simon simpson

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CBT offers focused effective therapy for stress, fears, anxiety, depression, confidence
CBT offers focused effective therapy for stress, fears, anxiety, depression, confidence



Hypnosis offers fast effective therapy for smoking, weight, dieting, IBS, stress, phobias, habits, fears, anxiety, depression, confidence

How CBT works

CBT works on the principle that our emotional upsets arise from the way we interpret the things that happen to us. It is the type of thoughts that we have in any given situation that lead to us feeling the way we do.


Rational and irrational thinking

Have you ever found yourself reacting to something in a way that you know, rationally, is not appropriate, but somehow you just can't stop yourself?
What happens when you react this way is that the situation you are in triggers a particular mindset, or 'core belief' - a belief that you hold about yourself and the world around you. This mindset, once triggered, then influences your thinking so that you automatically think negative, irrational thoughts. An example of such a mindset or core belief and the sort of things that result from it might be;
    "I am unlovable". Holding this sort of core belief could lead to you thinking that someone is paying you a false compliment if they praise you in some way. You can't hide your contempt for this false flattery and you snarl. They in turn take offence. Your belief that you are unlovable has thus become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
The ideal way of thinking is one that is rational and appropriate, and CBT aims to teach to you the skills to think rationally and appropriately in situations where you might previously have ended up in an emotionally unhealthy state. Surprisingly, it is not just negative thinking that can cause us problems - positive thinking can be inappropriate and unhelpful too sometimes.

For example, if we find ourselves in a field facing an angry-looking bull (we didn't notice the 'Beware of the Bull' sign did we?), we have a number of options available to us. Based on how we tend to react in potentially dangerous situations we might think;
  1. That the bull is going to flatten us because our life is one long catalogue of disasters (negative thinking),
  2. We are close enough to the gate to reach it and climb over if we run (rational thinking),
  3. I lead a charmed life and no stupid lump of prime steak is going to get in my way (positive thinking).
Results:
  1. Negative thinking - The bull charges - we stand rooted to the spot, resigned to our fate - SPLAT
  2. Rational thinking - The bull charges - we run, leap over the gate and live to tell the tale - PHEW!
  3. Positive thinking - The bull charges - we stand rooted to the spot, convinced the animal will back down in the face of a superior being - SPLAT
This may be a flippant example, but hopefully it demonstrates that the most effective way of dealing with the slings and arrows of modern life is to think in ways that are appropriate to your situation. You can change how you feel and remain in control of your emotions and your behaviours, even if you can't change the situation.


Does it matter where the core beliefs come from?

Yes, most of the time it is important to look back at things that happened in the past to find out where and how your distorted thinking originated. But insight into the origin of your problems is usually not enough to effect long term relief. In CBT we do not rake through the past just for the sake of it, in the hope that you will magically reach your own state of wisdom. The key is to do something practical with this insight into the past (something lacking in many other forms of psychotherapy). By identifying more rational thoughts (such as the realisation that we are not to blame for our parents' anger or abuse) and by practising this rational thinking we can overwrite the habitual pattern of thinking that has been causing us problems.

One thing we cannot do is go back and change the past. What we can change is how we think and feel about the past.

When you hit yourself on the thumb with a hammer, it hurts for a while and then gets better. Don't use negative thoughts as a hammer to continually hit yourself, rekindling the original pain. When you think rationally, your thoughts can be like a protective glove, soothing the original blow and preventing future blows from having an impact.