Tag: evidence-based
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Different CBT Strategies for Treating Obsessions in OCD
Introduction Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of mental health disorder where a person experiences intrusive thoughts, urges, or images. For example: These obsessive thoughts tend to increase anxiety, which then leads to compulsions that are meant to reduce distress – at least in the short-term. Some common compulsions include: The reason why obsessions lead…
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Mindfulness for Depression Relapse Prevention
“Don’t mind the thought itself; instead, seek to change your relationship with the thought” random psychology student, aka me A Primer in Mindfulness Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a founding father of mindfulness, defined the term as “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally”. Mindfulness is therefore: 1) intentional (purposive); 2)…
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Paradoxical Intention for Sleep Anxiety
The Insomnia Paradox It’s said that the dark is for dreaming,But for me, it’s a waking nightmare.And it goes on, and on, and on…Into eternity. It is the paradox of insomnia,The more I cry, the more it grows.The more I try, the further sleep goes.So it goes… To this eternal damnation, I have come to…
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The Three Causes of Insomnia and How to Fix Them
What is Insomnia Disorder? Depending on how we define insomnia, up to 50% of the population experiences some type of sleep problem. Insomnia disorder is defined as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early, at least 3 days a week, for a significant duration (>3 months). Insomnia is a 24-hour disorder and…
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Changing Negative Beliefs in Depression using Thought Records
Beck’s cognitive theory of depression According to Aaron Beck’s cognitive theory, people who are vulnerable to depression learn important lessons early in life that reflect how they interact with the world – these are known as core beliefs. These beliefs can reflect how they view about themselves, others, or the world. For example, a young…
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Exposure Hierarchies for Scary Situations
Abby’s Ruff Problem Abby, a 21-year-old girl, has a strong phobia of dogs. She cannot get near a dog without experiencing strong symptoms of anxiety (e.g., trembling, shaking, heart-racing). This problem stemmed from an incident when Abby was 12, when a particularly nasty Dobermann chased her around the park and bit her on the arm.…
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Worry Logs for a Good Night’s Sleep
Introduction Have you ever gone to bed ready for sleep, and then your entire night is filled with thoughts such as: “I have to get the car fixed”, “I need to find a babysitter for the kids on Friday”, “what if I get sick and can’t work”? These thoughts can cause a lot of distress…
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Behavioural Experiments for Anxious Beliefs
When anxious predictions run amok! Anxiety is no stranger to anyone. And having anxious thoughts is a natural response to anxious situations. Sometimes, the anxiety helps us to avoid danger and other times we can push through our anxiety to do something even if we are nervous. However, the problem is when our anxious thoughts…
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Three Relaxation Strategies for Anxiety
Introduction We are no strangers to stress and anxiety, especially with our busy days and everything that’s going on with the world. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point of their lives – this is a fact of life. However, when stress becomes too overwhelming that it becomes difficult to engage in your daily tasks or…
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Behavioural Activation for Mood
Introduction What we do is often driven by how we feel. I feel like going for a walk – therefore, I go for a walk. Although following a feeling (also known as “emotional reasoning”) can be perfectly fine in many different situations, this strategy can be problematic when someone is experiencing depression. The reason is…
Simply mental health 