View Full Version : Almost finished my CBT - useless waste of time
I have had 2 and a half months of CBT i have one more session next week and that is it
I can not begin to tell you what a waste of time its been.........
All it is, is similar to if you ring samaritans, where they are a listening ear asking you so `how do you suggest you approach this problem`
the CBT whilst not quite as useless as the samaritans
is all about hypothetical questions presented at myself
questions which IF I HAD THE ANSWER FOR.. I WOULDNT BE THERE!
it has helped with one or two things, ie the ``its okay not to know things`` has helped my anxiety a bit
but the nagging anxiety and terror of loud sounds like door bells/ fire engine sirens
is worse than ever
my anxiety is also clouding and overtaking my memory and sense of concentration too
CBT hasnt done anything for me apart from lightening my pocket of the 5 pounds i fork out every tuesday to get my buses to the CBT building
help :(
Bloody hell wish I hadn't read this , first time I was refered they said my mental state was to bad ( had very bad reaction to anti depressants ) they said they would get in touch never did , self referred again about a month ago because family life is getting to much again and I'm waiting for the cbt appointment , most of my problems are real so I was hoping to learn a way of coping with them , is it realy that useless , saw a nhs therapist last year that was pretty pointless just a lot of awkward silences that I felt I had to fill , nhs mental health help does seem pretty poor , thanks
You're correct, IMO, it doesn't give you the answers to life's problems. It does however, force you to look at your current behavior and what you would do to change it. If X always results in Z then what would you change? So if Googling always results in spiraling anxiety, what's the obvious solution? That's what they're trying to get you to recognize, admit, accept and do. Regardless, it still comes down to you making the changes. They're just a guide.
They say the definition of crazy is doing the same things over and over and expecting the result to change. Having used and still using CBT techniques, I found it a way to challenge my current thinking with thoughts and behaviors that took me a little out of my comfort zone. By working at it and repeating the behaviors and thoughts, they became easier and more natural thus replacing the negative thoughts and behaviors.
Granted, it's not for everyone but I personally found/find it useful and I did the CBT4PANIC that was available here in conjunction with one on one therapy and a chill pill when needed.
Positive thoughts
MyNameIsTerry
13-04-16, 23:03
My understanding of CBT is that it is a set of stages that teach you about your thinking and provide you with tools & techniques as well as strategies to face fears I.e. ERP.
Like I said on your last thread, I think your therapist's approach is more akin to counselling rather than therapy.
Just asking someone how they would deal with a problem is no use without training them first. Otherwise you might as well ask anyone on the street.
Sadly IAPT seems to be short changing us. It was criticised for watering down treatment years ago and from my experience and reading plenty of threads on here, I think they are right.
From speaking to members outside of the IAPT zone e.g. Canada, Scotland, etc their CBT is vastly different.
CBT4PANIC is based on true CBT, as is any CBT book. But there are free versions as CBT4PANIC is now chargeable so may be out of bounds for some.
I learnt far more about CBT and my thoughts by reading about therapy rather than doing it through IAPT, although my therapist was lovely.
I'm doing CBT through NHS it's an online programme but i do it with a therapist each week, it is helping me but mainly it is down to me to actually put into practice these techniques and really try because i know there's no one cure it's going to be a long road, i've also referred for talking therapy at the same time. I'm nearly half way through my cbt course and i wouldn't say i've learnt anything knew, just made it easier for me to recognize certain patterns and behaviors, also seeing the link between thoughts, feelings, behaviors and physical symptoms is good x
I'm doing CBT through NHS it's an online programme but i do it with a therapist each week, it is helping me but mainly it is down to me to actually put into practice these techniques and really try because i know there's no one cure it's going to be a long road, i've also referred for talking therapy at the same time. I'm nearly half way through my cbt course and i wouldn't say i've learnt anything knew, just made it easier for me to recognize certain patterns and behaviors, also seeing the link between thoughts, feelings, behaviors and physical symptoms is good x
What you're saying is in line with my thoughts and experience. When you begin to recognize the thoughts and behavior patterns that are detrimental, you can consciously work to change them. Yes, it's work... hard work and it takes time and continued effort but for me and many, it's proved very helpful. And yes, part of it is to get yourself to come up with solutions and put them into practice. In many ways, I found it a good learning tool for life in general.
Concerning the work... You really do have to approach it like you would say... going to the gym. If you stop practicing the techniques, you fall out of practice and mental shape and it's harder to get back into it. Like I said, I still use several techniques I've learned on a regular basis. I've found it useful not just for the mental aspects but for the everyday stressful life situations we all encounter.
Positive thoughts
Agreed and admittedly i find it very hard some days and i know i'm not helping myself, but then other days when i feel a bit better i try and put into practice these techniques,
One thing recently discussed was behaviors and although it was more depression based helps with my anxiety, i already knew this to be true it just confirmed it to me and made me think about what i was doing more. We have the 5 minute rule so i will tell myself to start a task/activity and if after 5 minutes i still feel as bad i can stop, and generally it's never as bad as i think it will be in my head and i feel a sense of accomplishment after it, also during the time i spent doing what i was doing my anxiety is far less so it's a win win
Copied some things from my programme,
Stopping activities and becoming more sedentary is one of the things that keeps the vicious and distressing cycle of depression going. Stopping or reducing pleasurable activities decreases the opportunities you have to improve your mood.
So, the trick is to begin to do things even if you do not feel like it (or especially if you do not feel like it!). Getting started on activities or tasks can be easier said than done and a number of things may help. See our top tips for getting started.
Our body feelings or physical reactions can be important clues as to what mood or emotion we are experiencing. This is especially noticeable when the emotion is very strong. It also means we can act to try and change our physical body feelings, which can have a positive effect on our mood.
If you are feeling anxious or low, some physical body feelings seem to just come and go, day-to-day, or minute-to-minute. Others can be present for weeks and can be more general like sleep and appetite changes.
For example, a tensed jaw could indicate anger or anxiety.
Often, we are quite unaware of our bodily sensations until we become aware of our mood.
For example, you may feel angry, and then be surprised to discover that your fists were clenched, and that you were gritting your teeth.
When managing these physical reactions, it is important to remember that they are not harmful and are a common response to intense unhelpful thoughts. Understanding the “fight or flight response” and awareness that it is a natural reaction can often help to reduce anxiety.
Now that you are familiar with the relationship between feelings, thoughts and your behaviour, use the form below to chart this for yourself and build your very own thoughts, feelings, behaviour (TFB) cycles. It is helpful if you can chart as many situations and feelings as possible. It is best to choose feelings that are strong or intense, and then chart the situation and behaviours associated with them (you can add thoughts too if you like, but we will focus more on these in the next module).These TFB cycles are a useful way to find out more about your feelings, and understand yourself better.
The 'Staying in the present' section of my programme is by far the most helpful to me, that comes with a list of video's to help you stay in the present x
thanks for the kind replies
i mean in essence the things they tell me are along the right path, but they arent answers
ie -- one of my main triggers is loud sounds/ loud shrill doorbells or sirens
so they told me about making it so that my brain chemistry doesnt associate the sound with something bad
but they havent told me how
he did suggest watching a youtube video with the sound over and over to immune myself to it
but thats ridiculous
its like saying that the horrible scratching of chalk on a blackboard if you keep hearing it again and again you will become immune to it
seriously? itd make me ill if anything
I understand and everyone is different, for me personally although sometimes i think the techniques sound a little 'child like' and daft it's about consistency and putting everything into it, some things won't help and i don't think CBT can give you answers but maybe help you recognize patterns and how you can address them.
In my assessment my therapist recommended a higher intensity CBT however i didn't want the wait so went with the one i'm on, also have my first 'Talk therapy' tomorrow, which may be able to help with certain things that CBT can't. I think with the CBT it's about repetition and consistency for me i have found i can change the way i feel about things by doing this,
Did you have a discharge discussion or anything to tell them you don't really feel you've benefited?
Beckie4567
14-04-16, 14:49
CBT didn't help me meds are helping me better
ie -- one of my main triggers is loud sounds/ loud shrill doorbells or sirens
so they told me about making it so that my brain chemistry doesnt associate the sound with something bad
but they havent told me how
he did suggest watching a youtube video with the sound over and over to immune myself to it
but thats ridiculous
its like saying that the horrible scratching of chalk on a blackboard if you keep hearing it again and again you will become immune to it
seriously? itd make me ill if anything
That's exposure therapy and a form of CBT. I have an aversion to certain sounds as well. Misophonia if you will...
By exposing myself to the sounds that get under my skin, I eventually learned to tune them out or find ways to distract myself from focusing on them. That's what they're talking about. By practicing the technique may not totally alleviate the stress, it can and does lessen it's affect on you. That's the brain chemistry thing they're talking about. Although I don't think I could ever get used to rap music ~lol~
Positive thoughts
Although I don't think I could ever get used to rap music ~lol~
Not even Eminem? :ohmy:
Not even Eminem? :ohmy:
HA! There's some stuff that's pretty good... Some hip hop has a great R&B feel and I like that. What I'm referring to is the type that has a repetitive sound that just keeps going over and over and over and over and over.......
Those kinds of sounds are the ones that trigger me... like tapping or beeping... arrggg especially beeping. When I was in treatment, if your IV line got funky, the machines would start beeping. It drove me bonkers! To this day, that one still gives me the heebie jeebies.
Positive thoughts (but no beeping please :) )
CBT didn't help me meds are helping me better
which ones did you take :ohmy:
MyNameIsTerry
14-04-16, 22:23
Exposure therapy comes in different formats and the one most used is ERP. That works on increasing the intensity as you get used to lesser exposures working towards the worst one. However, it's not about tackling the symptom, it's about tackling the underpinning core belief driving it.
Your therapist seems lazy to me. You will learn more about ERP online in that case as they just seem to be making a lazy stab at the flooding version of exposure, a technique which fails a lot more than ERP.
CBT through the IAPT service is doing nothing for me as well. I get given work sheets to go home and do by myself.
This is absolutely no use to me what so ever. It's like saying 'here, go help yourself'.
I'm considering getting private help again. It's expensive but seems more worth it
MyNameIsTerry
23-04-16, 04:52
CBT through the IAPT service is doing nothing for me as well. I get given work sheets to go home and do by myself.
This is absolutely no use to me what so ever. It's like saying 'here, go help yourself'.
I'm considering getting private help again. It's expensive but seems more worth it
Something that I found was that once the Mindfulness was helping me, I started working on the goals from CBT that I just couldn't deal with. I believe a 2nd round of CBT would have been good as I would have been less resistant but sadly once is all you get in my area! :mad:
So, if you are not getting much in the way of the theory, maybe supplementing it with something to teach that side could help? Any medical professional can write you a free book prescription to take to your local library. Or maybe CCBT? However, CCBT is unlikely to be combined with your therapist as IAPT have this in Level 2 which is the Guided Self Help and Therapeutic Groups category whereas CBT therapy sits in Level 3. They won't run them side-by-side as it's a Stepped Care Model...which is just stupid to me but in defence of the CCBT, that does need a supporting worker assigning to you as CCBT is only evidenced when there is support alongside the course.
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