What is CBT?

It is a therapeutic model that aims to understand the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Generally we do not think about our thoughts, instead we rush around meeting internal and external demands and it is these demands that we need to become more aware of. Our thoughts and feelings are a very important part of our lives and we would all benefit from developing a better relationship with them.

We all have thoughts – thousands float through our heads every day, however we are often not aware of our thought process and the less aware we are the more it can emotionally influence us, we might be reacting to our thoughts without even realising. It is this process that CBT can help with by helping people to become more aware of their thoughts and choosing new ways to react, rather than falling into old automatic behaviour patterns.

You may become aware of difficult feelings before you are able to identify any thoughts, feelings can be very difficult to recognise and name. However learning to recognise and name them can help us gain distance from them which will make them feel intense. If you are experiencing difficult feelings or you want to change something in your life then CBT might be the right therapy for you.