Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
If you have been in therapy before, chances are you’ve heard a thing or two about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is one of the most common theoretical orientations, or frame-works, that therapists use to assist clients in processing their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This approach comes from the belief that almost all feelings and behaviors originate from our thoughts. Here is a closer look at an example that brings CBT to life.
First, an important aspect of this specific therapy is understanding the concept of automatic thoughts.The best example of an automatic thought is this: you see your co- worker Susie Q across the street, she looks at you but doesn’t wave. Next thing you know, your mind has already created a narrative about why she did not wave. Is the first thing that pops into your head, “oh no, she’s mad at me?!” or “how rude!” or “maybe she didn’t see me?”
Those automotive thoughts then cause us to feel certain emotions like anger, disappointment, anxious to name a few. A wonderful quote that explains the power of thoughts in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is this: “no one can make you feel anything, unless they have a baseball bat.” If we can control our thoughts, we can control how much others influence our emotions.
Once those emotions are in play, actions tend to follow next. To continue our interaction with Susie Q, let’s say you see her the next day in the break room. Do you, 1. Ignore her and look the other way? 2. Are you extra nice to her just in case she is mad at you? 3. Do you just say hi again? The action you choose is strongly influenced by how you feel about the interaction and those feelings most likely came from the narrative your mind created.
The process of “thought, feeling, action” happen in small ways and large ways all throughout our days. If it is your desire to manage automatic thoughts, so that they don’t produce undesired feelings, try categorizing those automatic thoughts as soon as you have them. Some categories are:
1. LABELING: Susie Q is such a brat.
2. CATASTROPHIZING : Susie Q hates me and our friendship is over.
3. PERSONALIZATIONS: I’m sure this has to do with me in some way (rather than
assuming that she just might not have seen you).
Once you categorize your automatic thoughts, you can ask yourself: am I seeing the full picture, checking the evidence, and being as fair and rational as I can be. Ultimately, exploring one’s “core beliefs” can help rewire some of those stubborn automatic thoughts. Core beliefs that no longer align with you like, “the world is out to get me” or “all women are so catty” can be replaced with new core beliefs that will change your automatic thoughts for the better!