I guess most people who have anything to do with mental health problems will have heard of CBT (for an explanation about what it is and how it works see http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cognitive-behavioural-therapy/Pages/Introduction.aspx)
However quite often it will be with the phrase
‘it’s just a sticking plaster that covers up the problems for a while’
Or something very similar
And if you’re really keen to know things you may have found this article:
That states that CBT doesn’t work amongst other things.
So the question is why is the government pushing it so hard?
Cynical me thinks
Well it’s quick and cheap (lasting on average 16 sessions)
But is that really it?
Patient through put would certainly be high and potentially a lot of people could be cured if that’s the right terminology.
I’ve not done CBT, in fact I opted to do something different the first time, I’m now back for some more therapy and again it’s not CBT. I just don’t believe that it will work for me.
I’ve listened to a lot of people talk about their experiences of CBT and how it didn’t work/ help long term but all I see are people, pretty much like myself, who are incapable of healing/dealing with their own emotions, and for these people I believe a plaster is not what they need.
In the same way that I wouldn’t expect a plaster to help heal a broken arm I do not see that CBT will help chronic sufferers, but then what about the people who have more slight wounds, who do have reasonable healing/dealing with their emotions but just have had a short term problem where things have gotten on top of them. Surely then CBT is a good choice. It would help them get back on their feet while they deal with/ heal the problem within. For these people getting to the route cause is not so necessary and may happen naturally without deeper intervention.
So with this in mind I ask myself why do so many people do CBT if it is not really what they need?
Is it because it’s the therapy in thing to do
Because the NHS needs to be seen to be treating people
Or because given the information from the patient and their own desire to do it, it was determined that it was the best cause of action for them at that time.
I’m no expert, I have no training and I have never done this therapy but I have been in the system for nearly 20years, I’ve had my fair share of consultations about my continuing health problems with numerous physicians of various types. I’ve also spent a great deal of time in the company of people who have similar problems if not worse than my own and I have heard so many people say don’t do CBT it doesn’t work, but then I and them have had long term chronic problems and I just don’t believe that CBT is appropriate for that level of problem.
The fact is my experiences make me think that we all want quick fixes, we want the problems to go away and fast, we want this type of therapy.
It seems that in many cases people didn’t see the problems arriving, didn’t see them building up over the years and they didn’t acknowledge that they had the big problems that they did until after they were in therapy and that being the case it does not surprise me that so many people went through CBT only to find out that actually they needed much more than it could give them.
So does it work?
Yes I believe it does but it is very important to find the appropriate therapy for you so that when you do start, the time is well spent.
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