View Full Version : CBT for clever clogs
Does CBT really work for people who are highly perceptive, sensitive and intuitive?
Don't they just "see round" the hype?
You might say,that they're the ones who have most to gain from it.
If some one thinks its all hype,then it's going to be a waste if time,whatever their nature is.
Are you having any CBT?
I'm on a waiting list.:)
ankietyjoe
10-06-14, 11:27
Does CBT really work for people who are highly perceptive, sensitive and intuitive?
Don't they just "see round" the hype?
Only if they put their own superiority complex in front of their 'want' to recover.
There is no hype involved. It's a process of re-training the way you think on a subconscious level.
Im those things. I tend to look straight through things and people naturally.
I also had 24 sessions of cbt.
I dont think it matters what your personality is. Its about looking at how you think about things, showing that to you, challenging it. Thats not hype.
After all theyre your thinking/behaviour patterns theyre looking at - thats real.
If theyre wrong in some way, youll both recognise that - thats real.
Youll challenge them and as long as you agree the thought patterns are wrong and the new patterns make more sense then thats real too.
CBT helped me out enormously. It is actually just retraining your brain to think in a rational manner. For people that are thinkers and intuitive, it can actually be a great help. I'm not sure what you mean by "seeing around the hype", as we don't seem to see around the hype of our health anxieties so easily. Give it a try. What do you have to lose?
If you go in there with a negative/hopeless attitude, its less likely to help you out. If you say 'okay I'm gonna give this a try and see if it works. It helps a lot of people', then you'll be much more likely to succeed with it. It's easy for me to say because that's how I went in there, but I swear some people just want to be negative and miserable all the time (not saying that's you) and they're less likely to fond cbt effective. It takes a lot of work and patience but I'd recommend it to anyone. It can help even the worst anxiety-- there is definitely hope and real benefit in doing it.
CBT isn't about tricking you into not being anxious, there's no hype to see round. All CBT does is educate you about anxiety and how it works. It will teach you to challenge your unhealthy thought patterns and really look at how you think. A good level of self awareness and the ability to challenge yourself and your worldview are necessary, being intelligent or sensitive can only help in that respect. You need to be able to look at yourself, admit where you might be going wrong, and make an effort to change.
A CBT therapist can teach you about anxiety and show you how to examine and challenge the way that you think. It is our own thoughts that create anxiety, we need to be able to recognise that and work to improve on it. A CBT therapist will not change you, they will only show you the path to self recovery.
It's a well respected and researched method of treating anxiety, and it's one of the top treatments recommended. Don't be under the illusion that CBT will cure you, it will merely give you the tools and point you in the right direction to recovery, it's up to you to do the work.
Mr.Jitters
10-06-14, 13:49
No hype involved. It's not a trick, it's a retraining programme for your thoughts and behaviours. Simply having CBT isn't going to do anyone any good whatsoever, like reading a book on learning how to swim. Unless you actually practice it, it's useless.
So I'd say, as a personal opinion, that the only people who don't stand to gain from CBT are those who think they're too clever to need it or benefit from it, or those who don't practice what they've learned.
From another perspective, being one that doesn't suffer from anxiety (just some periodic "scanxiety"), I found it helpful and useful concerning depression and just in general. It challenges your thought processes and teaches techniques to help change the way you react to certain situations.
As Mr. Jitters said, it's useless unless you work at it.
Positive thoughts
Thank you all very much for the replies.
I don't want to put anyone off or anything, I'm just not sure.
I have had some CBT and it seemed like hype. Perhaps my attitude was poor when I started it.
However, it seems circular to me that I have to improve my attitude to life before I undertake a process that is aimed at improving my attitude to life!
Perhaps you had a bad counsellor, or maybe they didn't explain CBT properly to you?
What was it about CBT that seemed like hype, I don't think I understand what you mean exactly?
ankietyjoe
11-06-14, 11:32
I'll be honest, a decade ago I 'knew' everything.
One thing that depression and anxiety has taught me is that humility and an open mind are very desirable traits to have.
If it helps, my last measured IQ was 171, but CBT worked for me once I got desperate enough to embrace it.
I just wish my turn would come up for it!
I've been waiting ages,and when I rang yesterday,they said I've got at least another 12 weeks wait.
You're right about the humility and open mindedness,this illness doesn't care who it chooses,although I think ultimately,it can make you a nicer person,much less judgmental.:)
ankietyjoe
11-06-14, 12:00
this illness doesn't care who it chooses,
In a funny way it's us that chooses it by the choices we make and the way we lead our lives.
The unfortunate thing is that it's become so normal to fill 18 hours a day with 'busy' and then cram 6 hours a night sleep in that we don't know we're doing it.
At least for a lot of people, perhaps not all.
I'll be honest, a decade ago I 'knew' everything.
One thing that depression and anxiety has taught me is that humility and an open mind are very desirable traits to have.
If it helps, my last measured IQ was 171, but CBT worked for me once I got desperate enough to embrace it.
Yep - endorse this absolutely.
I'm another one whose IQ puts me in the top 2% of the population, but I had a go at CBT with an open mind and it's made a lot of difference to me. In the last couple of years, it's got me through some very difficult times a lot better than just popping the pills would have, as it addresses the causes.
Also, as I was paying for it myself, then it was in my best interests to get something out of it.
For the original poster, you do have to engage with CBT and try it out. If you decide that you're better than "it" is, then you risk wasting yours and someone else's time.
Just my two pennyworth.
Thanks again everyone.
By "hype" I really mean that CBT seems to encourage "fooling oneself" by overlaying a "technique" onto existing thought patterns.
Isn't it like saying to someone with a phobia, "just ignore it and pretend that spiders are not scary"?
No not at all. What are they teaching you?!
The only natural way to overcome a phobia is exposure, and exposure could be said to be the core of CBT
ankietyjoe
13-06-14, 09:38
Thanks again everyone.
By "hype" I really mean that CBT seems to encourage "fooling oneself" by overlaying a "technique" onto existing thought patterns.
Isn't it like saying to someone with a phobia, "just ignore it and pretend that spiders are not scary"?
Something to consider is that you probably didn't notice the mental practices that got you where you are now (ie into a place where you're here, on this website). Habitual patterns of thinking perhaps dealing with long term or short term stressful situations. Patterns of thinking you don't have to be conscious of or analyse for them to have an effect.
It's the same with CBT. Even if you know how it's supposed to work, the very act of embracing it alters the way your subconscious mind responds to certain stimuli, and it's your subconscious mind that generally causes the problems we're all here for.
It's like exercising at the gym. Just because you 'know' all about the calorie equation, it doesn't mean it stops working as you work out.
Just let it happen :D
CBT is like exercise. You are training your brain to work a certain way. In the beginning, when you haven't put in rigorous practice and training, it will seem like it's not working. It takes a while to build that "mental muscle memory" so that you retrain your brain to think differently. I think that regardless of what you believe regarding it's efficacy, if you are willing and committed to long-term progress, it can work.
I am a big believer in integrative therapy, which means using more than just one model. Maybe you can receive a different type of therapy combined with CBT.
---------- Post added at 08:27 ---------- Previous post was at 08:26 ----------
I just want to add that it's healthy to be skeptical of things, including treatments and therapy. It becomes unhealthy when it gets in the way of trying anything. But a bit of skepticism and wondering if it lives up to the hype is normal.
tazmindevs
13-06-14, 15:53
yes this really can work, its great
Well, I think I'll give it a "fair try".
Thank you all very much for your support.
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