With my daughter, it examined the WHY she did what she did. Therapy then revolved around that. With CBT we knew her behaviors were attributed to certain reasons (in other words, she had reasons for doing what she did) and we needed to do the opposite.... to help stop unwanted (harmful) behaviors. There was extreme praising and rewarding when she did the opposite (or did the positive, safe behavior). The therapist told us things would get worse before they got better. Unfortunately, they never got better for her.

I am going through CBT for anxiety, depression, panic disorder and PTSD. It helps to talk to someone who is neutral. CBT, like Blujay96 describes examines why you feel the way you do, your behaviors and provides coping skills and recommends behavior modification. It takes time to see the benefits, but you have to be ready to make changes. Even with changes depending on what is causing your anxiety, it may not completely take it away.

Keeping a journal really helps with CBT.

Learning the patterns helps to change the reaction, response, and the ability to find the balance.

The changes are often worse before they are better and what may seem worse to others, may be better for the person's well-being.

For me, in a family session, it was shared that what the family saw was not what I was experiencing. I am responsible for what I say, what I do, and how I respond. So, we made alternate ways for me to move through that particular situation and over a period of several months and several family sessions, we found a compromise that works for us.

Keeping a journal allowed to us to work out without the usual refrains of same or similar comments.

Best wishes as you find your balance.

Hi guys
Just to say a belated thankyou for sharing your experiences.


Take Care
Adam

Hi Adam,

thanks so much for sharing. I am a huge advocate for CBT. I can tell you that in my personal experience, it has literally changed my life. Instead of the constant irrational thought loops, it led me to stop and look for the root cause. In my case, I was able to show myself that the vast majority of all the things I worried about were not based in fact or rationality at all. Over time (months to years), it led me to gradually be able to label and identify the thought and then dismiss it, which eventually led me to stop having anxiety about it.

Will it ever 100% get rid of anxiety? I wish I could say yes, but we all know that's not how this works. This is a chemical imbalance, so there's only so much that mental programming will be able to do for us.


Another key thing that has helped me is gradual exposure. For example, for the longest time, I was afraid to drive on interstate highways and in large downtown areas of cities that had skyscrapers. By gradually doing these things in small increments, not only am I able to do these things without anxiety, but I'm also able to enjoy them.


Keep at it and you will see a steady improvement in your quality of life, which is what it's all about!