The first step in CBT with a client in a drug rehab program, involves pointing out and helping the client discover **distorted patterns of thinking **that are preventing the client from moving forward. Distorted patterns of thinking are statements the client is telling himself in his head, that are** just not true**. A very common such statement is the one, "I am a failure". Under the harsh light of reality, no person is either a total 100% success, or a 100% failure. In truth we may have failed at 40 or 50% of the things we have attempted in our life, but not 100%.
Once you have helped the client see exactly what reality is, you can then teach them some methods to improve on where they are now. With the above example, you could ask a client, "What % of time do you think a very, very successful person fails?" When they give a number, the next question might be, "What skills do you yourself have to learn, so you could move your % of failures to this number?" Then start to teach the skills the client lists.
CBT works because it is simply teaching skills a client realizes they want. CBT helps clients catch when are brains are making exagerated statements that harm us or keep us stuck in a place that no longer serves us. No deep or mystical connection, just good life skills training and education.
