[Lola5]

It's been almost one year since I began CBT with my current T. Sadly, my anxiety has only gotten worse in the past year.

I really like my T. Before him, I had trouble finding a T. I'd been through a number of them that weren't great, cared only about the money or didn't allow any of my input. One was so bad that I'm still traumatized by the experience. My present T is nice, is trying to understand me and doesn't pass judgments.

My T has tried teaching me skills and we've done exercises, but it seems like every week we are just putting out the "fire of the week." My T keeps telling me that I need to get to the point where I stop letting my anxiety win. I never get there.

I feel like I should stop going. Nothing is going to change.

[kecanoe]

That is a long time. Is anxiety your only issue? I know for some diagnoses they say it takes a long time in therapy to get relief.

[Lola5]

Anxiety is my main issue. I've got some PTSD and OCD, but anxiety is what I struggle with daily.

Have you considered that perhaps CBT is not the right type of therapy for you then? I think many people consider it too superficial to address deep-seated issues or don't like to overly directive approach. Or therapy might not be enough on its own?

[lilypup]

I am in the same exact boat. My T tries hard but we always just deal with my weekly crises. I have several different anxieties: driving, my kids' health, my health, food/weight.

I've had people in my support group tell me CBT was useless for them. But I thought it was the best thing for anxiety.

Lately, my T has had me write letters to my inner child. It has brought up some trauma.

Could you talk to your T and see what he thinks about maybe changing approaches? It seems most T's do different types of therapy.

[lilypup]

duplicate post

[satsuma]

It's great that you've found a good T who you can feel at ease with, but sorry to hear that CBT isn't working well for you.
CBT can be a very effective approach, but it doesn't work for everyone. I'm doing schema therapy, it's a kind of therapy that includes elements of CBT and other elements as well, and it was designed for people for who standard CBT doesn't work well. Perhaps worth looking into?
Could you discuss with your T your frustration/feeling that CBT isn't working well, and ask if a different approach can be tried? As Lilypup says, many Ts are trained in more than one approach.

[*Laurie*]

CBT and DBT are trending hard these days. For me, they work okay for minor problems/issues, but don't help at all for major problems/issues.

I've had great success with CBT. I have put great deal of effort into it. I believe it must be worked on daily as a way of life for it to be successful. I actually do the exercises, tasks, and assignments everyday. I set aside a minimum 30min each morning. Yes it is a drag at times but it seems to be working.

I repeat another's post that CBT is not the 'right' avenue to take for everyone. One needs to be diligent about it. You only get out what you put into it.

[Daisy Dead Petals]

Have you considered how much your anxiety is related to your PTSD? I did over 4 years of CBT for GAD with limited results. I also have PTSD (and a PD) and I've found that CBT is often not very effective in treating deeper issues like trauma.

If you know you've put in the effort, don't let yourself be bullied into continuing CBT. Too many therapists oversell the modality and tend to blame client "laziness" when desired results are not achieved.

[MBM17]

CBT was crap for me. I did it for at least 4 years. The therapists were like, "CBT fixes everything!" They were huge fans. My mental illness was too severe for CBT to do anything, but they were so determined that CBT was the answer that I suffered needlessly.

DBT was super, super helpful.

In my opinion, CBT is good for mild to moderate severity. Beyond that, a person is truly unable to think or feel differently. They can't just think differently to feel better. DBT deals with those INTENSE emotions. I got on a slightly better med and started taking DBT - changed my life.