CBT- See.Judge.Act.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is so similar to YCW's method, See, Judge, Act. And both have been a huge part of my life. And it was only when writing the post below for a mental health forum that I realised that I had come to understand CBT not long after I started in the YCW. I truly believe the Lord does work in some amazingly mysterious ways.

The Beauty of CBT

What is your experience of CBT?

I was diagnosed with depression when I was 13. It took CBT a while to work. I think this was due to my immaturity - I was not working hard at CBT because I believed the medication they had put me on would solve the problem and I made little effort to let the medication take any effect, drinking myself stupid on a regular basis. 

However, when I finally grew up, I saw the beauty of CBT. The concept, in hindsight, seems so simple. It is basically taking time to see what your thoughts are, how they got there, how they are affecting you and how you can change them.It was challenging at times. I remember sometimes leaving my sessions frustrated that I wasn't getting it. 5 years seemed like a long time seeing my therapist on a weekly basis. However, I truly believe that there is no reason for CBT to take five years. If you are open minded and prepared to work a little bit, it will work wonders. 

Just as I was discovering the beauty of CBT and watching it transform my understanding of my depression and how my mind worked, my best friend was seeing a psychologist for depression also. He tried to do CBT with her, but she hated it, said it was useless and a hopeless concept that didn't work. This opened my eyes to two fundamental beliefs- 1. that everyone is affected by depression differently and everyone's depression is different, therefore every patient requires a personal treatment plan that is relevant for them and 2. that CBT doesn't work for everyone!

Recently, I have had a bad episode of depression. However, unlike my many episodes in the past 7 years since my diagnosis, this one has been very different. I have experienced depression in a new way. This has meant my treatment has had to be different. CBT was not the best approach as I was not experiencing negative thoughts or processes, I wasn't thinking, feeling or doing much at all. So the  CBT process was almost irrelevant. So when my GP referred me to this website and another CBT focused self help site, I was reluctant that either would help. 

However, I have been amazed by how much I have still got out of the CBT concepts, values and beliefs, even if the fundamental five areas exercise is not one that is specifically going to help me much, exploring the modules on this site has allowed me to organise my thought and feelings and assess where I am up to in my illness. Therefore, although CBT may not be for everyone at all times, I stand by it being a fundamentally effective approach to tackling depression, and one that all should try with an open mind as even if they only take snippets of information, the snippets are likely to be useful.

What is your experience of CBT?

SEE

CBT encourages people to stop and think - 

1. What was the thought?                                                                                

2. Context of the thought (event)                                                                  

3. How did I feel?                                                                                           

4. How did I react?  

This first part of CBT, which YCW would call the SEE, is getting to grips with the full reality of what happened, taking into account what was fact and what may have been based on emotion. 

JUDGE

CBT then encourages people to think about how the situation made them feel and how it affected them and others involved. 

ACT

In CBT, the final stage is to transform the thoughts into positives, so that the feelings and ACTions become positives also.

This is just a small thing I've noticed that has made me think, made me smile and see two concepts I have a good understanding of, from yet another angle. 

                                                                                                                                                                                

If you're afraid to ask for help, these self-help sites may suit you best

I have recently had a bad episode of depression. On initially being assessed by my GP, he recommended the two websites below as possible ways of helping me. They are both fantastic online resources for people experiencing mental health issues, and are completely free. Both focus on the CBT approach, which I think is highly affective as it did a lot for me. However, it does not suit everyone and even for me, this time around, it was not the best form of help. Even so, I managed to get something out of these websites and are definitely worth exploring.

The first is called moodjuice - http://www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk/
The second is called Living life to the full - http://www.llttf.com/ - there is no catch is signing up, it is completely free. They simply ask for a bit of information about you so that they can recommend what may be most effective in helping you

Don't forget the many who are there to help

 A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spiderweb of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.

Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

another well written blog giving a different perspective on depression

 When I began fundraising last year one of my aims was to not only raise funds for Mind but to help break the stigma that still surrounds mental health and to be able to encourage people to talk about it openly by doing the same myself.

However I have held off writing about my experiences on my blog as although my depression is part of my life I do not want it to define who I am.

I was worried that once people knew about it that would be all they would see.  Whenever I did try to write about my experiences it felt as though I just felt sorry for myself, I couldn’t put into words what I wanted to say.

And that’s the problem with depression, how do you describe it to someone who has never experienced it?  How do you explain to the people who tell you to: "Snap out of it", or "Just look on the bright side", that it is not that simple?

I have heard people describe what living with depression is like in many different ways in the last decade since I first began suffering from it.

Two descriptions always stick in my mind, first being that it’s like going through life with an extra 20lb sack to heave around with you, it makes everything harder and leaves you constantly exhausted.  The second is that it’s like having a dark companion always by your side.

I feel like my dark companion is constantly trying to drag me down into a negative way of thinking.  Sometimes, thanks to a combination of great friends, supportive family and a shed load of therapy, I am able to turn my back on my dark companion and step out from its shadow for a while.  Other times all the support in the world isn’t enough and my dark companion drags me under.

The power of the mind is an amazing yet scary thing and the way it can make me hate and turn against myself for no reason is something I wonder if I will ever escape from.  It frightens me to think that I could try all the medications and therapy I am offered yet still suffer from chronic bouts of depression for the rest of my life.

My dark companion may always be with me but I refuse to let it define who I am.  I hope that now other people know about it they will not define me by it either and will just see me and accept me as the person I am, with all my ups and downs.

YCW - Young Christian Workers

I truly believe that YCW is the best form of youth ministry in the world. It's method, though so simple, is effective  in so many ways. Through the method alone, young people are transformed and become leaders, leaders who are confident, take responsibility, are attentive and engaged in society and the church. Through the method alone, young people become engaged in their faith, seeing how it is linked to their reality, bringing them closer to their God, coming to know their true worth, value and dignity as young people. Through the method alone, young people transform their realities and the lives of their peers. The action may be so small that it would seem meaningless to some, but to that young person it could mean everything. The action may reach hundreds of young people and transform society. The method is that effective.

Yes I am bias, I work for the movement, I'm on the national executive committee but I say it because I truly believe it. 6 years ago I joined the YCW and it has transformed me and my life. My faith is stronger and is now active, I have become active, I am more aware of the world around me and I am passionate about making a difference. I have also developed this great passion for youth work, I truly believe young people are so valuable and can be the difference in the world. YCW has taken a hold of my heart, literally. I do not now see a life without YCW. And I'm so lucky to have my YCW family, some of whom are now my best friends. I love the young people I work with and I have loved growing with them.

The movement has given so much to me and I will continue to give as much as I can to it for as long as I can.

For more information check out www.ycwimpact.com
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