Feeling as if my therapy is a waste of time

[recluse]

I've been having cbt sessions for almost a year. My therapist is great, but the problem is that i am reluctant to make changes i.e exposure tasks she suggests i do. I feel that i am going nowhere, and especially as i have to pay for therapy i feel that i also waste money.

Does anyone feel that your therapy is worth the time and money?

 

[pandamonium77]

Well I've been with mine for a week, so ill get back to you in a few weeks to see how its going!
But yea, if you're not comfortable or you feel you're going no where with your therapist, it's time to get a new one
Good luck!

 

[DaaaBulls]

I have been seeing my therapist for about half a year or so and I think it's time to find a new one. My therapist has helped me out a ton but I think I need a new one because it seems I have tapped out all the potential of the current one. In other words it doesn't seem like we are making progress anymore.

As for your therapist I think if you have been going for that long and still have no positive results you should try a new one. Find one that does not ask you to do "exposure" tasks which I think are uneeded and unwaranted. What you need to be getting out of the therapist is someone to talk to about your problems, have them listen, and try and dig up things that could be causing these problems.

 

[striker]

There is 2 parts to fixing. One is to fix wrong beliefs if you any and the next is fixing the nervous energy. She is fixing the first one with therapy. the second item (Nervous energy) needs to be fixed too.

The popular model is fixing the beliefs will fix the nervous energy. I dont think this is true.
In some cases, where wrong beliefs are holding the person down, this will work.

 

[meatcake]

I've been having cbt sessions for almost a year. My therapist is great, but the problem is that i am reluctant to make changes i.e exposure tasks she suggests i do. I feel that i am going nowhere, and especially as i have to pay for therapy i feel that i also waste money.

Does anyone feel that your therapy is worth the time and money?

The exposure tasks are what really reduce the anxiety - insight won't do it because it doesn't affect the lower levels of your brain. You should break the tasks down further until they're actually handleable.

 

[no1]

The exposure tasks are what really reduce the anxiety - insight won't do it because it doesn't affect the lower levels of your brain. You should break the tasks down further until they're actually handleable.

I think about the exposure therapy.. start with gradual opening up to new things. Don't just throw yourself in there. or start "small" and work your way up. That actually worked for me I think.

 

[Danfalc]

Ive had c.b.t twice...thought it was more like a rushed crash course.I didnt find either of them helpfull..but if im honest i wasnt coping very well at the time.

Plus i think i had crap people...I walked about a mile to my appointment once and by the time i got there i was having a full blown panick attack,and she looked at me and asked me if i was on drugs lol...nice The other guy would make me randomly go up and talk to people,afterwards he would get me to rate my anxiety...and id be like it was just as bad as i thought it was going to be,and i got told i must of done somthing wrong then.

Anyway mine was mostly exposure,and while i think it can work well in some situations,it doesnt all the time.Like Striker already said...you need to be working on other aspects aswell,because if you cant change the way you think...then exposure will just be stressing you out more than anything because you wont make much headway.Seeing as your paying for it,try and not be scared of pushing her to go in another direction.You maybe need to go back to the drawing board and figure out your core beliefs and stuff more.

 

[recluse]

It's not that my therapist is not good at her job, i like her, it's just that i understand that the only person who can help me is myself and i find it hard to get out of the rut.

 

[meatcake]

It's not that my therapist is not good at her job, i like her, it's just that i understand that the only person who can help me is myself and i find it hard to get out of the rut.

You're not the only person who can help you - that's what you're paying her for. She should really be encouraging you to do the exposure exercises, as otherwise your anxiety will just stay the same around people. Sometimes it takes a fair bit of arguing and encouragement to get someone to do the exposure stuff - that's certainly what it took with me, and that's what she should be doing. Tell her that's what you want her to do. And take TINY steps if necessary. You set some goal like of being able to live out on your own, date girls, and then break it down into as many small steps as you need. It does work, even if it all seems terrifying at the moment!

 

[fallingsorrow]

i also feel that therapy was a waste of time for me....a few years ago i saw someone for about a year and was in a teen support group...i thought i improved but the only reason i felt that i changed was the change of scenary in my life.....once in high school my SA appeared to be less but now it's come back with avengence and i started seeing a therapist....i've been seeing her for a few months now and i can't help but feel it's a waste of time and money

 

[meatcake]

I think you have to be pretty proactive with therapy and tell them if you don't think you're getting a benefit out of it. That might scare them to try to help you more, as they'd be afraid of losing a patient. There's some conflict because although they want the person to get better, they're also in a business, and I hate to think how easy it would be to just drag a therapy along without making much progress. When someone I knew was seeing a therapist I really had the feeling that's what he was doing with her - just making money by letting her vent once a week. Venting does not produce progress, unfortunately - in fact it usually just makes things worse, so that's another thing you have to be careful about.

 

[CeeJay1981]

Have you heard of Human Givens therapy. If not then do a Google search and find an HG therapist in your area. They are definitely the way forward.

Good luck

Chris