#13: A Pioneer of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) | Dr. David Burns

Truth Junkie Podcast with Kevin Bates

Ever feel anxious or depressed, or know someone who does? Today I’m speaking with Dr. David Burns. He is a pioneer in the development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the most widely used and researched form of therapy in the world. He received his medical degree from Stanford and continues to teach at the Stanford School of Medicine. His book, Feeling Good, brought CBT to the mainstream in the 1980’s, has sold millions of copies, and is the book most frequently prescribed to depressed patients by psychologists.
His new book, Feeling Great, builds upon the first one and gives people suffering from mood disorders like Depression and Anxiety the tools to potentially cure themselves faster than ever. I continue to see references to CBT everywhere these days, so it was a total pleasure to have such a legend on the show.

In this interview he shared the 3 core principles of CBT, why half of people secretly resist making progress in therapy, the hidden benefits of negative emotions, a simple trick you can use right away to stop beating yourself up, and much more.
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LINKS:
David’s Website FeelingGood.com
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TIME STAMPS
[12:44] - How does psychotherapy really work and why is it that some people don't respond?
[15] - Without over-generalization, depression is impossible.
[17:53] - Talking about solutions to anxiety, depression, sorrow, and ways to deal with social problems.
[22] - The Double Standard Technique - talking to yourself in the same way you’d talk to a dear friend
[22:30] - Personal thoughts on how teenagers get depressed and feel low by little things like breakups, rude behavior of seniors, and the level of comparing themselves with celebrities.
[29] - Almost everyone can recover quickly from depression with Dr. Burns’ approach to CBT
[30] - Dr. Burns is strongly against positive thinking. Here’s why.
[37:55] - We should be happy in almost all phases of life despite the fact we know that we are dying.
[47:20] - The Positive Reframing of resistance. This is big.
[49:15] - Every negative feeling is an expression of what’s more beautiful about you and your values, and all negative feelings are beneficial to you. Wow.
[50:30] - The story of the mother whose 12 year old daughter got shot in the face.
[56:51 - Finding how these negative emotions say something positive about you and actually give you benefit.
[1:03:09] - What do your negative thoughts and feelings show about you?
[1:10:00] - Before you go out looking for a good CBT therapist, buy and read his two books instead. They “cure” a lot of (though not all) clients, no therapist needed.