Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
A Strategic Reinforcement to Recovery
Shape Your Thinking, Change Your Life
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely used, researched, and empirically supported psychotherapy for addiction treatment. Amongst the many evidence-based treatment practices Northridge Addiction Treatment Center provides, CBT is incorporated in our individualized treatment plan. During CBT, residents learn to anticipate commonly faced triggers and strengthen self-control by establishing successful coping strategies. Residents’ introspection is actively stimulated to dismiss self-limiting beliefs, assisting in identifying constructive and empowering habits and perspectives. Together, the resident and therapist explore how certain situations and thoughts bring about behavioral changes and how these reactions can be improvements or setbacks. CBT allows for newly learned behaviors to integrate into new ways of thinking and healthier behaviors.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a form of psychological treatment therapy based on the basic principle that dysfunctional thoughts contribute to emotional and mental distress and behavioral difficulties. These dysfunctional thoughts include individuals’ general ideas about themselves, the world, and the future, creating involuntary thoughts that are flawed, incorrect, and invalidating. Cognitive behavioral therapy’s core premise is what we think, how we feel, and how we act are interrelated and significantly influence our well-being. CBT’s overall approach is a therapeutic strategy to challenge these negative thinking patterns that will ultimately lead to changes in troublesome behaviors and defeat emotional and mental distress.
Understanding CBT
CBT is a combination of two therapeutic therapies, cognitive and behavioral. Cognitive therapy aims to form a clear understanding of your own beliefs, attitudes, and expectations. Its focus is to expose and change false and troublesome perceptions that we unknowingly attach importance. Behavioral therapy’s purpose is to discover if particular behavioral patterns make your life more challenging or amplify your problems. Behavioral therapy holds the theory that behavior can be unlearned and created new. Together, the therapies fundamentals have the same basic principle— harmful thoughts and behavioral habits are more damaging to how we feel than the things and situations we perceive as the cause of problems.
How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Work for Substance Abuse?
Addiction is an intricate condition characterized by reoccurring substance use that often accompanies anxiety, depression, and distress. Substance abuse serves as a strong reinforcement of negative behaviors, and with prolonged use, these adverse reinforcing effects become associated with a wide variety of stimuli. CBT strives to help you recognize these involuntary negative or flawed thoughts and moderate them to develop skills to manage these negative associations. These powerful and unintended reinforcement effects created by substance use are addressed in CBT to understand the underlying relationship between an individual’s thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and substance use. CBT diminishes the severity and frequency of urges by transforming dysfunctional beliefs and provides the individual with skills to handle impulses and urges. Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to disrupt the flawed chain of dysfunctional thoughts and self-sabotaging behaviors.
Find Meaningful Recovery
Our caring and compassionate specialists are eager to help you comfortably navigate this journey to recovery. Our individualized treatment plan, programs, and therapies may be a perfect match for you or your loved one. Let us assist you in living the happy life you deserve. It starts with a phone call.
