Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Which Technique(s) Have Helped You?

[Selena]

I am re-visiting CBT as a way of dealing with negative thoughts.

• If you've done CBT and found it helpful, what aspect of the therapy was most helpful? or,
• What forms or exercises did you find most helpful in dealing with PTSD symptoms?

I don't know what exercises to focus on; there seem to be so many from which to choose! As I understand it, I should become familiar with all of them, so that I can apply them to specific situations as needed.

Right now, I am finding it really useful to write down the negative thoughts that pop up. It's an eye-opener how much random, really mean criticisms float around in my mind when I am not paying attention.

 

[NarcSis]

I started out actually knowing that I needed CBT and that the initial therapist I was seeing was not using it and I found it extremely frustrating. I found a therapist who assisted me in dealing with the frustration while combating the symptoms of my PTSD.

My CBT consisted of Thought Stopping, Re-framing and identifying negative thoughts. Mindfulness was big in assisting dealing with my symptoms though it wasn't an immediate cure.

The CBT is great in helping combat the negativity that always threatens to take us over and only serves to complicate our progress toward healing. Its long, its slow and it requires patience (ha, easier said than done during the process!) I'm alot more apt to know when I'm passing judgement or being negative now.

 

[Selena]

Thank you so much.

I once started with a CBT therapist and quit because I just had no patience for it. I needed to share all the difficult feelings with someone, and work on my relationship and trust skills. CBT didn't seem to have room for that. Also, when I am really depressed, thinking things through logically seems beyond impossible.

I've been sticking with my exercise of noting negative thoughts in the past few days. Right now, I am feeling like I am in over my head. There seem to be so many bad thoughts and the habit of thinking like is pretty ingrained.

 

[cragger65]

Selena, I hope you can make CBT work for you. I've tried it, quit, and come back to it as a tool several times. It really is something you have to practice regularly. Even if you can identify one, single bad thinking habit to watch for... for me this is being too harsh with myself and self blaming. Then, make it a practice to stop doing that to yourself. There is an element of faith in it, I find. Trusting that if you stick with it, things can improve over time.

Best of luck with that,
Dave

 

[becvan]

I really think trying everything all at once is a disaster waiting to happen. Try one technique/coping skill at a time. Try it for a month at a time. Then try another one.

For instance; reframing one negative thought with one positive thought can take over two months before it begins to work at all. One thought!

Focus on one thing at a time and you will discover what really does work for you.

bec

 

[pandora]

The cbt worked very well..it is alot of hard work and writing and reading and reading over things to constantly change your thoughts.

There is some controversy with emdr...some believe it is too risky for people with multiple traumas but I did it anyway and I found an improvement but what works for one person may not work for another. I was fortunate that it did help. Ihad about 20 sessions and am waiting for criminal injuries to approve another ten as my therapist beleives it will be beneficial and I have complete trust in her. There are still some issues i know I need to work on too. It really has been a long process but it has helped because i definately see an improvement. i hope you find what works for you. I have also done exposure therapy...that seemed like torture at the time but the end result was good.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Selena]

I really appreciate the great advice in this thread. I will try to just go on faith that this will help and will focus on 1-2 exercises for the rest of this month.

 

[NarcSis]

Chin Up. Baby steps, one day at a time, etc. etc.

It IS hard work. It is discouraging at times and BLACK at others. This is common. Try to seek balance. If you find yourself getting too down, put it away for a while and try the opposite to what you're doing - listen to happy music, even if you don't feel like it. Dance. Feel the sunshine. After a few months you may notice the difference, or like me, I can look back now at the past 6 months and see when my outlook started to improve. *Ha, then sink again when we started exposure therapy, LOL.

 

[sigh]

I did two "rounds" of CBT. I keep a notebook with everything written down in it just so I have it. I do look at it occassionally.
I need help with making "Scripts"
"Grief and Loss"
"Problem Solving Model"
"Thought Record"
"Boundaries"
"Criticism"
"Feelings"
"Core Beliefs"
"Changing Core Beliefs"
"Anger"
"Guilt"
"Self-Care Contract"
"Anxiety"
"Relapse Prevention"
"Self Contracts"
"Making/Refusing Requests"
"Thought Stopping"
"Criticism"
and a paper with faces and emotions on it.

sorry if this was too long. The entries are pretty short. It's not a novel.

 

[BloomInWinter]

How do you determine your core beliefs?