In this page, you can find posts regarding cognitive behavioral therapy.
In our previous post, we explored core beliefs, and their types. In this post, we will dive into cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to identify core beliefs. Here are three effective methods: 1. Detecting Patterns and Themes When you examine recurring thoughts, emotional reactions, and behaviors, you may start to notice certain patterns and themes. For…
Previously, we discussed how emotions arise, are regulated, and get resolved in the brain. But can we have more than one—perhaps even more than two—emotions at the same time? Research suggests that we can. Ambivalence, the experience of having two or more contradictory emotions simultaneously, is common. Studies indicate that the brain processes multiple emotions…
What Are Core Beliefs? Core beliefs are the very foundational beliefs that shape how we see ourselves, others, and the world. These beliefs develop early in life through experiences, especially those involving caregivers and significant life events. CBT categorizes cognition into three levels: 1. Automatic thoughts – “I will fail this test.” 2. Maladaptive assumptions…
Living with a chronic disease means constantly managing recurring symptoms and adapting to a new, often unwelcome, reality. This requires not just physical, but also psychological and emotional adjustment. In fact, coping with this new condition often becomes even more important than coping with the physical symptoms themselves. Research shows that automatic thoughts accompanying chronic…
When we feel anxious, we have certain automatic thoughts more frequently. If you have noticed, our thoughts during anxiety will usually fit into this formula: Also, when we are anxious, due to intense feelings of fear, we see the world in a biased way, and believe these unhelpful thoughts more easily. This is called cognitive…
Thousands of thoughts pass through the mind during a day. However, only some of these catch our attention while most cannot make their way into our consciousness. Moreover, we stay focused on some thoughts more when compared to others. Then, is it random that some thoughts are more prominent or is there any decision mechanism…
Maladaptive Assumptions in CBT In one of our previous posts, we examined Maladaptive Assumptions in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Techniques for Identifying Them. In this post, we share CBT techniques for challenging maladaptive assumptions. As you might recall, the ultimate goal of challenging a maladaptive assumption in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is to find a…
Maladaptive Assumptions in CBT Maladaptive assumptions (also called underlying assumptions, intermediate beliefs, dysfunctional beliefs) in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, are, as the names suggest, maladaptive/dysfunctional beliefs underlying automatic thoughts. They are simply the rules behind our automatic thoughts. As you might remember, CBT mentions three levels of cognitive distortions. Automatic thoughts are the most superficial of…
Self-Generated Thought and the Wandering Mind “How should I start…? Maybe I should have a cup of coffee first. But before that, I need to run the washing machine. My white shirt needs to be clean for tomorrow morning…” Have you noticed?: When the mind is not busy focusing on an external task, it wanders…
1. Know What You Want to Change You might already know what needs to be changed or you just have a sense that something in your life has to change, but you do not know what it is. Gilbert Chesterton said “Sometimes the problem is not not being able to see the solution, but not being able…