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Stuggling with Intensive CBT

SnrDiggan
19 days ago

Back before I was diagnosed with, or even thought about, having Autism I was struggling with my mental health. I looked at PTSD and Complex PTSD, both of which came out as a negative result. After meeting with a consultant psychiatrist he advised that I need assistance dealing with trauma which started in childhood and continued in various forms throughout my adult life. He suggested, and referred me for Intensive CBT. 

Forward on 18 months or so and I have been diagnosed with Autism and realise that a lot of my issues and behaviours could be attributed to my then undiagnosed Autism. Three weeks ago I have now started the Intensive CBT for GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) and am struggling to believe it will help me. The therapist has explained that my anxieties with fit into two categories which are 'Real' and 'Hypothetical'. She then went on to say that regarding the Hypothetical anxieties I need to just "forget about them and move on" and that she can only help with the "real stuff".

I am not an expert in Autism but I'm pretty sure that's like asking me not to breath, eat or drink. I need help dealing with things when my brain is flooded with hypothetical anxiety, as this is what leads onto the meltdowns and socially unacceptable behaviour. 

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions. I have done some online searching and it appears the ABA may help but it seems more aimed at people with learning disabilities, which I don't have.

Thanks

Parents
  • 19 days ago

    My son had CBT for over a year and seemed to not benefit much at all, and I had CBT for about 3 months and actually found it very beneficial. I think it can vary a lot - there’s an element of luck in terms of who you get allocated to you on the nhs. I think I was very lucky to get a therapist with a lot of expertise and empathy. So it could just be that your therapist isn’t a very good therapist! 
    I certainly think it’s odd that your therapist says she can only deal with one type of your fears and not the other - fear is fear and if it’s a problem for you then she needs to support you with it. So I think it’s very strange that she should say that to you. I would ask her more about her reasons for what she says regarding that. 

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  • 19 days ago

    My son had CBT for over a year and seemed to not benefit much at all, and I had CBT for about 3 months and actually found it very beneficial. I think it can vary a lot - there’s an element of luck in terms of who you get allocated to you on the nhs. I think I was very lucky to get a therapist with a lot of expertise and empathy. So it could just be that your therapist isn’t a very good therapist! 
    I certainly think it’s odd that your therapist says she can only deal with one type of your fears and not the other - fear is fear and if it’s a problem for you then she needs to support you with it. So I think it’s very strange that she should say that to you. I would ask her more about her reasons for what she says regarding that. 

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