Last Human Freedom

 “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way… When we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

 Victor Frankl (Psychiatrist, Austria 1905-1997. Founder of Logotherapy)

Many of my clients inquire about my method of treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Usually, they know little to nothing about it so I will begin by offering a brief introduction to its mechanics, a bit about the process in general and an overall view of its benefits, in comparison to other psychological therapies.

Cognitive Behavioral therapy or CBT “is characterized as a methodological frame*”, it approaches the modification of behaviors and thoughts,”** and its goal is to enable the client to function independently within a brief time frame. This outlook differs from other therapy programs.

There are three main steps in its application:

1.   Evaluation, where we come together with the client to identify the behaviors that aren’t working and need to be changed in order to better their quality of life and to adopt a positive attitude towards the management of every day  issues.

2.   Treatment, where we put our previously determined-attitude modifying program to the test.

3.   Follow up, where we monitor and make adjustments to the program, in order to stay within the set time frame and make sure that the client concludes the work, having acquired the ability to solve conflict effectively.

Just like in any other form of therapy program, CBT requires the patient’s medical history to be considered, but the focus of the treatment itself is of a more proactive nature; “What should I do to change?” instead of staying stuck at “Why am I acting this way?”, or the typical “Why is this happening to me?”  This is important, because although many times we know the reason why we are acting in an inefficient and unhealthy way, we still keep at it with no resolution or betterment of our lives.

Different from some psychodynamic therapies, the therapist-client relationship is always one of collaboration and feedback, since within the realm of CBT it is clear that the goal is to maintain change within the patient’s behavior and attitude; hence the approach will always be a didactic one, a learning experience, a growth process towards personal improvement and from the knowledge of the therapist who acts as a guide, an attendant.

At this point, understanding that attitude and behavior can in fact be modified to resolve most issues in a functional manner, same as implementing the Socratic Method (a form of inquiry and discussion between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas), it is possible to find similarities between CBT and Frankl’s Logotherapy (founded upon the belief that it is the striving to find a meaning in one's life that is the primary, most powerful motivating and driving force in humans) as cited above.

In summary, the goal is to guide the client so that he/she can learn to discontinue unhealthy behaviors and replace them with more of the productive attitudes needed to bring about change and a better quality of life. It is about making the client an active member of his/her own change along the therapy road. Much like Viktor Frankl’s vision, it is about “Exercising your last human liberties: to choose your attitude, choose your own way,” but responding to inner desires and needs, inside a more favorable atmosphere. Having the knowledge of “how to act,” makes it possible to achieve positive and productive results even in the worst of circumstances.

*http://www.cetecic.com/mod/resource/view.php?id=4

** http://www.depresion.psicomag.com/terapia_conductual.php