Would CBT be right for me, any advice please.

[Sam123]

Hi, I recently posted in the Social anxiety forum about my situation, basically i've had Health anxiety for years, and the last 5/6 years developed social anxiety and depression. I ended an abusive relationship 5 years ago and it was around this time that i started suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, just under a year after i ended that relationship i was attacked and have been suffering from flashbacks and intrusive thoughts. I go through good phases and very bad phases.
Just looking for some opinions on CBT and whether it sounds right for me and what it involves. I've read up online but would like to hear from people still receiving therapy if possible or anyone who believes it helped their anxiety and fears.

I did see a Councillor for a period of time and discussed some of my fears anxieties but found it a very difficult experience although it did allow me to open up some what.

Thanks in advance

[Davit]

Sam

If it was CBT it would help but what I read here about CBT is not CBT as I know it. In most cases it is half or less of what CBT really is. I used CBT to get better and it worked but it took a lot of work and a long time. CBT starts with relaxation and coping skills and moves on to core beliefs to get to the root of the anxiety and fears then changes these core beliefs and finally changes thought patterns so they don't come back. In between there are other things depending on the individuals needs. It should fit you not you it. It isn't a pancho, one size doesn't fit all. With help from my therapist I took the basic outline and filled it with information off the internet from areas she recommended. See we don't have an actual CBT course offered. CBT takes a lot longer than 12 weeks. A year would be more like it to cover everything. But yes CBT would help. I really should look at the CBT offered here to see if it is what I did. It sounds like it might be.

[Sam123]

Sam

If it was CBT it would help but what I read here about CBT is not CBT as I know it. In most cases it is half or less of what CBT really is. I used CBT to get better and it worked but it took a lot of work and a long time. CBT starts with relaxation and coping skills and moves on to core beliefs to get to the root of the anxiety and fears then changes these core beliefs and finally changes thought patterns so they don't come back. In between there are other things depending on the individuals needs. It should fit you not you it. It isn't a pancho, one size doesn't fit all. With help from my therapist I took the basic outline and filled it with information off the internet from areas she recommended. See we don't have an actual CBT course offered. CBT takes a lot longer than 12 weeks. A year would be more like it to cover everything. But yes CBT would help. I really should look at the CBT offered here to see if it is what I did. It sounds like it might be.

Hi Davit

Thanks again for the info, the timescale doesn't bother me if it's going to help me and not just short term help then it's all more than worth it. I will speak with my GP about it as it is something i've thought about for a while and never acted on

Thanks

[MyNameIsTerry]

CBT will help you to work through issues by understanding your thinking, changing it to more positive ways as opposed to examining the past as some styles do. If you don;t need to change your emotions regarding them but change the way you see yourself now then CBT can help with that.

It can also help you to work through smaller goals to achieve a larger one.

It can help with HA. It uses tools such as Thought Records which ask you to challenge your thinking by using evidence for & against.

Intrusive thoughts are more a matter of not reacting and being non judgemental in examining them. In time, they reduce and any that come will not be accompanied by anxiety symptoms. This I can say for sure because I have dealt with mine. CBT didn't do this for me, Mindfulness did which my CBT therapist started me off on. So, CBT alone might not be all you get with a therapist because they will use other tools found in relaxation or Mindfulness where they have it in their toolbox.

You have nothing to lose and its going to be free via your GP so you are right to go for it.

It didn't help me that much but I think a lot of this was because I wasn't ready either and it just wasn't bringing my anxiety levels down enough to engage with it and challenge my obsessions at the time. Mindfulness and time did this so I would get better results if I did it again now. Some people on here say it has helped them a lot, some not at all and some like me but there are a lot of factors involved with understanding peoples treatment so it can be hard to understand but things will become clearer as you do it.

[Sam123]

MyNameIsTerry Thanks for your reply, and yes you're right there is nothing to lose, i'm going to talk about it with my GP.

[Davit]

I do not know what to say or how to say it. But here goes. I downloaded the CBT from here to see if it is what I did. Sorry but it is not. It is exposure therapy. I think there is a better way. It is not my way, it is what I learned and used, it is just ten times more detailed, takes time and works. But what ever works for each person is the answer. Exposure is how most of us get through life, but what do you do when exposure is the cause not the cure. Take the pills to reduce the exposure pain. Pleasure is the flip side, you will lose that too. I'm just glad what I used was available, exposure therapy does not work for me.
Sorry if I have made anyone mad.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Davit, my understanding of ERP is that it is a component of CBT.

If the course on here is pure ERP, then its not CBT.

I haven't see it, I had CBT before joining and I know there are CCBT's out there for depression and anxiety in general which have backing from our NICE & NHS so I think I would look towards them and they are free.

Panic/Phobia
FearFighter http://www.fearfighter.com/

Depression
Beating the Blues http://www.beatingtheblues.co.uk/
COPE http://icope.nhs.uk/therapy-informat...-therapy-ccbt/
Overcoming Depression (not sure whether this one is still going)

OCD
OCFighter, previously known as BTSteps http://www.ocfighter.com/

How do those compare to the one of here?

I can't see the depression one being about ERP as thats going to be pretty useless. The OCD one will likely have ERP in but it depends what you are battling as to how much focus should be on it.