Posted by Ilene on March 27, 2004, at 15:17:37
In reply to Clarification of what I meant about CBT, posted by Racer on March 27, 2004, at 14:53:29
I know that I feel great distress about my father's death, for example; I know a great deal about why, but I can't process it and move on. What I need right now isn't someone to help point out other ways to look at my experiences, I need someone to help me reopen old wounds and let them heal. The more it's about specific here-and-now behaviors, the less I get what I really need in order to move on. Here and Now are bad enough, but they're filled with bushels of old pain that can't be set out on the curb to be hauled to the dump. They're blocking my way outside of this prison.
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> So, if I'm looking for someone who can help me pack up that rubbish and get it carted away, is there any model of therapy that I should be looking towards? (And, yes, I know that it means finding a good therapist, rather than just going by the model they use. That's a whole 'nother subject, though.)
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> Thanks, and I hope that's clearer.
You've hit on something I have questions about: the here-and-now vs. the painful past. I wonder if thinking about the past just allows it to continue being painful, whereas if we work on what's going on right now we might feel better.I have a lot of doubts about CBT, also. Right now I want to investigate DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) because it deals with emotion dysregulation. There seems to be an underlying assumption w/ CBT that once you recognize your dysfunctional thoughts, your dysfunctional emotions will straighten themselves out. I don't find that to be true.
On the other hand, I'm all too aware of the painful past and I wonder if opening up old wounds to let them heal is a false analogy.
Mostly I want to function in a reasonably normal fashion. I think therapy may be too ambitious a project for me until I get meds that actually work. I am full of doubts.
poster:Ilene
thread:328671
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040327/msgs/329143.html