Posted by PuraVida on June 16, 2001, at 1:41:10
In reply to Re: ENOUGH ABOUT DRUGS - WHAT ABOUT THERAPIES?, posted by manowar on June 15, 2001, at 19:35:24
I agree with Manowar - Burns is great.
My view:
1) In many people, like myself, meds are necessary to clear out all of the cobwebs so that you can think clearly about things. That doesn't mean the meds will make us think happy thoughts rather than sad or angry thoughts, rather the meds allow us to reflect rationally on our thoughts and actions.
2) There is no ONE answer - not meds, exercise, group therapy, yoga, vitamins, etc. Balance IS the key: taking enough initiative to try whatever it takes to get out of the hole without getting down on yourself because you haven't found (because there isn't) a magic cure.
I highly recommend exploring every avenue that there is - what do we have to lose? Especially, the cognitive therapy (Burns) has helped greatly. Not only do I recognize now when MY thoughts are distorted, but I can pinpoint others' thoughts when they are distorted, and that often saves me from a lot of useless agony.
> Hi cheetah,
> I have been down for the most part for the last 15 years.
> I have to say that I understand when people got a bit testy when you slammed them for talking about drug-therapy.
> In my case, for 9 years I was in denial that I had a medical problem. I went to group therapies. Read lots of self-help books, ect...
> Finally, I went to a good pdoc and he made it clear that it was not me- I had a medical problem.
>
> The bad part is that it can be very tempting to just sit around, become a human guinea pig, and wait for the psycho-activating affects of the drugs to take place--which is not so good.
>
> I think balance is the key. Most pdocs say that in their experience a combo of psychiatry and psychology is the best remedy.
>
> Anyway to answer your first question-
> Yes, it does piss me off! One-on-one therapy bores the shit out of me, and it will you after a while too.
> However, I must say it really depends on the therapist. Find one you like.
> What I suggest you do is to go to a bookstore or library and read as much as you can on the different therapies available.
> Dr. Burns has a pretty good book. He deals with cognitive therapy.
> He says that just reading a self-help type book (bibliotherapy) can be just as good as therapy, and a hell of a lot cheaper. No one therapy is the best, it depends on the individual.
> I personally like group type stuff.
> Being in a group gives you a warm fuzzy feeling of being with a bunch of people that you know. Moreover, it is fun. It doesn’t even need to be a textbook ‘therapy session’. I've never been in a depression group before. However, I've gone to various other groups. I think you don't have to be in any certain type group to get benefit. As long as you're with a group of people that have similar interests, you'll get a kick out of it. The best part is all you have to do is pick up the classifieds and find something that interests you, and it is free!
>
> Anyway there are many types of therapy including: Cognitive (change your thoughts or cognitions), Behavior (change your behavior). Right now, that’s all I can think of. But it really doesn’t matter because they are designed to do the same thing, that is
> change the way you perceive the world.
> Ultimately, whatever therapy you choose is used to change your outlook on life, which should benefit your mood. (In theory at least)
>
> But you are right. I do personally think about drugs too much. I need to take more responsibility for my well-being. Thanks for making me laugh...
poster:PuraVida
thread:66603
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010612/msgs/66675.html