Psychodynamic vs CBT Questions

LonelyBird15 · Dec 07, 2015, 11:20 AM

So I've been doing a ton of reading on therapy types and their pros/cons, but I was looking for insight on the effectiveness of these two types of therapy.

I struggle with depression and anxiety.

I basically wear my heart on my sleeve and love talking out problems and issues with people, so I think that I may benefit from therapy... but I was hoping for some greater insight.

Thanks!

Mygrandjourney · Dec 07, 2015, 11:44 AM

CBT is evidence based, but requires a greater amount of effort on the part of the client (you) to do homework and bring it in to work on with the therapist. It can also be done effectively in group settings. Psychodynamic is more traditional "talk therapy", where the relationship between the client and therapist is a chief factor in the ongoing work. It focuses more on insight and self awareness, including issues from childhood, than does CBT.

Dec 07, 2015, 11:53 AM

And CBT is usually short-term (although it can of course be long-term, if needed) while psychodynamic often takes years.

stopdog · Dec 07, 2015, 11:54 AM

I found CBT to be the worst therapy experience I ever had. I thought it treated clients like they were half witted morons. Other people report having had better experiences with it than I did. I don't think it requires more work on the part of the client but it is a different sort of thing than psychodynamic in my experience. Insurance companies seem to like it better - which is, in my opinion, never a good thing for clients.

LonelyBird15 · Dec 07, 2015, 11:56 AM

Breadfish, did you have success with any other forms?

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

NowhereUSA · Dec 07, 2015, 12:01 PM

I don't know about CBT but I'm a fan of DBT, a child (somewhat) of CBT. I like DBT because it's better regulated IMO - that is, there are clear, realistic expectations of the client, the therapist, and the therapy. I suffer from depression and anxiety (although the depression *mostly* in remission as a result of finally finding an effective drug). I've found DBT to be extremely helpful in gaining positive coping skills.

I've always been treated as a capable, intelligent human being. It's been a validating experience.

gayleggg · Dec 07, 2015, 12:18 PM

I've been in and out of psychodynamic therapy for years and it works well for me. It helps me stay centered in my thinking.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dec 07, 2015, 12:26 PM

I found CBT extremely helpful (and I'm not half-witted at all nor did I feel treated that way

) used in combination with other therapy modes. My therapist leans heavily toward CBT/REBT, but is not exclusively so.

stopdog · Dec 07, 2015, 12:29 PM

It is always possible that what I consider being treated like a half witted moron is not how some others would perceive it. And certainly I imagine there are better and worse practitioners of it. Just giving my experience with it. It was horrible and damaging for me.
If it has worked for someone else - then good. Just not me. At all.

OP - there are those who advertise as eclectic and take from various schools of thought. I would recommend interviewing several of each type just to get a feel for it.

ChipperMonkey · Dec 07, 2015, 01:02 PM

How I see it.

CBT makes you work for change in your life. You learn skills. You learn how to change your thinking. Positive results can be seen sooner if you're open to changing these negative thought patterns using these skills.

"Psychodynamic" is a catch-all for talk therapy. You pretty much sit on a couch and bytch for 45 minutes, but don't get a lot of feedback on how to improve your life.

This is just my experience. I hate simple talk therapy because it dredged up the bad but doesn't give you skills for dealing with it. (A nightmare for obsessive minds like mine!)

Dec 07, 2015, 01:33 PM

I would really hate CBT, I think I would feel patronised. I think I've been doing CBT on myself all my life, and I have really surpressed my emotions. Psychodynamic therapy is really helping me, I'm feeling my emotions and talking about thoughts and feelings that I've never shared with anyone before. I think I'm different to you as I definitely have never worn my heart on my sleeve, psychdynamic therapy is giving me a chance to do this, and I feel different as a result.

Dec 07, 2015, 01:59 PM

I wouldn't want to do psychodynamic, by the way. It relies too much on the relationship with the therapist - I don't want to have anything besides a formal treatment relationship (= a relationship in the barest sense) with my therapist.

Dec 07, 2015, 03:21 PM

I've only done psychodynamic therapy. It works for me. I like being able to figure things out on my own.

Mygrandjourney · Dec 07, 2015, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonelyBird15

So I've been doing a ton of reading on therapy types and their pros/cons, but I was looking for insight on the effectiveness of these two types of therapy.

I struggle with depression and anxiety.

I basically wear my heart on my sleeve and love talking out problems and issues with people, so I think that I may benefit from therapy... but I was hoping for some greater insight.

Thanks!

You could check out David Burns' book, "Feeling Good" from a library to see if you think CBT would be a good fit for you. With psychodynamic, you would need to meet with the therapist and possibly would know within the first 3-5 sessions if that therapist was going to be able to help you. There are other variations, such as DBT, which is fairly rigorous (one group and one individual session per week, with required homework and very little tolerance for missed sessions). Most therapists take the eclectic, "whatever works" approach, but others use one approach exclusively. They should be able to tell you up front what type of therapy you will receive from them.

LonelyBird15 · Dec 07, 2015, 03:55 PM

OK, that explains then why so many therapists had listed everything under the sun as their method. That had me a bit confused!

molloy · Dec 07, 2015, 04:23 PM

I did try CBT with the " minfulness"/meditation approach to treat anxiety this summer. Didn't real
y worked for me... (after a good 6 weeks of daily practice)
I'm now into a "psychodynamic" therapy with a lot of exchange (he don't just listen but ask a lot of questions or comments on my thoughts). Can't say I really feel much better after 2 months, but the relationship with the therapist is very good and I think the progress is subtle but there nonetheless.

ruh roh · Dec 07, 2015, 05:31 PM

There are more types of talk therapy than psychodynamic. Eclectic/humanistic is how many are describing themselves. I would steer clear of oversimplified characterizations of talk therapy and just go ahead and interview a few therapists. Mine has not been about my relationship with my therapist at all. It's been great for deep trauma therapy, though. Others seem to prefer behavioral therapies. It's really what works for you.

LonesomeTonight · Dec 07, 2015, 07:52 PM

My T is trained in CBT, but also uses other techniques. CBT helped me some with panic attacks, but we've been using what I think is a more psychodynamic approach for addressing other issues with myself and in my life.

sunrise · Dec 08, 2015, 04:39 AM

I think I grew up to naturally use CBT type techniques with myself. I am a very logical thinker, don't have negative thinking patterns, or can ward them off fairly efficiently, etc. I can appear very functional and contained, with pain being kept deep inside. I'm more of the sort of person who isn't good at expressing emotions or even knowing I have them. Therapy has really helped me with that--a humanistic, eclectic variety. CBT doesn't help with the type of problems I had. I am doing a lot better emotionally since having therapy.

LonelyBird15 · Dec 08, 2015, 05:00 AM

I am also very logical, but I have a REALLY tough time with negative thinking patterns which I think stem from being bullied a LOT as a child.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

Dec 08, 2015, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChipperMonkey

How I see it.

CBT makes you work for change in your life. You learn skills. You learn how to change your thinking. Positive results can be seen sooner if you're open to changing these negative thought patterns using these skills.

"Psychodynamic" is a catch-all for talk therapy. You pretty much sit on a couch and bytch for 45 minutes, but don't get a lot of feedback on how to improve your life.

This is just my experience. I hate simple talk therapy because it dredged up the bad but doesn't give you skills for dealing with it. (A nightmare for obsessive minds like mine!)

This is such a misunderstanding of talk therapy. I don't where to begin.

'Doesn't give you skills'. I think wall know what they are. Therapy gives you, a you, it's you that knows what you can do.
Is not just the talking in therapy that heals, it's the containment that goes on that allows one to mature. To become individualized, it's in individualism where we find all the answers.

doyoutrustme · Dec 08, 2015, 07:28 AM

i think it's important that your therapist borrows from all schools. neither one is a great standalone.

psychodynamic is a "bottom up" work, meaning, you get to the root cause of your issues.

CBT is "top down" work. you work on your symptoms and interrupt harmful thought patterns.

Lauliza · Dec 08, 2015, 08:00 PM

I think the type of therapy that might be helpful depends on why you want therapy. If you have specific concerns that you want to change (anger management, a phobia or dibilitating anxiety), CBT can be very useful. It is typically more engaging and focuses on problem solving rather than simply talking. if that isn't what you want then you might prefer talk therapy. Either way I like the suggestion of interviewing several until you come upon one that you seem to click with. The relationship between client and therapist is usually more important than the type of therapy.

brillskep · Dec 09, 2015, 07:44 AM

CBT works well with controlling symptoms, especially around behavior and thought (hence the name of the therapy). Psychodynamic is better for long-term and deeper work to change the causes of those symptoms, to understand and change on a more profound level. CBT may require more effort and preparing on your part as the client while you can just go and be yourself in a more psychodynamic approach - but psychodynamic therapy tends to last longer and go deeper into the past and unconscious, which makes it, in my opinion, more of a commitment (time and energy-wise, financially etc). Personally, I prefer a combination of these two because they both have advantages and I think that a therapist who can use both types of approaches can switch throughout the therapeutic process as necessary. I'm not saying a therapist would need to be specifically trained in both schools of thought, but rather be mindful and make use of more than one approach.

Menu

My Support Forums - Mental Health Support Groups

Get emotional support and friendship from others like you!

Our community offers: No spam. No trolls. No social media connections.

Psychodynamic vs CBT Questions

My Support Forums