BLOG (7/1) posted on 2018/05/27 – check this blog for the next update in two week’s time
MOVE OUT FROM UNDER THE DARK SHADOW OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
“A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear (that results) from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl.” – Stephen Hoeller
The powerful CABB technique in the treatment of depression and anxiety
The powerful CABB technique has been used with great success for the past 24 years in my practice in the treatment of patients with depression and/or anxiety. This can be attributed to the fact that it gives you back an internal locus of control (control from inside). People who feel depressed or anxious, often experience an external locus of control (control by something or someone outside of themselves). Depression is mostly a self-imposed condition, meaning that you unconsciously maintain it in your thoughts. That is why it is up to you to change it.
To master this technique, it is very important to understand the cycle of human behaviour. Any emotion that you experience, or behaviour that you execute, is preceded by two elements in the cycle (from this cognitive behavioural therapy perspective).
1. Firstly, your feeling or behaviour is preceded by a key stimulus. I use the example of a man who is busy somewhere inside the house, and then suddenly he hears a strange sound in the kitchen.
2. Secondly, it is preceded by a thought or belief, in reaction to the key stimulus. As soon as the man hears the sound, he might think: ‘It must be a murderer / there is danger / this is the end of me… ‘. He expects the worst.
This thought or belief then leads to the behaviour or feelings that he experiences. The anxious man now experiences an overwhelming anxiety, coupled with a feeling of his life being threatened.
In the light of the cycle of human behaviour, you can take the following active steps with the CABB technique to prevent the feelings and behaviour associated with depression and/or anxiety.
C As soon as you start feeling the CONSEQUENCES, such as feeling depressed or anxious, and start behaving accordingly, you will already have mastered the first step of the technique! The anxious man therefore needs to acknowledge that he is feeling anxious.
A Thereafter you need to find out what the ACTIVATING (trigger) EVENT is, that causes you to feel so depressed or anxious. Maybe you heard a comment a friend made in your company, something that reminded you of trauma in the past.
The anxious man needs to be aware that the sound in the kitchen activated his reaction.
B Now you need to consciously determine which BELIEF (thought or conviction) you are becoming aware of in that specific situation. Usually the thought is either negative, irrational or catastrophic – powerful enough to make you feel the way you feel: depressed and anxious. The anxious man must recognise the inner voice (catastrophic belief) that says: ‘O, no! It’s a murderer! It means I’m dead!’.
B The moment you have consciously determined the negative thought you are thinking, you need to replace it with a positive BELIEF.
There are three conditions that your positive thought must meet:
1. Keep the positive thought short and to the point, so that your conscious as well as your subconscious can easily buy into it.
2. The positive thought must be realistic. It must make sense, so that you can apply it.
3. You must formulate the thought in positive terms – it should contain no negatives such as the word ‘not’.
The anxious man needs to tell himself: ‘I can stay calm / I can phone someone or the security company from my room to come and help me / Maybe it is just the wind that stirred the window / I can take constructive steps.’
For the technique to work, it is imperative that you repeat the positive thought that you have formulated, in as many ways as possible. Repeat it to yourself in your thoughts until you have made it your own. Say it out loud, maybe behind the steering wheel of your car where no one can hear you. Hear yourself saying it. Write it down or draw it with pictures or symbols. Put it somewhere where you can see it often, so that you can also visually be reminded of it. Pray the positive thought to God, and feel how it grows within you until it is part of you, and you are able to act accordingly. This way your behaviour and feelings become positive again.
Sometimes you feel the effect of the CABB technique’s active steps immediately. At other times you need to work with them for several days, wherever you may find yourself. But rest assured that this powerful technique will bring change one way or another.
“Getting better from depression demands a lifelong commitment. I’ve made that commitment for my life’s sake and for the sake of those who love me.” – Susan Polis Schutz
