Cbt
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289 Posts
I was. Sorry but I thought it was ridiculous!! It really didn't help me.
A lot of it was "change your thinking" but the problem was I already would think both the typical negatives AND the positives they told me to anyway. I tell myself no one cares in one part of my brain, but the other part says "oh my god- too many people! what if I fall? What if I drop this? Is he looking at me? Is my face red?" etc
So I can say over and over to myself that I am fine. I can walk into that store alone and no one will think I am weird, that even if i trip, no one will laugh... but yet, I am thinking simultaneously that everyone is staring, talking about me, or whatever. I suppose that was the point- shut the other side up, but really, they weren't telling me anything I didn't know as far as changing my thoughts about the situation.
Also- I COMPLETELY resented being given 'homework' like "this week I want you to go into ONE store, all by yourself" or "Make a phone call to someone you don't personally know (ie for a bill payment or some such thing)"
I am sure it works for some, but for me, it just was awful and I wouldn't do it again.
A lot of it was "change your thinking" but the problem was I already would think both the typical negatives AND the positives they told me to anyway. I tell myself no one cares in one part of my brain, but the other part says "oh my god- too many people! what if I fall? What if I drop this? Is he looking at me? Is my face red?" etc
So I can say over and over to myself that I am fine. I can walk into that store alone and no one will think I am weird, that even if i trip, no one will laugh... but yet, I am thinking simultaneously that everyone is staring, talking about me, or whatever. I suppose that was the point- shut the other side up, but really, they weren't telling me anything I didn't know as far as changing my thoughts about the situation.
Also- I COMPLETELY resented being given 'homework' like "this week I want you to go into ONE store, all by yourself" or "Make a phone call to someone you don't personally know (ie for a bill payment or some such thing)"
I am sure it works for some, but for me, it just was awful and I wouldn't do it again.
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291 Posts
I found that at the end of the day, after over a year of CBT and years of medication, nothing much has changed. The exposure therapy component of CBT helped in some ways I guess.
Firstly, the assumption that people with SA have a faulty rationalisation function of the brain is false. Every other area of our lives we are perfectly rational. We can even think rationally about social situations - just not while we are in them.
Clinical psychology is largely nonsense in my opinion. All they have to do is prove that their made-up technique works. The problem is that their proof involves poorly designed studies that have small sample sizes, flawed measuring criteria, and no long-term follow-up. Further, there is not even a mention of side-effects. We are so concerned about side-effects of drugs but there isn't even a mechanism I know of to report side-effects of psychological intervention.
Firstly, the assumption that people with SA have a faulty rationalisation function of the brain is false. Every other area of our lives we are perfectly rational. We can even think rationally about social situations - just not while we are in them.
Clinical psychology is largely nonsense in my opinion. All they have to do is prove that their made-up technique works. The problem is that their proof involves poorly designed studies that have small sample sizes, flawed measuring criteria, and no long-term follow-up. Further, there is not even a mention of side-effects. We are so concerned about side-effects of drugs but there isn't even a mechanism I know of to report side-effects of psychological intervention.
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199 Posts
Hmmm, that's not good. I can relate to what you are saying. I had the same thoughts. But, the way I see it now, with the exposure therapy, there might be something to it. I thought how is exposure therapy going to work when my entire life has one big exposure event? But, I realized that through rationalizing my thoughts and implementing the different tactics to do so, I have started to gain more control over my emotions. For example, I went to school for 18 years out of my life and have worked a few years since. That's repetition, but my SAD just got worse. I think the reason for that is that I had only one goal during these experiences. I just wanted to get credit for my attendance or pick up my paycheck and wait for that bell to ring so I could rush back to the safety of my own home. CBT should teach you to get into a different mindset to be able to experience situations that you fear with a new goal and outlook. Its like saying to yourself, "Okay, I am here to face my fears but instead of giving in, I will not use my safety behaviors and I will talk to at least one person today". Its hard as hell, and may take some months before you see tangible improvement but hopefully this approach will work. I don't know if it will but I'm going to try. All I know is that I will have to work my *** off and expect things to get worse before they get better. I just hope I don't waste money on this therapy and feel more hopeless if it turns out to be a waste of time. But, it doesn't seem that there are that many options out there to get better. Supposedly, CBT has more backing by the scientific community in successful treatment of SAD than any other approach. That's what I heard, anyway.
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34,721 Posts
Schema therapy would help those who didnt have success with the traditional cbt.
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1,048 Posts
Have you used the biofeedback devices and computer program with cbt? I started a few weeks ago, so my question can be stupid as I don't know whether the anxiety measurement is a usual part of CBT.
At first I also had the negative thoughts but they are not that frequent now. The deep breathing and imagining also helps. I dont think without feedback I would be able to do this.
cbt works but it's gradual and it takes alot of effort and motivation, i started the cbt audio tapes by dr.richards (i got through it half way then got too lazy but i'm planning to finish it). you have to change your negative thinking gradually, in the tapes at one time dr.richard says we can say things like "maybe/possibly it won't be as bad as i think it will be" soo by adding the maybe part it's easier for your brain to believe it and if you continue with gradual change of negative thoughts and exposure over time there are great improvements. it's also important to do exposure from the least frightening situations to the most and i think that it probably takes at least a year of hard work to change.
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448 Posts
Well, personally it didn't work for me.
Right now, I'm looking into ACT. Not with a counselor, but I'm going through the workbook.
Right now, I'm looking into ACT. Not with a counselor, but I'm going through the workbook.
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501 Posts
Yeah, I've been using CBT for about a year now, at first by myself and then with a therapist along with a new workbook.
The thing about CBT is that there are many different ways to do it. For instance in Gillian Butler's "Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness," the book mainly used a set of questions to identify negative thoughts. However, in Edmund J. Bourne's "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook," there is an exercise called "The Worry Worksheet" where you only focused on identifying "what if..." statements and "catastrophic thoughts" without using questions. Still, with Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (and the most effective for me), he only focuses on identifying dogmatic demands, awfulizing, low frustration tolerance, and labeling without the use of questions.
I wasn't receiving any benefit from CBT until I finally found a form of it that fit me like a glove: Albert Ellis's REBT. Thus, you need to find a form of CBT that works for you. I highly recommend researching the works of Albert Ellis (the Grandfather of CBT) and Aaron Beck (the Father of CBT).
The thing about CBT is that there are many different ways to do it. For instance in Gillian Butler's "Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness," the book mainly used a set of questions to identify negative thoughts. However, in Edmund J. Bourne's "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook," there is an exercise called "The Worry Worksheet" where you only focused on identifying "what if..." statements and "catastrophic thoughts" without using questions. Still, with Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (and the most effective for me), he only focuses on identifying dogmatic demands, awfulizing, low frustration tolerance, and labeling without the use of questions.
I wasn't receiving any benefit from CBT until I finally found a form of it that fit me like a glove: Albert Ellis's REBT. Thus, you need to find a form of CBT that works for you. I highly recommend researching the works of Albert Ellis (the Grandfather of CBT) and Aaron Beck (the Father of CBT).
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