Religiously Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RCBT) has increasingly emphasized the incorporation of clients’ religious beliefs and practices into psychotherapy. However, many existing approaches tend to utilize religious concepts primarily as supportive therapeutic tools within an already established cognitive-behavioral framework, often detaching them from their original epistemological and ontological contexts. In response to this limitation, the present article introduces the TMTT model (Tafakkur–Muḥāsaba–Tawba–Tawakkul) as a conceptually grounded and process-oriented framework for religiously integrated psychotherapy rooted in the Islamic intellectual tradition. The model proposes a form of integration in which religious concepts function not merely as therapeutic content but as organizing principles structuring the therapeutic process itself. The article presents the philosophical foundations, developmental rationale, and clinical structure of the TMTT model. Drawing upon the revivalist tradition of Ilm an-Nafs and contemporary process-oriented psychotherapy frameworks, the model conceptualizes psychological change as a multidimensional process involving cognitive awareness, moral evaluation, repentance-based reorientation, and trust-based values-consistent action. Each core component—tafakkur (contemplation), muḥāsaba (self-reckoning), tawba (repentance/turning back to Allah), and tawakkul (reliance on Allah)—is examined through four dimensions: its conceptual background in the Islamic intellectual tradition, its therapeutic function within TMTT, its comparison with related constructs in modern psychotherapy and CBT, and its clinical implementation. The article further discusses the model’s developmental status, limitations, implementation challenges, and future research directions. TMTT is positioned as an early-stage, theoretically coherent clinical framework that remains open to empirical refinement and manual development. By integrating cognitive, emotional, behavioral, moral, and spiritual processes within a unified meaning-oriented structure, the TMTT model offers a preliminary proposal for structurally integrating Islamic concepts into psychotherapy while preserving their conceptual integrity.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is widely used in the management of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND); however, its reported efficacy varies across studies. Existing systematic reviews often rely on limited or outdated evidence and do not sufficiently differentiate the impact of session structure, therapeutic approach, and delivery format. This review aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of CBT for FND by examining variations in session formats, therapeutic components, and modes of delivery, and to explore its applicability in non-Western contexts, particularly in Pakistan. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective studies, and case series investigating CBT for FND across Western and Eastern settings. Findings were interpreted within the bio-psycho-social framework. Most studies implemented a structured 12-session, weekly CBT protocol lasting approximately 60 min per session. Interventions primarily involved manualized CBT emphasizing psychoeducation and cognitive restructuring. Treatment was predominantly delivered individually in face-to-face outpatient settings, although some studies incorporated group formats or combined CBT with physiotherapy. Overall, CBT demonstrated improvements in symptom severity, functional outcomes, and psychosocial well-being. The evidence supports CBT as an effective intervention for FND symptom management. However, its impact appears influenced by cultural and healthcare contexts, underscoring the importance of culturally sensitive and region-specific adaptations, particularly for implementation in Pakistan.
Recent research highlights the link between poor sleep and emotion regulation difficulties. However, few studies have investigated emotion regulation changes following cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), the first-line treatment. In this quasi-experimental study, fifteen patients with chronic insomnia undergoing a 6-week CBT-I program at the National Institute of Mental Health, Czech Republic (NIMH-CZ), were compared to fifteen matched controls continuing treatment as usual. Both groups completed self-report measures of emotion regulation difficulties, insomnia severity, and hyperarousal at baseline and after six weeks. Due to residual group differences, age was included as a covariate. CBT-I significantly reduced insomnia severity compared to controls, but no large impact was observed in emotion regulation difficulties or hyperarousal owing to treatment. However, these results show only preliminary indicators that emotion regulation difficulties remain relatively intact after treatment and no firm conclusion can be drawn due to limits of this study. Findings therefore require scrutiny in larger samples. Further research is warranted to understand the mechanisms underlying therapeutic change in insomnia treatment.
