It is now a leading treatment for many other conditions, includinganxiety disorders.
Research has shown that CBT is an effective therapy for social anxiety disorder.
CBT uses a combination of techniques that may vary depending on the disorder being treated.
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For example, CBT for depression differs from CBT for SAD or other anxiety disorders.
This article discusses the goals ofCBT as a therapy for social anxiety disorder.
It also covers some of the techniques and methods typically used in this throw in of treatment.
Click below to listen now.
Your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all linked.
By identifying unhelpful thoughts, you’re able to then change the way you feel and behave.
You will also be given homework assignments that are key to making progress.
People with SAD experiencenegative thoughtsthat occur automatically and are out of step with reality.
These thoughts increase anxiety and lessen your ability to cope.
The goal of CBT is to replace these cognitive distortions with more realistic views.
If you have SAD, you have probably had someone tell you to just “think positive.”
Learning to change these thoughts can help you feel less anxious in social situations.
Changing negative automatic thinking in the long term requires practice and repetition until it eventually becomes automatic and habitual.
Over time, your memory processes and neural pathways in your brain will change.
You will begin to think, act, and feel differently.
A change in your core beliefs will lead to long-lasting improvement of your anxiety symptoms.
Behavioral Techniques
Another element of CBT that focuses on changing socially anxious behaviors is known assystematic desensitization.
Over time, you begin to feel less fearful of these situations.
Exposure training for SAD has to be a very gradual process.
People with social anxiety are already forced to face what they fear on a daily basis.
Once the practiced or imagined situation becomes easier, you would move to the situation in the real world.
Exposure that is not structured in a gradual step-by-step process does more damage than good.
Forcing yourself into frightening situations without preparation and support may actually make your anxiety worse.
Internet CBT for SAD
Cognitive behavioral therapy can also be provided over the Internet (i-CBT).
This punch in of CBT is becoming increasingly common and has some research evidence to support its use.
It can be particularly effective when it is supported by a mental health professional.
Because CBT follows a structured format, it is well-suited for online use in both self-help or therapist-supported interventions.
Find out which option is the best for you.
A Word From Verywell
CBT is one of the most effective treatments for SAD.
If you are diagnosed with SAD, an effective treatment plan including CBT can help you to overcome symptoms.
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