CBT, Exposure Therapy (and breathing techniques) – Flashcards

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Present focus. This means it works with thoughts and feelings in the here-and-now. A cognitive behavioral therapist will try to understand a situation by looking at separate parts.

CBT is about finding out what is keeping us "stuck" and making changes in our thinking and actions in order to improve the way we feel. It is a collaborative therapy and needs your active participation in order to be helpful. There is a lot of evidence to show it is an effective treatment.

It is the most effective psychological treatment for ANXIETY. Exposure means facing your fears, and is the opposite of avoidance. Exposure therapy can be done in both real situations or imagined ones. In psychological terms, exposure leads to the extinction of a learned fear response.

Phobias PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Panic Attacks OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

It helps cover up a 'fear memory' with more positive, safe memories.

1. Learning to be afraid of something (i.e. car crash) 2. The problem of fear (having flashbacks, reminders of car crash such as from riding in a car). 3. Exposure therapy (Individual gradually exposed to cars -- once individual sees nothing bad is happening, a new, more positive memory is created involving the car). 4. Anxiety is reduced (safe memories begin to outnumber fear memory. Fear memory will never disappear, but at least it can be countered by many good ones).

Gradual exposure to your fear or phobia. This is more gentle than Exposure. It involves finding the smallest trigger, then building slowly, whereas exposure is more up front.

Systematic Desensitization

Yes. Breathing is strongly linked to the way we feel. When we are relaxed, we breath slower, and breathing slower helps someone relax. When someone is anxious, breathing quickens.

O2 and CO2 are balanced.

Quicker breathing, so that more oxygen can be delivered. More CO2 is expelled, so this type of breathing is still balanced, just delivering more oxygen for muscles.

Breathing increases, but because we are not working out, more oxygen isn't being utilized, so CO2 is not being produced faster than normal. This results in CO2 being expelled more than oxygen, which leads to IMBALANCE.