Cognitive psychotherapy is one of the most popular and successful methods, the basis of which is to facilitate the adaptation of the client - both social and personal - by changing personal beliefs that impede this adaptation. Of course, the use of this psychotherapeutic method requires considerable work from the doctor, but it brings success almost always.
Cognitive psychotherapy was invented at the beginning of the 20th century by Aron Beck. This person believed that many psychological problems of the client may arise due to the fact that he is making incorrect conclusions that distort the true picture of the world. The reason for this is the so-called “automatic thoughts” - thoughts that a person has when evaluating an experienced situation. And it is they that can cause inappropriate behavior.
As a result of these “automatic thoughts,” many people may form incorrect stereotypes. The greatest likelihood of their formation in childhood, and it is precisely their hardest to destroy.
The goal pursued by cognitive psychotherapy is to help get rid of stereotypes, learn how to analyze the situation correctly, and determine your own interpretation of various situations and its causes.
Psychologists using a cognitive approach have to study the patient for a long time, because in order to help him get rid of wrong beliefs, you need to understand how this person thinks, why and how he has developed such beliefs.
In order to better understand the essence of cognitive psychotherapy, it is advisable to study at least one example of how a cognitive approach in psychology can make life easier for a person.
Suppose a person comes to a psychologist who suffers from headaches that arise when experiencing certain emotions. To help him, the doctor asks the client to keep a detailed diary - what he was doing, what he felt at the same time, at what point the headache appeared . The longer this diary is kept, the easier it is to understand why a patient has a headache and to help him.
Suppose a client has an interesting but rather complicated job in which he tries to do everything perfectly. Experiences and tension during work already make themselves felt, but if the task still has not been completed perfectly, then here it is - a severe headache. Well, in the event that the authorities expressed dissatisfaction with the work done, then the client can only sympathize.
So, from the entries in the patient’s diary, it is possible to understand that it is precisely such emotions (experience when doing work, disappointment when the task fails, unbearable shame when condemned by the authorities) that causes him a headache. How to help him? First things first, work should be done to eliminate the "excellent student complex." The pursuit of excellence is wonderful, but there must be a limit to everything. After the ideal completion of the task will cease to be the most important for the patient, his condition will improve significantly. All that remains is to get rid of an excessive sense of duty so that the client ceases to suffer from shame when he hears the reproaches of the boss.
In fact, it is not so simple and easier to do everything described above at a new workplace.
But, unfortunately, there are completely neglected situations in which cognitive psychotherapy yields almost no results, and treatment promises to drag on for a long time. What should a psychologist do then? In psychiatry, there is a method similar to cognitive psychotherapy, more effective, but also more stringent.
This method is suggestive psychotherapy, which is based on hypnosis. During treatment, the doctor immerses the patient in a hypnotic state, in which the client cannot take any action. The psychologist makes suggestions with short, extremely clear phrases. As a rule, optimism is instilled in a person, it is said that when he wakes up he will have to get rid of his illness / fear / aggression / insecurity.
Suggestive psychotherapy is used for many psychological problems, as well as for physical diseases.