CBT making me feel worse...

[ScarlettDarling]

I've suffered from anxiety for a long time, and this time last year started taking 50mg sertraline which really helps and I've been feeling ok. However, I don't want to stay on the meds forever so a couple of weeks ago I started CBT and honestly, I feel so much worse! I've only had 2 sessions but I seem to have regressed so much and feel in a permanently anxious state. I've got the tight chest, breathlessness and am constantly worrying about how much I'm worrying. The therapist said that this isn't unusual and that its often paying a lot of attention to your worries, (keeping a 'worry diary' etc,) at the beginning of therapy that brings it to the forefront of your mind and makes you worse before it makes you better. This does make sense but-typical anxiety sufferer here!- I can't help worrying that I'm regressing and getting worse again. Has anyone got any experiences of CBT which might help to reassure me that it will help and that this feeling worse is a temporary measure'?

[windchimes23]

I think it can make you feel worse before you feel better. It makes you address what you have been suppressing, and a good therapist will be able to help. You do need a rapport with the person treating you though.

I am a right screw up and didn't really want help so I didn't use it successfully. DH on the other hand had 8 sessions and she managed to help him with several coping strategies which at first made him deal with the scary stuff by admitting it (and he was worse). Then she helped him to work out how to cope and built a set of strategies with him. That was several years ago and he still refers to her as a godsend.

If you are working well with the therapist keep going, good ones will bring out the bad stuff first (they need to find out what is bothering you) to help you deal with it and teach you how to see better ways of managing negative feelings.

It is hard to bring up those feelings at first. Most of us using CBT have used other unsuccessful coping strategies that have led us to this point. Keep on trying, give it four sessions and see how you feel x

[ScarlettDarling]

Thanks so much for that. Im definitely going to continue with it, am desperate for something to work and you're right, all the 'coping strategies' which I've tried over the years haven't worked at all and have only resulted in this worrying becoming an ingrained habit. Thanks for your help x

[Balonz]

I have just had my third session and actually feel that it could work for me. After week one I felt awful, thought it won't work and had terribly stressy headaches. During session two my therapist said something to me that seemed to click but afterwards I felt worse than normal. Then this week I was given my homework and seem to be doing things I didn't think was capable of. Although I'm feeling anxious because I only have three sessions left.
I really hope it helps you Scarlett.

[ScarlettDarling]

Thank you Balonz , that's really reassuring. Xx

[windchimes23]

I do hope it works for you, thanks for coming back and responding. I can honestly say that my DH got so much out of it I was amazed. He was unable to get on the tube as he had a panic attack if it stopped in a tunnel. She really did get through to him and sorted him out, I do have a lot of respect for good CBT therapists, they seem to be able to bring out the bad stuff and make it manageable (not like a fix, but making it acceptable and no longer frightening). Let us know how you get on over the next couple of sessions x

[susiedaisy]

Hi op just to put you in the picture. I am havin low intensity CBT at the moment and have had counselling before that. I started on 50mg of sertraline but have crept up to 150mg over the last 18 months.
What I would say is that yes you often feel worse before you feel better.
The theory is that you find the dose of anti depressants that suit you so that you feel improved enough that you can take on board and use the the Cbt treatments they in turn make you feel better still and then in time you can start to slowly reduce the meds

People will always tell you that you won't feel like this forever and it's true but what they don't say is that for some people depression and anxiety can take a while to get over. I don't say that to be negative but to say give yourself time to heal, depression doesn't appear overnight and it takes time to recover from it.

[ScarlettDarling]

Thanks Susie and itisntreallyreal for your supportive messages, I feel really touched that you've taken the time to help. The cbt therapist has said we're going to focus on my 'intolerance of uncertainty'. She thinks my health anxiety and general anxiety could really be improved if I had greater tolerance of uncertainty. So that's what we're going to work on. Im quite reluctant to up the
sertraline dose as I've been pretty ok on the 50mg, apart from blips

[ScarlettDarling]

Oops...posted too soon.
Am reluctant to up the dose as I've felt mostly ok on the 50mg, but at the min I feel constantly on edge, breathless, mind racing and so anxious all the time. Get so fed up of being like this, isn't it exhausting?!
Thanks again ladies, really appreciate your supportive messages Xx

[ScarlettDarling]

Just to update...had 4 sessions now and still feeling terribly anxious and down, Im beginning to wish Id never started the cbt as I was doing fine!! Really don't know what to do, am going to persevere with the therapy, but Im feeling like I may need to up my medication which Im reluctant to do. So fed up, just when I felt like I was getting somewhere Im back ti square one

[windchimes23]

Hey, sorry you are still feeling so low. Perhaps this isn't the right person for you? I don't have any answers, stick with it for a while and it might get better. There is no shame in upping your meds for a while, if your anxiety is getting worse speak to your GP, assuming they are understanding they will do their best for you.

And god yes, it's exhausting. Sometimes I bore myself. Keep trying x

[ScarlettDarling]

Thanks ItIsntReallyReal , thanks for replying. Yes, I'm going to stick with the CBT and when I see the GP for my meds in a couple of weeks, I will talk about upping the dose. Just not looking forward to the side effects again, my tummy has never been right since I started taking them! Don't know why I'm feeling like this. I'm going through the motions, putting on my happy face, doing everything that needs to be done, but inside all I can think about is how down/ scared/ anxious I feel. If only I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel, I would feel so much better...but at the minute I'm just terrified Ill always feel like this.

[windchimes23]

Thanks for coming back, I know what you mean about stomach. Whenever they mess with my meds I spend the next week within 30 seconds from the nearest bathroom. It's gross, sorry to be graphic.

Keep on with the CBT for now, you may make a breakthrough x