Introduction
Social Anxiety disorder or social phobia is characterized as avoidance or extreme fear of social situations. If left untreated, social anxiety disorder can have serious repercussions. Since it is such a huge problem, one of the solutions for it is Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). CBT is considered the best approach and has shown remarkable success in tackling the issue.
CBT For Social Anxiety
CBT specifically tries to provide tools that help identify negative thoughts. It might be related to one’s self-worth and ability that triggers anxiety in certain social situations. Some techniques, like cognitive restructuring, are used to challenge irrational, unrealistic beliefs and thought patterns.
To build tolerance for anxiety-inducing social situations, we use hierarchical exposure therapy to get out of one’s comfort zone. The best thing about CBT is that it teaches people to become their therapists. And teaches the long-lasting skills that can be used as coping mechanisms.
CBT is not like traditional therapy; it is a tad bit different. It is more of a skill-focused, active, and brief treatment method. Also, it requires the individual to practice cognitive and behavioural skills by constantly doing homework assignments. Most research evidence supports that compared to medications or other forms of therapy, CBT is one of the most effective methods.
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CBT Exercises for Social Anxiety
The treatment in CBT involves confronting feared social situations or scenarios systematically. We start by exposing the least anxiety-provoking situation first. The exposure is repeated until the social situation causes less anxiety. Then, the individual moves on to the next fear in the hierarchy of fears. Behavioural experiments are used to test beliefs in real-life social interactions using objective evidence gathering. To reduce the symptoms of anxiety, techniques like Deep Breathing and Progressive muscle relaxation can be really helpful.
Other techniques for treating social anxiety include CBT exercises, such as plays to recreate certain social situations and guided imagery to set goals. CBT can also be effective online with the help of interactive online CBT modules. To increase the success rate in CBT, the patient should be actively willing to take action and perform the exercises.
Why Does CBT Work for Social Anxiety
In order to reduce Social Anxiety through CBT, there is a certain procedure that goes on behind it. It includes a better understanding of anxiety and certain tools for management. CBT helps you change thinking patterns, which habitually make you feel negative and avoidant. It makes you consciously aware of the fact that anxiety is pretty normal and can be easily managed.
Importantly, exposure therapy gives you advantages in changing your perception of certain social situations and making them less frightening. In addition, it helps you think more neutrally about failures or rejections that you might face.
As we discussed above, CBT plays a major role in helping the patient become their own Therapist. CBT uses transferable life skills, which help the patient create long-lasting coping mechanisms for their social anxiety. So, CBT can help you deal with your social anxiety better due to its effective mechanisms.
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How Does CBT Work for Social Anxiety
As discussed, CBT is a potent and proven method to manage social anxiety. While its psychological basis is strong, the treatment is practised rationally. It is capable of conducting a logical examination, which can help us challenge cognitive disruptions and identify them in the first place.
It makes social situations less overwhelming through problem-solving skills, which eventually helps you look at critical situations more rationally. CBT allows you to undergo a process of attention training, which makes you more conscious of being able to differentiate between imagined judgments and reality.
It helps you become more adaptable to dealing with social failures or other unexpected social situations. CBT exposes you to better opportunities to build your confidence and decrease insecurities about social situations.
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What Are Useful Techniques of CBT for Social Anxiety
The following are the techniques that CBT employs to provide highly effective results.
- Cognitive restructuring – This technique basically helps us to ease our anxiety by challenging unrealistic thoughts.
- Exposure hierarchies— It helps you start practising smaller fears in your hierarchy of social anxiety and work your way up to the bigger ones.
- Assertiveness skill— This technique gives you the advantage of being more confident by making you sure and comfortable when you show who you are.
- One CBT technique involves setting SMART goals, which stand for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Then, you use experiments to test your plans and beliefs.
- You can also use mindfulness meditation to ground yourself.
- Finally, CBT also teaches you to deal with negative thoughts and situations and to be more logical after certain things happen.
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Conclusion
To sum up, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) basically uses cognitive, behavioural, and coping strategies that are personalized from individual to individual. CBT provides the patient with knowledge, skills, and tools to deal with anxiety in social situations. It also helps the patient create long-lasting coping mechanisms for anxiety-inducing social situations using these skills and knowledge.
CBT uses multiple techniques in order to help the patient cure their social anxiety. Some of those techniques are cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization, social skills training, and assertiveness skills. CBT helps the patient in improving their anxiety long term.
It does this by helping patients change their thought patterns. CBT teaches patients to take a more logical approach to negative thoughts and anxiety-inducing social situations, which is how it is able to produce long-lasting and effective results. Find more useful resources on United We Care!
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). *Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders* (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
- Moorey, S., & Lavender, A. (2019). *The therapeutic relationship in cognitive behavioural therapy*. Sage. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526461568
- Tams L. (2013). *ABC’ABC’ss are changing your thoughts and feelings in order to change your behaviour*. Retrieved from: canr.msu.edu/news/abcs_of_changing_your_thoughts_and_feelings_in_order_to_change_your_behavio
- SAMHSA Native Connections. “Set” i”g G” als and Developing Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound Objectives” (P”F”. S” substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- Courtney E. Ackerman. (2020). “CBT” CBT’s “CBT’stivetructuring (CR) For Tackling Cognitive Distortions.” Re”r” eve” from: https://positivepsychology.com/cbt-cognitive-restructuring-cognitive-distortions/
- American Psychological Association. (2017). “Wha” “s E”posture Therapy.” Re”r”eve” from: https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/exposure-therapy
- Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2019). *Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies* (Fourth ed.). Guilford Press.
