[omri]

hi!
I hope someone here could help me with this questions because I feel really stuck!!
I have been suffering from depression and anxiety for about 5-6 years.
I have been practicing CBT self help methods for the last 2 years.
all my knowledge of this subject was aquired from david burns books("feeling good the new mood therapy","the feeling good handbook")
I have improved tremendesly and reduced a lot of my depression,anxiety,self confidence issues etc... mostly becuse I practice the methods("3 columns technique","feared fantasy technique" and such...) for about 1.5-2.5 hours per day.
but still many of my problems bother me and cause me anxiety,Inferiority feeling,shyness etc..
I have heard that substantial effect can only be achieved with the help of psychotherapy but I cant seem to locate any good therapist in my area(I live in israel).
what can I do to improve more???

and another question:
is there a limit to how much I can improve using self help methods?
I am asking this because most of my improvment was achieved using self help methods and not psychotherapy.

thanks!!

p.s:
I am also taking 20 mg of paxxet everyday.

[Wants2Fly]

Hi -- I heard a research study report on National Public Radio, that came out of University of Gainesville, about helpfulness of phone therapy with and without medications. Phone therapy (and I think the research specifically mentioned CBT) improved people both on and off medications significantly.

You also might want to look into online counseling. I've found some sites that offer this. I (and I think quite a few of us on the Psych Central Forums) get a lot of coming here for internet support, especially the perception checking. I've used -- and sometimes still use -- the Burns techniques (though as consistently and dedicatedly as you!). Having other people offer perspectives that show me areas of my distorted thinking is amazingly helpful, because even with the CBT exercises, I have blind spots and might not notice them without other people's input.

In sum, perhaps you can find phone therapy or online therapy. I salute you in trying to get this help for yourself. I think you are on the right track! Congratulations on your progress, and my respect for doing this by yourself. Keep going!