Question:
So I am wondering does anyone have first hand experience with cbt? Do I just
have to keep working at accepting uncertainty? Is cbt supposed to work on
the first try? Is it likely that I can really stop worrying in a situation
like this? Is my approach correct?
Answer:
I've been looking at the links that were recommended. There is a lot to read
so I have not seen everything yet, but I would appreciate it if anyone could
identify for me any links to specific practical applications or case studies
of cbt for generalized anxiety, the theory is interesting but I am not
exactly sure how to apply it and I think case studies would help me.
I really like the techniques of habituation, mindfulness, defusion, and
analyzing the thinking behind anxiety to identify wrong headed thinking that
leads to anxiety and "debunking" it by thinking of a more realistic way of
thinking about the situation. I already knew about these things (I even
read David Burns' book many years ago) but reading the web sites made me
realize that I can work harder at this. Also I am beginning to be willing
to entertain the notion that it is possible to change my thinking to avoid
some anxiety and I think this is really a big step since previously I felt I
just had a low stress threshold and that anxiety was something I had to
learn to endure or cope with but I couldn't really cure it. This attitude
affected my expectations which created a reality.
However I am concerned about one thing. This idea of changing the way you
mentally view a situation that causes anxiety can lead one inadvertently to
repression. For example: Today I had to bring my car to the car dealer for
scheduled maintenance. It was a very cold day and my battery was old so I
was worried about whether or not the car would start. I tried to tell
myself: "it doesn't matter if the car doesn't start, I'll just stay home,
there is actually no bad consequence of the car not starting, I don't have
anywhere that I need to go". After I thought this, I thought "well it's true
I don't really care if I get to the car dealer today or not" but I still
felt worried and I realized the problem was that I felt very uncomfortable
with uncertainty, and I realized there are some other situations that cause
me anxiety for the same reason. So I said to myself: "well you can still be
calm and relaxed even if you don't know whether or not the car will start".
But this didn't help I still felt worried.
So I am wondering does anyone have first hand experience with cbt? Do I just
have to keep working at accepting uncertainty? Is cbt supposed to work on
the first try? Is it likely that I can really stop worrying in a situation
like this? Is my approach correct?
After I got back from the car dealer, I was no longer worrying but when I
got back home I noticed that I started slipping back into my habitual
worrying state of mind. I caught myself and I tried to go back to how I was
a moment before in an unworried state of mind. I said to myself: "I don't
have to worry, I don't have to go into this worrying state of mind". It
seemed like I had an incorrect way of thinking: "I have to endure worry
because there is no alternative", and I was replacing it with a more correct
view: "one doesn't have to worry". I caught myself slipping into worry
and did this a few times until I felt that I was not worrying. However I
think what I was really doing was repressing my feelings. I started getting
edgy and irritable which is indicates to me when I am repressing emotions.
However in my experience with this method of re-thinking one's ideas that
lead to worry, I feel that it is a good idea and healthy to do and helps you
get a deeper understanding of why you are worrying. But that it doesn't
necessarily immediately cure the worry and can result in repression if you
are too enthusiastic, if your expectations are too high you create the
result you expect by repressing instead of eliminating.
Does anyone else have first hand experience with this aspect of cbt? Is
there any guidance you can give me for this?
I have a lot of personal uncertainty about whether it is good to be
conscious of emotions and to let emotions out because one could describe
that as "reinforcing a negative mental habit", on the other hand not letting
them out means repressing them which doesn't eliminate the anxiety and
causes additional problems too.
I think to some extent I am very conscious of my anxiety because I have
decided that letting things out, being conscious of emotions is better than
repressing them and that is why I was wondering whether or not re-thinking
things can really help eliminate anxiety rather than just cause repression.
I don`t know where one could find such case studies. You could ask here about
peoples experience with CBT. I know there are quite a few posters that have done
CBT, myself included. It is my opinion, that one needs to see a professional,
preferably a psychologist or therapist that has formal training in CBT. I think
CBT would be very hard to learn and apply on your own, especially at the
beginning.
I did CBT in 89 and feel it has helped me the most in dealing with panic
disorder. CBT isn`t just about accepting uncertainity, I mean.......it can
certainly help.........but it`s more on changing how you react to that
uncertainity and what you tell yourself about it. It`s about challenging and
disputing those negative thoughts.
Absolutely not! It is a life long process, something that you will need to
continually work at. When you stop working at it......you will find that you
will revert to old ways and bad habits quite quickly.
Also, CBT isn`t just about changing ones thoughts, there`s so much more to it.
Some books you may want to check out from your local library are....
1) "A Guide to Rational Living", by Albert Ellis, PH.D
2) "How to Control Your Anxiety Before it Controls You", by Albert Ellis, PH.D
3) "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook", by Edmund J. Bourne, PH.D
I think you would do better with a psychologist assisting you. I also think you
are expecting too much too soon which could lead to fustration and
disappointment. Rome wasn`t built in a day and it`s important to realize that it
is going to take time, perhaps a lot of time, and patience to make progress. You
are trying to undo years and years worth of anxiety and negative thinking. Is it
no wonder that even though you were telling yourself that it was no big deal if
you couldn`t get to the car dealer..... that your body and mind still reacted
with anxiety? For now, ACCEPT that you are going to be anxious in certain
situations.
It`s important to not always attach a "deeper" meaning to your worrying. Many
times worrying is just a bad habit, we are so conditioned to do it.
