Bewildered About CBT Meaning?

If you are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, you will undoubtedly need professional treatment for recovery. And during treatment, you may undergo something called CBT. This can be an extremely effective form of therapy for many individuals struggling with addiction. Still, the CBT meaning can be confusing for some.

In this article, we explore the CBT meaning. We explain how it can benefit those who are struggling with addiction and how you can use it even after treatment, too.

What Is the CBT Meaning?

The letters CBT stand for cognitive behavioral therapy. This is a form of psychotherapy that was founded by Aaron Beck, a psychoanalyst. Psychotherapy simply refers to “talk therapy.” For example, if you are sitting in a room speaking one-on-one to a counselor or therapist, this would be talk therapy.

There are many different types of psychotherapy, but CBT is especially popular because it’s effective. You don’t have to have a specific issue or problem to benefit from CBT. In fact, it is used in all types of settings.

Most of all, CBT focuses on pushing the boundaries of an individual’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. In the world of CBT, thoughts are what spurs feelings and sometimes behaviors. Of course, feelings and behaviors then change and alter thoughts. And the wheel goes round and round.

What Does CBT Have to Offer?

CBT aims to change thought patterns — or at least question them. To do this, a therapist will confront the client’s current thought pattern and challenge different aspects of it.

Here’s an example. Let’s say that an individual named John is seeking help for alcohol addiction. He is in CBT therapy with his therapist Lisa. John feels that he has to drink alcohol in order to feel relaxed when he is around other people. This is his thought pattern, and John has not ever questioned it.

Of course, this thought pattern is causing John a lot of pain because it spurs him to drink too much alcohol. Therefore, it is Lisa’s job to help John change this thought pattern. She may do this by starting to ask a few questions.

She may ask questions such as: “What would happen if you didn’t drink alcohol at your friends’ party?” John may respond that that would make him uncomfortable. He may respond that he would be awkward and shy. Lisa may then ask: “Why is that bad?”

John may respond that he knows that he won’t be very much fun or very talkative. He might say that his friends only like him when he’s fun and talkative. Lisa may then inquire, “Are you absolutely sure that your friends only like you when you’re fun and talkative?” To this, he will likely respond with, “No.”

Hopefully, you can see where this is going. The behavior of drinking too much alcohol was spurred in John by his thought process. CBT can change that thought process.

Getting CBT Treatment at Beaches Recovery

CBT treatment is available at Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida. We offer numerous types of treatment and therapy programs including:

• Drug and alcohol detox
• Intensive outpatient program
• Residential drug rehab 
• Men’s drug addiction rehab program
• Women’s drug addiction rehab program

To learn more about the CBT meaning and the meaning of other types of therapy we offer at Beaches Recovery, give us a call today at 866.605.0532. We look forward to working with you and helping you on your journey toward recovery from addiction.