Posted by antigua3 on June 18, 2009, at 10:41:32
In reply to Evidence-based practices: CBT, posted by Amelia_in_StPaul on June 18, 2009, at 0:00:04
I'm no expert, although I do read a lot and try to learn about many different types of therapy. What I have to say comes from my own experience over the years with several different types of therapy.
I do believe that CBT is helpful in treating PTSD. I'm not sure why it works, but it moved me forward in new ways that have been very helpful to me. Changing negative thought patterns, learning to let go and examining irrational behavior have all been extremely helpful.
But like Scott said in the post above, to me it is a top down approach. I think psychodynamic therapy is a bottom up approach and combined they can be invaluable. I say this because while CBT has helped me release memories, I don't believe they can just be "let go." They need to be processed and dealt with so the memories move from short-term memory into long-term memory, where they become a part of our life-long memory bank and no longer are constantly in the forefront of our short-term memory.
I tried EMDR, and I did release a memory I didn't know about. But I ran when it got too painful; I guess I wasn't really ready to face it. Now I use the EMDR protocol on my own to help me resolve anxiety and fear. It has helped a lot; it's a meditative technique for me, but I do have to add that it has released some memories for me to deal with. Not always pretty.
So, yes, I think EMDR is very helpful for PTSD.
The one quibble I have about the research into psychodynamic therapy that questions its efficacy is that psychodynamic theory is more ethereal and I don't think it's possible to truly "measure" what goes on in the room. Evaluating the value of psychodynamic theory, IMO, is almost an impossible task because there is not an accepted prescribed technique that can be measured.
This, of course, is my own bias and opinion, based on my own experiences.
I'm really interested to hear what others have to say.
antigua
poster:antigua3
thread:901682
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090614/msgs/901770.html