Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is a therapy based on the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected.
For example, if I wake up and think “I don’t want to get up this morning.”, then I’m less likely to get up. If I’m less likely to get up, then I’m more likely to feel more down. If I’m feeling more down, I’m more likely to start thinking of negative things, and then more likely to stay in bed feeling lower. And on the cycle goes.
CBT says that there are two points where change can happen- thoughts and behavior. CBT says that if I change those two things then I can change my mood. One of the key skills within CBT is re-framing challenging thoughts. Sometimes this is achieved by doing a thought record which is essentially where evidence is given for and against a thought and a more balanced perspective on the thought is achieved and then the negative feeling’s intensity is evaluated for improvement. Therapists can assist you with this process. A therapist can also assist you with creating behavioral homework assignments to move you forward towards your therapy goals, such as working on getting you up and out of bed versus staying and dwelling and feeling more depressed.
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