Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Antecedents – Beliefs – Consequences

A = the Antecedent, trigger event or occurrence which appears to lead to an emotional reaction.

B = our Beliefs, thoughts, interpretation or evaluation of that event and its possible causes or meaning.

C = the Consequences of that way of viewing the event – our emotional or behavioural reaction to it.

Working with depressed patients, he noticed they experienced a series of spontaneous negative thoughts, which he called automatic thoughts. He divided them into 3 categories: negative thoughts relating to the self, to the world and to the future

Men are disturbed not by things but by the views which they take of them … when, therefore, we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never blame anyone but ourselves: that is, our own judgments.
Epictetus, Greek philosopher

Try to understand your symptoms
Talk things over with a friend, family member or health professional
Look at your lifestyle – consider cutting down or steering clear of alcohol, illicit drugs and even stimulants like caffeine
Apply some of the CBT techniques in this chapter.
It’s quite common for people who are suffering from anxiety to also have symptoms of depression. If this is true for you then Chapter 6 on managing depression may be helpful for you.
CBT looks at how our thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviours all interact to maintain our anxiety. When we perceive a ‘threat’ of any kind – whether that is a fear of something that is happening right now or a worry about something that might happen in the future – our bodies and minds react in the ways we look at in the diagram opposite. When we notice the physical sensations of anxiety we assume that this means there really is a threat (even if in reality there is none) and so we get more anxious thoughts.

Try to understand your symptoms
Talk things over with a friend, family member or health professional
Look at your lifestyle – consider cutting down or steering clear of alcohol, illicit drugs and even stimulants like caffeine

Your heart may beat faster and harder
Your chest may feel tight or painful
You may sweat profusely
You may tremble or have shaking arms and legs
You may have icy cold feet and hands
You may have a dry mouth
You may have blurred vision
You may need to go to the toilet or have a churning or fluttering stomach
You may have a horrible headache
You may feel that you’re ‘not really here’ or that you are somehow out of your body, looking down on everything, detached from your surroundings
You may feel as if everything is very unreal
You may feel dizzy, light-headed or faint
You may feel you have a lump in your throat or that you can’t swallow
You may feel nauseous – you may even vomit
You may feel tense, restless or unable to relax
You may have general aches and

Physical sensations
What happened in your body?
Emotions
What did you feel?
Thoughts
What went through your mind? Words? Pictures?

emotional reaction.
B = our Beliefs, thoughts, interpretation or evaluation of that event and its possible causes or meaning.
C = the Consequences of that way of viewing the event – our emotional or behavioural reaction to it

appeared to address the subject matter. One was the World Congress of Behaviour Therapy, the other the World Congress of Cognitive Therapy.

The author believed in its importance (which author doesn’t?!) and was convinced that the research had international significance. B