Driving cognitive change: a guide to behavioural experiments in cognitive therapy for anxiety disorders and PTSD.

Behavioural experiments are experiential exercises used in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to drive cognitive change by testing patients' idiosyncratic, emotionally linked beliefs. In this paper, we provide clinical guidance on how to deliver effective behavioural experiments that maximise cognitive change based on lessons learnt over the last 30 years from our work using Cognitive Therapy to treat Panic Disorder (CT-PD), Social Anxiety Disorder (CT-SAD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CT-PTSD). We describe key steps for setting up and carrying out powerful experiments, including common blocks and barriers patients and therapists come across when using them.