Hi,
I'm actually just about to start a post on why I think CBT (for me) does not work. Being that may work for some.
My theory is that changing habits has all to do with the degree of concious awareness -actually, this isn't my theory, but that of Bhuddists.
Now: can you define 'concious awareness' or 'conciousness'-?
-Think about the answer -is it knowing that thinking people looking at you is irrational? is it knowing that it is irrational to believe that strangers are all out to criticise you when you speak or interact with them? and taking these thoughts and replacing them with rational ones?
...this is the CBT method.
Now, let me introduce the Bhuddist's Mindfulness method...
All that is necessary in order to change your behaviour is to develop and practise the skill to notice, in the moment, just what your thoughts and emotions are.
THis is all. There is no analysis, no pre-paration -other than perhaps the decision and commitment to practise concious awareness of ones thoughts and feelings ie: 'Mindfulness' and possibly also the regular practise of meditation which perhaps concentrates on mindfulness meditation in order to improve ones overall skill at being self-aware.
Notice that there is 'self-concious' and there is 'self-aware' ...and notice that whilst CBT asks you to prepare your 'counter thoughts' and to analyse yourself, mindfulness does not involve any of this. Already (socially) anxious people tend to be stuck in a pattern of over-analysing and focussing much on their fears and themselves, and are stuck thinking the same thoughts.
And this overanalysis, over-focussing on 'getting it right', high self-focus and self-conciousness, is something that needs to be dropped altogether.
"All that is necessary is to see. ...thinking only gets in the way. But once you see, the solution follows naturally."
CBT may not be a bad method for some people and certain situations. However, if emotions/thoughts are of a strongly impulsive nature, then 'conciousness' is what is needed to be able to control thoughts/feelings. Analysing may simply be an extension of the anxious person's compulsion to control everything and this is likewise an extension of their believing in their fear.
"Concious awareness" or "conciousness" is not merely about knowing such-and-such a thought or emotion is irrational and then replacing it with a rational one (I actually wonder also whether this may in fact involve some repression of one's emotions that adds to anxiety.... but -to continue-) "Conciousness" is also about, and probably more about, noticing what thoughts or feelings you have in the very moment that you have them. Without this noticing, this observing of one's thoughts or feelings, it isn't possible to get out of thinking and feeling those very thoughts.
So, not only may CBT be an extension of the anxious person's compulsion to control everything and this is likewise an extension of their believing in their fear; but CBT may also be ineffective for having true concious awareness of what is thought or felt in the moment it is thought or felt. And this moment-by-moment, present awareness is what enables a person to actually step-out of their thoughts and emotions at the same time that they are then enabled -enlightened- to DO something about them. Yet, 'doing' follows naturally. There is nothing to control and trying to control is in fact the problem. And concious awareness is everything.
I read somewhere that if you 'shine the torch' on something, what to do and how to do it is made easy.
And to me CBT is a bit basic; although, I can accept that it could be helpful for some as a step-by-step, organised approach of what they already can come up with themselves.
Hell, I might just copy this and put it in as the thread I said earlier that I wanted to start.
One more thing: all of the above are my thoughts. I am not an expert. BUt I am going on my own experience and what I can figure out so far.
