Does CBT Stop Working?

I think I could have all the evidence in the world I'm not a bad worthless person but still "feel" it. I feel like I'm failing at the only treatment there is.

Maybe it's not the right therapy for you. There are other options out there and tons of different approaches. If you're still feeling the way you do, it could be time to get a second opinion and move on to another treatment.

One doesn't simply finish CBT when the sessions are over. It needs to be a lifestyle. I continue my worksheets weekly and use the skills continuously to work through problems as they arise.

I agree with justafriend, depression is managed and requires constant attention but with the right treatment (for you) can lead to a very good life.

My coping skills had become a part of my life and I stopped practicing them consciously but I think they were always in play. I did very well for about ten years with no therapy and no anti-depressants. My biggest thing was staying cognizant of symptoms and as a result I would have periods of mild depression occasionally (maybe every few months or a few times a year) that lasted for one or two days and I was able to pull myself out of them.

I was doing well until a strong relapse last December and I'm back in therapy and on an antidepressant again and in an IOP program. I am doing a different kind of therapy that I think is working well for me. There are different kinds of CBT so if you feel it is no longer working for you I would say there is hope (because CBT did work for you for a while) so look for either practicing your skills or looking for another form of CBT or another type of therapy.

I am currently doing DBT and it is working well for me. I would highly recommend it, but of course I can't say it will be effective for everyone. However if you are looking for something different you might want to consider DBT.

Good luck.

I've been seeing one therapist for 6months and it seemed like she just didn't know what to do, she just seemed to be talking through me each session without giving me any help. I've now been seeing another therapist for 6sessions and at the last one she said to me that I could have all the evidence in the world that I wasn't a worthless bad person and I still wouldn't believe it. My coping mechanism is to restricting food and she said it was difficult because I had so many comorbid psych diagnosis but interestingly I think she started doing a bit of DBT (which I've never had). She talked about mindfulness and being in the moment. I'm wondering if that's where she's heading next. It doesn't help the therapy itself is causing great anxiety and to restrict as I have social anxiety and constantly feel judged by and inferior to everyone.

Make sure you let her know about your anxiety and feel free to ask her if she is doing DBT if you are curious. DBT is, I think, a very powerful tool for coping with anxiety and for helping the feeling that people are judging you. Using the DBT techniques (after practicing them for a few weeks) I was/am able to control or eliminate a lot of my situational anxiety and my feelings of others judging me (and judging myself) are, I think, getting better.

If she's doing a different form of therapy it might help with those things too.

There are other therapies with good efficacy - such as DBT, ACT, Schema Therapy and many others.

Don't give up!

How's it going Ghost? Have you tried a new therapy?