CBT
Do you feel like your negative and anxious thoughts are holding you back?
Do you struggle to control your emotional reactivity?
Do you have a harsh inner critic?
Do you struggle to value yourself and notice your own strengths?
Does your anxiety keep you up at night?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) at Kairos Wellness Collective can help disarm the automatic thoughts that cause all these scenarios. We all walk around with an inner voice, the constant chatter of a self-talk. For those of us dealing with anxiety, trauma, or depression, this inner voice usually morphs into an inner critic. The critical voice tells us “this will be a disaster” or “I look awful” or worse still, “no one likes me.”
Take a moment now to consider: what is your inner critic telling you?
These thoughts that buzz constantly in our minds are illogical and usually not tied to reality! My inner voice used to tell me that I wasn’t smart enough. Even after I was admitted to elite schools, I still thought “well, I am going to mess this up.” The problem with this untrue automatic negative thinking is that it causes behavioral reactions. Sometimes we go overboard to compensate for our perceived deficiencies.
As a Freshman at Harvard, I would spend Friday nights holed up in the library because I thought I needed to go the extra mile to earn my keep. It wasn’t necessary and it wasn’t healthy.
Sometimes automatic negative thoughts cause us to avoid challenging situations entirely. If we tell ourselves “I look awful,” we might not cross the room to chat with a love interest. We pump the brakes before there is any danger.
And worst of all, automatic negative thoughts affect our emotions.
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Hearing negative feedback in our brains all day depresses our mood and elevates our anxiety.
If your mind is betraying you, it is nearly impossible to have a sunny, courageous outlook.
In fact, CBT counseling teaches us that our minds are actually undermining us with distortions. We have angst about possibilities that never happen. We have “give up” thoughts that make us back away from our dreams. Minor problems can balloon into catastrophes. Our heart can quite literally hurt from the stress of our thoughts.
So, are you ready to change your thinking? This is how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at Kairos Wellness Collective would work:
CBT therapy is unlike other therapy models. In CBT, we largely stay present-centered. In our first session, I will show you a list of the 15 most common distortions and we will usually jump right in from there. The aim of most sessions will be to correct present thinking patterns and workshop real life examples of distortions that pained you in any given week.
We will do evidence-based exercises in session to train your brain towards more positive thinking. Quickly, we will be able to determine what techniques for disputing distortions work best for you.
Some clients find solace in written exercises to deflate their inner critic. Others like to dispute their negative thoughts with their partners, or they may enjoy CBT-informed mindfulness and meditation.
In CBT counseling, we use any and every tool that works to free our minds from the hurtful thoughts that are holding us back. Once we drive out and debunk our common distortions, we can replace these thoughts with healthier outlooks.
A “never enough” achiever can instead be taught to recognize her success.
A “give up” avoider can instead be trained to “go to” and tackle those tasks.
CBT can help a person who consistently doubts herself to finally move towards healthy self-esteem.
CBT is empirically supported to create real change in clients’ lives.
But you may still have questions about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at Kairos Wellness Collective…
How long will it take to see results?
CBT counseling is shorter and quicker than traditional psychotherapy. Most clients will need between 8-20 sessions to reach long-lasting mental health goals, but initial improvements will most likely come in the first month.
What if I have tried and just really can’t change my thinking?
The most common obstacle to CBT is fear. We are afraid to fundamentally change our anxious or negative thinking, because we fear we will be less-than or unsafe without our ruthless self-talk. If you have tried before to get rid of negative thinking and it didn’t stick, we must ask the question, “What purpose is this negative self-talk serving in my life?”
Our self-talk does serve a purpose and sometimes keeps us on edge in order to avoid danger and failure. Sometimes our negative self-talk was a coping mechanism we developed to power through a traumatic childhood.
Sometimes negative self-talk can even drive us to greatness! That voice that tells you to stay up late into Friday night studying can propel you to the top of the class. It is hard to give up such a powerful tool.
Most high-achievers that enter my office have incredibly critical inner voices. They built their success on trying to outrun the self-talk that told them they are not good enough.
While negative thinking can be a motivator, it is usually the kind of motivator that drives us to burnout.
Negative self-talk and distortions have no natural end. They produce a fear and stress-based cycle. High-functioning clients come to my office when they realize they are trapped in this cycle, trapped in their own outsized expectations.
Contact Us Today
Do you have questions about CBT? Contact us using the form below and we’d be happy to help.
CBT therapy can help you take back control from your inner critic and escape this stress cycle.
If you would like to schedule an appointment or discuss your needs, you can call or text 720-310-0570, email help@southbouldercounseling.com, or send a message here. Feel free to reach out by text or phone whenever is convenient. We will get back to you shortly to discuss goals, pricing, and schedule.