Many of us carry an inner critic, that quiet voice replaying conversations, listing everything we might forget, and keeping us stuck long after the day is done. Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, is one of the most widely explored ways of gently loosening that grip.
At its heart, CBT is a practical approach to noticing the thoughts and patterns that shape how we feel, and gently learning to reframe the ones that no longer serve us. Some practitioners combine it with a calm, focused state similar to hypnotherapy, working with the quieter, less conscious layers of the mind.
A personal experience
In her twenties, after a difficult break-up, our contributor Kate Kirrane found herself feeling lost and out of control, with her confidence on the floor. A friend recommended a cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist, and Kate decided to try it. By the third session, she recognised how her own inner critic had been holding her back, and left feeling free to move forward for the first time in months.
She describes the sessions with practitioner Camilla Ross as calm and reassuring: gentle techniques to settle the mind, guided visualisation, and simple take-home tools to use whenever unhelpful thoughts crept back in.
How it works, gently
The idea behind CBT is to build new, kinder thought pathways. When the mind has spent a long time reinforcing anxious or critical patterns, everyday situations can start to feel heavier than they need to. By first settling the mind, then gently exploring those patterns, many people find they can begin to respond to life a little differently.
CBT is widely used across the UK and is offered on the NHS as well as privately. It sits comfortably alongside other supportive approaches such as counselling. As with any of this, it is a complement to, not a replacement for, the care of your GP, and if something is weighing on you, your GP is always a good place to start.
If you would like to explore CBT with a practitioner, Welvow includes cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist Rachel Bernard, alongside counsellors and others who work gently with anxiety and low mood. Many offer a free introductory call and online sessions, so you can find the right person from home.
Find your practitionerWhatever is on your mind, small steps taken with curiosity are always enough, and you do not have to work it out alone.