COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
Cognitive-behavioral therapy was developed by psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck, in the 60s. It is based on the theory that the behavior of a person is determined by his way of thinking about himself and his role in the world. Moreover the ancient philosopher Epictetus contented that they are not the facts themselves that agitate the people, but the idea of the people for the facts. The patients are learning, therefore, that it is not the fact that makes them feel bad, but their thoughts about the particular fact, thus changing the way they perceive it, it also changes their way of feeling.
Further analyzing of this reasoning, the bad behavior of a person is due to deeply ingrained beliefs, which can lead to mistaken thoughts. When there is a fact, the person involves into a vicious circle, which includes automatic thinking- feeling- physical reactions- behavior. In the first stage, the person learns to recognize this wrong thoughts which are passing automatically from his mind (automatic thoughts) and the cognitive distortions that can be contained in them, for example, the white-black, negative thought. etc.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy uses a variety of techniques, which are at a patient’s disposal, in order to modify his behavior and his emotion.
In the second stage, the individual learns to identify the content of the automatic thoughts. So, the vicious circle is cut off and the behavior, the emotion and the physical reactions are altered. So, the person is directly relieved from his symptoms. The treatment, in addition, aims to identify and modify the underlying beliefs of a person, which, as mentioned above, led to automatic negative thoughts.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy uses a variety of techniques, which are at a patient’s disposal, in order to modify his behavior and his emotion. The treatment supplies him with tools in order to deal with the situations which might be hard for him. Let’s not forget the adage: “I will not give you the fish you will eat, but I will learn you how to fish” . Exactly for this reason, the client gets actively involved in the treatment process and undertakes implementing “out there” the tools he achieves in the therapeutic context.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is structured and short-termed and usually lasts 15-20 sessions (12 weeks). According to research data, it has been applied with the greatest success in depression and anxiety disorders (panic attack, phobias, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety situations), as well as adjuvant therapy for the treatment of substance abuse and the improvement of medication compliance.