Your heart rate increases as you make your way over to your phone.
You sent the text an hour ago, and have checked it at least 10 times since. You hit the home button and…nothing.
No text, just the time. A big glaring reminder that over an hour has passed since you initially sent the text.
Your mood, which started off great, is now dark. “It’s because I’m a loser,” you think. “What else could a non-answered text mean? She’s always always checking her phone…”
If you’ve had a similar experience, or find it hard to recover from some of the many hurdle’s life tends to toss from time to time, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help.
What is CBT?
CBT is based on the premise that our thoughts and beliefs drive our feelings and behaviors.
When thoughts pop up, it can be a challenge to remember to question their validity – especially when the thoughts dredge up one of our pain points. Rather than step back and question these thoughts, many tend to get carried away in an emotional story of how this perceived infraction is proof that they’re not good enough.
We’re used to reacting, and the more something happens that sets our thoughts off in a negative, uncomfortable way the more the brain becomes hardwired to follow that neurological path, repeating and sometimes ruminating in an extremely self-defeating manner.
CBT provides a chance to pause, hold these thoughts and beliefs up to the light, scrutinizing them to see what they’re made of: are they actually true?
What Can I Expect in a CBT Session?
CBT sessions are performed by a licensed clinician, and the duration of treatment ranges from 5 – 20 sessions.
Within these sessions, patients learn how damaging, untrue, and sometimes even silly some of their thoughts and the resulting beliefs are. With the guidance of their therapist, they learn how to identify, cross examine, and find healthier reality-based replacements for these old unhelpful patterns.
CBT asserts that we are not our thoughts. Just because you think something, doesn’t make it true.
Humans are biologically wired for survival; being ousted from the tribe a worst-case scenario. This may be part of the reason the brain defaults to doom and gloom as it jumps to conclusions in certain situations. In an attempt to “protect us” and keep us “safe,” it’s always ready and overly-eager to pull out all the parts we’re insecure about. Then parade them in front of us as “evidence” as to why we’re unlovable, not good enough… etc. So that way, we’re less likely to take big risks.
Our brains are pretty good at putting on a mighty convincing show.
Sometimes, even just speaking about the thoughts – hearing them spoken out loud – helps people see how flimsy they actually are. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the drama of our own mind, and CBT is an excellent way to ground back into reality.
CBT is mainly used to treat anxiety, panic disorder, and depression, though it’s helped with other diagnosis too, and is even shown to lessen some of the symptoms brought on by chronic pain.
How Do I Find a CBT Therapist?
Searching ‘CBT therapist near me’ should bring up quite a few results. At the Relationship Therapy Center, we provide CBT in person and virtually – which our busy patient’s love.
If you’re struggling, give us a call. You’ll learn how to stop jumping to conclusions or catastrophizing. Your therapist works with you to decipher whether the meanings you’ve assigned to different scenarios are true, and above all, get you back to enjoying life again.
Begin CBT Treatment in Roseville, CA or Fair Oaks, CA:
If you are ready to make lasting changes in your life, we can help! Our therapists are trained to provide individual CBT therapy for adults living in the Sacramento Area or online in the state of California. You can begin individual CBT therapy in Fair Oaks, CA or Roseville, CA by following these easy steps:
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Contact the Relationship Therapy Center to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation and learn more about CBT therapy
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Meet with one of our trained therapists
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Begin individual CBT therapy and work on the skills you need to improve your mental health
Other Services Offered at The Relationship Therapy Center:
In addition to individual CBT therapy, Our Sacramento area counseling clinics located in Roseville and Fair Oaks, CA are pleased to offer a variety of mental health services. Our couples services include: Couples Counseling, Counseling after infidelity, sex therapy, co-parent counseling, family therapy, divorce counseling, intensive couples retreats, and premarital counseling. Our individual therapy services include anxiety treatment, therapy for children, teen therapy, depression treatment, codependency counseling and individual relationship counseling. Our therapists offer online counseling in California to treat a variety of mental health concerns. Please reach out to our Sacramento area therapy office to learn more about the many ways we can help you or your loved ones.