Question:
I've never tried CBT but I think it would be important to at least see a therapist to understand why you are in the situation you are in. I agree with Billy that therapy can suck you into an endless and futile struggle that has no hope of going anywhere on it's own but it's not without its benefits. If you don't understand what is causing your condition then how do you hope to avoid getting into the same situation again in the future or getting out of it on your own?
Answer:
I've never tried CBT but I think it would be important to at least see a therapist to understand why you are in the situation you are in. I agree with Billy that therapy can suck you into an endless and futile struggle that has no hope of going anywhere on it's own but it's not without its benefits. If you don't understand what is causing your condition then how do you hope to avoid getting into the same situation again in the future or getting out of it on your own?
Hi Antares-
Nice note and well thought out I agree that therapy is not without its benefits like you say too; just have to be careful not to get sucked in. I also agree it is nice to know what caused or is causing your condition, but in my experience with CBT they believe it does not matter at all and say the cause is the warped thinking you developed in reaction to the cause and only changing that warped thinking which is what CBT aims to do, will set you free. In the end whatever works is well worth it
Billy
Answer:
Yeah I certainly know what you mean about therapy being a big black hole that seems to suck you in. When you're down it's easy to be enticed by having someone there who seems to care listen to you. It can become a type of addiciton of it's own.
The reason that I say it's important to understand the problem rather than just trying to find ways to change your thinking without understanding it is this: If you don't understand the problem then you may never really be free of it. You can change thought patterns and cure the symptoms but many strong mental issues end up finding new avenues to express themselves and unless you understand what's causing them you can't attack the problem directly. From the limited description you gave me of CBT it sounds like the right track once a person understands the problem. Therapists tend to get in the way more than help at that point for the most part. Ultimately the real cure comes from yourself, you have to make the hard decisions to change thought patterns and behaviours, which seems to be what your describing as CBT.
Answer:
Yeah I certainly know what you mean about therapy being a big black hole that seems to suck you in. When you're down it's easy to be enticed by having someone there who seems to care listen to you. It can become a type of addiciton of it's own.
The reason that I say it's important to understand the problem rather than just trying to find ways to change your thinking without understanding it is this: If you don't understand the problem then you may never really be free of it. You can change thought patterns and cure the symptoms but many strong mental issues end up finding new avenues to express themselves and unless you understand what's causing them you can't attack the problem directly. From the limited description you gave me of CBT it sounds like the right track once a person understands the problem. Therapists tend to get in the way more than help at that point for the most part. Ultimately the real cure comes from yourself, you have to make the hard decisions to change thought patterns and behaviours, which seems to be what your describing as CBT.
Antares-
I LOVE this post! You really are bright and thoughful as well as creative. Your notes always make me think deeper and I appreciate the challenge they present. Really nothing I disagree with in this post. I especially liked the end where you talk about "therapists getting in the way at that point" and the last sentence-- as you could probably guess by the sign-off on all my posts
Basically CBT gives you tools to help effect the changes to your thought patterns and behaviors we are both talking about being necessary. The TEA form -that I swear by- is a simple exercise where you write your thoughts down, identify the thinking errors you are making and then counter them with more objective thoughts.
Take care and keep in touch!
Billy
Answer:
Give cbt a try lanny, what have you got to lose?