Therapies - which are best?

[spiderowl]

The only kind of therapies that seem to be on offer through our health service here are CBT. Because of the shortage of therapists anyway, it is CBT in groups. There are long waiting lists and endless referrals. Until you get through the circles of hell and to the point of meeting the therapist, you can't even get access to the online CBT that is supposedly available.

 

It is pretty hopeless if you ask me. I'd like to find something that really works and revolutionise the whole service!

 

I am wondering what therapies people have found best for depression, apart from medication?

 

If PTSD is a factor, what therapies work best for that?

 

It seems to me that anything but skilled one-to-one therapy is unlikely to work except for mild depression or anxiety, simply because people cannot talk freely.

 

I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on the true effectiveness of mental health therapies. There are vested interests in this field and even scientific studies that show some effectiveness only exist because someone chosen to fund study into a particular therapy. It does not prove it is better than others unless directly compared with them.

[amaysngrace]

Why can’t you see someone one on one?

[Mrin]

Sure thing. A few ideas:

 

1. Joe Dispenza's work

2. Landmark

3. I do know a badass brain health coach/hypnotherapist who has had very impressive results. PM if you want her contact info.

[divegrl]

Hi,

 

If you are dealing with trauma, talk therapy will NOT work. You have to get to the emotional brain. Please try EMDR and EFT.

 

Have a beautiful day my friend.

[d0nnivain]

It's about finding the most effective therapist & modality for you as an individual. There is no one size fits all overall "best". Different professionals & different schools will work well for different people.

 

This is a dangerous Q to ask armatures on the internet. We don't have the expertise to help you.

[spiderowl]

Why can’t you see someone one on one?

 

It is possible but you have to pay and then there is the question of type of therapist and their training. It is very expensive to see someone privately.

[spiderowl]

Sure thing. A few ideas:

 

1. Joe Dispenza's work

2. Landmark

3. I do know a badass brain health coach/hypnotherapist who has had very impressive results. PM if you want her contact info.

 

Thanks, I shall have a look at his work.

 

I think I might be too far away for your health coach but thanks!

[spiderowl]

It's about finding the most effective therapist & modality for you as an individual. There is no one size fits all overall "best". Different professionals & different schools will work well for different people.

 

This is a dangerous Q to ask armatures on the internet. We don't have the expertise to help you.

 

Thanks d0nnivain, I am keeping an open mind to see what is suggested. Cost is a factor. CBT seems to be the dominant therapy here because it is 'evidence based'.

[alphamale]

well spiderowl, if you gave me a choice between talk therapy or medications I would take the latter any day of the week.

 

now we all know that in reality both would be ideal,

[d0nnivain]

Spider owl

 

Your health is nothing to fool around with. I understand that individual psychotherapy sessions are expensive but your health is worth it. Try a few . . . maybe 6 or so to see where that gets you. At least let a competent trained professional give you better guidance on what will work for you. I went through several therapists before I found ones that worked for me & even then the process required refinement over the years. I had one guy who believed in Gestalt therapy which I thought was a crock. I didn't stay his patient for a long time

 

Unlike alphamale, if you give me the choice between happy pills that deaden the nerve endings in your brain (because that is what they do) or talk therapy, I'll lie on a couch every day of the week. I had some bad experiences with the meds & was later given a sophisticated expensive test that proves most of them are no good for me but I am a Special Snowflake.

 

My point remains that you need to at least speak to a doctor before making these decisions. If you thought you had cancer or if you had a broken leg, would you be quibbling about costs so much?

[alphamale]

Unlike alphamale, if you give me the choice between happy pills that deaden the nerve endings in your brain (because that is what they do) or talk therapy, I'll lie on a couch every day of the week.

 

i'm bipolar d0nnivain

[d0nnivain]

i'm bipolar d0nnivain

 

Then the meds stabilize the fringes of your swings, which is a good thing.

 

I'm only depressed & the pills are contraindicated for me according to another test I forced the medical community to give me.

 

Spiderowl -- the above proves my point though. Different strokes . . . There is no one size fits all for mental health. You have to work with a qualified professional to determine the personalized treatment plan that works uniquely for you.

[alphamale]

some people need meds, some ppl need talk therapy, some need both

[LuckyM]

I cannot think of any and I have a background in this. Anti depressants are best. Therapists obviously do not have your life experiences, and may not understand you at all.

 

Online, no one can tell you.

[Ellener]

I believe in holistic health first and foremost, and diet and exercise are the easiest things to self-learn about and apply whatever stage you're at.

 

I had winter depression for years in the UK, now I live in a sunnier warmer place I don't. I used a/ds some years, had a good gp doctor then who helped me decide when I needed medical help or not.

 

The counsellor I have now is as much a life coach as a therapist, I was well for many years then developed severe anxiety after a natural disaster. The psychiatrist used meds ( beta blockers ) to treat panic attacks physical symptoms and helped me very much initially but I didn't find him very useful later at the moving-on stage so I hired the other guy, who was an intern at a local practice and significantly cheaper. But more recently educated and more in line with my own ideas. I'm over the trauma now and plan to see him about every six months since he's settled in the town I plan to live long-term, I'll do that as a part of my support system!

 

My support system is a few close friends, a book club, and numerous acquaintances who have shared their own experiences and we provide a listening ear for each other.

 

I'm in the US so tend to pay cash for most medical services, have found health insurance to be too stressful and difficult to deal with, I buy that more for last resort major physical illnesses and accidents.

 

Good luck with finding what works for you.

[spiderowl]

Thank you all for your suggestions and experiences.

 

I'm not quibbling about the cost of someone private - just cannot afford it unless it is going to make a real difference.

 

I have taken antidepressants for a long time, largely for pain but also because they reduce the constant stress I feel at life.

 

I'd rather stop taking them but then the physical pain would resurface so I'm stuck.

 

I feel I need to find someone with insight and that seems so hard to fine. CBT seems very formulaic and impersonal.

[preraph]

I'm seeing online that CBT is still recommended as the best treatment for PTSD. PTSD comes with depression, so you also have that to treat. There is no sure cure for PTSD. It takes time, and as someone who had noncombat PTSD and did get over it after 9 years, my best suggestion is get in therapy, treat the depression and do talk therapy, CBT, but find someone who doesn't just sit there like a lump and take your money while you ramble. Maybe vet some and say you want an active participant.

 

Meanwhile, do everything you can to continue living your life and concentrate on finding time to do enjoyable active things, even when you don't want to. In my nonprofessional opinion, PTSD is a rut your brain gets in from too much repetition and I feel it takes positive memories and new experiences to overwrite that junk. I got lucky and reading my diary did it for me. Maybe you might even try writing your life history. It worked for me because I remembered who I was and how much strength I had and just put me back in touch with my core, basically. But after that, I still concentrated on making new memories, traveling, trying to make new friends, watching funny stuff, etc. Joy. Blowing out the cobwebs, because that is what mine seemed like.

 

There is online therapy now. I see no reason not to try it. Dr. Phil has a site he endorses. That way you could try some until you find one who you feel comfortable with.

 

And it's important with any type of stress to get it out of your body with aerobic exercise and relaxing stretches before and after so you don't make yourself sick.