The primary goal of Cognitive Therapy (and most forms of psychotherapy) is to learn to manage our emotions more effectively.
Emotions signal threats and rewards. Much like a compass that guides us in the right direction, emotions have the power to guide us to the right actions. However, they also have the power to derail us from our goals and values in life.
It is therefore crucial to judge when to trust emotional triggers and act on them, and when not to; in other words, it is essential for us to understand how to regulate or control our emotions so we could use them optimally.
Emotional regulation encompasses both positive and negative feelings, along with how we can strengthen them, use them, and control them.
Every day, we face hundreds of emotion-provoking stimuli, and most of them require some action or response from our end. It is only natural for the mind to get hooked into some negative contemplation or unmindfully ignore emotions after getting bombarded with so many stimuli every day.
Emotional regulation acts as a modifier; it helps us filter the most important pieces of information and motivates us to attend to it in a way that wouldn’t evoke stress or fear. Cognitive Therapy uses a broad number of tools and strategies derived from classical Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, as well as “third wave techniques” (such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)) to teach clients to understand, accept and change their emotional responsiveness so that they feel happier more connected with others, and able to pursue their life goals more effectively.
All therapists at OCCT are extremely well trained in treating difficulties with emotional regulation. Typically skills drawn from a variety of third-wave approaches within cognitive therapy are used, so that the client learns to observe, accept and manage their emotions with minimal disruption to their relationships, work, and social functioning.