For those struggling with addiction, many treatments and therapy options are available for recovery. Everyone is unique in their experience and situation with addiction. Not everyone will benefit in the same way from a treatment or therapy program.
At Northpoint Nebraska, we offer many specialized programs to help our patients recover from substance abuse and mental health conditions. We take an integrated approach to treatment and work with our patients to create individualized treatment plans that will meet their needs and target their struggles. Our goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment as our patients work towards maintaining long-term sobriety. One of the therapies we offer our patients is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It is widely used in addiction and mental health treatment. If you believe you or someone you know would benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, contact Northpoint Nebraska today at 888.351.3834.
What Is CBT?
While you might have heard about it, you may still wonder, “What is CBT? What is cognitive-behavioral therapy?” CBT is a form of therapy that helps patients address their thoughts, feelings, and actions and how they connect to their addiction. Patients work to understand their disturbing thoughts and feelings and examine how they impact their recovery. CBT helps patients understand why they feel or behave a certain way and how that may have contributed to or influenced their addiction. This is crucial for helping patients feel more prepared to go through the recovery process and overcome their addiction.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is also effective in helping to treat co-occurring disorders such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Therapists work with patients to identify their negative automatic thoughts, which are misconceptions and internalized feelings of self-doubt and fear. CBT helps patients change their thought patterns and implement more healthy and accurate ways of thinking. The goal of cognitive-behavior therapy is for patients to understand their negative automatic thoughts, how these thoughts impact their behavior and have affected their addiction, and learn healthy ways to cope with negative thoughts and calm their minds.
Understanding How CBT Works
If you are unsure about what it is, you may also be confused about how CBT works. Cognitive-behavioral therapy works by helping patients identify negative thoughts and behaviors that affect how they live their life. This is a critical part of the recovery process because negative or distorted thoughts can diminish a person’s mindset, and they could exaggerate a situation. These ways of thinking negatively impact recovery and can increase relapse risk. Correcting and transforming negative thought processes and distorted thinking is crucial for overcoming addiction and achieving lasting sobriety.
CBT has many benefits. Developing a healthy, positive mindset is essential for going through recovery and adapting to a new sober lifestyle. CBT can make a significant impact during addiction and mental health treatment. Some of the benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy are:
- Creating a healthy and more rational thought process
- Developing healthy self-esteem
- Identifying skills and strategies to cope with triggers
- Learning safe and positive techniques to relax and deal with stress
- Lowering anxiety levels over negative memories
- Understanding how negative thoughts impact behaviors
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help patients build confidence in themselves and their ability to go through recovery. A strong and healthy mindset helps patients endure the physical, mental, and emotional toll treatment and recovery can take on a person. CBT improves a patient’s mental health and helps them develop tools for maintaining sobriety in the long term.
Consider Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy at Northpoint Nebraska
What is CBT? It is a form of therapy that works on identifying negative thought patterns and learning ways to transform them in healthy ways. If you or someone you know would benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, contact Northpoint Nebraska at 888.351.3834.