my CBT councelling seems to be making me worse?

[worrier123]

im having cbt sessions with my counceler, iv only had 4 altogether so far as i only get seen once every 2weeks, im having it to try and stop my panicing and general worry and anxiety but iv noticed since having cbt i feel slightly more anxious that normal and analysing my thoughts more so than i did before thus more worrying. im abit worried that what if cbt doesnt help me then what other option do i have...nothing? maybe this is something that i just have to learn to deal with :(

any advice

x

[DrAnxiety]

It would help to know what kinds of techniques you are being taught in your CBT. Different techniques can give you different results.

[worrier123]

i havnt been taught any technices yet...? iv only had 4 sessions and at the mo all have had to do is keep a panic diary which iv been doing and to find evidence for and against the negative thughts i have which im struggling with. i find the hardest and most frustrating thing is trying to explain to her how i feel and what i feel which in turn makes me worry that im not going to get better because she wont really know whats wrong with me, i dont seem to have a trigger i think i just fear fear and i fear the sensations of a panic attack ie floaty arm,nots in tummy,feeling sick and needing the loo,dry mouth,feeling of being here but not really here,disconnected from myself, twiches and shivering,something terrible is happening etc etc but i dont actually know why im like this, im sooo much worse also the day after iv had a few drinks in fact in can feel like hell

just seems like there are no answers for me and no hope

[DrAnxiety]

There is help for you and plenty of hope. I promise you. Anxiety is probably by far the most responsive problem to behavioral interventions. A few things. First of all, you should communicate everything you typed above to your therapist. In fact, I recommend that you print out this thread and show it to your therapist. Your therapist will like this. She will want to know how you are feeling and what you are thinking.

It is normal for people who are just starting treatment to struggle with the cognitive (thinking) interventions. The diary and evidence for/against activities that you are doing are focused on your thoughts. This can make some people with bad anxiety feel a bit worse at first, because it gets them into their rumination thinking even more. You might ask her if you could try some behavioral interventions and relaxation strategies to help you with your panic symptoms. Exposure with response prevention is very effective for panic. Relaxation strategies like progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness can also help.

[PanicCured]

im abit worried that what if cbt doesnt help me then what other option do i have...nothing? maybe this is something that i just have to learn to deal with :(

That is utterly ridiculous! Come on, give me a break! This whole instant results culture is just nonsense! If it isn't immediately 2 feet in front of you right now, it doesn't exist. You went 4 times and wonder how all your anxiety isn't gone yet? Maybe you feel worse because you are working through stuff. You have a website here filled with things to do to help your anxiety and you say maybe nothing is there to help you?



Please people, don't

[worrier123]

That is utterly ridiculous! Come on, give me a break! This whole instant results culture is just nonsense! If it isn't immediately 2 feet in front of you right now, it doesn't exist. You went 4 times and wonder how all your anxiety isn't gone yet? Maybe you feel worse because you are working through stuff. You have a website here filled with things to do to help your anxiety and you say maybe nothing is there to help you?



Please people, don't

maybe ridiculous to you but its how i feel, people go on this site for reassurance and advice not to be put down about the way they feel!

[worrier123]

thank you Kev that did actually make alot of sence, you really seem to know what your on about, hopefully one day i will be like you.

kelly

[jessed03]

Agree with forwells, and may I say thank god for the time difference. I was thinking something very similar when reading the thread, but scrolled down to see he'd beat me to it with, may I say, a far more detailed answer anyway :P

To buisiness.... In a way, it's designed to be uncomfortable. You're delving into your mind, and shaking everything up. Think how hard it is to give up smoking, or drinking, or junk food, or coffee, how uncomfortable it feels at first as your body rids itself of a habit. Think of how awful it feels when you start exercising, how you ache, and dread working out. Things can often feel strange at first. It's aim is to slowly desensitize you to things your mind throws at you, and to allow you to analyse things from a different, more rational perspective. Just the thought of change alone makes one feel very anxious. Change of the mind can be a very daunting thing. Thankfully cbt is very user friendly, and doesn't involve reliving traumatic memories, or crying intimate feelings. If you find it too uncomfortable let your therapist know. You wanna feel just slightly uncomfortable. Enough to know your pushing things, but not nearly enough to overwhelm or upset you.

CBT is a well known slow starter, it takes many sessions just to understand the process, then many more before the process can be implemented. It's very funny when you think about it. A huge part of the therapists job is to get you out of your head, to see it from a detached viewpoint so you can see the 'instanity' of some of it. Then you'll get that click in your head when you get it, and it all starts to make sense. It's worth it though as it brings about life long changed if followed. It also takes a while for your therapist to really understand you, and hone in on your issues, and uncover the real fear, and belief, and not the surface one of "OMG my heart's beating so fast". I think it took me around 3 months before I saw some changes, but I was working through other stuff too, so you could be far quicker, all depending.

And ah, the panic diary. Bring's back memories!! :)

[Schatmeisje]

I generally got no results when i first started CBT either, but i decided to try mindfulness training combined with counselling which suited me a lot better. I had to stop the sessions because of the cost, but i still check in with my psychologist every few months just to keep track of my progress. It is still great to have the CBT to have the right tools and work on things that you can put in to practice yourself.
It is confronting and scary when you first start, but it does get better, and there are always set backs and hard times, just keep at it and try some meditation too, it really helps me loads x

[worrier123]

Hi Kev,thanks for your support, yea i agree with u and jess,you both some things up and explain things very well, its very helpfull. of course i will stick at cbt cos i want to get better but just dnt no whether it was normall to feel worse once your there, i even nearly had a panic attack in front of her...! i have tried meditation and quite a few times actually but if im honest i dont think im doing it right, i have rakie every other week with a family friend which is a healing type meditation which i love and is great but i wouldnt say i get in that ´state of relaxation´point, i think cos i know im trying to relax and trying to switch off thats when my mind and thoughts have a field day! i also play lots of videos on you tube for relaxation which is also nice but not sure has an affect on me, any advice for me?

Kelly

x

[Schatmeisje]

Hey worrier :-D i started training myself meditation with guided anti anxiety meditations on you tube if that helps a bit,. Also, when i started mindfulness training, he taught me to meditate a different way, which is basically just taking half an hour, eyes closed, and not trying to regulate your breathing or anything, just being, and then every time your mind wanders, just bring it back to the present, It took me a while to untrain myself as all the other meditation i had done had controlled breathing in them, but now i find it much better and so easy to do, i guess the whole principle of 'just being' rather than trying to control things or change things for half an hour.
Different things work on different people though too so maybe you could try some of the guided anti anxiety meditations on you tube to start with. I remeber there was one called the rainbow shower or something like that that i used to use in my lunch breaks at work and it used to help a lot.
Keep at it and chin up xxxx

[PanicCured]

Sorry. I didn't mean to come across as rude. Just the idea that someone may try something for a few times and they aren't totally better so life's over, seems a bit much to me. I understand you may be suffering, but to chalk it up as you went 4 times and since you aren't better you may have to be like this forever and nothing else will work, I was trying to slap some sense into you. Sorry if I came across as mean. I didn't mean to be,. I am just a very results oriented person. When I had major anxiety I looked at it as this is what I have now, what do I need to do to get past it, and I did all I knew how to do to get past it.

I think people should look at this problem as like a broken arm. The arm will get better, but it needs the time and care and proper methods to get it there.

I am not here to give people reassurance. It is never enough. No reassurance will ever help someone in a serious panic disorder. Even after every blood test is taken, they still may not feel reassured. So if you go on here and someone gives you reassurance you are not dying and you are not going crazy, that will help for a bit. But the next day you will be right back where you were. That is why I offer solutions, and other people here offer solutions. I am here to help people understand how they can get better and then have them practice it so they get better, instead of just going around in circles.

Good luck to you!

[jessed03]

i guess the whole principle of 'just being' rather than trying to control things or change things for half an hour.


I think this point has changed my life more than anything. I was the epitome of neurosis before my breakdown, so self obsessed with every area of my life. I think it goes with what forwells said on the top of the page. It's similar to distraction. Just letting things you can't change exist, without creating unnecassary suffering by torturing yourself, allows you to redirect that focus outside of your head, and how you demand the world to be, and allows you to realize your a part of the universe, part of a tapestry, with good and bad. Ultimately life will always throw us some pain, we can just take small steps to suggest a possible route of compassion to avoid it. This sounds like a paraox, and makes it sound like it's ok not to bother to make changes, it isn't at all, it's merely the acceptance of joy, and if unfortunate, the acceptance of pain as a natural part of life, and not something we have to avoid 100%, as it's just not possible. We lose that sense of ego, and that demand for self fulfillment, and take joy in simple things, as we begin to see lifes ups and downs, and learn to live easier as we're now more connected with it, instead of a million miles away from it in our own heads. I knew a man that once said "The aim of life is to die before you die - only then will you see there is no death"