[bluefirebrand]

> Would you consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy a practice of mental gymnastics?

I think it absolutely can be. A lot of negative circumstances can generate from outside ourselves and they can have massive negative effects on our mental health. Trying to use CBT to work on anxiety or depression that is caused from compounding external factors is a bit like self gaslighting

Situations like "I got into a car accident so my car is wrecked. I'm in hospital debt. I can't work because I'm still recovering from my injuries. I need a car for work and I cannot afford a new one. I'm struggling to survive and I'm depressed"

There would be limited avenues I think for CBT to effectively help here, because a lot of these problems are external and out of a person's control