Cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT is a type therapy that has many applications, including as treatment for anxiety. It’s a practical approach with the focus on problem solving related to dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and thoughts. CBT uses a goal-oriented approach, keeping track of progress and adjusting where necessary.
Depending on the therapist, cognitive behavioral therapy can be more focused on adapting the cognitions (thoughts) or the behaviors. Regardless of the focus, it’s always about relieving the anxiety symptoms and adapting the thoughts in the present time.
Besides adjusting the way people look at the triggers and causes for their anxiety, CBT reduces anxiety by gradually exposing people to stimulus that causes the fear. Through this gradual exposure people learn that they don’t have to be afraid. This reasoning is based on the theory that phobias and other anxiety disorder are at least partly caused by conditioning: the pairing of anxiety with a certain stimulus over a certain amount of time.
Think about Pavlov’s dog and the bell. If you don’t the story: A scientist named Pavlov would measure the amount of saliva a dog would generate in response to seeing and smelling food. Pavlov then started ringing a bell right before the food was presented. After a while, the dog learned that when the bell rang, his food would come. Soon, it would start salivating as soon as the bell rang. This is the same principle that applies to anxiety, even though the factors and interactions are often much more complicated.
When people are afraid of specific animal or object, like with a phobia, gradually exposing them to their trigger will counteract their conditioning. This type of in vivo exposure is quite effective. People learn that the object of their fear is usually quite harmless, which means they have no reason to fear it. Do this a couple of times and the anxiety will diminish.
With general anxiety, the trigger is often vague and abstract, making it more difficult to use in vivo exposure. But it’s still useful, especially when combined with the other techniques.
The most effective results for anxiety relief are usually obtained when cognitive behavioral therapy is combined with a diminishing regimen of anxiety medication.
Take care,
Well done
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