Cognitive Therapy - How It Works

What is cognitive therapy?

Cognitive therapy is the treatment of thoughts and thought processes. Cognitive therapy supports the idea that thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions influence the intensity and range of emotions that one feels. One establishes in the course of one’s life a basic understanding of him or herself and the world around them.

Perception has a great deal to do with the way that one feels and acts. To illustrate this point, imagine that upon arrival to your home you see that your front door is wide open. Your initial response may be one of fear, but then you remember that your daughter is home from college and that she habitually forgets to close the door behind her. Suddenly, your feelings of fear dissipate and are replaced with feelings of relief and annoyance. The perception of an event greatly changes one’s interpretation and subsequent actions.

How does cognitive therapy work?

Cognitive therapy helps people to get rid of self-defeating thoughts and to solve problems. It does this by helping them analyze and change thinking that is negative or unfounded, which can lead to depression, phobias, obsessions, and other disorders. Often, it is combined with behavior therapy (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) to help people gain a better understanding of the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

In cognitive therapy, people learn how to pay attention to habitual thoughts and recognize those which are distorted. There are a number of techniques which can be easily applied when distorted thoughts are identified. This allows for thoughts that are more balanced, and realistic interpretations can be discovered.

How can I change my way of thinking with cognitive development?

Cognitive therapy techniques are simple in theory but require constant practice. By paying attention to one’s thoughts and changing them, he or she is going up against a powerful process; stream of consciousness thinking. Humans are constantly thinking, and most of the time there is not a great deal of effort put into addressing the logic of one’s thoughts. In order for cognitive techniques to work, they have to be practiced every day. If thinking is modified, a new way of thinking emerges, which can eventually become automatic.

People differ with regard to the styles of thinking they engage in on a regular basis. Some people make very dismal and hopeless interpretations of everything. Consequently, these people tend to be down more often. Others seem to see irritation in just about everything, and they are therefore angry a good deal of the time. Some people, on the other hand, seem to be able to assess most situations in a manner that rarely makes them experience the extremes of negative emotions. They just seem to be "balanced" emotionally most of the time.

Thinking about thinking doesn’t have to be an exhaustive process. Some people find that keeping a journal can help them to analyze their thoughts in order to pinpoint where the negativity is coming from. A journal also provides the ability to reflect on past thoughts with a fresh perspective.

Can cognitive development help me?

Cognitive development is useful for treating the following emotional disturbances:

• Social anxiety or shyness
• Panic attacks
• Phobias
• Obsessions and compulsions (OCD and related conditions)
• Anxiety or chronic worry
• Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD and related conditions)
• Insomnia and other sleep disturbances
• Difficulty establishing or maintaining relationships
• Problems with marriage or other current relationships
• Job, career or school difficulties
• Acute stress
• Insufficient self-esteem or self-respect
• Inadequate coping skills, or ill-chosen methods of coping
• Substance abuse, co-dependency and “enabling”
• Passivity, procrastination and “passive aggression”
• Trouble keeping feelings such as anger, sadness, fear, guilt, shame, eagerness, excitement, etc., within reasonable bounds
• Over-inhibition of feelings or expression

Cognitive therapy is directly related to behavior therapy. By understanding what behavior therapy is and how it relates to cognitive therapy, one can receive the full benefits of both.

Related Resources:

Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Behavior Therapy Overview
Natural Alternatives that can help
Keeping a Progress Journal
Talking to Your Doctor
Which Doctor is Right for Me?