Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

When my grandfather returned "shell-shocked" from the Pacific theater during World War II, there was no formal diagnosis of "PTSD" and no good treatment for the nightmares and constant sense of threat that returning veterans often face. I’m told he never really recovered from the horrors he witnessed during multiple invasions. Maybe his self-inflicted death could have been prevented if the psychological treatments we have now had been available. Perhaps I would have met him.

Thankfully, much has changed since the mid-twentieth century, and it's an exciting time to be a psychologist. We now have research-based psychological treatments for a wide variety of conditions like PTSD, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and many others. These treatments have helped countless individuals get their lives back.

Most of the treatments that have been shown to work fall under the cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, umbrella. As the name suggests, CBT addresses a person’s thoughts or “cognitions.” By taking a close look at our thoughts we can discover patterns that trip us up, over and over. The “B” of CBT focuses on making behavioral changes to break free of unhelpful habits. Mindfulness-based approaches make up the “third wave” of CBT: When we practice being fully present we can wake up, be full participants in our own lives, and can learn to detach from the constant stream of judgments that our minds create.

Cognition, behavior, mindfulness: Think, Act, Be.

Powerful treatments are now available, which is the good news. The bad news is that most people who need these treatments still aren’t getting them. It’s sad to realize that even today, countless veterans with PTSD don’t receive the best-tested treatments, which explains at least in part the staggering number of suicides among veterans, including those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. Clearly a lot of work needs to be done to bring the best treatments to people who need them.

I’ll be using this blog to discuss issues related to CBT: What it is, how it helps, who can benefit from it. My hope is to introduce techniques that make life more fulfilling and to make readers aware of the help that’s available through good psychological treatment. I look forward to your comments and questions.

Welcome to my blog. I'm very pleased to join the ranks of my fellow bloggers on PsychologyToday.com.