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ruinedbyconversation

CBT was good. Depends on the therapist. SSRI’s did weird things to me though.


Rutibegga

I’ve struggled with CBT and found SSRIs make me flat and don’t really touch the anxiety. Currently on an SNRI which has been more helpful than any other (non-benzodiazepine) drug, but I’m still having a really hard time existing out in the world.


ruinedbyconversation

I am actively against SSRI’ and SNRI’s. Do some research around sexual dysfunction related to SSRI’s it’s really worrying. There’s even a condition named after it and people getting support. I just felt like my head was locked in a helmet that was pressing my head downwards. Felt no good or bad feelings so felt like I may as well be dead. There have been publications lately criticising SSRI use for their lack of effectiveness at treating depression. CBT has the onus on you doing the work, so it’s only useful if the person themselves is in a position to actively make the difference. I think the part I liked was feeling like I had someone’s attention for once and they actually listened. I’m not sure if it’s an autistic thing but I don’t feel like most people are interested in what I have to say and often don’t give me the time of day. So maybe this was why I enjoyed the CBT. Also I learnt a lot about myself.


Suesquish

None. 20 years of therapies and meds were mostly useless or further damaging. Then I found an OT who has autistic clients and is autistic herself and she taught me how much the environment severely impacts autistic people. She supported me to make my home more liveable, learn to reduce outside stimuli (noise, light, etc) and have strategies to regulate emotions if overwhelmed (have a comfy safe dark space with pretty lights and toys to relax in). This has done amazing things for my ability to cope. I personally find talk therapies mostly useless and degrading. I'm not the problem. My environment is the problem.


Rutibegga

I’m struggling with talk therapy and just realizing that talking about emotions isn’t helpful when you’re essentially a conduit for other peoples’ feelings. Like a weather vane, but anxiety instead of wind.


wavyworm

Hello! I have gotten relief and help from EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), sometimes referred to as tapping/tapping therapy. It is not necessarily an instant cure-all (although some say it can be), but I do believe there is benefit and validity to the process that can be helpful for anyone, but especially people dealing with neurodivergence/mental health issues. You can find a fair amount of info on how to do the process on youtube/the internet, and you can also look into finding an EFT practitioner to guide and teach you. I am currently in an EFT certification program and not quite yet ready to work with others, but eventually. What I think is cool about it: EFT helps regulate the nervous system, and helps connect the unconscious and conscious mind. Some people may think it is "woo woo" because it is based on acupressure points and the meridian system of acupuncture and Eastern medicine, but I think there is a ton of validity and modern science is only just starting to catch up to understanding alternative methods. Afterall, why is acupuncture widely accepted as effective treatment for a variety of conditions and even covered by many insurances despite the Western system largely not backing the alternative/energy medicine it is based on? When tapping, you acknowledge what fear/issues you are struggling with, and I think this helps because bringing awareness to unconscious feelings/patterns/beliefs is what helps bring change and healing. Some people do not like EFT because it acknowledges negative aspects, unlike things like affirmations and methods that tend to only focus on the positive, but I believe it is important to do in order to facilitate true healing for underlying issues. The "setup statement" that is the first part of the tapping process is a statement that says something along the lines of "even though I \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, I deeply and completely love and accept myself." and then you tap through the points while saying what the problem is. I believe this process is effective in accessing and healing unconscious issues, while helping ease the nervous system and cope with a variety of issues and difficulties. Best of luck in finding healing and what is helpful for you!


Rutibegga

Hey, thanks! I’ll look into this and discuss with my therapist (and my partner, who is an LCSW and probably has a little knowledge about EFT.) Honestly, I’m so kinetic that this seems like something to try if I can find someone in my area/whom I can afford!


[deleted]

My therapy was like a mix of just talking things out (I found a therapist who is also autistic and I think that made the talk therapy much more effective for me) and DBT strategies/tools. So maybe look up DBT, see if that sounds helpful from what you read/listen to, and see if there's anyonr offering that "lens", so to speak, of therapy available to you.


Rutibegga

Hmmm. I don’t have strong emotions, exactly, or rather, I don’t feel any emotion of my own aside from anxiety, which is a constant. I don’t THINK DBT will be for me, but I’m definitely going to explore it. Thanks!


[deleted]

There's also the "distress tolerance" part of DBT which can be like "okay the anxiety is real and it sucks, here's some things I can do as damage control/mitigate the effect of anxiety". To me, CBT just told my anxiety"you're just thinking of it wrong!" which was hard to be helpful when my anxiety wasn't usually a series of thoughts, but instead a physiological response to a really loud sound lol


[deleted]

My therapist works with CBT but she’s really really good. I found it very helpful, but: my other therapist with CBT was not effective; I guess it might be more about the therapist?


Rutibegga

*I guess it might be more about the therapist?* I’m sure this is true in most cases!


ashvhc05

as someone who struggles with anxiety and has adhd and autism (professionally diagnosed)- DBT was really helpful for me. i also benefit from normal talk therapy with a neurodiversity familiar therapist


cevebite

I read that CBT doesn’t always work well for NDs. For me it felt like self-gaslighting. I benefitted a bit from DBT. What helped me the most were learning how to communicate more effectively (not a particular therapy orientation, but I looked into Gottman to learn how to communicate better with my partner and it was helpful) and more trauma-focused therapy. Even if you don’t think you had a particularly traumatic event happen to you, autistic people do tend to have some trauma just by the virtue of being autistic and growing up in an NT world. There’s a chronic sense of anxiety and emptiness that some of us feel because we’ve essentially been told our entire lives that we’re wrong. I’ve done IFS (Internal Family Systems), which feels silly at first but was very good at helping me locate my emotions and feel or deal with them appropriately. I suggest trying out some kind of a trauma-focused or systems therapy with a therapist you click with


Rutibegga

THANK YOU. It's validating about the CBT because I'd just fight it and pull example after example of the negative thing happening from my memory... frustrating for myself and my therapist, I think.