Posted by mattdds on March 3, 2003, at 23:59:43
In reply to Re: cognitive therapy » mattdds, posted by KrissyP on March 3, 2003, at 21:48:44
Hi Kristen,
Thanks so much for your comments! It is great to hear others benefitting from CBT as well.
To be honest, I learned about CBT on my own, and have had little formal "therapy" sessions. I did, however, read a **lot** about the advanced techniques and also about the research and theory behind it. I read all the stuff by Aaron Beck, Adrian Wells, and David Burns is a favorite too.
In my opinion, once you learn the techniques that help you, you really don't need a therapist.
Also, I don't think most people that try CBT give it a fair trial. I mean, this stuff is work! Most people go to a CBT therapist for a few sessions, don't do any homework, and don't really do much outside the 1-hour weekly sessions. I think of CBT as reprogramming your brain, which takes a lot more work than 1-hour weekly sessions.
When I was in my worst period, I would spend hours on the exercises, and kept the "mood log" journal of cognitive distortions nightly. I also tracked my progress using the Beck anxiety and depression tests. This way, I could objectively measure my success. I really got into it, and watched my anxiety and depression scores plummet on an Excel graph! I'd be happy to detail all of this to you if you are interested.
So my point is, the CBT therapy sessions (like formal therapy) do very little other than teach you CBT, if that makes sense. If all you do is get once a week counseling, there is very little chance CBT will help, in my opinion. It is the *homework* that will really get you better. Another option is intensive therapy on an inpatient basis, as they do at Stanford University. You have to really get the attitude of kicking anxiety's (or depression's or OCD's) ass, and be diligent. I cannot stress the importance of the homework enough! This is, in my view, the ONLY way that CBT works, with tons of individual effort. It is incredibly hard work to rewire your thinking from the ground up, but it really pays off. For the first time, I feel like I have "fixed" the bulk of my anxiety disorder, though many here will doubt that.
As far as deep breathing training, I'm not sure that's considered CBT, technically. It could certainly be used as an adjunct, but I think the mainstays of CBT are cognitive restructuring and behavioral exercises. Are you familiar with those? I'd be happy to discuss this over at psychological babble (I'm sure this will get redirected) with those who are interested, but it seems that very few people here are interested in CBT. I tried to get a discussion going over there about CBT back in June of 2002, but even in psychological babble, people were yawning. To me, it's fascinating. I think CBT is the most underutilized and underrated tool in psychiatry. (I'll be ducking from all the flak I'll get for this comment!)
You're right, CBT is a pain in the ass! And there is really no way around that aspect. But for me, the return was infinitely worthwhile.
Having said all that, CBT is not a panacea, or miracle cure-all. It cerainly works for me, and I think it would for most people, at least to some degree. Going along with the cliche, YMMV.
Best wishes Kristen,Matt
poster:mattdds
thread:205352
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030301/msgs/205715.html