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Cognitive behavioral therapy

“How we feel is heavily influenced by what we think,” says Jeremy E. Stone, Ph.D., a therapist at New York-Presbyterian in White Plains, “so if we can work on the way we think, it can change the way we feel.” Seems like a no-brainer, right? Dr. Stone explains that “people with depression tend to have thoughts like, ‘I’m no good, Things are my fault, I will never be able to change, and Everything is wrong with me’ ” Cognitive behavioral therapy identifies these thoughts and challenges them. In one technique, Dr. Stone says, the patient makes a statement—something like, “Everything bad that happens is my fault.” Then therapist and patient go through all the facts that support and refute that statement, and the resulting list usually proves that the statement is a thought not a fact. “Patients often find that their true beliefs don’t support their negative thoughts. Learning that helps you cope.”

When it comes to treating anxiety, CBT practitioners guide their patient through incremental exposure to the thing that freaks them out. The idea is that when we have irrational phobias, we try to get away from the things we’re anxious about, which only reinforces the fear. “So, to recondition you,” says Dr. Stone, “we’ll practice approaching the thing that scares you until your anxiety is at a six or seven on a scale of ten, and won’t leave until the anxiety subsides by itself—which takes a few minutes. It teaches you not to be so afraid at a gut level.”

Where to find it: If depression or anxiety interferes with your life, get yourself into therapy stat. Contact Cognitive Therapy Associates (212-258-2577, cognitive-therapy-associates.com) for more info about CBT and a referral.