This type of therapy is used to help people, who have psychological problems which are triggered by irrational thoughts. This therapy helps people to recognise when they are thinking irrationally, and to make a conscious effort to change their thinking methods.

It can be used on people who suffer from depression, or it can be used to build self-esteem. It puts checks in place in the subconscious, so when the brain hears you thinking thoughts of low self-esteem like “I’m no good at anything”, you will suddenly recognise that you are putting yourself down and can immediately disregard these thoughts.

This therapy can be used in conjunction with behavioural therapy. It can be very effective for conditions like anorexia or bulimia.

Normally you will meet with the therapist who will assess your condition and will decide on which approach would be most effective for you. It is not uncommon for a therapist to advise you to keep a diary of your thoughts.

This can help in pinpointing certain triggers that may affect your mood, such as feeling low at night. This can help you recognise times when you are more prone to feeling depressed, and once you know when you are likely to feel like this, you may be able to prevent these thoughts before they develop.

A therapist may also ask you to run through your recorded thoughts, and ask you to identify thoughts, which are inappropriate. After you identify these thoughts you can then actually start to change and control them. If your thoughts are causing you extra stress, or anxiety – breathing exercises may be recommended.

Sessions with a psychologist normally last between a half an hour and an hour and are normally conducted on a weekly basis. Sessions may be phased out if you begin to improve. Without knowing it, your irrational thoughts will be in your sub-conscious and you wont even think about these issues out of habit.