Posted by Veracity on March 22, 2006, at 11:46:38
In reply to Re: Thanks everyone! » CareBear04, posted by fairywings on March 15, 2006, at 17:13:44
I found CBT quite helpful in addressing the out-of-control spiral that my depression and anxiety could often become but like others have said, it is certainly more of a band-aid than a cure.
One of the biggest downsides of CBT (for me) is that it places 100% of my success in dealing with troubling emotions on my shoulders. Ultimately, it is up to me to process and change my reactions to my experiences. And this leaves me feeling quite, well, very alone. Even when my therapist participated in going over my CBT "homework" (mood logs, etc.) with me, I felt very isolated. I yearned for the connection that just talking provides.
Also - and I'd be interested in hearing if others feel the same way - I cannot reconcile the idea that if certain bad emotions like hopelessness and worthlessness are based on distorted/wrong thinking, then wouldn't positive emotions such as hopefulness and worthiness also be based on such distortions? To my mind, I don't think you can just pick-and-choose which emotions you're going to be real about. It seems as though for CBT to really work, you've got to be honest about how all emotions are affected by how we think about and experience our respective realities.
poster:Veracity
thread:620541
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060312/msgs/623344.html