Why is it Important For Clients To Understand The Link Between Their Emotions,

Cognitive, and Behavior?

Introduction
An important goal of CBT-based psychotherapies is to assist clients in gaining insight into how
their thoughts can influence the expression of emotional distress and maladaptive behavior.
Efforts to establish this insight into the relationship between dysfunctional beliefs and the
consequences of having them, on the other hand, are frequently met with resistance. To address
this issue in practice, therapists can draw on some existential principles that underpin CBT
theory.

More specifically, practitioners can use existential freedom and responsibility concepts, which
are found in the rational-humanistic view of rational-emotive behavior therapy, to supplement
current disputation strategies in the object to establish the B–C (Behavior – cognitive)
connection and, more importantly, to facilitate cognitive change. Dealing with emotions,
cognitive, and behavior of an individual can be very daunting and it takes a lot of understanding
to make a person understand the connection between the trio. However, despite the little
challenges, as a therapist, you need to make sure your clients understand the links between their
emotions, cognitive and behavior.

Importance of letting your clients understand the link between the cognitive,
emotions, and behavior
The notion behind creating the emotions, cognitive, and behavior link in clients and why
progressing in CBT is essential is because dysfunctional cognitive processes are made vulnerable
to modification, or cognitive restructuring (Clark 2014), when people are more aware of the
inter-linkages between their thinking, feeling, and behaving: that is when they have a strong
emotional, behavior, and cognitive connection and can identify their beliefs about their
achievement (David, 2010). In practice, however, establishing the B–C connection can be
difficult. As a result, therapists are frequently tasked with instilling and re-instilling individuals
with the B–C connection to help them accept more responsibility for their states of functioning
(Ellis 2002; Ellis and Dryden 2007).

Also, aiding clients in grasping this range of understanding can be beneficial outside of the
context of a psychotherapy session. Specifically, their newly developed rational-humanistic
perspectives underlying the B–C connection may improve their ability to existencially identify
dysfunctional cognitions (e.g., irrational beliefs) in everyday life: for example, knowing to
introspect about their thinking when experiencing emotional distress and, then, determining if
their thinking involved irrational belief processes such as being over-protective, over-thinking
things, frustration intolerance, or global evaluation.
To wrap it up,
When clients understand the fact that their emotions, behavior, and cognitive links together, they
will begin to understand certain things about themselves and their thoughts. The client will begin
to understand that whatever behavior they display, it will be born out of a bottled up emotions
inside them.

People who think negatively also needs to understand that their thought comes from their
emotions and how they feel. That is why when undergoing CBT treatment, you will be asked
how you are feeling and other personal question to enable the therapist know your state of mind,
at this point, even your body language can easily give you away.