Did your doctor suggest you include CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) as part of your treatment for a mental health issue? Are your thoughts causing you suffering? Are you wondering what the heck CBT is, and how it could actually help you to feel better?

Let me share with you some of the basics about CBT, and what you might expect, if you are considering it as part of your mental fitness plan.

As the title describes, there is a cognitive (mental activity) side to CBT and a behavioural (actions and biological) side. CBT is a type of treatment for mental suffering which is ‘evidence-based’ meaning it has been tested and studied extensively and has been shown to be helpful with the reduction of symptoms of mental illness or at least to make them more manageable.

A person who is struggling with depression, anxiety, grief or trauma, might be affected in various ways. Their illness will develop as a result of biological, psychological and social influences. Although each person’s version of suffering is unique, there are common symptoms which can be treated through CBT techniques. So, by incorporating the cognitive and the behavioural aspects of health, we take a holistic approach to supporting a person’s recovery.

CBT theory offers the Continuum Principal, which acknowledges our health as a continuum function, rather than binary. We are not simply sick or well, rather we are moving through states and experiences of mental health that may lead to the presence or absence of illness or vitality.

Ultimately, CBT is designed to help people to understand, and change their own beliefs, thoughts, feelings and actions. Behavioural changes can impact motivation, physical health, self-care and self-compassion, as well as a number of other benefits to overall health. Cognitive changes can alter our perspective on life. So often we are too close to our own thoughts and emotions to be objective about them. CBT helps us to re-frame our thoughts, and to process emotions, with the option to make changes. When we learn how to change what we think and how we interpret our emotions, we can change our experience. Perhaps our new experience is more meaningful, happy or free.

CBT is a practice. It is something, once learned, which can be practiced every day, like brushing your teeth or remembering to say thank you. Your therapist can help you to use CBT to understand past events, change your interpretation of current events, and reduce anxiety about the future. CBT is often prescribed by doctors alongside SSRI’s (anti-depressants) as a first line of treatment for most mood disorders.

Consider reading about CBT and reaching out to a therapist for CBT treatment.