CBT-SAD beats light therapy for staying well next winter

CBT-SAD is clearly better than light therapy at preventing relapse in late winter.

Here’s the deal: light therapy works great while you’re doing it, but it’s a band-aid. Once you stop, your symptoms tend to come back — especially in late winter when you’re naturally dragging. CBT-SAD, on the other hand, teaches you to actually change how you think and behave during those dark months. You’re not just correcting a light deficit; you’re building skills.

The research backs this up. In head-to-head trials, people who did CBT-SAD were significantly less likely to relapse the following winter compared to those who only used light therapy. And the effect holds even after treatment ends, because CBT-SAD changes your relationship with winter rather than just relying on a bright box every morning.

So if you want to break the yearly cycle — not just survive this winter — CBT-SAD is the smarter play.