Posted by Miss Honeychurch on December 3, 2004, at 7:42:23
In reply to CBT Therapy and Hypochondria, posted by dawnfawn on December 3, 2004, at 6:55:45
Hi dawnfawn,
I was in your exact shoes a little over a year ago. Except my fear was MS and Parkinson's. I have been in therapy with a therapist who is heavily CBT oriented, but also uses other approaches as well. Some people call this eclectic, although I recently learned that now therapists prefer to call this "integrated."
My T did not start off treating the hypochondria. He approached my hypochondria as a SYMPTOM and RESULT of my severe anxiety and depression. So, through CBT and a psychodynamic approach to my therapy, after my depression and anxiety were under control, my hypochondria vanished. For me, hypochondria was just another way of expressing anxiety. And I have a feeling that is the case for many hypochondriacs.
Are you just doing staright CBT, not delving into your past, childhood, dreams, etc? I found all of that immensely helpful in helping me understand why I am the way I am, and that helped me to progress and get better. I don't think I could have done that with straight rational thinking.
But I'm interested to know if your T is treating only the hypochondria or are you addressing the anxiety behind this condition?
poster:Miss Honeychurch
thread:423787
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20041203/msgs/423801.html