How to Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Examine the links between a situation

   You may believe that a bad situation leads to negative feelings.
   
   The CBT approach challenges this by stating that it is the thoughts we have that lead us to have those emotions.
   
   A situation gives rise to a thought which in turn leads to a feeling or action.Here is an example of how a positive outcome is linked to thought:
   You went to the gym and exercised.
   
   You thought that you accomplished your fitness goal for the day.
   
   You felt satisfied and happy.
   
   Now here is an example of a negative outcome:
   You went to the gym and exercised.
   
   You thought that you didn't push yourself hard enough to meet your goal.
   
   You felt disappointed or not good enough.
2. 2

   Step 2: a thought

   You have brief thoughts throughout the day that are triggered by a situation.
   
   You may not notice or pay attention to these thoughts, but with CBT it is important to have awareness of these quick thoughts.
   
   Pay specific attention to negative (or maladaptive) thoughts that you have when reflecting on a situation.Maladaptive automatic thoughts are distorted reflections on an event, but you may accept them as true.
   
   These maladaptive thoughts may then trigger feelings of sadness, anxiety, frustration, or hopelessness.
   
   Here is an example of a maladaptive automatic thought--"I'm a failure, and I'll never amount to anything." This thought is after you get a lower grade than you wanted on a class exam.
   
   You then feel hopeless and depressed.
   
   Now here is a positive thought process--"This is just one exam, and I can continue to work hard at this to bring my grades up." You are more likely to be hopeful with this thought. , Underneath your automatic thoughts, you may have core beliefs that are distorted reflections of reality.
   
   These core beliefs are what drive these maladaptive thoughts.
   
   Thinking about how your core beliefs may be skewed towards negative thinking will help you to understand why maladaptive thoughts occur.
   
   Your core beliefs are related to your self-esteem or self-confidence.
   
   You may believe that you are unlovable or not-good-enough which leads to a pattern of obsessive behavior or continued feelings of anxiety or depression.
   
   While CBT acknowledges how core beliefs impact your present problems and thoughts, the techniques of CBT do not focus primarily on the past history of one's core beliefs but instead on how to address the present problems at hand. , There are many different ways that you may distort your thoughts which lead to negative emotions or behaviors.
   
   Notice the ways that you think or talk about a problem, and how you may be doing one or more of the following:
   Catastrophizing by predicting only negative outcomes in the future Having all-or-nothing thinking Discounting the positive Labeling something or someone without knowing more about it or them Rationalizing based on emotions rather than facts Minimizing or magnifying the situation Having "tunnel vision" by seeing only the negatives Mind reading in which you believe you know what someone is thinking Overgeneralizing by making an overall negative conclusion beyond the current situation Personalizing the situation as something specifically wrong with you
3. 3

   Step 3: and a feeling.

4. 4

   Step 4: Recognize automatic thoughts.

5. 5

   Step 5: Link your automatic thoughts to your core beliefs.

6. 6

   Step 6: Identify cognitive distortions.

Detailed Guide

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