Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

[sweetheart21]

Has anyone done this? I just read a little about it on the net and was amazed. It has to do with training people how to change the way they think by challenging their negative thoughts.

 

Heres an example they used on how different people think -

George, Susan & Alex, stub their toe on an uneven piece of paving in the middle of the mall.

 

George thinks – "Oh no. I am such a fool. How could I do something so stupid?

Everyone has seen & thinks I am a complete idiot!"

Response - Feels embarrassed, humiliated, self-conscious & distressed. Avoids contact with others. Quickly returns home.

 

Susan thinks – "I could have really injured myself. The Council should have

fixed this/ prevented this. It is an outrage & a disgrace!"

Response - Feels anxious, flustered, very angry & stressed. Curt in dealings with people that day. Stressed all day.

 

Alex thinks – " Ouch! What was that? Oops, I just stubbed my toe! Well, I'm

OK, so I'll just keep walking!"

Response - Doesn't give it a second thought. No effect on the day.

 

My response would be most like Georges. I didnt even realise how negative I am! What would your response be like? And if anyone has done cognitive behavioural therapy what exactly do they teach you and how long does it take?

[arwen]

What they teach you differs per person. I did this to deal with GAD and it helped a lot. I can't say it's GONE, but I know how to handle things when I feel myself slipping into old thought-behaviour. I was like George- but more 'internalized'. Thought everyone would abandon me. Was scared to have 'stigmatized' diseases like longcancer from smoking or AIDS. Was obsessed in relationships and convinced the partner would leave me.

 

First, you must be diagnosed by a psychologist. Although I think this can be useful for heeps of people, I doubt that actual THERAPY will be necessary for people who are not suffering from a type of obsessive or anxiety disorder (like social anxiety), resulting in major depressions in some cases (like for me).

 

Ilse

[ImThatGirl]

My response would have been "Ouch! I can't believe I did that!" And then laughter at the situation. And probably sharing the story with friends.

 

I taught myself that I can't sweat the small stuff. For the most part, I never do......

[Scout]

Good thread, thanks for posting this! Yes, I've gone to a cognitive therapy counselor in the past, and it really helped me become aware of just how negatively I thought about myself and situations. Once you become aware of a particular type of thought pattern, it's much easier to stop the thought in it's tracks, and reverse/alter what you were about to think.

 

Basically, negativing thinking can just be a plain old habit. Not so much based on reality. Cognitive therapy can help people break that habit, which leads to more self-acceptance (and self-forgiveness!), along with a more optimistic outlook. And as the saying goes, the fastest way to change a situation is to change your outlook on it!

 

Again, good thread here...I hope it will help folks who are considering going to a counselor, because they can ask the therapist if this is a technique they use. In my opinion, it's a very effective one.

[Orlander]

So, wher e is the response from the person who stubbed his/her toe, felt a little self-conscious, a little embarrased, a little pissed but 5 minutes later has forgotten all about it??

 

I would think this response would be more typical in most people. Are there a lot of people that would really get upset about stubbing their toe and have it effect their day?

 

 

Orlander

[Scout]

So, wher e is the response from the person who stubbed his/her toe, felt a little self-conscious, a little embarrased, a little pissed but 5 minutes later has forgotten all about it??

 

I would think this response would be more typical in most people. Are there a lot of people that would really get upset about stubbing their toe and have it effect their day?

 

 

Orlander

 

I think this was just an all-purpose example. A little closer to home, at least for many folks here on eNotalone, might be to use getting turned down for a date by someone as an example, and the subsequent reactions:

 

a) I'm a loser, I'll never get a guy/girl to like me, I just made a huge fool of myself and this person probably thinks I'm hideous.

 

b) Guys/girls suck! I'm the whole package, how dare anyone turn me down!!!

 

c) Gee...this is a little embarrassing. Hmmm...should I have even bothered to ask? Oh well, it's not the end of the world, other people have liked me in the past, so I'm not doomed to singledom forever. And at least I tried!

[Juliana]

Key words: "Training people how to think."

 

Cognitive behaviour therapy is only as good as the therapist using it. Be very, very careful. Basically it's brainwashing -- replacing negative thoughts for positive ones. In order to do it, to substitute the other thoughts, they have to challenge your perception of reality and replace it with their own. It's kind of a blunt instrument; okay for simple situations, inappropriate for ones where more complex thinking is required.

 

Unfortunately they didn't know that when they were using it on me 20 years ago.

[Scout]

Juliana, can you clarify in more detail how cognitive therapy is brainwashing? In my personal experience, it was actually a revelation into how I was habitually thinking, often times not based on reality. Cognitive therapy helped me step back and examine my thoughts and compare them with the reality of a situation. Often, there was a very stark difference between the two.

[tylercdurden2004]

Key words: "Training people how to think."

 

Basically it's brainwashing

 

I think CBT and brainwashing are two different things. CBT allows for the person to make a decision for themselves brainwashing involves the removal of other options or opinions.

 

There is nothing wrong with getting someone to do something you want them to do, its all in how you do it.

 

EG.

 

Forcing someone to do something through physical force - generally bad.

 

Presenting options in which the "most preferred" is what you want the person to do - generally good.

 

It all up to each individual to make the choice. CBT is not about taking those choices away.

[n83]

I have not had cognitive behavioral therapy personally, but a lot of research demonstrates that it is very effective for treating a range of disorders ... Basically people make causal attributions about themselves.. such as blaming themselves for things that go wrong, or thinking that everything will ALWAYS go wrong no matter what they do.. and using cognitive therapies helps to retrain that thought process. People can do this without therapy simply by trying to be aware of negative imposing thoughts, and then replacing them with more positive ones.

[Juliana]

Sure.

 

Me: "There's this guy, I've liked him for the longest time. I know he hasn't done anything about it, but I really think he likes me too."

 

Therapist: "Are you sure you're not just reading things into things? Maybe he's just a good friend."

 

Me: "Well, it's possible. But to be honest, I think he loves me."

 

Therapist: "Why would you think that? Has he done anything to show you that he loves you?"

 

Me: "Not really."

 

Therapist: "It's quite likely that he's just a person who's concerned for your welfare, but not someone who's interested in you the way you are in him. You should try to remember to feel good about yourself whether someone loves you or not. After all, how important is one boy?"

 

End of story. Worked great, until he proposed, and I basically had a panic attack.

 

It's only as good as the therapist using it. Any therapeutic relationship relies on trust; the patient trusting the therapist to have an accurate, unbiased view. Unfortunately, therapists aren't always card-carrying Mensa members, and so we have the not-so-smart therapist who geniunely believes the patient is wrong about a situation, and thereforeeee gently steers them into other directions.

 

Oh well. These things happen. Oh, and btw, if any of you have had five plus years of therapy, and been on a psych ward, as I have, by all means, continue to argue with me about this. I am not saying my experience is what will happen to everyone; I am saying there are downsides to CBT, as with any therapy -- it's not used anymore for my particular disorder, for example -- be smart, and continue to maintain your own self-determination, no matter what the therapy is, and you'll be okay.

[Scout]

Thanks, Juliana. I take it this is a conversation based on an actual conversation you had with a previous therapist who supposedly specialized in cognitive therapy.

 

In fairness to this methodology, best not to apply a sweeping label - i.e., brainwashing - to it, because you had a bad therapist. My two cents, anyway.

[Scout]

I have not had cognitive behavioral therapy personally, but a lot of research demonstrates that it is very effective for treating a range of disorders ... Basically people make causal attributions about themselves.. such as blaming themselves for things that go wrong, or thinking that everything will ALWAYS go wrong no matter what they do.. and using cognitive therapies helps to retrain that thought process. People can do this without therapy simply by trying to be aware of negative imposing thoughts, and then replacing them with more positive ones.

 

Good stuff! And you're right, they can save themselves thousands of bucks in therapy if they just apply the methods themselves. Although a therapist can help them do this, there is probably plenty of free or inexpensive reading material out there to get folks started.

[Dako]

I've been working on my responses to negative influences lately, and while not exactly a form of therapy, my DIY attempts have paid off. Without tweaking my inner dialog, I'd still be on AD meds. When I get lonely or depressed, I deal with it instead of wallowing in woe.

 

Imagining the worst or best consequences to a small event is a waste of energy and emotions. Imagination can be self-defeating.

 

No matter how low I get, I tell myself how lucky I am.

Things could be worse.

It's a mantra.

[Juliana]

This, too, might be helpful for people who are considering CBT, or any therapy (From the Report on MRC Neuroethics Workshop, Jan. 2005):

 

"Psychotherapy or 'the talking treatment', including psychoanalysis and

cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), aims to influence how an individual

thinks or behaves in order to help the patient.There is good evidence that

CBT, which focuses on thoughts, beliefs and behaviour, is effective in

treating depression and anxiety. GPs are increasingly encouraged to

provide psychological therapies rather than antidepressant drugs.

However, there is a shortage of therapists, leading to concerns that

provision is limited and unequal.

 

New developments in the delivery of CBT include manualised techniques,

distance therapy, therapy by non-specialists, self-help therapy and

computer delivered therapy. This raises questions about quality control

and appropriate supervision of therapies, particularly when delivered by

inexperienced therapists. In addition, delivery by telephone or by machine

removes the therapist's ability to monitor the effect on the patient and

may have greater potential for harm.

 

Although psychotherapies are usually thought of as psychological

therapies, there is increasing evidence that they can alter brain function.

Further research is needed to investigate these effects, for example to

determine whether therapies are reversible or if there are persistent

adverse effects. There is already evidence that in certain situations

psychotherapy can do harm; and may lead to a patient not being given

more effective drug therapy. For example a Cochrane Review, by Rose et

al, concluded that there was no current evidence that psychological

debriefing was a useful treatment for the prevention of post- traumatic

stress disorder after traumatic incidents, and that it may harm some

individuals. They recommended that compulsory debriefing of victims of

trauma should cease.

 

There is also increasing public concern that psychological therapies could

be used for brainwashing, to obtain confessions or create false memories.

There is evidence that people can be led to remember their past in

different ways, or even led to remember entire events that never actually

happened to them. Questions of authority and reality merit further

attention.

 

Psychological treatments also raise a number of issues about consent and

coercion. Although it is often assumed that modern therapy is

collaborative, it is important to consider issues of personal vulnerability

especially with psychotic patients, suggestible patients and where therapy

is mandated, for instance by a judge. To what extent should we seek to

persuade people to have psychotherapy? How much information should

patients be given about the possible effects of therapy on their brain?

Currently, we know little about patient and public perceptions of therapy

or their understanding of CBT."

 

Do not ever surrender your self-control to another person. You have to be your own person, all the time.

[FoxLocke]

I've had cognitive therapy, and it was somewhat effective in my case. I suffered(and sometimes still do)from anxiety disorder. I have phobias of diseases(such as HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's Disease, and Cancer), and sometimes negative thoughts about the diseases would overwhelm me to the point of staying up days at a time(Once, I went 7 days, with no sleep, because I was afraid I had contracted AIDS...until I had an HIV test that was negative. Yet, whenever I wake up sweating the pops into my head)...

 

My therapist really worked with me for MONTHS on that...Now I have a healthier fear of diseases. I won't lie and say it has completely gone away...But I'm not having the anxiety attacks because I've replaced my oppressively negative thought patterns with more positive ones...

[bulletproof]

I had CBT for a phobia. It worked pretty well. I prefer it to talk therapy, because at least it's proactive. I want to change, not talk about why I'm not changing. But I think that talk therapy can work for people in different situations, such as grief counseling. Sometimes all we need is to get it all out.