Talking Therapies Which Ones Have You Done

Hi Folks

IMO talking therapy is by far the most effective way of getting back on top of your anxiety and depression and it has the most evidence that it works well especially combined with medications. There are a lot of options out there and some work better than others.

What talking therapies have you done? And what was the most effective at helping you understand and manage your anxiety?

I have done the following therapies:

Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) which is quite a long therapy I had 22 sessions and it was the first therapy I undertook and found it to be very effective and I would recommend this to others. The first few sessions of the therapy take you back to your childhood experiences and helps you identify things which were probably the route cause of your anxiety and also helps you identify your anxiety triggers. The remaining sessions are about teaching you techniques of dealing with your anxiety and how to manage it. It does not seem to be a widely used therapy and I don't know anyone else who has done it which I have alway found strange as it's a brilliant therapy.

Cognitive behaviour Therapy (CBT) I'm sure you have all heard of this one as it is the most commonly used talking therapy throughout the world as it has the most evidence that it works. I have done 4 lots of CBT 2 of which were one on one and the other 2 were in a group therapy sessions. It is a good therapy and I liked the group sessions as you were able to speak to others who could relate to what you are going through and I did find it useful but for me personally CAT was much more effective. CBT is the goto therapy for most GP's and the one you are most likely to be referred to by a GP.

Mindfulness Meditation is brilliant it really dose work wonders but you have to be committed to keeping it going daily and it does require a lot of practice to master but if you stick with it you will find it really does work well at treating a whole host of things including anxiety, depression and chronic pain. I have done 3 Mindfulness courses over the past few years and it is something which I use all the time. You can get loads of good videos on youtube and also lots of good apps for your smart phone.

Schema Therapy is the most recent therapy I have done which was last year and I found it the most effective again this therapy really focuses on your childhood experiences and then helps you make sense of those experiences and how it has affected your life. Schema are learned behaviours during childhood which then go on to effect how you live your life. Once you have identified all your Schema the therapist will then help you break those schema. It's a really intense therapy and as a result quite taxing it's also a long therapy I lot count of the number of sessions but I was doing it for 8 months. I really loved it and found out a lot about myself that I did not know. I would recommend this therapy but you do need to feel ready to really open up to your therapist otherwise it would be pointless.


Hibee

Great thread!!

I too agree that therapy is an essential.part of any recovery plan!

I have done two rounds of CBT, with two different therapists. I found that each had its unique benefits. One therapist was very gentle and encouraging in a quiet way...while the other pushed and challenged me a bit more.

I am glad for both experiences, and will not hesitate to go back if I feel the need arise in the future. :)

S.C.

DBT, CCT, CAT-commitment and acceptance therapy. newer version of dbt, and ofcourse cbt, and abuse trauma therapy.

too much therapy over the years!!!

HT

Aye I hear you on that one I think I have reached my therapy goal so no more therapy for a while

Hibee

Cilly,

Some therapists will work with you to come up with a plan, according to what you can afford...you pay on a sliding scale, according.to your income.

Group sessions are also more affordable, or sometimes even offered at no cost.

Check with your local hospital or clinic. (or NAMI www.nami.org/) It is more effort...but with some digging, I'll bet you can find something that works for you.:)

S.C.