The brain never stops developing as we live our lives.

As we grow and experience life, we will develop some cognitive distortions (negative thinking patterns) along with some positive thoughts.

Sometimes, these cognitive distortions are subconscious. We do things that are harmful or don’t do things that can benefit us due to our internal belief systems.

We may not be aware we have them.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a process that has been shown through research to rewire the brain, which relieves depression and anxiety. It challenges our cognitive distortions.

Much of our sadness, stress, and sense of defeat stems from cognitive distortions. They can also impact how we interact with people.

Examples of Cognitive Distortions

“I’m only good at this one thing. I’m terrible at everything else.”

“Everyone I’ve ever met has used me. Guess that’s all I’m good for.”

“If I fail this test I’m giving up on this program.”

“I’m trying one more relationship and if that doesn’t work out, I’m going to give up.”

“Every time I worry about something, it comes true!”

Some people don’t compose these full sentences in their mind, but they believe these ideas.

These thoughts become belief systems, and we behave according to those beliefs.

How Does CBT Rewire Brains?

An anxious or depressed mind has typically been subjected to negative thoughts for a long time.

These thoughts might have been a coping mechanism that helped us deal with uncomfortable or painful situations.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy helps to restructure the brain by creating new neural pathways through neutral thinking.

First, we need to realize what we’ve been telling ourselves for years, possibly decades to know what we need to fix.

We then need to challenge those negative beliefs by asking ourselves what evidence we have for them.

After this, you then practice more balanced and realistic thoughts and model our behavior after these new neutral thoughts.

The amazing thing is when we practice the exercises in CBT, the brain begins to shift functions to different parts of the brain. This can be measured through brain scans.

This is called “neurogenesis” where new neurons are formed in the brain.

We Can’t Control How We Feel Now, But Through Changed Behaviour We Can Feel Better Over Time!

As you work on replacing negative thoughts with more neutral ones and adopting more balanced behaviour that mirrors those healthier thoughts, your brain responds to this and adapts.

Well-established neural pathways created by negative and extreme thinking are more likely to accept negative information over positive or neutral information. This is what causes skewed thought patterns.

Once we identify a thought that is negative, we can start to rewire the brain by creating more balanced thinking.

A therapist can help you identify which cognitive distortions are holding you back.

CBT focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It’s done in a time limited and structured way to ensure the client stays on track and focuses on their healing.

If you can’t afford a therapist or can’t find one you find suitable, there’s free CBT resources you can access.

(I actually CBT focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It’s done in a time limited and structured way to ensure the client stays on track and focuses on their healing. I counseled myself with CBT and it changed my life.)

Resources:

Mindshift CBT App (A free CBT-based app)

Aura  (An app that is rooted in CBT, meditation, mindfulness, etc.)