Posted by Mark H. on July 10, 2002, at 11:22:38
In reply to Re: Positive experiences with cognitive therapy » Mark H., posted by MattDDS on July 9, 2002, at 22:58:37
Hey Matt!
Thank you for your great reply. It's exciting to read that you were able to use cognitive/behavioral therapy to improve your life even during brief periods of respite from severe depression and to overcome panic attacks.
I happen to disagree with the premise in CBT that thoughts precede disturbing feelings. My personal experience is that my negative feelings more frequently arise first, and that thoughts about those feelings come later. However, this difference in no way limited my use of CBT techniques or their effectiveness. Empirically speaking, if it works, it works.The more intelligent and informed a person is, the more she or he is able to find and articulate substantive evidence everywhere to support negative feelings and physical depression. After all, facts are facts. Or are they?
When I looked closely at any thought I had -- even about something as neutral as a familiar physical object -- I found that cognition is always an interpretation of reality, not reality itself (this may have been obvious to everyone but me). If I think of an orange -- its size, color, texture, smell, its wonderful flavor and sweetness -- those thoughts, however "accurate," are nevertheless not the same as an orange. They are a combination of memories of direct experience, associations with those experiences, and thoughts about those experiences.
How much further from "real" are my thoughts about complex human interactions? About my place in the world, my family, my work, my social adaptations, my education, my important life decisions? When I began to understand that all of my thoughts are far from "true," then I felt free to modify my thinking, beliefs and responses to life circumstances and began to let go of the need to be "right" all the time or to have the "correct" answer (as though there were only one acceptable way to solve a problem or respond to a situation).
This does not mean that I have abandoned my values and beliefs. Instead, it means that I less often make the mistake of thinking others necessarily share my beliefs. For instance, my experience suggests that most people are honest, reliable and good-hearted. However, I balance that trust with a practical wariness that calls for due diligence in matters involving significant exposure, whether financially, professionally or interpersonally.
Above all, it gives me permission to indulge "corrective" beliefs -- however fanciful -- to help manage my feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Obviously, every other driver on the freeway isn't really my mother! However, that playful belief was instrumental in dissolving my rage response to bad drivers.
Cognitive therapy is direct and offers a lot of hope to those of us who suffer from depression, because it is based on the verifiable, repeatable principle that we CAN change our minds and, in doing so, change how we feel and how we react to situations over time. It is not necessary to accept or even agree with all of the principles of cognitive therapy in order to begin to benefit from their application through practice.
Best wishes,
Mark H.
poster:Mark H.
thread:538
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20020702/msgs/566.html