Have You Considered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Your Depression?

Are you seeking treatment for ongoing stress or an anxiety disorder? If so, you may be interested to know that both of these conditions are quite common in the United States, and are highly treatable.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other mindfulness-based therapies have been shown to be quite effective in reducing and resolving stress, anxiety, and other issues. Furthermore, CBT is also effective as a therapy for depression, which is another common condition.

Meditation, which is a mindfulness-based practice, can assist with providing stress relief. A recent study showed that after 6 to 9 months of engaging in a regular meditation practice, 60% of the participants had significantly reduced their stress and anxiety levels. In addition, meditation has also been shown to increase awareness, insight, and mental clarity.

Mindfulness-based interventions are also beneficial for smoking cessation. According to a 2015 research review of 13 studies, promising results were reported. Cravings, cessation, and relapse prevention were all impacted by introducing a mindfulness practice. One of the reasons for this is that meditative practices reduce stress, which is one of the reasons many people choose to smoke.

Sleep disorders, particularly chronic insomnia, have also been shown to respond positively to mindfulness-based practices. According to a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia (MBTI) has been effective with reducing insomnia.

The NCCIH study compared 54 adults that learned mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), MBTI, or engaged in self-monitoring. While it was found that both types of meditation were effective with reducing insomnia, the individuals that used MBTI experienced more significant results. This is due, in part, to the fact that MBTI has been specially designed for treating this prevalent sleep disorder.

When seeking therapy for depression, it’s important to note that a recent survey with 2,300 psychologists indicated that 69% use CBT with their clients on a part-time basis. The study also showed that these psychologists treated depression and anxiety with CBT in conjunction with other types of therapy.

If you are experiencing one or more of the issues above, you may want to strongly consider CBT, MBTI, and related mindfulness therapies. If you are unfamiliar with mindfulness practices such as meditation, a therapist that offers these and other treatment modalities will be able to answer your questions and discuss your concerns in detail.