Coping With Anxiety a Guide to Cognitive Therapy

Table of Contents

1. Signs of Anxiety
2. Nature of Anxiety And Phobias
3. New Understandings from Research
4. Cognitive Therapy in Practice
5. Steps in Cognitive Therapy
6. General Comments about Cognitive Therapy
7. Concluding Comments

New Understandings from Research

Since this form of anxiety is based on a misinterpretation of reality, research has revealed that certain thoughts and mental pictures automatically accompany the experience of anxiety. These AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS or cognitions, are usually focused on the future: "I won't be able to do the job", "I'II lose control of myself and be humiliated" "I'll die from a heart attack", "If I go to the party no-one will want to talk to me".

The connection between these AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS and the experience of excessive anxiety, suggest to those people studying the problem that if the patient became aware of these thoughts and changed them to conform with reality, the anxiety would be very much less. Clinical experience with people who suffer from anxiety has shown that this method can be very effective. The approach is called COGNITIVE THERAPY.