CBT no help

[fillyjonk]

Hi,

I only seem to hear of CBT really helping people but it hasn't helped me with my anxiety and symptoms very much - I am no better. Has anyone else not had much success as I'm beginning to feel very alone? What's wrong with me?

Fillyjonk

[nomorepanic]

Was it definitely CBT you had ? What sort of things did you do etc?

Did you get "homework" to do etc?

[fillyjonk]

Yes it was definately CBT looking at thought patterns etc. I always did my homework, loads of writing but it just made me feel even worse. We also looked at the cause and went through it time and time again.

Thanks, Fillyjonk

[Alabasterlyn]

I've had CBT twice now and on both occasions it didn't really help me. I actually feel quite bad saying that it didn't work as it makes me feel quite a failure.

The first time I had CBT was about 6/7yrs ago and I saw a psychologist on and off for a year on the NHS. She used to cancel our appts a lot of the time due to illness and was often away for weeks at a time and I often felt there was very little continuity. When I was reluctant to meet the therapist in the middle of a 140 store shopping mall all on my own in the middle of the day the sessions were cancelled on the grounds of my having 'trust issues'. I felt very let down as I have agoraphobia and couldn't even get into two with my partner, never mind on my own!

Earlier this year my GP suggested I try CBT again. I thought 'oh why not, let's give it a shot'. The therapist was very nice and I hoped we would be able to do some exposure work. However the therapist wasn't insured to take patients out in her car and as I didn't have access to a car myself we had to cancel this treatment too.

I've now started doing the Fear Fighter programme which is CBT online. It's too early to say if it's going to help or not, so I will see how it goes.

A lot of people swear by CBT and I do believe it is a wonderful tool for those who work hard at it and have faith in it. However, like most therapies, I don't think it's for everyone.

[Yvonne]

Hi

I know now that it's thoughts that cause anxiety - I had trouble believing this before I had in depth CBT but I know now that it's the thoughts that lead to the nasty feelings. So, watching one's thoughts can be very useful - and endeavourinng to change those thoughts in an effort to "train" the mind to think differently is of course great if you can do it.

However, is it always good to be on the alert for your thoughts? I don't think so myself.

CBT is not the answer for everyone - no way. People suffer from different levels of anxiety. If someone has a huge problem in their life and this is causing their anxiety I don't believe it can be changed by trying to change thoughts.

CBT can work for people with phobias if they are not severe - and also if the person hasn't suffered for very long. It seems to work for a lot of people but my own opinion is that is definitely not the "cure all anxiety states" magic wand that we are led to believe it is.

Just my opinion.

[Yvonne]

Hi

I know now that it's thoughts that cause anxiety - I had trouble believing this before I had in depth CBT but I know now that it's the thoughts that lead to the nasty feelings. So, watching one's thoughts can be very useful - and endeavourinng to change those thoughts in an effort to "train" the mind to think differently is of course great if you can do it.

However, is it always good to be on the alert for your thoughts? I don't think so myself.

CBT is not the answer for everyone - no way. People suffer from different levels of anxiety. If someone has a huge problem in their life and this is causing their anxiety I don't believe it can be changed by trying to change thoughts.

CBT can work for people with phobias if they are not severe - and also if the person hasn't suffered for very long. It seems to work for a lot of people but my own opinion is that is definitely not the "cure all anxiety states" magic wand that we are led to believe it is.

Just my opinion.

[fillyjonk]

Lyn - shame about your experience with CBT too. Sounds like you had a particularly unlucky experience withour consistency. I've known people that say CBT really helped them but those were the days when you could have unlimited sessions. These days, you normally get 12 maximum. I also found by the time I'd explained how my time away from the sessions had gone the hour was up so there was little time to get practical.

I'm now trying to work from Dr. Weekes self-help books and I will look up the online CBT too as I wasn't even aware of that.

Thanks, Fillyjonk

[Captain America]

fillyjonk,

i too didn't get much help from cbt early on until i hit upon the whole key to what makes it work. it's the behavior portion. you can rationalize a thought away all you like, but if you still engage in the same behavior, anxiety doesn't learn.

so, let's say i say i won't exercise because i fear heart attack. i cbt it...is it a fact that i'll have one? no. have i had tests that say my heart is fine? yes. so i've analyzed the automatic thought, but if i don't get my butt off the couch and exercise, anxiety will never learn.

anxiety is primitive, and it does not listen to cbt. it's the behavior alone that shows anxiety that we don't really fear what it's telling us to fear.

make sense?

[PoppyC]

I found this interesting article about the pros and cons of CBT a while ago and saved it - its from a website for those who work in psychology, psychiatry and mental health.

http://www.psychminded.co.uk/news/ne...mes-cbt003.htm