attn: tyshoes re: a therapy update

so i've ben in therapy now for like 2 and 1/2 months, once a week. i think it's helped me get a handle on my depression and all that other dumb shit i'm sorta dealing with.

i asked my guy for his diagnosis and he said:

major-depression (recurrent)
PTSD traits

he also doesn't suggest meds at this stage which i think is on point. my question for you, all mighty weisenberg, is originally i remember you saying that cognitive therapy is just a bunch of mental masturbation. regardless of the obvious reasons, why?

and do you employ it?

Try CBT and see if you find it helpful. It is for some so try it then tell me what you think about it so I dont color your perception. I agree, meds is the last resort unless your depression is really chronic.

Actually its not the last resort.

Shit like tai chi and crystals are the last resort.

Just try cbt and we can discuss it

But meds before tai chi and crystals.

josh is law school contributing to your depression?

i think i'm doing cbt? i think.

or you tell me:

my therapist said our primary goals are identifying my operating rules and beliefs so that i can determine if those rules are still doing the appropriate work that they were when i formed them.

so i think it's cbt. and if so, this is what i think:

(1) it works as much as i'm willing to work with it? if the collaboration isn't there, it fails.

(2) the loose structure annoys me from time to time. but i'm a very structure and rule based person so it could be me.

(3) my therapist is good and prodding at my responses to questions. i don't really notice the fact that it's mostly socratic but i've been in law school for a while now and everything is socratic there.

*more observations to come

naw. law school doesn't bother me. it's a combination of my personal problems and some dysfunctional relationships i have

josh rebel wrote:i think i'm doing cbt? i think.

or you tell me:

my therapist said our primary goals are identifying my operating rules and beliefs so that i can determine if those rules are still doing the appropriate work that they were when i formed them.

so i think it's cbt. and if so, this is what i think:

(1) it works as much as i'm willing to work with it? if the collaboration isn't there, it fails.

(2) the loose structure annoys me from time to time. but i'm a very structure and rule based person so it could be me.

(3) my therapist is good and prodding at my responses to questions. i don't really notice the fact that it's mostly socratic but i've been in law school for a while now and everything is socratic there.

*more observations to come

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is becoming aware of your automatic and maladaptive thought patterns and trying to change and look at things rationally.

http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm

Good description above

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel / act better even if the situation does not change.