View Single Post
 
Old Dec 11, 2008, 03:52 AM
Simcha's Avatar
Simcha Simcha is offline
Poohbah
 
Member Since: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,156
Quote:
Originally Posted by kim_johnson View Post
This is the problem that I have with CBT, too. Some people find it useful... But others do not. I don't really. Linehan developed this treatment (which is a variant of CBT) called DBT. She says that there are two strategies: Change. Acceptance. CBT is focused on change, change, change all the time. She felt that that needed to be balanced with acceptance, though. Acceptance of emotions like anger and sadness and fear. Just accepting that sometimes things ARE hard. Sitting with that. Not feeling the need to change it. Can be hard for some people (including some CBT therapists) to understand. Need to feel like they are DOING something to FIX it.

Linehan said that the trouble with change focused strategies was that they could be invalidating or dismissive of the pain and hurt that people have for very genuine and understandable reasons. Some people haven't been treated well and it is understandable that they feel hurt and sad and angry about it. Changing their hurt and sad and angry isn't helping... It is kind of undermining.

You certainly aren't alone in this. Could you maybe ask your therapist if she has heard of Linehan's DBT therapy and about the acceptance based stuff?
I think Linehan was right about that. If my T tried to change me, "fix" me, and "correct" me all the time I'd feel condescended to, invalidated, and extremely dysfunctional. There must be balance between acceptance and change for anything real, lasting, and beneficial to occur.

I'm glad my T is an accepting person.
__________________
--SIMCHA