Posted by ocdforyears on January 6, 2004, at 10:44:32
In reply to Therapist Orientation? CBT or psychodynamic?, posted by mattdds on December 26, 2003, at 1:52:24
Matt,
I'm new to this site, but as someone with ocd I can say that for me the best therapy is therapy which blends both cognitive tools and feeling based work. I think it's not realistic to separate the two as if they can't work together. And it's certainly not realistic to see the only alternative to CBT as Freudian psychoanalysis. I think Freud was completely wrong about libidinal theory, and I don't know anyone in therapy who is doing that kind of work.
I've seen many therapists in my life; from a single session to over four years. Maybe a dozen. And not one of them didn't believe that there wasn't a deep emotional component to my depression and ocd. But not one of them used Freudian terms or even what I would consider classical psychoanalysis. Object relations, yes. But I think the alternative to 'pure' CBT is feeling based therapy.
Sure, that invovles uncovering repressed emotion, lots of it, anger and rage and pain and terror. It involves examining all the feelings I've stuffed and all the people who hurt, abused, neglected me. It takes a lot of work. But I do think that is the final cure for me, as much as I can be cured. CBT helps me manage my obsessions, but then I still find anxiety, or even rage, beneath them if I really look.
I've made huge changes in my depression over the last ten years. Even over a about five years. But my ocd...that's very tough. Right now I'm trying ssri's for the first time. But I think this relates: are meds or therapy the cure? Why not use them together. Same with CBT and feeling based therapy.
As for classical Freudian psychoanlysis, or analysis which involves developing mental insight (learning how I work, as CBT therapists sometimes describe the goal of analysis therapies); that I don't have much faith in at all. Got to feel it to heal it.
Just my experience.
poster:ocdforyears
thread:293462
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040102/msgs/297100.html