Understanding the Basics of Cognitive Behavior Therapy

A Center for Behavioral therapy can use multiple techniques and practices to enable individuals deal with stress related disorders such as anxiety, panic, depression, phobias and other emotional disturbances. Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT is one of the most effective and researched means of extending treatment to individuals who often find it difficult to manage stress. The underlying premise that drives the CBT approach is that our thoughts and feelings determine our behavior. This approach has garnered a lot of significance in the present day because of its practicality and efficacy for modern individuals. 

Applications of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A typical center for cognitive therapy applies the approach in multiple situations. The therapy has been identified to be used in treating people who suffer from a large range of disorders related to stress. This treatment focuses on highly distinctive goals and results are tangible and measurable. CBT is best applied on patients who find the process of introspection comfortable. This is because a lot of quality time and efforts are spent to analyze an individual’s thoughts and feelings. And the individual must be willing to co-operate for the process. This is a need, although difficult, because only a self-analysis can help to determine internal states and thereby establish a connection with external behavior.

Also, the Cognitive Behavior Therapy approach is more often short-term and helps individuals develop and nurture coping skills that will come in handy in the present and for the future. And the approach does not just stop with identifying negative traits or thoughts but goes on to challenge and replace them suitably. 

A Presentation to Understand CBT

- The Midwest Center

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center 

Have Psychological services come of age?

Stress may be a common debilitating component in routine life but the way in which it impairs your routine is unique and personal. Therefore, a program that enables individuals to handle stress well must be equally distinctive. Stress can result in numerous bodily and mental disturbances that include fears, anxiety, panic attacks, phobias and depression. Fears and phobias are common and are a part of every individual’s life but when such fears go on to inhibit you from attending to your routine, they can hamper several things.

Evolution of Psychological Services

Counseling and psychological services have been in United States for numerous decades and is perhaps as old as civilization; however in its very crude form. Over the years, psychological services have evolved to a more sophisticated, tangible and practical form. As much as your mind has the ability to conjure up several positive images, thoughts and feelings; it can also demonstrate the other side of things. Some, naturally or with experience learn the art of handling negativity and stress but some others find it difficult and succumb to the pressures. This is when expert intervention can help you turn things around for yourself.

Life poses numerous challenges. They can be difficult to combat and transitions may be a lot more difficult to handle. Moving forward is a need and if you are struggling to even take that first step, there are experts who can help you. Psychologists, Counselors, Nutritionists and Speakers specifically design tools that are derived from years of experience and expertise to minimize and/or eliminate anxiety and stress and help individuals to think and perform better. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a scientific approach that is widely considered as one of the most effective and successful forms of treatment for problems of such nature. The primary objective of this therapy is to determine and change unhealthy ways of thinking and behaving.

How CBT helps?

The CBT approach uses a systematic process to relieve negative emotions, thoughts and behaviors by bringing a change in thought patterns. The practices help individuals challenge existing thought patterns and substitute negative thoughts with more positive ones. Cognitive Behavior Therapy is based on the concrete connection between thoughts, emotions and behavior. This approach is singularly more effective in handling stress disorders than many other more expensive therapies combined. However, expertise is vital in delivering this therapeutic approach effectively. While there are numerous relief centers ready with variety of treatments, choosing the center most suitable with good success percentage is important.

A much renowned Counselor and believer of CBT

- Midwest Center

Attacking Anxiety and Depression

                         

   
     

How can Cognitive Behavior Therapy help you deal with Stress?

A professionally run Cognitive behavior therapy center follows the fundamental principles that define the therapy. Cognitive behavior therapy is built on the premise that our thoughts and patterns govern our behavior and reactions and external triggers have little or no impact on how we feel or respond. While there are several established therapies around the world to treat anxiety and its related disorders, cognitive therapy is a winning model that has been proven time and again in the treatment of stress related troubles.

A renowned center for Cognitive behavioral therapy works around cognitive restricting wherein negative thinking patterns are challenged and the mind is restructured to replace them with positive thoughts so as to contribute to better responses and behaviors. This process is handled in a series of three steps.

Determining negative thoughts: When individuals are anxious, their fears and perceptions are heightened and dangerous. Combating even the most irrational of fears can be very difficult for the individual. The intervention of a therapist makes life simple by facilitating you to identify what causes anxiety and what you were thinking then.

Challenging negative thoughts:  This is the stage of evaluation where your therapist can help you analyze your beliefs, evaluate reality of your perceptions and seek evidence of your negative thoughts. This stage often includes experiments and attempts to rationalize even the most irrational of fears.

Substituting negative thoughts with positive ones: While identification of negative thoughts is the first and most difficult of steps, replacing them with more realistic and optimistic thought patterns is the second and most crucial of stages. Calming statements and perceptions reinforce positive attitude.

Feedback on a CBT based program- Liz

- Midwest Center

Attacking Anxiety and Depression

   

  

Things to know about the commonly unknown things of Cognitive Behavior Therapy

The demand for a successful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy center is on the rise and there are significant reasons for the increase. Cognitive behavior therapy is the most widely used and successful technique the world has seen. This form of therapy has been demonstrated beneficial for a large range of emotional disorders that include panic attacks, social anxiety disorders, phobias and depression. The fundamental premise of this therapy is built on addressing negative patterns. It is a two-prong treatment technique.

Aaron T.Beck
 Father of  Cognitive Behavior Therapy

• Cognitive Behavior therapy reflects on how negativity in terms of thoughts and perceptions attribute to anxiety.

• Behavior therapy represents how an individual behaves and responds to situations that are potential anxiety creators.

The pivotal point of the therapy lies on the fact that it is our thoughts and not the external events that serve as triggers to our behavior. In simple words, the situation has nothing or very little to do with how we behave and it is our perceptions that lead to our reactions.

A successful Center for Cognitive Therapy focuses on a treatment pattern that is holistic, self-usable and efficient in the long term. Therefore, the therapy centers on these pointers.

• To identify potential anxiety generators and feelings that they tend to create.

• To determine coping strategies and relaxing techniques for offsetting panic and anxiety.

• To confront fears, challenges and situations that are likely to upset you, so that you are equipped to handle complexities of life without the need for expert intervention.

Thus the effects of the therapy are considered to be long lasting and effective.

A CBT based Treatment Program

- Midwest Center

Attacking Anxiety and Depression

Is it Important to Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ?

You may have received guidance and expert assistance from a renowned stress relief service center for anxiety related troubles and also found respite. But after a traumatic experience, it is very natural to feel paranoid, afraid and anxious so that you do not want to experience another similar episode. However, if the anxiety is giving you painful memories and creating constant fear in you; you are likely experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and this is quite normal. 

Seeking the help of a post-traumatic stress treatment center is important in such cases. Such kind of disorder can threaten your safety and leave you feeling helpless. Not all individuals have such experiences but some are likely to develop them although at different points of time. It can take days, weeks, months or even several years for it to strike an individual.

Need for Treatment

Any Stress relief center that has dealt with PTSD individuals will emphasize the need for treatment.

• Altering family life: Symptoms of such disorder can impact normal functioning and cause disruption in your family life. Such individuals can begin to alienate themselves in a crowd and experience social phobias.

• Early treatment advisable: Any disorder of the mind or body requires early intervention. The more you delay, the tougher does the treatment get to be. Therefore, seek help as early as possible.

• Dependence upon health problems: Post-traumatic stress disorder can have its impact upon other physical health problems as well. Hence, it becomes all the more imperative to treat it. 

Kurt shares with experience with PTSD

- THE MIDWEST CENTER 

Attacking Attacking & Depression

Understanding the Signs of Depression

Depression treatment centers have emerged not just because stress is a part of life or the occasional blues may leave us feeling upset. The anxiety and depression centers and their intervention techniques have become significant because stress, anxiety and other by-products have begun to cause extensive damage to the human body and mind. When stress goes to an extent that it impedes your normal routine and prevents you from normal functioning, it needs intervention.

 Depression, quite contrary to sadness leaves a feeling of emptiness, inability to perform even normal activities, helplessness and a sense of general worthlessness. Depression is often associated with specific signs and symptoms and these largely include but are not restricted to.

Feeling of hopelessness: A depressed individual often is pushed to feel that life cannot get any better and that nothing can be done to make the situation good or better.

Erratic sleep pattern: Extreme sleep patterns such as insomnia or oversleeping, disturbed sleep or waking up at odd hours of the night are examples of erratic sleep patterns.

Loss of appetite: When an individual gains or loses over 5% of body weight in a month or lesser, it could be a symptom of depression.

Self loathing, anger, irritability, lack of energy, inability to focus, unexplained body aches, general fatigue, recklessness and thoughts of suicide are often characteristic signs of depression. Treatment for depression is important and immediate. There cannot be a standard methodology since the causes to depression are as unique as the personality of individuals.

James on his struggle with Depression

- The Midwest Center
Attacking Anxiety and Depression

California

Identifying Stress and its many Shades within Us

Stress may be a tiny word but has tremendous ill potentials that it can cause to your mind and body. It is no wonder that stress relief treatments in California, New York ..etc are assuming large proportions today. Stress has become a part of modern lifestyle. While some amount of stress is positive and is a contributor, too much or badly handled stress can deteriorate the quality of life. Stress energizes people, enhances performance and also improves efficiency. The other end of the problem can cause anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, restlessness, disorders and depression. Thus, Stress has many faces that the Human mind is yet to conjure.

Any professional stress relief treatment center engages in treatment methodologies to transform ill effects of stress and enable individuals to equip themselves to handle complexities of life better. Research has shown that while stress is common in both men and women; the latter are more vulnerable to the problem because of physical and environmental triggers. Stress can occur in all ages of people but the reasons contributing to the same are often varied.

Stress show up as many by products that include exhaustion, anger, guilt and other impossible emotions. Stress inducing factors are numerous. They include biological, job related, environmental, emotional and people related factors. But learning to defuse stress through challenges and troubles is what an individual must learn to do and what stress relief treatments aim to achieve. The programs should focus on long term results and enable individuals to tackle issues by themselves before the problem engulfs them.

Captain Fasmer on his battle with Stress

- Midwest Center

Attacking Anxiety and Depression

Determining the Efficacy of Drug Rehabilitation programs

Over 24 million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol. But only one in 10 go through a drug rehabilitation program. And the efficacy of these programs is also questioned. This is because most of these programs fail to follow proven methods that have been known to handle addiction and offset relapse.
Recent research and studies show that many rehabilitation programs in the country take to outdated methods that may or may not offer positive results. As technology grows, understanding human behavior and thought processes become advanced and within reach. Therefore, the newer methodologies often incorporate the best of research and medical expertise to deliver long lasting results.

Need for Drug Rehabilitation Program

It is also unfortunate that people perform a lot more research to buy an automobile and considerably lesser time and efforts in identifying the right rehabilitation center in the country.

- Several reports have shown that many addiction treatment providers are neither experts nor medical professionals who are qualified to handle issues as colossal as these.

- Science-based practices should form the fundamentals of a drug rehab program. Many drug treatment centers California seldom resort to such techniques and hence the failure of their treatment methodologies.
   
   - Also, drug treatment processes that offer temporary results are also out of the league.


A program can be deemed efficient only when the results are long lasting and usable by the individual themselves since addiction can recur and only efforts to fight temptation and emerge successful can prevent further occurrences.

A Statistic on Drug usage 

source: Re find your way

- Midwest Center

California, US

     

Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-Know its Signs, Categories and Treatment options

Treatments for anxiety and depression have been in existence for several centuries. Anxiety is not a new phenomenon and has existed ever since the birth of the human race. However, its magnitude has increased in recent times owing to modern lifestyle and the need to maintain lifestyle standards in the society. It is no surprise that the percentage of population experiencing stress and undergoing depression is increasing rapidly and the onset of such illnesses is as early as childhood. The need to be perfect and low tolerance has contributed to several phobias and obsessive disorders. The more popular of them all is the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD.

It may be normal for all humans to check twice if the lights are turned off or the car is locked but in the case of OCD, these thoughts and actions become so excessive that they gradually begin to knock your regular routine down. Despite the reality check you do on yourself, it becomes difficult to cut down on those thoughts and break free from the irrational urges. Gaining control of even one task may become the single most objective every day.

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is treated in every professional center for anxiety attack treatment in California and numerous other cities. This is a specific kind of anxiety disorder that is accompanied by uncontrollable urges to repetitively indulge in behaviors that become ritualized in every sense of the word. An individual with OCD may even understand his or her irrational behavior and recognize those unwanted repetitive acts but find it difficult not to do so. In OCD, the brain gets stuck to a particular thought or thought pattern and refuses to budge. Checking the stove at least 25 times to see if its turned off or washing your hands and legs over and over again until skin feels raw are some examples of OCD.

Categories of OCD

Most individuals with OCD can be categorized under one of these classifications.

• Washers: Often afraid of contamination, the washers are the ones that regularly clean or wash their hands and legs fearing germ attack or just about contamination of any kind.

• Checkers: This is one of the more popular kinds. Checkers are engulfed by the urge to check on things repetitively to eliminate chances of danger.

• Doubters and Sinners: Individuals who constantly fear that they are wrong-doers and are likely to be punished for their sins form this category.   

• Hoarders: These are the individuals that do not discard or throw away anything thinking that something bad can happen if they do so.

• Counters and Arrangers: Some individuals are obsessed with order, numbers, colors, arrangement or symmetry and just about everything must fall into a specific order for them.

As part of treatments for anxiety and depression, Cognitive behavior therapy has emerged as one of the more successful techniques. Repeated exposure to the source of obsession and identifying efficient ways to respond to such obsessive thoughts are the focus elements of this kind of therapy.

Lucinda Bassett on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

- Midwest Center

Center for cognitive therapy

Attacking Anxiety and Depression