What is cognitive behavioral therapy?

The marketers are out in force these days. They want to convince everyone that there is a pill to cure all ills. Oral medications are convenient for the patient. Just swallow and wait for results. They are profitable for the doctors because it takes only a minute to write out a prescription and wheel in the next patient. If you have to talk to the patients, this is fewer patients per day and less profit. It's great for the pharmaceutical industry. Just press the "go" button on the machines in the factory to make the pills and watch the money roll into the bank account. But, as a country, do we really want everyone to be dependent on pills? Surely there must be a better way of delivering treatment to those who need it. Well, in the question lies the answer. The most effective treatments deal with the patient as a human being with a problem instead of a piece of meat to be pacified and sent away with a pill. This is not to say that pills cannot and do not provide effective relief. The drugs used to treat anxiety are safe and effective. But all the major clinical trials show that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) produces better results than drugs. So what is CBT?

If you have an anxiety disorder, you should be the focus of attention. You need to move from a negative mindset to a positive outlook on life. Let's take each of the letters in turn:

c = cognitive. Cognition is the process of thinking. It deals with beliefs, opinions and all the other emotions and ideas that run around inside our heads. The problem with anxiety is that you see the future and fear the worst. It's great to have foresight. It helps you avoid danger. But you need a sense of proportion. Not everything is really dangerous, not everything has to be perfect, so you need to learn new priorities. Stop the automatic fear response. Slow down and think about the world more carefully. With a little determination, you can be more focused, avoid anger and frustration, and build a better outlook.

b= behavior. This is what you do and this is your chance to put that new world view into practice. When you have learned the new skills of relaxation, you have to confront the real-world situations where you have felt anxious. No more hiding away. You have to destress, grow calm and find peace as you try to reach your goals.

t = therapy where a guide teaches you coping skills so you can heal and recover from all that negative emotion and find new purpose and optimism. This is not teaching you to be less anxious. It's teaching you to be more self-confident.

Nothing in CBT denies a role for xanax. It's a great drug for the relief of anxiety over the short term. In fact, using xanax helps to calm your mind and make you more responsive to the therapy. As your mind slowly changes around to a positive way of thinking, you can ease off on the drug and allow yourself to start living life afresh. Let your new self-confidence crowd out the old fears and leave your mind calm.