If I walked into a room full of therapists today and told them that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) wasn't all it's cracked up to be I'm sure I'd get some dirty looks. Yet, it is true. CBT isn't always effective. I think as a consumer it is important that you understand the good and bad sides of therapy. So today I want to share with you what can make CBT ineffective. Before I do that though I want to make it clear that CBT does help many people. In fact, the reason it is so widely used is because, unlike so many other of forms of therapy,
This Is What Researchers Say About Non-Drug Anxiety Treatments
This week's guest post was written by AG contributor Kate. Kate is a writer, blogger, and psychiatry researcher living in San Francisco. She is passionate about mental health and utilizing science to develop evidenced based approaches to psychological health. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – Franklin D. Roosevelt We should learn to accept our fears and overcome them so they don’t hold us back. We have to accept that everything is going to be okay. I hear rhetoric about conquering fear and anxiety all the time. But how do we
The Power of Anxious Thinking
If there's one thing that anxious people need, it's constant reminding. This isn't because they don't understand what's happening to them, rather it's because anxiety is distracting. Feelings of anxiety, physical symptoms, and worry take attention away from solutions and keep you focused on potential danger instead. Anxiety is good at that, but it's not exactly helpful to stay problem focused, right? That's why this week I want to review a topic that is near and dear to my heart: Anxious thinking. I've discussed this issue several times
Two Proven Methods to Help Reprogram Your Anxious Brain
When you become an anxious person one of the first things to go out the window is your ability to tame fearful thoughts. This, of course, makes total sense. When you become sensitized by anxiety you literally make contact with the dark side of your mind and come to be over-focused on death and derangement. In your mind these two things aren't just likely outcomes of your ordeal, but imminent threats that need to be warded off. However, what's interesting is that if you want to get better you have to do the opposite of fight or escape.
How to Get the Most Out of Therapy
What's so special about therapy anyway? Isn't it just a super long conversation with a stranger? No, it's not. It's much more. It can feel like the millions of conversations you've had in the past but with one major twist. When done right therapy elicits the truth; you know that thing you hide from everybody. Most people aren't totally honest about their inner world because humans are damn good liars, which isn't all bad. Lying serves an important function in that it helps us to keep on a pretty mask so the "ugly" doesn't scare away
The 2 Step Guide to Being Anxiety Free
It may seem inconceivable for you to live without anxiety right now but you can. Perhaps you've spent time alone pondering what will become of you because of the troubles you're facing. To be honest, that's to be expected given your predicament. Still, you can get better. Here's a good question: How did I overcome anxiety and when did I know it? In the beginning I was Lost "Uncertainty is the refuge of hope." - Henri Frederic
Collaborative Psychoeducation is Essential
For most people, information about psychotherapy, or any mental health treatment, is a mystery. People often have preconceived notions that they will be required to delve into their past but not sure why, will have to take medication, and often figure that they don't know best and need their therapist to tell them. Psychoeducation refers to being educated about a psychiatric/psychological condition, whether one is a patient, a family member, or someone not in treatment but interested in learning about a particular topic. Ideally,
Is Talk Therapy Worth It?
Recently I found myself on a website that had a lot of comments about how talk therapy was a waste of time and money. Well, consider this a response to all those people. Now, for starters, it's true that I am biased. I mean, I am a grad student learning to become a psychotherapist after all. Just keeping it honest. I also lived with severe anxiety and depression for over 10 years, so it isn't like I don't know what it's like to need or undergo therapy myself-- been there, done that. So, here's the thing: Talk therapy works. And it
What’s the Best Option for Treating Anxiety and Depression?
Today I want to chat a bit about treatment options for anxiety and depression because I'd like to clarify a few things. And in case you're strapped for time here is what I want to say: Curing abnormal anxiety and depression has nothing to do with magic, voodoo, or instant anything. Instead, treating abnormal anxiety and depression involves finding the right mix of remedies that work for you, committing to that treatment, and a little time. This whole issue of anxiety treatments came up because I recently read a question posted on