Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy. This form of therapy modifies thought patterns to help change moods and behaviors.
It’s based on the idea that negative actions or feelings are the results of current distorted beliefs or thoughts, not unconscious forces from the past.
CBT是一个混合
A therapist practicing the combined approach of CBT works with you in an agreed-upon location, offering guidance and direction. You and your therapist may work to identify specific negative thought patterns and behavioral responses to challenging or stressful situations.
This type of therapy is commonly used for a wide range of mental health challenges and diagnoses, including:
- 沮丧
- anxiety
- eating disorders
- 创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）
- insomnia
- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- bipolar disorder
- phobias
- chronic pain
- panic attacks
治疗通常涉及开发更加平衡和建设性的方式来应对压力。理想情况下，这些新的回复将帮助您应对或从挑战心理健康状况或不需要的行为中恢复。
The principles of CBT can be applied outside of the therapist’s office, providing you with coping tools to help you through life’s challenges. CBT teaches you to become aware of and adjust negative patterns, which can help you reframe your thinking during moments of heightened anxiety or panic.
It can also provide new coping skills, like meditation or journaling, for those struggling with a substance use disorder or depression.
CBT is a more short-term approach than psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies. Other types of therapies may require several years for discovery and treatment.
CBT often requiresonly up to 20 sessions, according to the National Health Services, but you can continue seeing your therapist for as long as you need. Every situation is unique, so how long you pursue treatment is up to you and your therapist.
CBT sessions provide opportunities to identify current life situations that may be causing or contributing to your mental health conditions, like anxiety or depression. CBT allows you and your therapist to identify patterns of thinking or distorted perceptions that are no longer serving you.
This is different from psychoanalysis. This type of therapy involves working backward through your life history to discover an unconscious source of the problems you’re facing.
You may be asked to keep a journal as part of CBT. The journal provides a place for you to record life events and your reactions. Your therapist can help you break down reactions and thought patterns into several categories of self-defeating thought (also known as cognitive distortions).
这些可能包括：
- all-or-nothing thinking:viewing the world in absolute, black-and-white terms
- 取消肯定：rejecting positive experiences by insisting they “don’t count” for some reason
- automatic negative reactions:习惯性，责骂思想
- magnifying or minimizing the importance of an event:making a bigger deal about a specific event or moment
- overgeneralization:从一个事件中绘制过度广泛的结论
- 个性化：taking things too personally or feeling actions are specifically directed at you
- mental filter:picking out a single negative detail and dwelling on it exclusively so that the vision of reality becomes darkened
You and your therapist can also use the journal to help replace negative thought patterns or perceptions with more constructive ones. This can be done through a series of well-practiced techniques, such as:
- learning to manage and modify distorted thoughts and reactions
- learning to accurately and comprehensively assess external situations and reactions or emotional behavior
- practicing self-talk that is accurate and balanced
- using self-evaluation to reflect and respond appropriately
You can practice these coping methods on your own or with your therapist. Alternately, you can practice them in controlled settings in which you’re confronted with challenges. You can use these settings to build on your ability to respond successfully.
如果你是一个挣扎着抑郁症的人，你的治疗师可以使用CBT技术来帮助您揭示不健康的思想模式，并确定它们可能会如何影响：
- your mood
- beliefs about yourself
- your overall outlook on life
You may also be assigned “homework” so that you can practice replacing negative thoughts with more positive thoughts in real time.
CBT已经
认知行为治疗被广泛用于在儿童，青少年和成人身上治疗一系列心理健康状况。这些可能包括：
- antisocial behaviors (including lying, stealing, and hurting animals or other people)
- anxiety
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- bipolar disorder
- 品行障碍
- 沮丧
- 饮食疾病，如狂犬病，厌食症和贪食症
- general stress
- 人格障碍
- phobias
- 精神分裂症
- sexual disorders
- insomnia
- social skill problems
- substance use disorder
在某些情况下，认知行为治疗可以与其他治疗组合以帮助抑郁症。
与CBT有关的长期情绪风险很少。但探索痛苦的感情和经验可能会压力。治疗可能涉及面对你否则避免的情况。
For instance, you may be asked to spend time in public places if you have a fear of crowds. Alternately, you may need to confront difficult sources of trauma, like the death of a loved one.
These scenarios can provide opportunities to practice altered responses to stressful or adverse situations. The eventual goal of therapy is to teach you how to deal with anxiety and stress in a safe and constructive manner.
“There is a massive tidal wave of evidence for cognitive behavioral therapy that suggests it is very effective at treating certain problems,” Simon Rego, PsyD of Montefiore Medical Center in New York, told Healthline. “The breadth of evidence isn’t as extensive for other forms of psychotherapy.”
That’s not to say other therapies aren’t equally effective and beneficial. “They just don’t fit as neatly into anything that can be studied,” Rego says. “More evidence-based studies have been conducted on the results of cognitive behavioral therapy than any other kind.”
How can I find a CBT therapist?
If you think CBT may be a fit for you, there are several ways to find a therapist.
You can:
- talk with your doctor
- search thedirectory of certified therapists
- reach out to an在线治疗计划
- contact your health insurance company to see if your plan covers therapy visits
我可以从CBT期望什么？
Your CBT experience will be unique based on your situation but know that there is no right or wrong way to experience therapy.
你的治疗师需要时间来了解你，所以准备讨论：
- what brought you to therapy
- your mental health history
- 当前情况
Will CBT help my depression?
CBT已经found to be effective in treating those with mild to moderate depression. It has also been proven effective when combined with other treatment options, like antidepressants or other medications.
Remember that change is often gradual, requiring a time commitment and the willingness to be open to the experience.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps you recognize and replace negative or unhelpful thought and behavior patterns. It can be a highly rewarding and effective form of mental health support for those affected by anxiety, depression, OCD, insomnia, substance use disorder, and more.
CBT requires a willingness to be open to change, along with a time commitment to do the work with your trusted therapist.
认知行为治疗的目标是帮助您开发技能to help deal with difficulties on your own, at the moment when they come up, ideally giving you tools that last a lifetime.