View Full Version : CBT making things worse!!
hey, ive been doing a cbt course for a few weeks now, im on my fourth week, but things arent going to well, infact there worse. Its made me more aware of all the negative thoughts that i have and has even made me have new ones which ive not had before. The anxiety has got 10 times worse and so has the negative thoughts, im worried that nothing is going to help!
has anyone else had this issue? or am i just a lost cause? :( :(
I feel the same way. I've had a few sessions of CBT and it seems the more I think and talk about my panic and anxiety, the worse it gets. Like it's almost better if I keep it hidden and try not to acknowledge it. I wonder if it's a case of it getting worse before it gets better with CBT. I guess we're facing our worst fears. One thing my therapist said yesterday is to start small and build up. Rome wasn't built in a day!
Dahlia
i think this is normal and should be seen as a breakthrough - i have never seen a therapist but started to take note of how i spoke to myself/my thought patterns and i was so shocked and upset!!!!! i felt like this for a few weeks but at least it gave me the chance to start and correct them! x
i try and correct them but i get voices in my head laughing at me, telling me im always going to be like this so i may aswell get used to it. part of me just wants to give up. how do you go about seeing a therapist? the doc just told me to register of this site and they sent me a cbt book to do, i think talking to someone might help...well i hope anyway!
nomorepanic
12-07-10, 22:01
CBT is hard work - that is the point of it all really.
To get you to face things and understand.
It is not a miracle cure and you do have to work at it to get over the hurdles.
The end result is worth it though
CBT is hard work just as going to the gym is hard work but the results are worth it. As nic says " its not a miricle cure and we have to put in the hard work but you will come through the other end feeling better. So stick with it and give it 100%
I have had this too. It really IS hard work. The thing that made me turn a corner was realising that I didn't have to STOP the thoughts straight away - I could just decide to postpone them until later.
I basically say to the thoughts, "I'm not discussing this with you whilst you're like this." and then I go and do a breathing exercise or whatever to try to calm down. Mindfulness meditation has really helped with this.
I'm still finding it tough going though.
Are you actually seeing a therapist for your cbt or from a workbook? I found mine through a charity & im feeling the same-I posted a few days ago saying a similar thing......I believe things have to get better before they get worse,however if your not seeing a therapist I think you should.
Hi all. I had about 5 sessions with a cbt specialist. I could talk about my condition with him without any problems whatsoever. However, when it came to the point of him telling me, I had to deliberately put myself into a scenario where anxiety would kick up, I just couldnt do it - not voluntarily! At the time, my meds were alleviating the problem where I felt it most (at work) - but putting myself into this state outside of this...i found that difficult to do.
As it happens right now, my meds are not working very well (as i am trying to kerb the quantity used) - so I am finding myself in that situation.
However, whilst he said that I have to stop 'doing the things i do when i get into this state', I don't know how I can do this! The other thing he mentioned was to let the situation just happen - and wash over me - and that this would help.
I really don't know how to change my stream of thought that I get knotted up in when I get into this state!
I felt so frustrated when I stopped going for the sessions (he said there was no point in coming if i did not put myself into these situations) - I hate to give up on things (and thats not something I would normally do) - but I couldn't see myself making this work!!
So frustrating...
CBT is difficult because usually with social anxiety, the coping mechanism is to sweep the issues under the carpet and pretend they are not there. I solved 90% of my health anxiety in one 50 minute session. In saying that, I know it would be just as easy to apply it to my social anxiety, but its so crippling having to try and challenge it that Im still too afraid of implementing it. Catch 22.
This is quite interesting, as I'm going to see someone next week with a view to having some CBT (privately; I'll wait for ever if I try on the NHS!). Wonder if I'll get worse before I get better? However, I suspect some things will be much easier to sort out than others, so I'll keep everybody posted.
It is a breakthrough when we come face to face with our root causes. No one like to see those things. But it is part of the walk out process.
Having the right therapist and someone who loves you, sincerely wants you well and is willing to hear you out, really helps.
I am still in process.
Mine were under that rug for years. Some were simply I couldn't see it, others I wanted my own way. Pride.
I think I just got tired of tripping over all those bumps of 'stuff' under there. It was time to pick up that rug and do a deep cleaning. My, oh, my what I found there.
@jody. Are you writing it down in the format?
I think its quite important to actually put pen to paper, there is something theraputic in putting it down on paper. Its almost as if you're taking out of the loop in your end and down out of your mind. And obvously you have to go through the process, you start with the automatic thoughts, but then you look for the evidence for and against, and the rationalised interpretations etc etc
Don't do what I did and just stop at the automatic thoughts, the idea is to identify the fact that when you're anxious, quite often you focus on negative or worse case scenarios. And often times, when you go through the process you can see there are other interpretations than the negative ones when you look at the evidence for and against the thoughts you're having.
Over time, doing this regularly you start to challenge and break down some of the negative patterns / triggers of thoughts..
CBT more than any other treatment has clinical proof that it has a positive effect with anxiety and panic etc so it is worth giving it some time and effort, even if at first it makes you worse.
i totally agree with trooper. thats what i did. i wrote everything down. theres an awesome CBT book called "Overcoming Anxiety - A five areas approach" by Chris Williams. Usually they give you a book prescription to pick up from your local library when you have CBT (they did me anyway). Its a workbook (about an inch thick) that you have to fill in to understand fully the principle of applying CBT. Might be worth you checking it out. x
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