Dr. Gary L. Coats
Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT is a therapy that focuses on the manner or ‘pattern’ in which an individual thinks, feels and behaves. Research has revealed that thoughts, feelings and behavior have a clear impact on one another. Additional research investigation has revealed that we can change the pattern of our thoughts thereby affecting our ability to control our emotions and behavior. Research has revealed that CBT is an effective treatment for insomnia, anxiety, depression, weight loss and anger control.
Learning to identify your negative, destructive thoughts is very important. Unfortunately, these thoughts are often irrational and an automatic pattern that frequently elicits negative emotions and behavior. Learning to identify and control them is the cognitive basis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, under the guidance and direction of a therapist, can lead to a marked increase in controlling negative thoughts which drive anxiety, depression, anger and addiction problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can lead to a decrease in uncontrolled, negative thoughts and an increase in positive, healthy thinking.
Learning to control your thinking is NOT as easy as it sounds. If it were easy to learn to control your pattern of irrational, negative thinking, humans would very likely not suffer from anxiety, depression, anger and addiction problems. Unfortunately, these patterns of thought are anchored in long standing, traumatic experiences in life that establish the intractable patterns of negative thought including the way we view ourselves, people in our life, events in life and our relationship to the future. When our thoughts are toxic, negative emotions and behavior frequently follow.
A therapeutic relationship with an experienced professional can provide the necessary insight, motivation and direction to address these intrusive, toxic thoughts and emotions that lead to emotional pain and self destructive behavior.