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CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy)

Buz89

Hi everyone my names Scott busby I’m 32 and I was diagnosed with slight Asperger syndrome yes “slight” I don’t know what that means either, I’ve struggled  with anxiety, panic attacks and depression, I have trouble having conversations and understanding people, I’ve been having CBT for the past 3 weeks now every Monday and becoming more difficult every time as I’m having to complete the questionnaires every time about mood, emotions, feelings, I get homework every session and we go through what situations I've experienced, it’s got to the point I think that I’d be better off speaking to the nas (national autistic society) I’m not sure where to go. Just wondering if anyone else with AS has been through CBT. 

Parents
  • Buz89 said:
    becoming more difficult every time as I’m having to complete the questionnaires every time about mood, emotions, feelings

    Do you know what is difficult about it?

    I've found things don't fit in the boxes and get far too complicated.  And I don't think mood, emotions, feelings are very apparent even to me and may be different from what the therapist expects.  I have had to explain 'alexithymia', not knowing what you're feeling to several therapists.  Plus getting around to the forms or remembering to do them when distressed.

    The basic ideas of CBT, Five Areas model and so on, makes sense to me, and reading CBT books wasn't time wasted. For example it can explain why ruminating is unhelpful and forcing yourself to do activities you should enjoy is worthwhile for energy and motivation.

    I do think there should be CBT that is more flexible for autistic people, but there isn't in my area, and you just have to hope the therapist understands or ask for another one.

  • in reply to Cassandro

    I’ve been given these sheets to do called “thought diary” and underneath in boxes along the page are -

    SITUATION. EMOTIONS/MOODS. PHYSICAL SENSATIONS. THOUGHTS/ IMAGE ABOUT SELF. THOUGHTS/ IMAGE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLES EVALUATIONS OF MYSELF 

    The other page has in boxes 

    SITUATION  >  THOUGHTS/IMAGES >
    BEHAVIOURS>            PHYSICAL SENSATIONS >EMOTIONS 

Reply
  • in reply to Cassandro

    I’ve been given these sheets to do called “thought diary” and underneath in boxes along the page are -

    SITUATION. EMOTIONS/MOODS. PHYSICAL SENSATIONS. THOUGHTS/ IMAGE ABOUT SELF. THOUGHTS/ IMAGE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLES EVALUATIONS OF MYSELF 

    The other page has in boxes 

    SITUATION  >  THOUGHTS/IMAGES >
    BEHAVIOURS>            PHYSICAL SENSATIONS >EMOTIONS 

Children
  • in reply to Buz89

    A CPN gave me something like that once.  She just left it with me to fill out.  It had four boxes with sentences starting "I think", "I feel" etc.  About what? It looked like it was a vocab exercise for 6 year olds. In desperation I wrote a six page letter detailing ALL my thoughts and feelings about the situation in as much detail as I possibly could, in the hope that whatever it was she was looking for would be covered.

    I was a bit puzzled by the whole thing, hadn't I been telling her all this anyway.  I think I was in the 'naughty box' again for having approached the exercise like that and no one explained how it was supposed to help or referred to it ever again.

    'Course no one knew I was autistic then; but again you'd think the reaction to imprecision and level of details might have been a clue for them.

  • in reply to Buz89

    That sounds like pretty standard CBT, trying to record situation, feelings and thoughts at particular times, maybe four or five times a week, particularly after being distressed or having a panic attack.  Then you can see how the thoughts and feelings and so on link together, and maybe clarify what you might be able to deal better with the depression or anxiety or difficult situation.  That's the theory.

    It may be that the therapist hasn't explained very well what they want you to do.  Could they give you more examples or help you fill it in?  Have you read any books about CBT?  'Feeling Good Handbook' by David Burns, and the 'Overcoming Depression' by Paul Gilbert are often recommended.

    Is it a question of knowing what is relevant?  Or is it particularly the emotions, sensations or images that are difficult?

  • in reply to Buz89

    Autistic individuals perceive and understand the world different. 

    Thought might be primary, situation might be a behaviour (going through a motion but head somewhere else). Tied to that might be assumed behaviours or a trial of behaviours to try to mimic others. followed by more thought. Many times the emotion for all of this can happen 2 weeks to 2 years later. so:

    THOUGHT / IMAGES (not a 'then' symbol, but one that implies a random event) SITUATION+BEHAVIOUR. THOUGHT. [very long pause] EMOTION? 

    Can you identify your emotions and describe them? Has anyone ever asked why you perform or say a thing and what it is supposed to mean? If neither of these two have been sorted CBT won't work as it assumes a different ordering of thoughts/actions/being. A Neurotypical one, which doesn't work the same (thus why ABA is traumatising and never helpful).

    I can't fill out surveys unless I'm given half a day to have a proper think and even then it's difficult if I don't have a pool of knowledge on each question.