I have been in CBT for around a month and I feel like it is going pretty slowly. She keeps wanting to talk about my common thoughts and core beliefs. It seems like I keep repeating myself. This week for homework she wanted me to do the downward arrow to identify core beliefs. I know we have only had 3 sessions but I feel like we should be talking about deeper things. Is this normal or should I bring this up to my t?
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Cbt
- Post starter Allie21
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EveHarrington
VIP Member
Can you clarify what other deeper things you wish to talk about with your therapist?
I've been through a bit of CBT myself (along with other types of therapy) and I believe identifying core beliefs was crucial to my healing.
Thanks.
I've been through a bit of CBT myself (along with other types of therapy) and I believe identifying core beliefs was crucial to my healing.
Thanks.
- Moderator
- #3
Sideways
VIP Member
Nailing your core beliefs in 3 sessions would be pretty A-mazing!!
All our behaviours, everything we do, everything we react to, gets traced back to how we were feeling. That's a lotta stuff. Feelings are slippery little buggers - they can be all over the place as well. And they all get traced back to the (sometimes microsecond or even unconscious) thoughts whizzing through our head 24/7. Between the behaviour mess, the feelings mess, and the thoughts mess, that's a lot of stuff that cbt is teaching us to process "in the moment".
And all of that great big mess comes back to our core beliefs. And we've got a whole stack of them. Some good, some meh, some not so good. And under all the mess in our behaviour, our feelings, and our thoughts, it's shifting the core beliefs that's gonna change our world. You gotta know them like you know the way you make your coffee in the morning.
So 3 sessions on core beliefs? I reckon it could be done. But you'd have to know yourself like, on a totally Buddhist kinda level, to nail it that quick.
Maybe she's just got nothing else to offer. Or maybe this stuff, like all therapy, takes more time than we want it to;)
All our behaviours, everything we do, everything we react to, gets traced back to how we were feeling. That's a lotta stuff. Feelings are slippery little buggers - they can be all over the place as well. And they all get traced back to the (sometimes microsecond or even unconscious) thoughts whizzing through our head 24/7. Between the behaviour mess, the feelings mess, and the thoughts mess, that's a lot of stuff that cbt is teaching us to process "in the moment".
And all of that great big mess comes back to our core beliefs. And we've got a whole stack of them. Some good, some meh, some not so good. And under all the mess in our behaviour, our feelings, and our thoughts, it's shifting the core beliefs that's gonna change our world. You gotta know them like you know the way you make your coffee in the morning.
So 3 sessions on core beliefs? I reckon it could be done. But you'd have to know yourself like, on a totally Buddhist kinda level, to nail it that quick.
Maybe she's just got nothing else to offer. Or maybe this stuff, like all therapy, takes more time than we want it to;)
Friday
Sponsor
I would suggest you talk with her about your treatment plan.
Is going slowly in the beginning normal? Yes.
Why? Because if you leap into trauma off the bat without stabilizing and learning tools to keep you stable and deal with increased symptoms (which always happens, trauma therapy increases symptoms, things will get a lot worse for awhile before they get better), the results are extremely typical : complete meltdown, retraumatization, possible hospitalization you would have never needed if even the absolute bottom the the barrel basics had been covered from the get go, and adding years to what you now have to do... That could have been easily avoided by spending a few weeks or months (or longer if necessary) getting a client ready for handling trauma work before starting trauma work.
That said? While all good therapists take the time to make sure a client is solid before starting... Crap therapists can also simply waste months and years doing -essentially- nothing.
That she's having you work on core beliefs? Which is huge, by the by, & makes it sound like she's prepping you / laying the foundation for you two to work on... There is every reason in the world for you two to be discussing the general overview of how things are going to progress. Therapy is a partnership, with both of you working together, towards a common goal.
TBH, after only 3 sessions, there may simply not be enough info yet to form a treatment plan. That's still very early days in getting to know you.
Is going slowly in the beginning normal? Yes.
Why? Because if you leap into trauma off the bat without stabilizing and learning tools to keep you stable and deal with increased symptoms (which always happens, trauma therapy increases symptoms, things will get a lot worse for awhile before they get better), the results are extremely typical : complete meltdown, retraumatization, possible hospitalization you would have never needed if even the absolute bottom the the barrel basics had been covered from the get go, and adding years to what you now have to do... That could have been easily avoided by spending a few weeks or months (or longer if necessary) getting a client ready for handling trauma work before starting trauma work.
That said? While all good therapists take the time to make sure a client is solid before starting... Crap therapists can also simply waste months and years doing -essentially- nothing.
That she's having you work on core beliefs? Which is huge, by the by, & makes it sound like she's prepping you / laying the foundation for you two to work on... There is every reason in the world for you two to be discussing the general overview of how things are going to progress. Therapy is a partnership, with both of you working together, towards a common goal.
TBH, after only 3 sessions, there may simply not be enough info yet to form a treatment plan. That's still very early days in getting to know you.
Three sessions is very early, as others have said. A lot of people want to jump right in to talking about their trauma and quite deep stuff immediately either because they think that's what's expected of them or because they're understandably impatient to heal and think the sooner they start, sooner finished. The difficulty is going too deep to fast can really undermine your healing.
In saying that, CBT has never worked for me, it helped enough to keep me functional but never helped me tackle any of the underlying issues. It does have an evidence base for trauma treatment and - as you can see - others swear by it but it really wasn't for me. You may find other modalities of therapy are more healing if you find yourself not getting along with CBT. It's worth looking till you find the right thing for you.
In saying that, CBT has never worked for me, it helped enough to keep me functional but never helped me tackle any of the underlying issues. It does have an evidence base for trauma treatment and - as you can see - others swear by it but it really wasn't for me. You may find other modalities of therapy are more healing if you find yourself not getting along with CBT. It's worth looking till you find the right thing for you.
Whyteferret
Gold Member
@Allie21
Core beliefs are a big part of PTSD. It's why we get locked into how we see life.
It's also kinda early in therapy to go into the trauma fully.
Sometimes, you don't have to go there and still feel better.
Tell the therapist what you want to talk about.
- Post starter
- #7
Eve Harrington- I don't really know! I guess I just assumed we would jump into talking about my past. I can tend to be impatient and want results quickly. In the first session she told me it was going to be a long process.
Ragdoll circus- yea that would be amazing! One of my problems is knowing what my core beliefs are. I definitely am not that tuned into myself to be on a Buddhist level. ;)I think she has something to offer I just get impatient and when I don't get results quickly I tend to leave and give up. Ugh I hate that I'm that way, patience is a virtue!
Fridayjones- I get the going slow when dealing with trauma. The thing is she has no idea that there might be one. I know it's pathetic but I didn't want to mention anything on the questionnaire I got. Thinking about it now 3 sessions is really no time at all.
Ragdoll circus- yea that would be amazing! One of my problems is knowing what my core beliefs are. I definitely am not that tuned into myself to be on a Buddhist level. ;)I think she has something to offer I just get impatient and when I don't get results quickly I tend to leave and give up. Ugh I hate that I'm that way, patience is a virtue!
Fridayjones- I get the going slow when dealing with trauma. The thing is she has no idea that there might be one. I know it's pathetic but I didn't want to mention anything on the questionnaire I got. Thinking about it now 3 sessions is really no time at all.
- Moderator
- #8
Sideways
VIP Member
Actually that's pretty cool;). A lot of people would've just straight ditched the T and gone back on the hunt for that illusive instant relief.
Patience is a virtue? Meh. Patience is a b!tch!
Patience is a virtue? Meh. Patience is a b!tch!
The Albatross
VIP Member
Considering what typical sessions are 12 to 16 naw it's not unreasonable.
Core beliefs, finding them and identifying them is kinda essential.
Core beliefs, finding them and identifying them is kinda essential.
- Post starter
- #10
@Ragdoll Circus- haha I think that is a more acurate description!! :joyful:
@The Albatross- yea I am starting to get that until I figure them out and what caused them I won't change or get better.
I had a session today and we did sand tray work. It was different and I kinda liked it. Has anyone else done sand tray stuff before? She just asked if I was willing to try it and I blindly said yes that's fine. Now I'm just questioning whether she is qualified to do this? Has she done this before? What if she's not qualified for it but decided to try it anyway? she seemed to know what she was doing though. Maybe I'm just panicking or being a little paranoid.
@The Albatross- yea I am starting to get that until I figure them out and what caused them I won't change or get better.
I had a session today and we did sand tray work. It was different and I kinda liked it. Has anyone else done sand tray stuff before? She just asked if I was willing to try it and I blindly said yes that's fine. Now I'm just questioning whether she is qualified to do this? Has she done this before? What if she's not qualified for it but decided to try it anyway? she seemed to know what she was doing though. Maybe I'm just panicking or being a little paranoid.
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