations, and behaviors. Say you’re afraid of dogs and you see a dog coming toward you along the sidewalk. You feel afraid—that’s your emotion. You think, “That dog might bite me!”—that’s the thought. Your palms get sweaty, your breath quickens, and your heart speeds up—that’s the physical sensation. And finally, you cross to the other side of the street—that’s your behavior. As you can see, your emotions, thoughts, sensations, and behaviors are interconnected, and each of these parts plays a role in maintaining and strengthening the emotion that you feel. Each of these parts can trigger a full-blown anxiety cycle.
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