Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a popular treatment modality for many issues that cause discomfort or distress in a person’s life. The focus is on changing how we view situations, behaviours and challenge thought patterns. It is a therapy based on being aware (cognitive) of how behaviors impact us. It is a relatively simple option as it does not take long to learn. One of the issues with it, is people tend to forget to do it when they need to or don’t use it as intended.
When you couple your Humanistic tree, created by Krystallos, with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy you don’t have to wait for a situation to arise to use your new skills. The Humanistic Tree will identify behaviours linked to your core values. The outer branches of the tree can be viewed as behaviours or expressions of the core value in action. Think of it as your personal guide to your body language. The example below shows Flexibility and Calm as being actions related to Rationality which in turn is linked to Honesty. This shows why calmness and flexibility in situations is important to this person. It also shows what will happen if this person is confronted with someone who is rigid in their communication and easily riled up. This person may not feel that the other person is being honest. A lack of honesty can cause many problems in any relationship and has its own repercussions beyond what is shown here. By examining your Humanistic Tree you can challenge your beliefs around your core values. Does the tree accurately reflect what is important to you? Can you identify areas that are incompatible with your life? Does the Humanistic Tree give insight into why certain behaviors bother you?
A major issue with human nature is a lot of these traits are instilled during childhood. Many adults are unaware of how these ideas were formed or from where. That causes problems when trying to understand your reactions and behaviours. The fundamental goal of Cognitive Behavior Therapy is to uncover this road map linking meaning to behavior. Krystallos helps with that by bridging behaviors to core values. It is an easy starting place to question further actions. Regarding a situation that is causing you distress you can begin by asking if there is a conflict with an outer branch of your Humanistic Tree. If there is you can follow the map back to the core issues providing clarity to why you are feeling what you are feeling. From the core value you can also question to what extent the disconnect is. Using the example above again; someone may be behaving in a rigid manner but is very calm and accurate. The number of behaviors that they are exhibiting may outweigh the number they are not. This gives you enough information to challenge if they are in fact crossing that core value. Maybe they are expressing honesty to you, just in a way you are not familiar with. The first idea to challenge in Cognitive Behavior Therapy is "Is there another way to perceive this situation?”. From there you look at “What options do I have for changing how I see this?”. Does any of those options feel okay to me? The information you gain from Krystallos can provide the visual ideas for you to look at and challenge. This information also validates your reactions to some things. If you react negatively to someone being riled up it can be easy to judge yourself as sensitive or too laid back and uncaring. When you can say that being calm is linked to being honest for yourself those judgements don’t hold the same strength. You can see them as untrue and harmful to you.