For someone who is struggling to break away from an addiction, it can be hard to know where to start. A substance use disorder is often influenced by past traumatic events and current negative thought patterns that have been learned over time. Our South Florida rehab offers cognitive behavioral therapy in Fort Lauderdale to help start the process of unlearning these behaviors. With Legacy Healing Center, you can learn how this treatment method can benefit your recovery process.

Benefits of CBT for Addiction

One of the main cognitive behavioral therapy goals, or CBT goals, is to unlearn negative thought patterns that continue to influence the patient’s life and behaviors. In the context of addiction recovery, this is especially helpful. Addiction is a disease that is informed by a number of factors, including a person’s upbringing, mental health, and social groups. Many of these instances culminate to form this destructive disease that many struggle to break away from.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is useful in reshaping this in a number of ways, including:

• Analyzing one’s thoughts and actions and how they may be considered self-destructive.
• Coming up with ways to identify these negative thought patterns on one’s own.
• Practicing healthier ways of thinking about these situations.
• Coming up with more beneficial ways to respond to triggering situations.
• Focuses on the development of coping mechanisms that a patient can take with them through life.

The many benefits of CBT make it a very popular therapy method employed at our Fort Lauderdale rehab. It can help people struggling with different kinds of addiction gain a better understanding of their habits and how they are negatively impacted by them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Exercises

There are a number of effective therapy techniques that can be utilized during a CBT session.

Some CBT techniques include:

• Exposure: This method is designed to reduce feelings of fear and anxiety through direct and repeated contact with what scares them. It is based on the idea that with repeated exposure to the things we avoid out of fear, anxiety regarding those things can be lessened over time.

• Activity Scheduling: Many people struggling with mental illness or addiction may find it easier to avoid important tasks because of what they feel. Participants are tasked with identifying some kind of rewarding behavior, setting a scheduled time to complete it, and increasing its frequency gradually.

• Cognitive Restructuring: This is one of the most important tools when unlearning the thoughts and behaviors that do not serve us. Patients will examine the destructive thinking patterns that present themselves and identify new ways to react to that situation. To do this, patients may keep a written thought record in order to keep track of negative thoughts.
• Meditation: This technique helps patients to disengage from their obsessions, particularly those revolving around their substance of choice. The mindfulness that results from proper meditation is helpful in improving a person’s levels of pain management, attention span, and ability to regulate their emotions.

We don’t only offer cognitive behavioral therapy in Fort Lauderdale. Our facility is equipped with a variety of other effective therapy methods that can help patients gain a comprehensive understanding of themselves, their addictions, and their mental health. Additionally, our curriculum of care levels ensures that each patient receives a personalized treatment plan that is most effective for their needs.

To learn more about the available treatments that we offer, contact Legacy Healing Center Fort Lauderdale and speak with one of our specialists today.

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