March 2022: A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine — Depression and anxiety. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t struggled, at least a little, with these obstacles. So in this issue of BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine, we shine a light on people and ideas that can help us all feel a little better — Mind, Body, Spirit, Soul, and Heart.
Retrain Your Brain: In addition to introducing you to some truly amazing therapists and authors, I want to share a 7-week plan for managing anxiety and depression by using cognitive behavioral therapy by Dr. Seth Gillihan, a licensed psychologist specializing in CBT. He was a full-time faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2012 and taught in the Psychology Department at Haverford College from 2012 to 2015. He has been in private practice since 2012. Seth completed a doctorate in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Research has shown that CBT is one of the most effective techniques for finding relief from depression and anxiety,” explains Seth. After 15 years of successfully treating patients using cognitive behavioral therapy, he developed a self-directed 7-week plan that teaches you practical CBT techniques that can help you feel better. “CBT helps you identify and replace thought patterns and behaviors that aren’t working with new ones that work better. Whether feelings of depression and anxiety occur constantly or sporadically, you can create a CBT tool kit to help you get through those feelings and realize your full potential.”
The weekly structure of this therapy workbook is designed, so each activity builds on the previous week’s work as you apply these techniques in your daily life.
- Week 1: Setting your goals and getting started
- Week 2: Getting back to life
- Week 3: Identifying your thoughts patterns
- Week 4: Breaking negative thought patterns
- Week 5: Time and task management
- Week 6: Facing your fears
- Week 7: Putting it all together
What exactly is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? According to the American Psychological Society, CBT is a form of psychological treatment demonstrated to be effective for various problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. In many studies, CBT has been demonstrated to be as effective as or more effective than other forms of psychological therapy or psychiatric medications.
“It is important to emphasize that advances in CBT have been made based on both research and clinical practice,” the APA explains. “Indeed, CBT is an approach for which there is ample scientific evidence that the methods that have produced change. In this manner, CBT differs from many other forms of psychological treatment.”
CBT is based on several core principles, including:
- Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking.
- Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.
- People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives.
We thank you again for being part of our Inkandescent family and look forward to bringing you more good health and wellness news in the new year. Please subscribe to our Monday Morning Magic newsletter, and please be in touch with any stories that we need to cover! — Hope