Let’s talk about history.
To be clear, we won't dive into specific dates and detailed facts here. If you want a deeper historical perspective after reading, simply check Wikipedia!
Our main goal in this section is to show why this method came about and what alternatives existed.
Our story starts in the 1960s, when a young psychoanalyst named Aaron Beck established the foundations of CBT.
At that time, Freudian psychoanalysis was overwhelmingly dominant in the field of psychotherapy.
Freud himself needs no introduction, but let's briefly recall the basics of psychoanalysis.
Psychoanalysis focuses on unconscious conflicts, childhood traumas, and how they shape a person’s current behavior.
More content in our app
You're only seeing a portion of the content. In the app, you'll find numerous interactive articles. Additionally, there are psychological tests to track your mood dynamics, a daily planner, an automatic thought journal, and much more!
Freud's followers believed that depression was the result of anger turned inward.
Psychoanalysis is when you pay $35 an hour to complain about yourself.
Robert Orben
Naturally, for Aaron Beck at that time, practicing within the psychoanalytic framework made perfect sense.
But before long, he noticed that many clients didn't really feel angry—they felt more like failures.
Beck discovered that many people have “automatic thoughts”—deeply rooted assumptions that affect their mental state.
These assumptions lead people to see themselves in a distorted way, be overly self-critical, and often fall into despair.
There was a striking gap between how depressed individuals viewed themselves and what the facts actually suggested.
Beck believed that working on negative thought patterns could transform a person’s mindset. He called his approach “cognitive therapy” and began using it with his clients.
Instead of digging into childhood conflicts, Beck encouraged patients to look at their current negative beliefs.
Aaron Beck took a century-old dogma, found it lacking, and replaced it with something simple, enduring, and effective. He essentially saved psychotherapy from itself.
Steven Hollon
He suggested they challenge those assumptions, test them in daily life, and gather evidence to support more positive alternatives.
This process helped foster an inner dialogue that gradually improved people’s mood.
Later, Beck joked that once he switched from psychoanalysis to his new method, his pockets started to empty faster.
Because people felt better more quickly and would say, “Thanks, doctor—your services are no longer needed!”
Of course, psychoanalysis and other psychotherapeutic techniques haven’t just vanished.
Everyone is unique, and no single approach can work for everybody.
However, CBT remains one of the most effective methods today.
Now that you know a bit about its history, feel free to explore more on your own if you’re curious.
For everyone else, let’s keep going!
We genuinely appreciate CBT—not just as a slogan. Our work is guided by scientific rigor, and every technique we propose is backed by evidence.
That’s why our next section will focus on proof of its effectiveness. Brace yourself for some numbers—you’ve been warned!
