Recognized for treating anxiety, phobias and obsessive disorders, CBT – behavioral and cognitive therapy can concern many people who want to improve their quality of life, by correcting in the short or medium term disorders that can sometimes be disabling on a daily basis.

Behavioral and cognitive therapies are a set of therapeutic approaches that combine a distancing of thoughts with relaxation or mindfulness techniques. We carry out work on the obsessions encountered, on self-assertion, on fears and phobias, etc.

This therapy is rather brief, focusing on the present, and aims to find a solution to the patient’s problems. Unlike in psychoanalysis, we do not look for causes of symptoms and resolutions in the past, or in speaking. We are looking in the present how to act on these symptoms, how we will be able to improve them, or even replace certain harmful habits with others, more positive and peaceful.

This behavioral and cognitive therapy, as its name suggests, will intervene at the level of behavior and cognition (thoughts).

The therapist will therefore work with the patient on the mode of actions as much as on the mode of thoughts, for example by giving exercises to be done on a daily basis. For example, for obsessive-compulsive disorder with rituals, the patient should try to reduce their rituals by taking a distance from their obsessions.

These therapies are particularly indicated to treat anxiety, phobias, OCD, eating disorders, addiction problems, panic attacks, or even sleep problems.

The patient refers for a CBT to a psychologist or psychiatrist trained in this type of therapy requiring two to three years of additional study after a university course in psychology or medicine.

We usually start with an assessment of the symptoms, as well as the triggering circumstances. The patient and the therapist together define the problems to be treated according to three categories:

• the emotions ;
• thoughts ;
• associated behaviors.

Understanding the problems encountered makes it possible to target the objectives to be achieved and to build a therapeutic program with the therapist.

During the program, exercises are offered to the patient, in order to act directly on his disorders.

These are deconditioning exercises in the presence or absence of the therapist. The patient thus faces the situations he fears, in a progressive manner. The therapist is present as a guide in the behavior to be adopted.

This therapy can be carried out over a short (6 to 10 weeks) or medium term (between 3 and 6 months), in order to have a real impact on the quality of life and the well-being of the patient.

In behavioral and cognitive therapy, corrective experiences are combined with an analysis of the thought process. Indeed, a behavior is always triggered by a thought pattern, often always the same.

For example, for a snake phobia, we first think, even before seeing the snake, “if I see it, I will have a panic attack”. Hence the blockage in a situation where the patient could be confronted with his phobia. The therapist will therefore help the patient to become aware of his modes of thought and his internal dialogues, preceding the behavioral reaction.

The subject must gradually confront the object or the feared experience. By guiding the patient towards more appropriate behaviors, new cognitive paths emerge, leading step by step towards healing and deconditioning.

This work can be done in groups, with relaxation exercises, work on the body, in order to help the patient to better manage his stress in a situation.

These therapies offer excellent results, provided that the subject invests in performing the given exercises on a daily basis.

The exercises outside the session are very important to move the patient towards recovery: we note the way in which we do them, how we experience them, the emotions aroused and the progress observed. This work will be very useful in the next session to discuss it with the therapist. The patient will then change his perception when he is faced with a situation which generates for example a phobia, an obsessive disorder, or other.