Treatment of Depression With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Research has shown that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is effective in treating various mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and addiction. CBT emphasizes the power of thoughts, beliefs and actions. CBT can be understood by many constructs. I will concentrate on three basic constructs: core beliefs and underlying assumptions.
What is a core belief and how does it impact your life? It is how we see ourselves and the future. It is the unique lens through which we see the world. These beliefs are responsible to producing automatic thoughts. An automatic thought is one that occurs instantly. These thoughts are our inner impressions and can be triggered by certain circumstances. It is a good idea keep track of your automatic thoughts. Many times, we don’t notice the negative self-talk we engage in every day. Journalism can help you to stop, reflect, and process what’s going on inside your mind. When journalism, ask yourself these questions: “What emotion did you experience?” What thought caused this unhappiness? What was happening during that time?
These automatic thoughts can be identified and then delve deeper to uncover the core assumptions and beliefs. It is similar to peeling layers off an onion when you discover the core belief. This metaphor can be further explained by saying that automatic thoughts make up the first layer, while underlying assumptions are the middle layer. Core beliefs, however, are the core of the onion. The “downward-arrow technique” is used in CBT for depression. It involves uncovering core beliefs.
One core belief might be, “I’m either not good enough or not lovable.” How does one come to believe such a thing? This belief, or “schema”, is influenced by the underlying assumption. A underlying assumption is usually expressed in the form of an “if…then” statement. These assumptions are not usually questioned by the individual, and are considered facts rather than subjective opinions.
Here’s an example of an underpinning assumption:
“If everyone loves you, that would be a sign you are worth it and you would feel great about yourself.”
It’s impossible to love all people at once. A person can feel like a failure if they have a distorted view of the world. One negative review from a critic could be taken to mean “I’m not accepted so that means something is wrong with my… “I must not be worthwhile.”
Depressed people will ignore or minimize the positive aspects and interactions in their life, and focus on the “evidence” that supports the core belief. “being inadequate”). It can take positive thoughts and affirmations that are repeated daily to dispel a deep-rooted negative belief.
Read More: How to control my anger
It is hard to live with negative core beliefs or schemas, such as “I’m unlovable”. For temporary relief from the unpleasant mental state, some people resort to using substances. For some, this maladaptive coping strategy may become a complete addiction. Core beliefs can have a significant impact on your daily life and major decisions. It is important to recognize negative core beliefs and challenge them.
