DBT/CBT Groups

For those that have tried this...has it worked for you? There are some in my group that are there for a second time. Is it that hard to grasp? I've only had two classes, can't say I'm making much progress and hoping in the next couple of classes there will be an ah ha moment where it sinks in.
What are your experiences with it?

How about a CBT group? What is that like?

I've done at least 3 DBT groups and I loved it. DBT is a life long skill and now I use a DBT app on my phone. Hang in there!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In my country it's customary to do two rounds of DBT, so that you go through everything twice.

Interesting...what country are you from? So you would go through the DBT training twice automatically? I hope that's not the case with the facilitator of our group. She's never mentioned that we have to repeat it.
Do you use DBT skills in your daily life?

I prefer not to mention where I'm from, if you don't mind. I will tell you I'm from Europe.
I don't do DBT myself - I've heard of people who do do it, though.

Europe is fine. Does it work for those other people?

Has anyone tried CBT? Wondering what the difference is and if one worked better than the other or they work best together.
Leomama you are the only person I've heard of that has taken it, and use it. You took it 3 times? Do you think most need to take it at least twice to get the benefit from it?

Your nickname is odd to me. Just watched the Breadfish video/song. I don't get it. Is it a cartoon there in the UK? Seems rather sad to be motherless.

CBT is regular therapy, it's where the therapist works with you to look at your thought patterns and how they may or may not be serving you.
I think that once you get through your first module you'll have a better sense of what to expect .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, how long does it take to find thought patterns and start helping someone? Been seeing a counselor a long time and seems like something should be happening. Though now I'm seeing the VA counselor and the appointment are 6-10 weeks a apart. Hard to get therapy like that.

I don't think CBT will work without DBT as a foundation. You have to have control over your impulses and emotions to be able to use CBT.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like too much to think about. I think my therapy started backwards anyway, started with the EAP counselor and doing EMDR. I was still in shock and couldn't focus at all the T said I was "stoic" Probably was at that time but the EMDR seemed to stir up a lot of these other emotions that I thought were dealt with.

Yep CBT requires you to be emotionally grounded. Save it for after DBT .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm getting confused. CBT is f2f therapy, right? DBT are skills that are taught to help you cope, right?

CBT is individual , DBT is a skills based group. It's not group therapy . I started with CBT & psychodynamic therapy then I did DBT concurrently . You can't do DBT without individual therapy. Now I am back in individual therapy for a different reason.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm getting confused. CBT is f2f therapy, right? DBT are skills that are taught to help you cope, right?

CBT is individual therapy, DBT is a skills based group. DBT requires you to be in individual therapy concurrently .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe one day it will all come together for me and make more sense. I must have been out of it during the last DBT session. I remember her wrapping it up and giving an assignment but I have no idea what she said. So I've called her and asked her to remind me.
Also a person sitting next to me ask me if I was okay at the end of class. She said my leg was jumping constantly and she noticed my rock that I hold in my hand to try to ground , she called it a worry stone. But my rock has lost it's ability to keep me grounded and not dissociate. I hate that I was distracting this person. I usually sit in a rocking type chair and can expend that nervous energy is a slow rock. But I came in late and had to sit in a regular chair.
It's funny that when I dissociate I don't feel like anyone can see me, but I guess they can.

I can totally relate. What kind of rock do you use to ground? Also do you have an individual therapist? Don't worry about the other person. You're there to take care of yourself. It's the facilitator's job to take care of the other person. You're always welcome to share your homework here on this thread if you want to. I've done DBT at least 4 times, and have all my binders so I can always reference my homework .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Keep an eye on that dissociating. I tried dbt several times and it was horribly triggering for me... other people I know liked it a lot and use it still. I admit, I use some of the skills, though I don't think of them as dbt, they were more reinforced in other ways.

Good luck with it. It's good that you can n contact the dbt facilitator between groups, that's a huge part of the original dbt model that many groups shy away from...

I have had most therapies - DBT CBT EFT EMDR soo many letters :-) each helped a little to move me forward - a great book to read and its sooo easy to read is the PTSD sourcebook - it explains all the therapies and I had a lot of AH HA! moments when I was reading it - good luck with your therapy and remember it all takes that horrible word...time!

If your rock no longer grounds you - try to find another thing - a rough stone maybe or a small piece of wood that has a rough surface small enough to fit in your hand - a crystal - whatever works

The person that asked how you were was just trying to help - use that as a tool to show you what is happening when you are not aware -

good luck

PTSD Sourcebook? Who wrote it? Thanks for the info and support. I will try another ...something for grounding. It has to be small enough that others can't see it. I'm totally shocked she saw the rock because my fist was around it.
Thanks.

My rock is a pebble I found at the beach. There's this place we go and these smooth pebbles are every where. All different colors, some translucent . They look like gemstones in the water
I do have a Therapist, she is the facilitator. I think I see her Monday. There's a month and half -two month time lapse between appointments at the VA. Hard to do therapy like that.
I will have to pull the last sheets out and see what she was talking about. She called and left a message on my answering machine but it didn't sound familiar , so I need to look at those handouts and see what she was talking about. Thanks for the input.

<<Keep an eye on that dissociating >> why? It doesn't scare me like it used to. It seems more comfortable now, like a safe place.
The DBT facilitator is my therapist. In the hand out of rules we are only really suppose to call her if we are not going to make the meeting, or be late. I didn't know if she would call me back or not, but she did. Now I just have to find the paperwork so I can make sense of her message. Thanks for the input.

That's not enough therapy visits.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk