Posted by chess on September 14, 2005, at 12:31:36
In reply to Re: feel like i'm weak/failure for using XANAX aga » chess, posted by Emily Elizabeth on September 14, 2005, at 11:51:25
ee
yes i asked them ... their disagreement lies in what uncertainty is ... one T says that you must accept all uncertainty with ocd, even the uncertainty of your own actions (like i might actually go crazy or kill myself or someone else) ... one T says that when you accept all uncertainty and don't reassure yourself then the thought is not reinforced because reassurance tells the brain that there is something to be afraid about ... the other T says that there is nothing wrong with reassuring yourself because this promotes self-confidence as long as the reassurance is REALISTIC (so if i'm afraid of a thought that i might jump over a bridge on purpose, one T says to accept that i might jump over the bridge and then walk across the bridge and feel the anxiety as many times as needed to habituate to the anxiety and thus the thought, while the other T says that there is nothing in reassuring myself that I don't want to jump over the bridge and thus i won't jump over the bridge and then walk across the bridge and feel the anxiety as many times as needed to habituate to the anxiety and thus the thought ... see my confusion? i think the main idea is to do the exposure because this is what actually works, it's just very scary for me to do this kind of exposure and accept that i might do it (but then the T would say GOOD! the more anxiety the better and then make sure you do the exposure to prove to yourself that the thought and anxiety don't really matter!)> It sounds like you are back to the same struggle that you posted on the therapy board a while back. Did you ever ask the 2 T's about the differences in what they taught you? I was wondering how things turned out for you.
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> Best,
> EE
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> > the frustrating part for me is that cbt teaches you to accept and allow the anxiety because it's really just harmless physiological sensations and irrational thoughts, and the more you accept and allow the anxiety the more you'll habituate to it, only thing this takes time and meanwhile it can be overwhelming and frustrating
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> > > does the anxiety not make sense? Like when you are not going through anxiety, do you look back and think that it was ridiculus to feel worried. I was just wondering, because right now I am going through anxiety. I am trying hard not to. I too just took xanax again tonight.
> > > took some lastnight and this morning.
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> >
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poster:chess
thread:554734
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050914/msgs/555004.html