Traumatic experiences can leave you with intrusive and unhelpful thoughts that can make a big impact on how you feel. Influenced by an emotional time or moment in your life, these thoughts can make you withdraw and colour your view of yourself or the things you love in a dark light. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) can help you move past these thoughts into a lighter and more positive mindset.
CPT is a specific type of cognitive behavioural therapy that helps patients learn how to modify and challenge unhelpful beliefs related to trauma. This form of trauma therapy is typically used to treat people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who have experienced a traumatic event like child abuse, combat, sexual abuse or a natural disaster.
Therapy at Equinox isn’t just about treating problems – it’s about helping you build a life that aligns with your values and feels right for you. Our team listens without judgment, offers skills grounded in science, and walks beside you through life’s toughest moments.
Whether you’re searching for relief, insight, or lasting change – we’re here to help you thrive.
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In your initial sessions, your therapist will get info about your history and presenting problems, get to know what matters to you, and discuss how to help you achieve your treatment goals.
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CPT targets the “stuck points” that keep trauma looping—such as beliefs around safety, trust, power, and self-worth—helping you reframe them in a way that reduces symptoms and supports long-term healing.
Sessions involve guided discussions, structured worksheets, and reflective exercises that help you examine your thoughts, understand how they influence emotions, and create more flexible, grounded perspectives.
If you have been diagnosed with PTSD or you have experienced trauma and have trouble in these areas of your life it may be a good idea to consider trying CPT:
While CPT explores the meaning you’ve made from your experiences, you do not have to recount every detail. The focus is on the beliefs and patterns that formed—not on retelling the event itself.
