CBT Therapy: A Fear And Phobia Of The Future
Summary:
Fear can be described through the lens of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) lens as negative schema and automatic thoughts. This article will provide a case example of what this looks like and a mental health counselor can use CBT to work with an individual.
John Smith first person case example:
I was always the type of person who would be constantly worrying about many different aspects of life and who was seemingly always stressed. I could not find a way to break through from this vicious cycle and at many a time I wondered whether it was worth living at all.
(This is considered automatic thoughts and negative schema. In other words, constantly worrying about what could go wrong)
I am virtually sure that I am not the only one who lives life in this way. What I decided to do was to try to work out what exactly was causing my anxiety and stress.
It was about being honest with myself. There have been many a night where I have been unable to get to sleep all night, basically I had too many worries circling through my mind. This meant that I could not relax and therefore could not sleep.
(This is where the client and mental health counselor in their virtual counseling sessions will examine cognitive thought patterns to think about where these belief systems are coming from)
By thinking clearly, I realized that I had a fear of the future. I am someone who talks to myself quite a lot, a bit strange I know. I would often be asking myself a number of questions:
What will happen if I lose my job? (Negative schema)
How will I cope if my girlfriend leaves me? (Negative schema)
I have a wedding to attend next week, what if I make a fool of myself in front of my friends and family? (Negative schema)
I am going on holiday in three months time, how will I cope if there are any problems with the plane etc? (Negative schema)
How am I going to afford to buy my first house? (Negative schema)
How will I cope when my parents die? (Negative schema)
These are just a few of many questions that I used to ask myself. (Negative schema and automatic thoughts)
John’s possible solution = online therapy or virtual counseling!
In John’s sessions his psychotherapist can work with him to break down the root cause of these negative schema and automatic thoughts and replace them with thoughts such as:
My new job will be amazing!
I am going to get the house I want!
I love spending time with my parents!
If you live in Washington State and are searching for a CBT Therapist or counselor to provide online counseling, give me a Call today at 973-224-8171 for a free intro online counseling (also known as virtual counselling or virtual therapy) session today! Counseling can help us to create new thoughts patterns and erase negative schema and automatic thoughts which can put us on the path to get the life we want!
Ryan Joseph Kopyar
www.ryankopyarholistichealing.com
ryan@ryankopyarholistichealing.com
