Cognitive behavioral therapy
CBT tools for the thought that will not let go
Last updated 2026-08-25
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treats thoughts, feelings, and actions as a loop you can interrupt. Nuri is an iOS practice companion for that loop: thought records, naming unhelpful thinking patterns, small behavioral experiments, and mood tracking. It is skills practice, not a diagnosis and not a licensed therapist.
What is CBT, as practice?
CBT is a structured, present-focused set of methods. You notice an automatic thought, test how well it fits the evidence, and try a different response. The classic written tool is the thought record. The classic behavioral tool is an experiment: do one thing that the fear says you cannot do, then look at what actually happened. Nuri keeps those tools in a conversation so you can use them the same day the thought showed up.
CBT is one of the most studied psychotherapies for anxiety and depression in adults. That research is about clinician-delivered protocols. An app can help you rehearse the skills. It cannot run a full course of therapy, and Nuri does not claim clinical outcomes.
Tools Nuri is built around
Thought records
A thought record is a worksheet with a job: slow the jump from situation to conclusion. You write the situation, the emotion and its intensity, the automatic thought, evidence for and against, and a more balanced alternative. In Nuri, those prompts arrive as questions personalized to what you typed, so the record is about this afternoon, not a blank form from a binder.
Cognitive distortions
Distortions are patterns, not insults. Common ones include all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, mind reading, fortune telling, should statements, and personalization. Naming the pattern creates a little space. Nuri can help you tag the pattern and then return to evidence, which is more useful than arguing with yourself in the abstract.
Behavioral experiments
Some beliefs only move when you test them. A behavioral experiment is a small, time-boxed action with a prediction attached: “If I speak in the meeting, everyone will think I am incompetent.” You do a slice of the action, then compare the result to the prediction. This overlaps with DBT Opposite Action when the feeling is driving avoidance. Nuri is there to pick a next step that is small enough to try today.
Mood tracking
Mood tracking is not the whole of CBT, but it is how you notice whether practice is landing. Nuri pairs reflections with mood check-ins so you can see which skills you reached for after a spike, not only how you felt in the abstract.
DBT vs CBT: when each is useful
You do not have to pick a team. Many people use CBT tools for the story in their head and DBT skills for the body and the relationship in the same week. This table is a starting map, not a prescription.
| If this is happening | Start with CBT | Start with DBT |
|---|---|---|
| A specific thought you can write down | Thought record, evidence for/against | Mindfulness: observe the thought without buying it |
| Body in alarm, cannot think yet | Come back to the thought later | TIPP and other distress tolerance |
| Avoiding a thing because of a prediction | Behavioral experiment | Opposite Action if the emotion is overshooting the facts |
| A conversation you need to have | Check the story you are telling about the other person | DEAR MAN / GIVE / FAST |
For the four DBT modules and named acronyms, see the DBT hub. For the in-app sequence, seehow Nuri works.
Limits
CBT worksheets in an app are not a course of therapy. If symptoms are severe, getting worse, or include thoughts of harming yourself, get in-person or telehealth care and use crisis lines. Nuri will not manage an emergency. Read the disclaimer.