What Is CBT? How Can It Be Useful For Me?

This video covers a very basic synopsis of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and how it can be impactful in your life. It explains what it is, a way that you can use it, and why therapists are often asked if they do CBT. My hope is that it will be your introduction into a form of therapy that can be incredibly beneficial for anxiety disorders, rumination, depression, OCD, and other mental health concerns. Please note that this video is for educational purposes and does not replace professional medical or psychological care.

Transcript

Today I want to introduce you to CBT.

It is a technique used in therapy.

It is a type of therapy that I myself use as a therapist and I want to talk you through it because I get a lot of questions on what it is and if it could be effective for you.

In a nutshell,

CBT is cognitive behavioral therapy.

The long and short of it is that it focuses on your cognitions and your behaviors.

So this sounds simple,

Right?

It sounds a little bit too easy,

But hear me out.

CBT can be particularly effective for things like anxiety when it comes to your rumination and your overwhelming thoughts.

It can also be useful for things like depression when you get stuck in what we call like a rut.

I get a lot of clients who come to me and ask,

Can you use CBT on me?

I heard it's effective,

But they don't actually know what it is.

Cognitive behavioral therapy talks about our feelings,

Our thoughts,

And behaviors,

And how they're interconnected.

So our behaviors influence our thoughts.

Which influence our feelings.

We call this the triangle,

The thoughts,

Feelings,

Behaviors triangle in CBT.

So one of the really easiest ways that you can use CBT in your own life and why we find it so impactful is that you can come in at some point in the triangle,

Right?

You can come in at your thoughts.

You can come in at your feelings,

You can come in at your behaviors,

And you'll ultimately influence the rest of the triangle.

So let me give you an example of why this is so effective.

If you're thinking all these negative thoughts about yourself,

Like,

I am not worth it.

I am not good enough.

Your feelings,

Right?

They're going to match.

They're going to feel low.

They're going to feel negative.

They're going to feel anxious.

Then your behaviors are likely going to enact something of someone who is maybe not feeling good about themselves,

Right?

They're all connected.

This is,

Again,

Basic tenets of CPT and how you can use it.

So say you try to target one of the triangles.

So instead of targeting your thoughts,

Because that feels too hard,

You decide to target your behaviors.

And you're like,

You know what,

I'm going to behave like somebody who got it all together.

And by starting to do that,

Maybe your feelings start to change.

Maybe you start to feel more confident,

Which in turn infects your thoughts,

Right?

Your thoughts go.

Hey,

Maybe I'm pretty cool,

Right?

So that is a basic,

Basic,

Basic synopsis of how you can use CBT in your own life,

But also how a therapist could really dive into those thoughts.

And there's a much deeper explanation.

We can get into core beliefs,

Schemas,

All the good stuff.

But I wanted to give you the basic because I know a lot of people are asking this question because they asked me the question and I hope this was helpful.