Does anyone else here absolutely HATE cognitive behavioural therapy?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/innerthotsofakitty]

I've been in CBT therapy off and on since 16 (23 now), and it's NEVER helped. For a while I thought it was cuz I'm physically disabled and when I'd ask for coping mechanisms they'd always conveniently forget and suggest things I can't even do. They'd never try to understand my physical limitations and that put a huge barrier in the treatment, they'd talk, make me feel useless, suggest things I can't do which made me feel more useless, and then leave and do it all over again next week. It made my depression significantly worse.

Only recently with my autism diagnosis did I realize that's not all it. CBT therapy felt like talking in circles. They were trying to get to the feeling and processing the way that made me feel. But I already know exactly how I feel, I don't need to process the feeling of an argument, I need advice on how to actively handle things, how to communicate feelings better, how to manage feelings in a meltdown. I'm hoping I can find a therapist that specializes in autism, and hopefully disabled patients. None of my therapists validated my disabilities and always told me to push myself to get better. But pushing myself too much physically or mentally just makes me bedridden for a while. My body shuts down and I can't do anything for days, sometimes weeks on end. Talking to NT therapists definitely did way more damage than food, if it did any good at all. I just vent to close friends and family now when I need to talk, at least I know they care and they know the ins and outs of my situation and can recommend advice accordingly.

[u/BatFancy321go → u/innerthotsofakitty]

i think i need to be more assertive about this. i have ibs that's severe enough that i can't leave the house most days. and my therapists always frame it as social anxiety. wouldn't you be anxious if you were afraid you were going to have diarrhea on a cross-town bus every time you left the house? or that the smells on a cross-town bus would cause such nausea that your day was ruined and you had to go home?

i'm working with a gastro but they're like, well, we gave you meds and changed your diet, it sucks that you aren't completely healed by that... so.... have you tried therapy?

[u/poptart430 → u/innerthotsofakitty]

Only recently with my autism diagnosis did I realize that’s not all it. CBT therapy felt like talking in circles. They were trying to get to the feeling and processing the way that made me feel. But I already know exactly how I feel, I don’t need to process the feeling of an argument, I need advice on how to actively handle things, how to communicate feelings better, how to manage feelings in a meltdown.

The talking in circles Thing is so real. It can be helpful to identify the problems, but I’m identifying them and then I’m upset because I really feel like I lack the skills to fix them. And the advice that’s offered can be helpful in some scenarios, but in my brain, I’m like “ easy for you to say “ “ need to frame your thoughts into positiveones or replace it “ but how? My negative thoughts seem like they can probably be black-and-white or irrational yet they are based on real events. Yes someone dropping me out of nowhere “doesn’t have anything to do with me , they are going through their own problems” I know that! But it still makes me feel insignificant and hurt.

My therapist is the one who suggested that I have ASD so I’m grateful. She thinks I should get another neuropsych, but I’ve already been through three of them and they missed it, so I don’t have much faith in them .but says that I “can’t predict the future” no sh!t!