Dealing with anxiety is hell, and if you’re looking for answers on what therapy is best for anxiety then you’re already headed in the right direction. Before you think about how to find the right therapist, considering how to find the best therapy program is a great first step.
There are many different types of psychotherapy, but if you’re dealing with anxiety or depression then Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most common one. CBT focuses on learning how to identify and change your thoughts and behaviors. Basically, the goal of CBT therapy is to rewire your brain to overcome mental health problems.
A lesser known, and in my experience more effective program is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT therapy is a form of psychotherapy based on acceptance and mindfulness principles that explores how to gain psychological flexibility to live in accordance with one’s values. In other words, ACT teaches you different strategies to accept your problems and move past them based on how you want your life to turn out.
Both CBT and ACT have been found to be effective for treating anxiety and depression. So, to help you make the best decision, this article will further cover the differences between CBT and ACT, detail how each therapy works, explain when to seek them out, and offer tips on how to make the most progress in your mental health journey.
Additionally, for a deep dive on all things anxiety, check out — The Ultimate Guide to Anxiety: A Deep Dive from Someone Who’s Been There.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
As previously stated, CBT is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on altering the way people think and behave. However, it’s not enough to just change thoughts and behaviors, it also requires you to be aware of the thoughts you have about yourself and others. CBT is based on the idea that if you can change your thoughts and behaviors, then you can change your feelings.
The goal of CBT is to help you identify negative thought patterns and create plans to deal with these thoughts so you can lead a happier life.
How Does CBT Work?
To better understand the process, let’s start with an example of how CBT could be used to work through thoughts and situations that give you anxiety.
During therapy sessions, psychologists might ask you how your thought patterns are negatively impacting your life. For example, if you feel anxiety over potentially being unemployed, a psychologist might ask why you feel this way. They may find out that you’re worried about meeting your basic needs without a source of income. With this information, the psychologist could then work with you on ways to address these beliefs. One way to work through that specific problem would be to write down your worries and then list what you could do to address each problem.
Another example could be identifying negative or unhelpful thought patterns that give you depression. Perhaps you often have the thought, “I’m a terrible person because of a mistake I made in my past.” A CBT therapist might ask you to consider the evidence for this thought and think about an alternative interpretation. So, in this example, the evidence might be that you did something in your past that you’re not proud of, but an alternative thought could be “it’s not surprising that I made mistakes in the past because I’m human and everyone makes mistakes.”
Each of these examples demonstrates the process that can be used to recognize unhelpful thoughts and change them. The hope is that by doing this you can overcome your anxiety and improve your overall mood. Keep in mind that these examples are just to illustrate how CBT works, it can be used to treat a variety of mental illnesses beyond anxiety and depression.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
The goal of ACT is to help you accept your thoughts and feelings, rather than try to change them. This is one of the reasons why ACT was more effective than CBT for treating my anxiety and depression.
Using mindfulness skills with the practice of self-acceptance, this form of behavioral therapy aims to help patients develop mental flexibility and resilience. This flexibility is achieved through the six core principles of ACT:
- Acceptance — Recognizing the problems in your life without actively trying to change them.
- Cognitive Diffusion — Learning how to distance yourself from your thoughts and noticing that a thought is just a thought and not necessarily the truth.
- Being Present — Learn how to be in the now, focus on the present moment and set aside worries about the past or future.
- Self as Context — The idea of “the observing self” stepping back and analyzing what’s happening in your mind. Think of it like playing a video game and you’re controlling the character. You control your mind and thoughts, not the other way around.
- Values — What drives you to get up in the morning? What do you care about the most, and where do you want your life to go?
- Committed Action — Committing to act based on your defined values. This is how you can make progress in your life.
Simply put, ACT therapy focuses on helping you live according to your values while accepting how you feel about your circumstances in life.
How Does ACT Work?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy works in many ways so I will only offer a couple of examples here.
When beginning ACT, a therapist may ask their patient to commit to mindfulness practice. Daily meditation can teach you how to live in the present moment. Focusing on those moments can help reduce anxiety and enable you to be a calmer person.
Another example could be living within your values and committing to act on them. This made a big impact on my life when I went through ACT therapy. One of my core values was to be a good father. Because of this value, when an opportunity to coach my son’s soccer team came up, I committed to doing it. I still had a ton of anxiety going into coaching, but through ACT I learned how to live with that anxiety and overcome it. Now, I don’t have any anxiety about coaching, and I’m able to be present for my son while giving back to my community. Before ACT this would have never been possible for me.
When Should You Seek Out Either of These Therapies?
There are many reasons why someone may turn to CBT or ACT. These therapies can be of great benefit to those who suffer from anxiety and depression, but they may also be of use for those struggling with the loss of a loved one, recovering from trauma, or facing chronic pain.
Some people find that their mood improves after just a few sessions and others may need more time: a lot of time. There is no “magic number” of sessions that will work for everyone, and you should feel comfortable with your therapist before deciding whether to continue treatment.
When it comes to choosing what treatment is best for you, there’s no wrong answer. What’s most important is that you continue to be an advocate for yourself throughout the process. If you start CBT and after a time decide that it’s not working for you then you should try a different therapy. The same is true for ACT. Or, if you like the therapy but you’re not happy with your therapist, then find a new one.
Additionally, CBT and ACT are not the only psychotherapy programs out there, other common ones include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Exposure Therapy.
The most important thing to know when considering therapy is that you can’t be complacent if you want to make progress. Commit to doing the work, and if it’s not working then try something else. I wish you the best of luck, and if you’re not already in therapy then please commit to starting it by finding a therapist today.
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