I have read the blog. What you describe is very common it is the nature of the negative thinking that varies with the individual. More CBT may help, you may be able to find a different therapist that you are more comfortable working with. I would suggest you review the work you have done so far and ask yourself if you are using the strategies you have been taught? Ask for a refresher course of maybe 4 to 6 sessions, but go with an open mind. Change is a challenge, it can be scarey, don't go looking for reasons to keep doing the old behaviours, they're aren't working for you.
Below is the book CBT therapists give patients to read. It covers everything. its great!!..
Overcoming Low Self-esteem: Self-help Guide Using..., Fennell, Melanie
xxx
Hi Niccik
Would you be able to send me the link as well? Been looking at alot of options recently and probably need to actually do something aswell as some point.
Hi Liam. I am just at work but i can get the books out of the car at lunch and send you the links ... Remind me lol..xxx
Aiden, I wonder how your CBT is going, if you've tried it? FWIW, I have found CBT to be very helpful. I am almost entirely self taught, using Dr. David Burns' Book "The Feeling Good Handbook" as my guide.
For me, the CBT techniques expoused by Dr. Burns are very helpful in-the-moment. The difficulty is that thay are typically practiced with a pen and paper, which is slow and intrusive and not in-the-moment. Therefore, I use an app called iCBT (and iCBT for iPad) which is quick, easy and private and follows CBT protocols well.
I have had 15 weeks worth of cbt, initially very sceptical and think the therapist knew that, but at the end I had a positive experience from and actually helped, you just have to entirely honest with the therapist and just know it going to be hard work, but worth it
hope you are get the results you want from it, best of luck
Yeah, It was really helpful for me. At the beginning stage, we will feel some difficulty in accepting other's opinions and concepts, but if you have a good counsellor, then everything will be easy. They know how to handle us. No worries, you will be alright. I too had Cognitive behavioral therapy with the help of Dr. Eliana cohen, an expert psychiatrist in Toronto. I had attended almost all the sessions and I started applying all the tips got from the session. It was really applying. All the best.
Hi,
I am currently going through CBT and I would definitely recommend it. As scary as it seems, it is really helpful. The key is exposure. Exposing yourself to uncomfortable situations gradually, and after lengthy discussion. Once you've discussed things and you understand why a situation makes you feel so anxious, it is easier to put yourself into it with the comfort of a good therapist and safe environment. Gradually, you'll become more comfortable and the feeling is liberating. CBT is definitely worth it.
Saw my phsycatrist, gave me medication and had a prettu bad experience first time and right now I'm going though hell with fear and dizziness
CBT is a great tool taking control of your mind and getting your thoughts retuned but it takes time and comitment. Expect good days and bad days...there will be tough days where the CBT doens't seem to work anymore. It's important to take time out for yourself and have some fun on these days...do things you've always wanted to do. I have a bucket list of sorts, but its a very simple one. Just trying things I havnt done before like checking out a new cafe or watching a movie I've always wanted to but never got round to makes such a huge difference. The feeling when you achieve it is fantastic! Filling your life with positive things like this will help give your CBT a boost!
Hi!
Just out of curiosity, what made you try CBT? The reason for why Im asking is that Im thinking about maybe finally dealing with my issues once and for all. I normally get myself up after a few months of my "low periods" by just pushing myself a little bit and trying to keep my head above water, so to say, but its only a temporary solution and about a year after each time my moderate anxiety goes severe again and I get panic attacks and feel depressed and "mentally trapped".
Is CBT a long term solution to ones issues, in your opinion/experience? How has it been for you after?
Life circumstances
I had a major lift shift with a family break down (my dad ditching us for a woman half his age caused a massive divde that ended in divorce and even court, my finances are ruined because of him, I'm stuck in now rent and I have an ongoing muscle wasting problem that affects my spine, neck and my bum. I live an active life as a dog walker but the muscles are slowly wasting away in those areas that affects my mobility and energy...so i feel constantly under pressure by everything in general (if im not well enough to work I won't be able to pay my bills etc.massive worry!) I kept going back for tests but drs have no idea and they basically aren't interested. I hit rock bottom not surprisingly being under so much pressure...I am a naturally anxious person but that rocketed when I moved to my new flat and with my outlook looking so bleak I decided to take charge and try to get my life back. Noticed how much my negative thinking was making my symtpoms feel much worse so I decided to try and change that with CBT which showed me a lot of my negative thoughts were a load of nonsense in the end and not helping me at all. I have good days and bad days with it still...but I then I came up with the idea of the 30things list (its basically a bucket list of 30 things I plan to do within the next year). Setting a deadline helps me stop proscrating and the ideas on the list were very simple...none of this tour around the world stuff just things like skimming stones at the beach, watching 30 recommended movies, trying 30 new foods and drinks, going on day trips in the UK i'd always wanted to try. And interestingly enough this list has changed my life :D...it's put the fun back in my life and help the CBT along too. And yet none of my circumstances have changed at all! Still stck in rent, financially ruined, my health is certaintly not getting better...but my attitude on life is so much better and more positive....but I needed that CBT there to give me the confidence to kick start the list. I throughly recommend it :D
Hi everyone,
I know this post was written a long time ago but for anybody still wondering about CBT I will share my experience. I have anxiety and depression but I'm on low intensity CBT, The doctor gave me a card and I called and I got an appointment...eventually. It was about a five or six week wait. After having struggled with anxiety and depression for SO long without help it didn't seem that bad. I am currently in the process of recent CBT and I haven't finished. However I feel like the fact that somebody understands my emotions and helps me with them is already making me feel slightly better psychologically...I think many will find this helps them too. The important thing to remember, or how I like to see it, is that those of us that have been unlucky enough to suffer with anxiety just have to deal with it, nothing will eradicate it, we must learn to live with it and learn to handle it, we can't expect anything to remove it, just accept that some things will work. I will say CBT is a lot about self reflection and spending a lot of time analysing your thoughts and reassuring yourself, someth tint that becomes easier the more you do it. I find comfort in the fact that somebody out there is willing to invest so much time in me and help me when I don't pay them (I know the government does, this is just the way I think about it). I feel like CBT tries to cure anxiety by giving alternative views and trying to take our worries and thoughts that bring on our anxiety and try and take control of those, as opposed to them controlling our lives. I also feel like the more you put in, the more you get back. I would definitely recommend it, and definitely do your 'homework' and listen well to what your therapist tells you, even if it doesn't help too much, it's an experience and you'll be able to take something from it. Do not expect a miracle but be open minded! There are many suffering with anxiety and there's way of living with it. I hope this helped anybody thinking about trying CBT, I would recommend it. I can also update with my current situation when I finish my eight sessions!