Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
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Sometimes the very understandable ways that we try to protect ourselves from something unpleasant or painful can keep us stuck or prevent us from living the life we wish for. We may unknowingly continue with strategies that are no longer serving us.
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For example, as a child doing everything anyone asks of you may get you the praise and affection you are seeking and may protect you from disapproval, criticism and punishment. In current life the competing demands of parenting on top of a career, a marriage and other existing commitments may mean that your existing strategy is unachievable and worse, is leading to feelings of overwhelm, resentment and failure.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a collaborative approach where we take the role of curious observers or scientists to notice how you respond to certain situations or triggers. We are seeking to understand the connections between your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviours, particularly if you are feeling stuck in a vicious cycle. If we notice a vicious cycle and can break it down to understand it, we then have a lot of options for trying to break it.
In my application of CBT, we are seeking to understand the ways in which you try to protect yourself, how those strategies have perhaps served you at other times in your life, or are understandable responses to certain experiences. We then look with curiosity to explore the impact of those strategies in the here and now and perhaps try out some alternatives if you feel that they are getting in the way of living in a way that is important to you. It may be that these self-protective strategies are impacting on current important relationships or you are feeling stuck and unable to make a change in your life such as returning to work after a career break, or meeting up socially with others.
Research has shown that CBT can be effective for a range of difficulties including PTSD, depression, generalised anxiety disorder, OCD, perinatal (antenatal and postnatal) depression and anxiety, social anxiety, health anxiety, emetophobia (vomit phobia), blood injury phobia, trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), panic disorder, agoraphobia and other specific phobias.
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CBT is quite a practical, explicit and collaborative approach. We work on current thoughts and behaviours and there are usually tasks to complete between sessions. In early sessions, this may involve noticing and recording when things come up, and in later sessions, trying out a technique or strategy, or perhaps carrying out an experiment where you try doing something differently. We may also use imagery to focus directly on difficult early life experiences.
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Please contact me if there's something you'd like to ask, I'd really like to hear from you.
Or, book your free initial consultation for a chance to meet one another and talk things through.
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