Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - how effective is it?

[GWatts77]

I am thinking about trying Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Does anyone have any experiences with it and whether or not it has truly help rid them of anxiety, lethargy, depression, etc.?

I’m suffering from an Anxiety disorder, as well as I suspect depression, although I do not have a formal diagnosis. I’m trying to find some kind of treatment (outside of medication) to help address my frustratingly chronic idleness, isolation, and fatigue.

If any has any recommendations and advice, I would be greatly appreciative!

 

[Coolname]

I am thinking about trying Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Does anyone have any experiences with it and whether or not it has truly help rid them of anxiety, lethargy, depression, etc.?

I’m suffering from an Anxiety disorder, as well as I suspect depression, although I do not have a formal diagnosis. I’m trying to find some kind of treatment (outside of medication) to help address my frustratingly chronic idleness, isolation, and fatigue.

If any has any recommendations and advice, I would be greatly appreciative!

Hi

I have had two sets of CBT. The first was from a volunteer, in hindsight she was crap. The second was from an NHS practitioner and changed my life. You get out of CBT what you put into it. It can be very good at dealing with thoughts and feelings today and has a good reputation for treating anxiety.

I went from being stricken by fear at being in public places, for fear of being judged unworthy, to being able to sit in a cinema on my own on a Saturday night, surrounded by couples. Following CBT, I was able to join a support group, I also took a course in Mindfulness. I went from being unable to spend time with others sober to enjoying the company of others and making friends I still have. I went from being scared to put myself forward to being promoted to responsible roles at work.

I found it was really important to continue self-treating with CBT after the therapy ended. It was a long time before I was able to socialise sober and make friends. The best book on CBT is The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr David Burns. Highly recommended.

CBT is not particularly good if you want to get a lot off your chest about your past (like me). Person Centred counselling is good for that, you can talk about everything and anything you like.

CBT may not get to the heart of the matter when your problems are rooted in trauma and / or you are shut down emotionally (like me).

Despite CBT being somewhat limited, I highly recommend it and it was an essential step for me before I moved on to other therapy to deal with emotions and (now) trauma.

Hope that helps.

 

[GWatts77]

Thank you coolname, that’s genuinely extremely helpful. I’m currently fighting that feeling of always being scared to go outside my bedroom; simply video chatting feels too much also, and it’s hard because I feel like I’m not going to escape my sense of depression without going outside and exposing myself to seemingly terrifying activities that I realize on a practical level are actually only very helpful and productive!

Also it’s so hard to find a CBT therapist currently due to the pandemic. Do you have any recommendations about how I can go about self-treating in CBT? That sounds like a really interesting avenue to autonomously help myself

Thank you again for taking the time to write that response to my post. Greatly appreciated.

 

[indigo6]

I had CBT and it definitely helped me alot. I still use it now (its something you can call upon once you learn)
It hasnt fixed me because like Coolname says it doesnt get to the deep rooted stuff but taken the edge off alot of my reactions and beliefs. Im still discovering its effects now a few years on.
I learned to reason with myself. Talk myself into the right reactions or better ones.Not for everything! Its not a cure all.
Yesterday I remembered a phrase the therapist would say about if you have to be your own teacher, be a kind one.
The UK has CBT readily available, except right now Im not sure.
I did have 2 exceptional therapists. You have a right to change if you wish. You could ask your GP id they know them and do they think they would be a good match.
Please have a go at it.

 

[Coolname]

Thank you coolname, that’s genuinely extremely helpful. I’m currently fighting that feeling of always being scared to go outside my bedroom; simply video chatting feels too much also, and it’s hard because I feel like I’m not going to escape my sense of depression without going outside and exposing myself to seemingly terrifying activities that I realize on a practical level are actually only very helpful and productive!

Also it’s so hard to find a CBT therapist currently due to the pandemic. Do you have any recommendations about how I can go about self-treating in CBT? That sounds like a really interesting avenue to autonomously help myself

Thank you again for taking the time to write that response to my post. Greatly appreciated.

Hi

It's my pleasure. Sharing information helps everyone.

I tried a number of self-help CBT books. The Feeling Good Handbook stands head and shoulders above the rest. The following is a good net resource on self-help with CBT CCI - Self Help Resources for Mental Health Problems

I would strongly recommend therapist led CBT when the pandemic allows. Getting on the NHS waiting list now would probably be a good move. Good private practitioners often also have a waiting list.

 

[Bizzarebitrary]

Wishing you some healing.

CBT is very useful but it was no use to me until I was willing to set aside my rigid ways of thinking and willing to do the homework. Also, I needed a medication that was effective at lowering my symptoms. Without it, the organ responsible for cognition was too impaired to absorb and understand the concepts. I just didn't have the bandwidth, if that makes sense.

Best luck to you.