Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of treatment that helps patients become aware of the feelings and thoughts that influence their behavior. It is commonly used to treat a wide range of ailments, including addiction, phobias, anxiety, and depression. Behavioral therapy, which is becoming very popular today, is mostly short-lived and is primarily aimed at helping people with a specific problem. In treatment, clients learn to change and identify disturbing or destructive thought patterns that have a negative impact on their behavior.
Origins
How did cognitive or rational behavioral therapy come about? What made the adherents of popular psychoanalysis turn to the study of various models of cognition and human behavior?
Wilhelm Wundt, who founded in 1879 the UniversityLeipzig, the first official laboratory dedicated to psychological research, is considered the founder of experimental psychology. But it is worth noting that what was then considered experimental psychology is very far from today's experimental psychology. In addition, it is known that the current psychotherapy owes its appearance to the works of Sigmund Freud, known throughout the world.
At the same time, few people know that applied and experimental psychology have found fertile ground for their development in the United States. In fact, after the arrival of Sigmund Freud in 1911, psychoanalysis managed to surprise even prominent psychiatrists. So much so that in a few years, about 95% of the country's psychiatrists were trained in the ways of working in psychoanalysis.
This US monopoly on psychotherapy continued until the 1970s, while it lingered in the profile circles of the Old World for another 10 years. It is worth noting that the crisis of psychoanalysis - in terms of its ability to respond to various changes in the demands of society after the Second World War, as well as its ability to "cure" it - began in the 1950s. At this time, alternative varieties of psychotherapy were born. Of course, cognitive-behavioral therapy played a major role among them. Exercises on their own from it then few dared to do.
Earned immediately in different parts of the world, thanks to the contribution of psychoanalysts who were dissatisfied with their tools of intervention and analysis, rational-emotional-behavioral therapy soon spread throughout Europe. She for a short time herselfhas established itself as a treatment method capable of providing effective solutions to various client problems.
Fifty years have passed since the publication of J. B. Watson's work on the topic of behaviorism, as well as the application of behavioral therapy, only after that time did it take its place among the working areas of psychotherapy. But its further evolution took place at an accelerated pace. There was a simple reason for this: like other techniques that were based on scientific thought, cognitive behavioral therapy, the exercises of which are given in the article below, remained open to change, integrated and assimilated with other techniques.
She absorbed the results of research that was carried out in psychology, as well as in other scientific fields. This has led to new forms of intervention and analysis.
This 1st generation therapy, characterized by a radical shift from the psychodynamic known therapy, was soon followed by a set of "innovations". They already took into account previously forgotten cognitive aspects. This fusion of cognitive and behavioral therapy is next generation behavioral therapy, also known as cognitive behavioral therapy. She is being trained at the present time.
Its development is still going on, more and more new methods of treatment are emerging, which belong to the therapy of the 3rd generation.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: The Basics
The basic concept is that our feelings and thoughts playmain role in shaping human behavior. So, a person who thinks too much about accidents on the runway, plane crashes and other air disasters may avoid traveling by various air transport. It is worth noting that the goal of this therapy is to teach patients that they cannot control every aspect of the world around them, while they can completely take control of their own interpretation of this world, as well as interaction with it.
Recently, cognitive behavioral therapy is being used more and more on its own. This type of treatment generally does not take much time, due to which it is considered more accessible than other types of therapy. Its effectiveness has been empirically proven: experts have found that it enables patients to cope with inappropriate behavior in its various manifestations.
Types of therapy
Representatives of the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapists note that this is a range of treatments based on principles and concepts created on the basis of patterns of human behavior and emotions. They include a huge range of approaches to getting rid of emotional disorders, as well as self-help opportunities.
Specialists regularly use the following types:
- cognitive therapy;
- emotional-rational-behavioral therapy;
- multimodal therapy.
Behavior Therapy Methods
They are used in cognitive learning. The main method isThis is behavioral rational-emotional therapy. Initially, the irrational thoughts of a person are established, then the reasons for the irrational belief system are found out, after which the goal is approached.
Typically, general training methods are problem solving methods. The main method is biofeedback training, which is used mainly to get rid of the effects of stress. In this case, an instrumental study of the general state of muscle relaxation takes place, as well as optical or acoustic feedback occurs. Muscle relaxation with feedback is positively reinforced and then leads to complacency.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Methods of Learning and Learning
Behavioral therapy systematically uses the postulate of education, according to which one can teach, as well as learn the right behavior. Learning by example is one of the most important processes. Methods of assimilation are guided mainly by operant conditioning, after which people build their desired behavior. A very important method is simulation learning.
The model is systematically imitated in vicarious learning - a person or a symbol. In other words, inheritance can be encouraged through participation, symbolically or implicitly.
Behavioral therapy is actively used when working with children. Exercise in this case contains reinforcing immediate stimuli, such as candy. In adults, this purpose is served by a system of privileges, as well asrewards. Prompting (support of the therapist leading by example) is gradually reduced when successful.
Unlearning methods
Odysseus in Homer's "Odyssey" on the advice of Circe (sorceress) orders himself to be tied to the ship's mast in order not to be subjected to the singing of seductive sirens. He covered the ears of his companions with wax. With overt avoidance, behavioral therapy reduces the impact, while making some changes that increase the likelihood of success. For example, an aversive stimulus, such as a vomit-inducing smell, is added to negative behavior, alcohol abuse.
Cognitive behavioral therapy exercise has a wide variety. So, with the help of a device designed for the treatment of enuresis, it turns out to get rid of nocturnal urinary incontinence - the mechanism for waking up the patient immediately works when the first drops of urine appear.
Remedy
Remedies must deal with inappropriate behavior. It is worth noting that one of the main methods is systematic desensitization to decompose the fear response using 3 steps: training deep muscle relaxation, compiling a complete list of fears, and alternating irritation and relaxation of fears from the list in ascending order.
Methods of confrontation
These methods use accelerated contact with initial fear stimuli regarding peripheral or central phobias in various mental disorders. The main method is flooding (an assault with various stimuli using solid techniques). The client is subjected todirect or intense mental influence of all kinds of fear stimuli.
Therapy Components
Often people experience feelings or thoughts that only reinforce them in a wrong opinion. These beliefs and opinions lead to problematic behaviors that can affect all areas of life, including romance, family, school, and work. For example, a person who suffers from low self-esteem may have negative thoughts about himself, his abilities, or his appearance. Because of this, a person will begin to avoid situations of interaction with people or to refuse career opportunities.
Behavioral therapy is used to correct this. To combat such destructive thoughts and negative behaviors, the therapist begins by helping the client establish problematic beliefs. This stage, also known as "functional analysis", is important for understanding how situations, feelings and thoughts can contribute to inappropriate behavior. This process can be challenging, especially for clients who struggle with introspection tendencies, although it can lead to the inference and self-knowledge that is considered an essential part of the healing process.
Cognitive behavioral therapy includes the second part. It focuses on the actual behavior that contributes to the development of the problem. A person begins to practice and learn new skills, which can then be applied inreal situations. Thus, a person who suffers from drug addiction is able to learn the skills to overcome this craving and can avoid social situations that could potentially cause a relapse, as well as cope with all of them.
CBT is in most cases a smooth process that helps a person take new steps towards changing their behavior. Thus, a sociophobe may start by simply imagining himself in a particular social situation that causes him anxiety. Then he can try to talk to friends, acquaintances and family members. The process with regular movement towards the goal does not seem so difficult, while the goals themselves are absolutely achievable.
Using CBT
This therapy is used to treat people who suffer from a wide range of diseases - phobias, anxiety, addiction and depression. CBT is considered one of the most studied types of therapy - in part because of the fact that the treatment focuses on specific problems and its results are relatively easy to measure.
This therapy is best for introspective clients. For CBT to be truly effective, a person must be ready for it, they must be willing to put in the effort and time to analyze their own feelings and thoughts. This kind of introspection can be difficult, but it's a great way to learn a lot more about how internal state affects behavior.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is also great for people whowho need quick treatment that does not involve the use of certain medications. So, one of the advantages of cognitive behavioral therapy is that it helps clients develop skills that can be useful today and later.
Developing self-confidence
It is worth mentioning right away that self-confidence comes from various qualities: the ability to express needs, feelings and thoughts, in addition, to perceive the needs and feelings of other people, the ability to say “no”; in addition, the ability to start, end and continue conversations, while speaking freely in front of the public, etc.
This training is aimed at overcoming possible social fears, as well as difficulties in contacts. Similar effects are also used for hyperactivity and aggressiveness, to activate clients who have been treated by psychiatrists for a long time, and for mental retardation.
This training primarily has two goals: the formation of social skills and the elimination of social phobias. At the same time, many methods are used, for example, behavioral exercises and role-playing games, training in daily situations, operant techniques, model training, group therapy, video techniques, self-control methods, etc. This means that in this training, in most cases, we are talking about a program with using all sorts of methods in some sequence.
Behavioral therapy for children is also used. Special forms of this training were created for kids with communication difficulties and social phobias. Petermanand Peterman offered a therapeutic compact program that, along with group and individual training, also includes counseling for the parents of these children.
Criticism of CBT
Some patients at the beginning of treatment report that, regardless of simply being aware of the irrationality of some thoughts, just being aware of the process of getting rid of it does not make it easy. It should be noted that behavioral therapy involves identifying these thought patterns, and it also aims to help get rid of these thoughts using a huge number of strategies. They are able to include role play, journaling, distraction and relaxation techniques.
Now let's look at some exercises that you can do yourself at home.
Jacobson Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Class is held while sitting. You need to lean your head against the wall, put your hands on the armrests. First, you should cause tension in yourself in all muscles sequentially, while this should occur on inspiration. We give ourselves a feeling of warmth. In this case, relaxation is accompanied by a very fast and rather sharp exhalation. Muscle tension time is about 5 seconds, relaxation time is about 30 seconds. In addition, each exercise must be done 2 times. This method is also great for kids.
- Arm muscles. Stretch your arms forward, spread your fingers in different directions. You need to try to reach the wall with your fingers.
- Brushes. Clench your fists as hard as possible. Imagine that you are squeezing water out of a squeezable icicle.
- shoulders. Try to reach the earlobes with your shoulders.
- Feet. Reach the middle of the lower leg with your toes.
- Belly. Turn your belly into stone, as if you are parrying a blow.
- Thighs, shins. Toes fixed, heels raised.
- Medium 1/3 of the face. Wrinkle your nose, squint your eyes.
- Top 1/3 of the face. Wrinkle forehead, surprised face.
- Lower 1/3 of the face. Put your lips together with a “proboscis”.
- Lower 1/3 of the face. Take the corners of the mouth to the ears.
Self Instructions
We all say something to ourselves. We give ourselves instructions, orders, information for a specific problem solving or instructions. In this case, the person may start with a verbalization that will eventually become part of the entire behavioral repertoire. People are taught such direct instructions. At the same time, in some cases they become "counter-structures" of aggression, fear, and other behavioral disorders. In this case, self-instructions with exemplary formulas are applied according to the steps below.
1. Prepare for the stressor.
- "It's easy to do. Remember the humor.”
- "I can create a plan to deal with this."
2. Responding to provocations.
- "As long as I remain calm, I am in complete control of the situation."
- "Worrying won't help me in this situation. I am absolutely confident.”
3. Reflection of experience.
- If the conflict is unresolvable: “Forget the difficulties. To think about them is only to destroy yourself.”
- If the conflict was resolved or the situation was handled: "It wasn't as scary as I expected."
