COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY: what it is and what techniques does it use

In the clinical psychology There are various methods of intervention to treat psychological problems and increase people's well-being. In this Psychology-Online article, Cognitive-behavioral therapy: what it is and what techniques does it use, we will focus on cognitive-continuous treatment, we will explain what it consists of, what it is for, how it is applied, who should apply it and we will summarize the most commonly used cognitive-behavioral psychological techniques in general and specifically to treat depression and anxiety. We will also look at the differences between cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, and cognitive-continual therapy.

Index

1. What is cognitive behavioral therapy
2. Differences between cognitive-behavioral therapy with cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy
3. Cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques
4. Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression
5. Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety

The cognitive-behavioral current is a set of theories and techniques that establish a psychotherapeutic system. Therefore, cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is based on the relationship between thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors. All these areas are interconnected and influence each other. For example: you are faced with the situation of having failed an exam. You can think:

1. "I have failed because I am stupid. I will never approve "
2. "I have failed an exam. I'll have to try harder next time. "

• After thought 1 there will surely come an emotion of sadness, frustration and resignation. Such thoughts and emotions will lead to a state of demotivation and reluctance. From that condition, the action, surely, will be not to study. As a consequence, the situation is likely to happen again. Instead, after thought 2 may come an emotion of some sadness but acceptance and hope. Such thoughts and emotions will lead to a state of motivation and willingness to strive. This state pushes the action of studying, consequently, the probability of passing the next exam will be higher.

Other example it may be that of a person who thinks he is incapable of running 10 kilometers. The behavior may be not doing it or it may be trying. If you try and succeed, the change in behavior will affect the consideration of thought.

With the previous examples we can see that, in the same situation, thinking, emotional state and behavior are different and influence each other.

The cognitive behavioral therapyintervenes at the cognitive level, that is, in the thoughts, and also in behavior, that is, in stocks that are done. It consists of changing the way of thinking, replacing thoughts based on irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions with more objective and adaptive thoughts. As well as transforming less useful behaviors into beneficial behaviors. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on the present and the immediate future, it does not usually inquire into the past.

The use of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy has grown a lot as a therapeutic system in the practice of psychology and psychiatry. Currently, cognitive-behavioral interventions are widely accepted and their effectiveness has been recognized by empirical studies and by authors such as Albert Ellis and Aroon Beck. Its procedures and techniques have been investigated with rigorous experimental methods, therefore it is a scientific therapy. Its scientific basis does not ensure absolute success, but it does guarantee its overall effectiveness.

What is cognitive behavioral therapy for?

In the first place, it is a form of psychological intervention, but it can be applied in many areas and for different problems. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be helpful in treating the following psychological disorders:

• Anxiety disorders
• Depressive disorders
• Affective disorders
• Phobias
• Eating disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Substance use disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Sexual disorders

In addition, it is also useful for people without a mental health diagnosis, as it helps to better manage the stressful life situations, as they could be:

• Vital crises
• Relationship problems
• Emotional upset
• School or work difficulties
• Lack of social skills

How is cognitive behavioral therapy applied?

In the context of clinical psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy should be conducted by an accredited professional, with the corresponding degree and certification. The therapy can be done individually or in a group. Regarding the duration of the therapy, it is not considered a long therapy, quite the opposite. The average number of sessions can range from 15 and 20 sessions approximately, lasting between 30 and 60 minutes that can be weekly or fortnightly. It is recommended that the sessions be weekly at the beginning to be spaced later. On the other hand, therapy must be applied in a physical space prepared for it and totally confidential.

Both the mode of application, the duration and the effectiveness will depend on many factors, including the complexity of the problems presented by the patient, the involvement of the patient and the collaboration received from their environment.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy collects parts of cognitive therapy and parts of behavioral therapy. The main difference between the two is the starting theoretical approach, whether it is cognition or behavior. Meanwhile, the cognitive-behavioral approach is based on the relationship between cognition and behavior. In fact, its fundamental principle is that the cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects are related and that a change in one of the parts will affect the others.

Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy starts from an intrapsychic point of view and is focused on cognition. It is based on the premise that the explanation of behavior is found in cognitive processes and in thoughts. Cognitive therapy intervenes in thoughts, identifying and replacing distorted thoughts and beliefs with other more flexible, adaptive and functional interpretations.

Behavioral therapy

In behavioral therapy, the explanation of the behavior that a person presents is based on the environment, on the influence of the environment. Therefore, behavioral therapy techniques focus on modify behaviors maladaptive and learn new more functional behaviors, causing, in this way, the change of emotions and thoughts.

Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are those scientifically proven to be most effective in clinical psychology. These techniques focus on modifying thoughts and behaviors by learning new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting. Cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques focus on the present, although their goal is to acquisition of habits and skills that provide greater well-being and quality of life and that last over time.

Some of the cognitive-behavioral techniques most important and used:

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (RETT)

Rational Emotional Behavioral Therapy is based on the premise that emotional distress is due to the person's interpretation of a situation and not the situation itself. The objective of rational emotional behavioral therapy is for the person to achieve a change in thought patterns to change the way they interpret situations. That is, it goes on to assess situations with conclusions based on fact and not on subjective assumptions. The TREC follows the following scheme:

• TO. Real situation or event.
• B. Interpretation of the situation: thoughts, beliefs, conceptions, conclusions, and so on.
• C. The emotions that arise from the interpretation of the situation. If the interpretation is negative, surely the emotions are unpleasant.
• D. Question the validity of the interpretation of the situation by discussion of irrational thoughts.
• AND. Favorable change in emotions after the awareness of irrational cognitions.

Cognitive restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is a cognitive therapy technique that consists of modifying thought patterns:

1. Understand what cognitive distortions are, that is, negative and irrational thoughts that affect mood and behavior.
2. Be aware of thoughts: learn to identify one's own cognitive distortions.
3. Record thoughts: write down the situation you are in, the thought that appears, the emotion and the behavior.
4. Find alternative thinking more functional than distorted thinking.

The procedures that the psychologist uses for this change of thoughts are:

• Analyze thinking. Ask yourself if the thought is true and make a rational analysis of it.
• The Socratic questioning: ask yourself questions like "is this I'm thinking totally true?" or "what evidence do I have for it?"
• Examine the utility of the thought: "Does this thought help?" or "pros and cons of thinking."
• Get in worst of cases: wondering "what if ???" or "what's the worst that could happen?"
• Test by action. Check if what you thought happens. For example, if the irrational thought is "I speak I ask in class they will think I'm stupid and they will laugh at me", it is a question of asking in class and checking if that happens.

Exposure techniques

The exposure technique bases its effectiveness on the habituation principle, which has shown that repeated exposure of a stimulus produces a smaller response each time by the subject. For example, if one day he sees a spider, his body will react because the alarm system will be activated. However, if you see a spider every day and this has no consequence, each time the interpretation of danger is less and therefore the psychophysiological reaction is less.

This technique is especially indicated for anxiety problems, fears and phobias and avoidance behaviors. The exhibition must have planning and support provided by a specialist. The types of exposure are: live exhibition or the exhibition in a symbolic way through imagination or virtual reality technology devices.

Systematic desensitization

Systematic desensitization also aims to decrease the psychophysiological reaction to anxiety stimuli. The first part consists of break down the situation That produces the activation of fear or anxiety in small parts and rank them from the least to the most feared. For example, with the fear of speaking in public we could put, as a first step, the situation of saying a couple of sentences in front of a person of total confidence; as a second step, make a 2-minute speech in front of two trusted people; as a third step, make a 4-minute speech in front of some relatives or trusted people. And so on until reaching the most feared situation. It is recommended that the hierarchy of desensitization be composed of between 20 and 50 phases. Then it's about to face the situations following this hierarchy, the indications of the psychologist and applying relaxation techniques.

Techniques of breathing and relaxation

Breathing and body relaxation are basic aspects in learning to manage the physiological aspects of emotional reactions. Some examples of breathing and relaxation techniques are:

• The diaphragmatic breathing: consists of learning to perform conscious breathing using the diaphragm. This breathing allows air to be brought to the lower area of ​​the lungs, which guarantees better oxygen uptake and activates the body's relaxation response.
• The progressive muscle relaxation: consists of learning to relax all the muscles of the body. It's about being aware of muscle tension and learning to relax through training. The goal of the progressive muscle relaxation technique is to make it a habit that we can use in stressful situations. One of the best known and most effective is the Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation.

Troubleshooting techniques

The troubleshooting technique consists of applying a set of steps to resolve a situation or make a decision that is complex. The steps to follow are:

1. Identify the problem
2. Define the situation and the relevant factors that interfere
3. Brainstorming with different alternatives to solve the problem
4. Make a decision: assess the options generated, choose one and create the action plan
5. Evaluate the results of the applied solution

The operant techniques

The operant conditioning techniques of behavior modification allow to acquire new behaviors, increase behaviors and reduce or eliminate behaviors. They are very effective. They are based on the learning way of conditioning through the use of reinforcement. In this article we explain what is operant conditioning and how it works with examples.

Modeling technique or learning by observation

The modeling technique It is a behavioral technique that consists of acquiring behaviors through vicarious learning or imitation. Behaviors are learned or modified by observing the behavior of others and the consequences that they entail. It consists of 3 main steps:

1. Exposure to the model
2. Observation: attending to and retaining the most important aspects of model behavior
3. The execution of the behavior: imitating the same behavior or a similar behavior

Social skills training

Training in social skills aims to improve the quality of interpersonal relationships, to reduce discomfort in relationships with others and to obtain all the benefits of sociability. It is about learning behavioral strategies that allow to establish social relationships effectively. Among the procedures for the acquisition and maintenance of social skills are:

• Role-playing
• Positive reinforcement
• Vicarious learning
• Personal feedback
• Developing expectations of self-efficacy

Other cognitive-behavioral techniques are

• Self-instruction training
• Stress inoculation training
• Covert conditioning techniques
• Habit reversal training
• Thought stop technique
• Paradoxical intention techniques
• Biofeedback techniques
• Intervention for emotional regulation

Depression is defined by a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral symptoms. It is mainly characterized by negative thoughts about oneself, about the environment and about the future. There are different depressive disorders listed in the DSM-V with their corresponding criteria and characteristics, the most common being major depressive disorder. Depression is a disabling disorder that affects many peopleTherefore, a large amount of research has been carried out for its treatment.

Cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression consists of learning to interpret situations more objectively, also changing behaviors. The psychological intervention begins with a functional analysis and psychoeducation, that is, the explanation of the factors that have caused and that maintain the situation, as well as the way to solve it.

Cognitive behavioral treatment for depression usually start with behavioral changesThey are simpler and have more immediate effects. Therefore, we could start with the behavioral activation, which consists of performing pleasant and rewarding behaviors and activities. They can be activities that the patient did before, or even new activities. To do this, the scheduling of activities and the assignment of tasks are used.

Then the cognitive strategies. We would continue with cognitive techniques to identify dysfunctional cognitions and change them for more adaptive thoughts, such as cognitive restructuring and the Problem resolution.

Treatment of depression must be applied by a licensed and accredited professional.

Anxiety is made up of a set of cognitive, physiological, and behavioral symptoms. It is mainly characterized by worrying thoughts and physiological arousal. There are different anxiety disorders included in the DSM-V with their corresponding criteria and characteristics, such as the generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia and other phobias.

Cognitive-behavioral treatment for anxiety consists of learning to interpret situations in a more objective way and to understand and reduce physical sensations.

The psychological intervention begins with a functional analysis and psychoeducation, that is, the explanation of the factors that have caused and that maintain the situation, as well as the way to solve it.

Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for anxiety include exposition to the stimuli that generate anxiety and also to the physical signs of anxiety, the systematic desensitization to get used to both external and internal stimuli, the cognitive restructuring Y reality tests in which the patient can verify that what she feared has not happened or has not been as serious as she imagined. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for anxiety also include Techniques of breathing and relaxation to manage the physical sensations of anxiety, and also meditation, such as the mindfulness, perfect to focus attention on the present

Anxiety treatment must be applied by a licensed and accredited professional.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Cognitive-behavioral therapy: what it is and what techniques does it use, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

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