Negative thinking patterns can be immensely deceptive and persuasive, and change is rarely easy. But with patience and persistence, I believe that nearly all individuals suffering from depression can improve and experience a sense of joy and self-esteem once again.
– David D. Burns
Did you know that research has identified several thought patterns that are highly assoicated with anxiety and depression? Not surprisingly, pessimistic thought processes are at the root of your negative mood. Catastrophic thinking is a pattern that leads to a sense of powerlessness, dread and anxiety. If you tend to anticiapte that the worst possible outcome will occur, you will be susceptible to anxiety and depression. You likely get caught in negative thought loops (going over and over the same upsetting thought with no resolution), which keeps you feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is good for managing these kinds of thoughts, and helping you to choose more rational responses to events. If you find that your pessimistic thoughts don’t repond to to CBT, it is possible that the cause of the negative thinking is rooted in your emotion sysytem, and Schema Therapy might offer a more effective avenue to relief from anxious or depressive states.
Schema Therapy grew out of the work of Aaron Beck and Jeffrey Young, who were studying CBT Schemas. Jeffrey Young found that some people did not respond well to CBT, and to address their needs, he developed Schema Therapy. Schema Therapy incorporates CBT techniques, but expands on them by taking a more indepth approach to emotional issues. ST helps clients to understand the origin of their negative emotional reactions and to resolve the issues related to them. In so doing, Schema Therapy incorporates not only CBT perpectives, but also psychodynamic, emotion focused and experiential approaches, making it a very accessible and inclusive way to help client’s resolve painful emotional states, to get to the joy of living that David Burns is referring to in the quote above.
