by EK Wills
Do you doubt yourself even when you have achieved goals you set for yourself?
Or feel unloved even when surrounded by family and friends?
Maybe you think there is something wrong with you because everyone else seems to have to it all together more than you do?
These thoughts can form core beliefs that we operate with on a daily basis. In the psychological world, they are called schemas and can be seen as cognitive distortions that effect the way we function and can be exacerbated by your environment, triggers and the way you respond to them.
Lately, I’ve been feeling less able to do my job because I had a recent set back with an exam. I started to doubt my ability and so I have been looking for ways to confirm that belief.
We’ve all heard the adage that ‘everyone is unique’ and this is true in that we all have different genetics, early experiences, attachments and family models that shape our development.
We also have our own triggers to situations that can be external like the environment we live in or internal like thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
For example, automatic thoughts like my “I cant do it” sabotage our attempts to handle new situations. This can lead to cognitive distortions called catastrophizing where we extrapolate the situation to the worst case scenario which ends up crippling our ability to cope.
Many of us respond with behaviours like avoiding scary situations or withdrawing in order to minimise exposure to threatening situations and when this happens occasionally or for a short period after a set back it is not going to negatively impact our lives on the whole. But when it becomes crippling or effects our ability to function, then it could be time to seek assistance.
One of the ways to try to change these patterns is cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT. Most people have heard of this type of therapy but may not know what it is exactly or how it works.
Basically, the aim of CBT is to look at what your specific pattern is and address that with treatment targets over a short course of therapy, usually approximately 3 months. If avoidance is a problem, then therapy consists of graded exposure to build up tolerance. If panic and physiological arousal needs to be calmed, then techniques focussed on relaxation can help. When cognitive distortions exist, therapy aims to restructure these.
The premise in CBT is that our responses are influenced by the way we interpret our experiences and the beliefs we have about ourselves and the world. Thus therapy is designed in a structured way to reformulate these responses to more effective through specific steps.
Most CBT sessions are structured with an overall goal in mind for the therapy and then specific targets for each session that relates to the ‘big picture’ goal. Each session is re-inforced with homework to do between sessions which is checked at the next session and serves to link each session. The person doing CBT has symptom checks which are self ratings of their own functioning to measure progress and feedback at the end reinforces learning.
CBT has been shown to be effective for depression and anxiety and can be structured for specific goals with willing participant interaction. This basically means you get out of it what you put into it and the therapist is there to collaborate with you to do it.
There are online versions of CBT (iCBT) that have been shown to be effective. The course offered at St Vincent’s called This Way Up (link) is linked in with therapists so it can be done in the comfort of your own space. Your GP is a good place to start to get linked in with a program, either by seeing a psychologist or an online course.
And there are a multitude of apps,both free and pay ones, to address different issues.
For me, I find journaling (or writing a blog) is a good way to put things into perspective. But if there were a more long term issue to address, CBT could be a good option.
Disclaimer: If you are experiencing acute mental health issues and feel unsafe, call the mental health access line (MHTAL 1 800 011 511 in NSW) or attend your nearest Emergency Department.
#feeling #mood #cognitivebehaviouraltherapy #CBT #goals #doubt #unloved #corebeliefs #schemas #cognitivedistortions #triggers #environment #reactions #genetics #earlyexperiences #attachments #family #models #development #stiuations #automaticthoughts #catastrophizing #disqualifying #emotionalreasoning #labelling #magnificationminimisation #mentalfilter #mindreading #overgeneralisation #personalisation #behaviours #avoiding #withdrawing #exposure #treatmenttargets #gradedexposure #tolerance #panic #physiologicalarousal #calming #techniques #relaxation #cognitiverestructuring #influence #interpret #experience #reformulate #response #selfrating #progress #functioning #reinforce #learning #effective #depression #anxiety #goals #online #therapist #psychologist #perspective #mentalhealth
Comments