Posted by mair on December 28, 2003, at 10:40:44
In reply to Re: Therapist Orientation? CBT or psychodynamic?, posted by gardenergirl on December 28, 2003, at 0:01:55
I was referred to my current therapist for CBT. At that time I didn't know enough to understand the difference or to ask about differences for that matter. Initially it helped quite a bit, particularly with anxiety. I learned how to work through a "what's the worst thing that can happen" scenario which is a technique I still employ. However, it didn't help a bit with the fact that I had developed this very subjective self-hatred and it didn't help me curb persistent suicidal ideation. After awhile, my therapist switched to a more psychodynamic approach. After a few months of telling me that she didn't care about my past, it seems that we evolved into talking about nothing else. When we've talked about her shift in approache, she has told me that she didn't think CBT was particularly effective for me because I just "didn't buy it." (her words not mine). I've also discovered however that while she started out as a behaviorist in her own training, she has alot of doubts about the general effectiveness of behavioral approaches and I think does alot of psychodynamic therapy in which she incorporates some CBT stuff when needed. Therefore I think she might be more prone than more dedicated behaviorists to abandon CBT as the sole approach.
As with Dinah's therapist, mine aims to give me corrective emotional experiences which hopefully will alter my self-view. I understand what she's doing in theory, but with me it's such a long drawn out process and it's frequently very difficult for me to imagine a successful ending to this therapy.
Mair
poster:mair
thread:293462
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20031221/msgs/293993.html