“CBT is a scam. You are wasting your time and money. It doesn’t work”

 

People who undertake CBT are being misled because the short-term fix offered by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy does not have a lasting benefit says Oliver James.

That's the view of Oliver James talking about how the long term effects of having Cognitive Behavioural therapy otherwise known as CBT are not looking good.

Oliver James is a chartered psychologist, author and broadcaster who also appears in the media talking about talking therapies and his warning comes on the back of news that more people are getting involved in CBT as the NHS allocate greater funds to help with mental health issues.

Statistically CBT is the most popular of the talking therapies, CBT aims to help people manage their problems by changing the way they think and behave to become more positive in their lives.

 As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I have to admit that I do see many clients who have taken a course of CBT but found that it did not give them the results that they wanted. Hypnotherapy is a brief therapy which teaches you ways to learn to let go of stress and take time for yourself and in my experience clients feel that they can get the results they want from working with me that they did not get from CBT. This isn’t to say that CBT isn’t right for some people but on many levels what Oliver James is talking about is echoed by many hypnotherapy practitioners that I know as well. One commented that they had seen a client who had 16 years of CBT just yesterday.

Often CBT is recommended by GPs for people with problems ranging from anxiety and depression to eating disorders.

 

The statistics on CBT

In the short-term, 40 per cent of those who complete a course of CBT, typically five to 20 sessions of up to an hour, are said to have recovered.

But ‘extensive evidence’ shows that two years on, depressed or anxious people who had CBT were no more likely to have recovered than those who had no treatment, said Mr James in a report which featured  in the Daily Mail.

Olive James was speaking at the Limbus Critical Psychotherapy Conference in Devon.

He said: ‘As a treatment, rafts of studies have shown it to be ineffective in delivering long-term therapeutic benefits to patients with anxiety and depression. While studies show that in the short-term - six to 12 months - patients who have received CBT are more likely to report themselves as ‘recovered’ compared to those who have received no treatment, these results are not sustained in the long-term.

‘CBT is largely ineffective for the majority of patients. It is in essence a form of mental hygiene.

‘However filthy the kitchen floor of your mind, CBT soon covers it with a thin veneer of ‘positive polish’.

 ‘Unfortunately, shiny services tend not to last. CBT fails to address the root cause of many people’s problems, which often stem from traumatic experiences during their childhood.

 

£400 Million from the NHS to help fund therapy

 

Up to £400 million has been allocated by the NHS on treatment programmes which mostly use CBT and it is recommended as frontline NHS treatment for many mental health issues. As a hypnotherapist I lecture medical students in the benefits of Hypnotherapy for a long term solution. Part of the work that I do is in helping people to understand that they can take back that control in the future as well rather than relapse and need further sessions of hypnosis.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE RELAXATION MP3

 

How does CBT work?

 

You can read all about the difference between CBT, Counselling and Hypnotherapy here:

http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/cbtandcounsellingvshypnotherapy.html

 

The placebo effect

Research expressed by Oliver James in fact shows that the application of CBT is no more effective than placebo in treating anxiety or depression.Speaking further about why he objects to the use of CBT for patients in the NHS Oliver James explains that politicians find the thought of using it appealing because of the cost issues:

       “ CBT appeals to politicians and NICE because it is quick and cheap.”

But, he added: ‘Working as a psychotherapist, I rarely encounter patients who haven’t been subjected to CBT, which failed to help them.’

You can find out more about hypnotherapy and how it can help you here:

http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/

 

Do take time to make sure that you ask for help and that you choose the best therapy for you..

Read all about the difference between CBT, Counselling and Hypnotherapy here:

http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/cbtandcounsellingvshypnotherapy.html

 Update on 29th November:

There has been a lot of discussion about this and I thought you may be interested to hear some of the views about how well CBT works in the long term that have been posted as comments:

Lora: But I do agree that the longer term care is probably better for behavioral improvement over the long term and could be a whole lot more beneficial than something that simply promises a quick fix.

James: I tend to think it might work for a few things but there is a few that it just will not work..

Mary: I am a therapist and I totally agree with Mr James CBT, does not have long term effect, it is like putting a plaster over a sing wound, eventually you have to address what is causing the issue. I have many clients who have been through the revolving door of CBT and each time they hit a new crisis, their chaos resumes.

Sue: Funny you should say that. Had it before, years ago a course of 6 weeks and then you're on your own. Due to have it again!

Martin: As a qualified clinical hypnotherapist I would argue that hypnotherapy is faster and achieves better and longer lasting results than CBT. I have used CBT techniques within therapy and have been underwhelmed with the results. Think again NICE and NHS

Graham: As a clinical hypnotherapist I am continually getting clients who have undergone CBT with the NHS and it has had no lasting effect. Worst case was a woman who had undergone CBT on and off over 16 years until they washed their hands of her. By dealing with the root cause I resolved the issue in one session and she has been free of the problem for over two years. I agree with the comment about dealing with the root cause but not with the number of potential sessions it would require.

Speaking to other hypnotherapists who have worked with clients who already underwent CBT is seems that I am not the only hypnotherapy practitioner who sees many clients who have been failed by CBT in the long term. Perhaps the solution is for the NHS to be looking at longer term work where rather than being discharged at the end of the course its patients are given meetings in the future for further therapy. You may call it a top-up because I do see clients who saw me months or years ago who want to come back just for a chat and to recharge themselves. Mental health is something that you need to work on. It isn't magic taking care of your thoughts but it does need some work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is tapping? How does tapping work and what happens to you when you do tapping?

You may not even know what tapping is or you may know it by its official name Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT.

But what is EFT and how does tapping on parts of your body make a difference to you?

Singer Michael Ball has spoken all about it and demonstrated how it helped him to overcome panic attacks on BBC Breakfast. You can watch a clip of him showing Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin how it works HERE.

He learnt it from the Boyzone singer, Stephen Gately, who used it to calm his own performance nerves. PGA golfers have been spotted doing it around the golf course to help them improve their swing. Lily Allen has explained that she used it as part of her weight loss plan. Dutch pole-vaulter Rens Blom spoke openly about how his unexpected 2005 World Championship Gold medal was all down to the tapping that he did. You can find so many instances talking about its success helping with phobias, addictions and anxiety.

But what is Tapping?

It was discovered by Gary Craig who published a Tapping and EFT handbook explaining what he has discovered about it. It is a technique similar to acupressure and involves tapping on certain pressure points around the face and on the body and hands. What is remarkable about the technique is that you really can tap away stress and anxiety. Many researchers are looking into the efficacy of tapping and there are many clinical studies on EFT already published that show how well it works.

What can I use EFT for?

EFT can be used for many different things. As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I use it as part of my therapy with clients alongside helping to teach people ways to relax, switch off and let go of the past. I find that it has amazing success on so many different things. I use it more than any other intervention when I help people with fears and phobias. I have used it for fear of spiders, heights, driving, sickness and many other fears and phobias. In fact there was a very strange side effect for myself when I appear to have lots one of my own fears accidently..

I lost my Fear of Heights by Tapping and I wasn't even trying...

I have worked with many clients who have a fear of heights and it was the one fear that I still had a little of myself. You may ask why I didn't ever do anything about it? Strange as it sounds I quite liked the idea that I had a little fear. I didn't really go anywhere high and I don't have a fear of spiders, or driving on motorways or anything else so in many ways it just didn't come up. Then some time last year I found myself at a park with my son and on one of those high wire experiences. I wanted to act brave so that he didn't get scared and then when we were up there I realised that I just didn't have that odd feeling in my stomach when I looked down any more. I just felt fine and I loved the experience! So, without even trying, a side effect of talking other people through how to tap to end a fear of heights...I had lost my own!  That's how well it works.

Tapping In Redditch with me or Tapping Via Skype

One of the real benefits of teaching EFT to people is that you don't even have to be with me in person. This means that although I spend a great deal of time with clients in my hypnotherapy practice in Redditch doing tapping with them in person I also work via Skype and can teach tapping on skype just as easily and it works just as well.

Watch a BBC News report on Tapping and EFT Medical Study...

If you would like to find out more or ask me any questions feel free to drop me an email on [email protected] or call me on 07980 233160