Cognitive Behavioral Therapy provides an effective way to treat psychological problems. It works to change your thought patterns to change your brain physically.
Since your brain remains malleable throughout your life, it allows you to continue growing and changing. So, if you’re interested in an effective therapy treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy could be your answer. Here’s how this therapy can create long-term change in your brain.
Why Can Your Brain Change?
Our brains can stay malleable throughout our life. As children, it develops when it’s learning about the world. And although we begin to understand more as we get older, there is always more to learn, so our brain remains flexible.
The ability of our brain to change is called neuroplasticity. The brain’s structure can change physically enough to be seen on fMRI images. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and neuroplasticity have documented proof of their relationship, allowing CBT to be considered evidence-based therapy that works.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Neuroplasticity
Many people that have social anxiety have been treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Before and after the treatment period, MRIs showed the brain’s current structures. After the treatment, the results showed that the brain’s structure and function have changed.
The structure of your brain can also affect your mood, which makes CBT an effective therapy method for people with depression. CBT can improve the connectivity between various parts of your brain, shifting your mood away from depression.
CBT can help promote neuroplasticity and aims to get you achieving goals that matter to you, getting involved and engaged in your daily life, and doing things you enjoy. Some techniques that you can try that help with behavior change include:
- Role-playing
- Learning and practicing mindfulness techniques
- Exposure therapy
- Journaling
- Practicing coping strategies
