In the experiences of people, often themes of hopelessness, gloomy perception of the world and discontent with themselves. Cognitive psychotherapy helps to identify established stereotypes through working with thinking and replacing "automatic" negative thoughts with positive ones. The patient is an active participant in the therapy process.
Cognitive therapy - what is it?
Aaron Beck, an American psychotherapist, one of the founders of the direction in 1954 investigating depression within the framework of psychoanalysis, did not receive any promising reliable results. So there was a new direction of psychotherapeutic help in panic attacks, depressions, various dependencies. Cognitive therapy is a short-term method aimed at recognizing negative mental patterns that lead a person to suffer and replace them with constructive thoughts. The client learns new perception, begins to believe in himself and think positively.
Methods of cognitive psychotherapy
The psychotherapist initially negotiates and establishes relations with the patient based on cooperation. A list of target problems is formed in order of importance to the patient, automatic negative thoughts are identified. Methods of cognitive-behavioral therapy cause positive changes at a sufficiently deep level, include:
- struggle with thoughts of negative direction ("it's pointless", "it's useless", "nothing of this will come out good", "it is not worthy to be happy");
- alternative ways of perceiving the problem;
- rethinking or living a traumatic experience from the past that affects the present and not the patient to adequately assess reality.
Techniques of cognitive psychotherapy
The therapist encourages the patient to actively participate in the therapy. The therapist's goal of bringing to the client that he is unhappy with his old beliefs is an alternative to starting thinking in a new way, taking responsibility for his thoughts, state, behavior. Mandatory homework. Cognitive therapy of personality disorders includes a number of techniques:
- Tracking and recording negative thoughts, attitudes , when it is necessary to perform some important action. The patient writes on paper in order of priority the thoughts that come during the decision.
- Keeping a diary . During the day, thoughts that most often arise in the patient are recorded. The diary helps to keep track of thoughts affecting your well-being.
- Checking the negative installation in action . If the patient claims that "he is incapable of anything," the therapist encourages you to start small, successful actions, then complicates the tasks.
- Catharsis . Technique of living emotions from the state. If the patient is sad, is not averse to himself, the therapist suggests expressing sadness, for example, by crying.
- Imagination . The patient is afraid or not sure of his abilities to perform the action. The therapist calls to imagine and try.
- The method of three columns . The patient writes in the columns: the situation is negative thought-correcting (positive) thought. The technique is useful for teaching the skill of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
- Record of the day's events . The patient may think that people are aggressive towards him. The therapist offers to keep a list of observations, where to put "+" "-", during the day with each interaction with people.
Cognitive therapy - exercises
A stable result and success in therapy is ensured by fixing new constructive devices, thoughts. The client does the homework and exercises that the therapist will assign him: relaxation, tracking pleasant events, learning new behaviors and self-change skills. Cognitive psychotherapy exercises for self-confidence are necessary for patients with high anxiety and in a state of depression from self-displeasure. In the course of working out the desired "image of oneself," a person tries on and tries out various behaviors.
Cognitive therapy in social phobia
Fear and high unreasonable anxiety prevent a person from fulfilling his social functions normally. Sociopathy is a fairly common disorder. Cognitive psychotherapy of personality disorders in social phobia helps to identify the "benefits" of such thinking. Exercises are selected for specific patient problems: fear of leaving the house, fear of public speaking and so on.
Cognitive dependence therapy
Alcoholism, drug addiction are diseases caused by a genetic factor, sometimes it is a model of behavior of people who do not know how to solve problems and see the withdrawal of tension in the use of psychoactive substances, while not solving the problems themselves. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy of addictions is aimed at identifying triggers (situations, people, thoughts) that trigger the mechanism of use. Cognitive therapy successfully helps to cope with pernicious habits through awareness of thoughts, working out situations and changing behavior.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Better Books
People can not always seek help from a specialist. The techniques and methods known to psychotherapists can help themselves to advance on the way of solving some problems, but they will not replace the therapist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy of the book:
- "Cognitive therapy of depression" A. Beck, Arthur Freeman.
- "Cognitive psychotherapy of personality disorders" A. Beck.
- "Psycho-training by the method of Albert Ellis" A. Ellis.
- "The practice of rational-emotional behavioral psychotherapy" A. Ellis.
- "Methods of behavioral therapy" V. Meier, E.Chesser.
- "Guide to cognitive-behavioral therapy" S. Kharitonov.