Posted by Amelia_in_StPaul on May 17, 2009, at 21:37:05
In reply to Re: CBT is not very popular around here. Why?, posted by Cecilia on May 17, 2009, at 2:53:37
I think the therapists who have been invalidating are that way because of their own ineffectual ways of being, not because CBT is inherently invalidating. Perhaps my view is influenced by my background: I used to teach rhetorical theory, and part of that was teaching about logical fallacies. Plus, my philosophy degree was heavy into logic. I guess that I see the value in logic (balanced with emotion and tempered by an understanding of situational factors).
Truth with a capital T does not exist, in my opinion. But unquestionably, there are ways that humans structure their experience, and some of those ways are healthy and some of them are not.
These schema are culturally mediated (influenced) but that doesn't mean that they don't objectively exist. When a person has been sufficiently traumatized, s/he will see the world as a scary place, and be unable to function as well as s/he could because of that fear (and because of fearful thoughts). That doesn't mean s/eh is wrong or doesn't have a good reason to think as s/he does. But it does cause a great deal of distress (speak as a recently re-traumatized person).Therapists who are any good are humble to the experience. They offer alternative ways of looking at the world because the client is in distress, looking for different ways to be in the world. CBT isn't a rigid book of rules; nor does it imply judgment. The best therapists know that they themselves aren't perfect, and perfection is nothing to try to attain. It's all about limiting distress, not about seeing things in the "right" way.
> I think a lot of people don't like CBT because as one poster wrote it's invalidating. The T gets to decide what's rational and the patient is supposed to believe it. Personally, I not only don't believe what some "expert" who's no expert on my life believes to be the truth, I don't even believe the shrink believes it either. (Though I may be wondering inside whether he thinks I'm stupid enough to believe it, and is laughing at me for being that stupid...)
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> Of course, I failed psychodynamic therapy too. Seven years worth of extremely expensive paid friendship. Constantly feared that she would abandon me and of course in the end she did.
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> Actually I don't think different types of therapy are really that different from each other. The CBT guys think CBT is so scientific, no transference. What planet are they from? Of course there's just as much transference. If you like your CBT T you'll try to believe what he believes, or pretend to, so he won't dump you. If you don't, you'll won't believe any of his so-called "rational" thoughts.
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> Cecilia
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poster:Amelia_in_StPaul
thread:894981
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090515/msgs/896359.html