It’s popular because it does work for a lot of things, from fear of spiders to eating disorders. Of course they would try it on as many different problems as possible.
Beats the currently popular “that’s just the way you are and if it affects other people that’s their problem. In fact, you’re actually better than other people.”-therapy
CBT is the only one they’ve tested, and they tested themselves, and of course they look great. It offloads all success and failure 100% to the victim, and so many failures don’t reflect on the process; ever. It resembles a massive sham.
My counsellor friend calls it “sigma-6 for mental health” and notes how it’s often not covered by insurance (even outside America’s mercenary system) so it’s a nice cash cow for the indu$try.
So what are the alternatives? When I think about non-CBT therapy I think of like, Freud asking about problems with papa und penis, which just from a common sense angle seems more questionable.
Somatic focused therapy has been much more helpful and less gaslighty for me, but it’s also not right for everyone.
Say you have anxiety that’s more top down. You usually aren’t feeling anxious, but then you start thinking anxious thoughts and that spirals out of control and now you’re an anxious mess on the verge of a panic attack. CBT could make sense for some people in this situation because you’re reminding yourself there’s nothing to really be anxious about in the moment and redirecting your thoughts to less anxious things.
If your anxiety is more bottom up, you might not even have to think about anything that makes you anxious. Your nervous system is just in a chronic state of activation/hyperdrive, and warning you there’s danger even if there’s not. You can think calming thoughts all you want but that doesn’t usually change the fact that your body is kicked into survival mode.
Instead of trying to redirect your thoughts, you can focus your thoughts on noticing physical sensations and putting a label on the way your body is feeling.
So you wouldn’t say “I am safe.” You would stop and acknowledge how you’re feeling, and acknowledge it’s your body’s way of trying to communicate danger to keep you alive. You don’t want to necessarily act based on that warning (unless you are truly in danger, which is the case sometimes), but instead of just dismissing it, recognize what you’re physically feeling. Ok, my heart is beating really fast, my chest is kind of tight and I feel physically unsafe. What are some other physical sensations I feel right now that I know are safe?
A popular one is focusing on your “sit bones” or the way a surface you’re sitting on feels beneath you. Or focusing on your posture, if how the floor feels beneath your feet when they’re planted flat on the ground. It works surprisingly well to reset/calm your nervous system.
This guy offers a free course of several short videos that are really helpful. I started them last year but let it drop off. Reminds me I need to pick up where I left off and finish them
Cognitive behavioral therapy/dialectical behavioral therapy are not the universal cure for everything and they need to stop being treated as such
It’s popular because it does work for a lot of things, from fear of spiders to eating disorders. Of course they would try it on as many different problems as possible.
Beats the currently popular “that’s just the way you are and if it affects other people that’s their problem. In fact, you’re actually better than other people.”-therapy
CBT is just a rip off of psychoanalysis with different words.
I’ll join you on this hill, soldier.
CBT is the only one they’ve tested, and they tested themselves, and of course they look great. It offloads all success and failure 100% to the victim, and so many failures don’t reflect on the process; ever. It resembles a massive sham.
My counsellor friend calls it “sigma-6 for mental health” and notes how it’s often not covered by insurance (even outside America’s mercenary system) so it’s a nice cash cow for the indu$try.
So what are the alternatives? When I think about non-CBT therapy I think of like, Freud asking about problems with papa und penis, which just from a common sense angle seems more questionable.
Somatic focused therapy has been much more helpful and less gaslighty for me, but it’s also not right for everyone.
Say you have anxiety that’s more top down. You usually aren’t feeling anxious, but then you start thinking anxious thoughts and that spirals out of control and now you’re an anxious mess on the verge of a panic attack. CBT could make sense for some people in this situation because you’re reminding yourself there’s nothing to really be anxious about in the moment and redirecting your thoughts to less anxious things.
If your anxiety is more bottom up, you might not even have to think about anything that makes you anxious. Your nervous system is just in a chronic state of activation/hyperdrive, and warning you there’s danger even if there’s not. You can think calming thoughts all you want but that doesn’t usually change the fact that your body is kicked into survival mode.
Instead of trying to redirect your thoughts, you can focus your thoughts on noticing physical sensations and putting a label on the way your body is feeling.
So you wouldn’t say “I am safe.” You would stop and acknowledge how you’re feeling, and acknowledge it’s your body’s way of trying to communicate danger to keep you alive. You don’t want to necessarily act based on that warning (unless you are truly in danger, which is the case sometimes), but instead of just dismissing it, recognize what you’re physically feeling. Ok, my heart is beating really fast, my chest is kind of tight and I feel physically unsafe. What are some other physical sensations I feel right now that I know are safe?
A popular one is focusing on your “sit bones” or the way a surface you’re sitting on feels beneath you. Or focusing on your posture, if how the floor feels beneath your feet when they’re planted flat on the ground. It works surprisingly well to reset/calm your nervous system.
This guy offers a free course of several short videos that are really helpful. I started them last year but let it drop off. Reminds me I need to pick up where I left off and finish them
https://traumaresearchfoundation.org/coming-home-to-the-body-a-short-course-on-trauma-and-mind-body-re-connection-with-matthew-sanford-collection/