All About CBT for Blushing Problems, How it Works and What’s Involved

CBT for Blushing

CBT for Blushing is one of the most effective ways of overcoming the emotional distress caused by this condition.

Blushing is the involuntary reddening of the face, usually (but not always) triggered by an emotional experience such as embarrassment or stress.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was developed by Aaron Beck in the 1960’s who recognised that people’s inner-thoughts were often more significant than the things that they said out loud during therapy sessions.

He called these inner-thoughts cognition and argued that the way that people think about their experiences links directly to the emotions that they feel.

In other words our emotional experiences are the outcomes of what we think and believe rather than being caused by external events.

These ideas form the central concept of CBT which states that:

The way people think determines the way that they feel.

In the case of Blushing the emotions that we feel are the direct result of what we think or believe our experiences mean.

Blushing Symptoms

The symptoms associated with blushing problems are very similar to experienced with social anxiety and may include:

• Redness of the face, neck, and ears.
• Warmth or heat sensation in the affected areas.
• Increased heart rate or palpitations.
• Sweating or feeling flushed.
• Feeling self-conscious or embarrassed.
• Avoiding situations or activities that may trigger blushing.
• Experiencing anxiety or social phobia related to blushing.

Although there may be physical reasons why you might blush, such as certain illlnesses or other biological factors, most blushing problems are psychological in nature.

How does CBT for Blushing work?

Normally a programme of CBT for Blushing takes place over a period of 10 to 20 weeks with an hour long session once per week.

Firstly, because the way you think about your day-to-day experiences is determined by your core beliefs, the early sessions of CBT for Blushing involve exploring and measuring these beliefs.

Secondly, once you are able to uncover your core beliefs, your thoughts about certain experiences will make more sense.

Thirdly, by understanding how you have made sense of your experiences in the past you can then begin to make changes to your thoughts and beliefs in order to create new, and more useful, emotional outcomes.

CBT for Blushing builds upon the 5 core CBT principles developed by Aaron Beck and are used extensively in our CORE Programme.

How many sessions of CBT will I need?

Whilst this is a difficult question to be precise about, most people will be able to overcome their Blushing problems in around 10 – 20 sessions.

However, because CBT for Blushing is always tailored to your own individual needs and circumstances, getting the outcome that you want may sometimes require more sessions.

If you have been suffering Blushing problems for many years then in all likelihood, you can reasonably expect to take a bit longer to get where you want to be.

Our CBT for Blushing programme is based on 12 sessions delivered over 12 weeks and uses an online learning platform for you to develop greater self-awareness and knowledge in the days between sessions.

The Behaviour Change Framework

All of our counselling sessions and programmes for blushing use the Behaviour Change Framework (BCF).

This scientifically proven protocol defines the stages of behaviour change that you need to go through in order to achieve long lasting and sustainable change.

The framework provides a roadmap that indicates if more change is required before entering the next phase of mental health therapy.

In this way, we are able to ensure that you get the best possible level of support in overcoming your mental health problems as well preventing early termination of therapy.

You can read more about the Science of Change here.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about CBT for Blushing or recovering from any of your mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular issues and the different types of mental health counselling we offer (including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – CBT) without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.