Below is a list of different therapies.Sho... - Anxiety Support
Below is a list of different therapies.Should your doctor refer you as part of your treatment without you having to ask for it.
196 VotersPlease select all that apply:
All I am getting is meds and cbt. I have had cbt before..didnt work. Talking therapy via work did for short while but not long. Meditation not worked, as cant shut mind down. Told hypnosis and EMDR good, if anyone tried these any advice welcome.
I have heard hypnotherapy is very helpful but GPs can't refer you for it,you have to pay yourself.
Hi I have tried hypnotherapy, waste of £200. My solution was a mixture of CBT, medicine, distraction
techniques, facing the anxiety right on, talking to a friend, after about 4 years I feel 90% better. You see not one therapy will work, but a combination in a team on your side wil get you well again
Yes,I'm not surprised!I believe that different methods at once are the best solution
I have heard EMDR also is a good thing and am thinking about asking my therapist about it. She has already brought up CBT to me.
What is EMDR please?
Hi - I paid for myself to have a couple of sessions of hypnotherapy but found no lasting benefit from them - maybe I didn't give it long enough, but at £75 a session, I wasn't prepared to do too many sessions without feeling the benefit. However I have had CBT and I really clicked with my therapist and have found it wonderful. Perhaps CBT with someone else may be better? You could ask to change? Good luck 
I've heard EFT and access bars both work well for anxiety!
Unfortunately I am not familiar with these I will have to look them up.
What is eft
Emotinal freedom technique butterfly 77
I was told about that one the other day gemma , interesting one, but told its not for me .
I have had CBT a couple of times - it does depend on the therapist involved. The first time, I found I had a wonderful rapport with the therapist and actually cried when we said good-bye... The second lady was a lovely person, but not as experienced as the first, or perhaps the rapport was not there? DID YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU DO NOT "CLICK" WITH A THERAPIST, YOU CAN ASK FOR ANOTHER ONE ON THE NHS?
completely agree. My current therapist is great and has really understood me. Some others in the past haven't. The NHS know that a good rapport makes a difference to outcomes, as my therapist and I discussed it, so if anyone else is struggling along I agree they should go back and ask for a change.
Thanks Leveller for emphasising the fact that one can change a therapist, as I only discovered this when I rang the sec and said I did not like Ms X..and would not be coming for any further (or another!) session again.. To my amazement the sec said "Oh? Let's arrange somebody else for you.then?" ...I had to pick myself up from the floor!! And that is when I saw this warm, sensible and intuitive lovely lady who helped me enormously!! Isn't life fascinating!!
I have also voted for Mindfulness, although have not had it. But I am considering having this privately, as GP won't refer me again - saying that I have already had two lots of sessions?!!
I've just bought a book on mindfulness and am going to also try it when my current therapy ends. It is backed up by scientific evidence, as is CBT. x
It's the new "vogue" therapy - but hope it is more than just a passing phase... Glad to hear it is scientifically approved. Pse let us know how you get on! x
Other.
Your doctor shouldn't refer any treatment including meds until you have had a mental health assessment from mental health team.
My GP, although very good is not an expert in mental health.
I've had CBT twice & it did'nt help, I've had Access Bars run twice but it's something you need to do almost every month & therefore it's quite expensive. I prefer talking therapy along with medication as it seems to help me best.
Hi Kenny, I think you should not have to ask no, but I would need advice on which of the above to choose, if I was just starting with anxiety and had no idea of the above therapies available, how would I know which was the better and therefore which to opt for xx it's easy now to say cbt and edmr did not work for me x talking is the best I find as it also distracts but next I need to face the it xx
Dunno what this is: doctor wanted me to write down 3 positives of each day in a diary then my goals for the next day, wanted me to repeat to myself that life's to short enjoy your time with your babies and if that didn't work at the end of four weeks she'll put me on meds.
Anxiety management or mindfulness
Or other??
I had cbt with NHS no help at all but I think person had done the course & was poor or their was no rapport it was also done with a group which was very distracting, I did ask for more but the answer was no if it didn't work before, however I am sure it would help if the therapist was better but it seems private would be the only option.
EMDR had this & the therapist is good ...I just don't believe how following his hand with my eyes whilst I try to recall past situations will help, I don't have the faith as it were ;-0
So I voted for mindfulness being 1000 thoughts a second / born worrier & over thinker I am sure it would help a bit....I have a book I keep meaning to read but getting through each day is do difficult I have just not got the self motivation.
Dave
I got the CBT for dummies book. I also had some sessions with EMDR. I am now looking into TM. When the dam breaks it takes a lot of work to fix. My meds have proven more effective in controlling my anxiety than anything else... Talk therapy is great as well. steve
I had to give myself CBT and learn to cope..talking helos a little..meds made me worse
How do you get CBT on the NHS. In Ipswich you get referred and that's the last you ever hear.
I think the doctor should refer for an assessment with say an "assessor counsellor"who could decide if and whether which type of talking therapy/group whatever would help. It should be at least an hour long and may even take 2 or 3 sessions to decide what is appropriate for that person. Talking therapy can help most people i believe but sometimes you need the meds first. I think they can all help; main thing is that you trust your therapist and believe they are genuinely working in your best interests and also that you are given long enought to work with them. It is a big problem nowadays not being given enough sessions; so you have 6 or 10 and it isn't always enough. Allowing people to have a longer number of sessions may stop the "revolving door" situation where they were not ready to leave so are re-referred.
I have had hypnotherapy and think it helps but combined with other therapies too.
Not everything therapy works for different people but it would be good to at least try them. xx
I have recently tried hypnotherapy and was much calmer afterwards. The effect lasted about 3 weeks, but I only had one session, I am going back for one more, but I won't be able to afford more for a while, that is the snag with a good hypnotherapist. I had a few weeks of complete peace, it was wonderful. I so wish a course came under the NHS, it would separate the excellent from the charlatans & save money on medications.
my GP pretty much offered me tablets and I had to go through a list of suggestions (health check please? CBT please? ) I kind of thought it would have been nice if she'd suggested these rather than me having to make the suggestions to her. Sometimes you may be unaware or too unwell to ask for these yourself. Rant over
Hi leveller
I agree with so many comments on here yours included
I think if you have just started out with anxiety & your GP doesn't make you aware of what treatments are out there you could walk out with out a clue so they should discuss these options with you & of course then it would be your own personal choice which you feel would be the best for you
Over the years I was pushed this way & that way & nothing 100% worked & it has took me over 30 years to realize what might be the best treatment for me , but I had to push for it & I did say to myself I felt sorry for anyone in this position that had had no experience before as I could see how they can easily you can be fobbed of & you would not know any better unless you had been there before
Now I have had a little rant to , hope yours helped you 
Hope you are keeping well
xxx
Hello thanks for your reply. I've been suffering on and off over the years, but worst for the last 5 years or so. I've tried lots of things but the most recent CBT I've had (on the NHS) has been great at helping me understand my triggers. So for the minute (fingers crossed) I'm keeping well (despite some heavy personal stuff going on). Hope you are too xxx For anyone else at the start of their journey/realisation what the problem is, I just advise speak to as many people as possible, read all you can, use meds if they help you, avoid meds if they don't, keep going and pushing yourself in situations you find challenging to prove you can cope with them, (gently) push your GP if they're not giving you something you need. But most of all, hang in there because it always gets better. Eventually
Hi
I am pleased things are going well for you & hope it long continues
Take Care
xxx
I have been referred to a mindfulness group which my GP has referred me, after telling me about it and asking if I wanted to try it. Strangely, at the time I was reading a book about this treatment and it seemed interesting. I don't know if I would have asked about it, as here the NHS offers nothing much, my GP had been looking for something and could find nothing that wasn't a private therapy, but we were going to discuss this if I felt able to pay and wanted to go with it. So should a GP discuss therapies that they can't offer to frail patients? I think they have to use their knowledge of the patient. Its a hard question, to offer hope, but only at a price, but personally I think GP's should tell a patient what treatments are available and help people how they can find a reputable therapist.
CBt was great but u need talking therapys after because it brings out things
It was a while ago before mindfulness I was taught relaxation techniques This system was very much the same as the former
BOB
I have had some trouble working out the question. The line or words 'having to ask for it' appears to say the doctor doesn't bring it up himself or herself or refer automatically, or that these therapies are not mainstream.
Yes, I've been put on a waiting list and still no answer after 8 months
Therapy does work but unfortunately through the doctor you are allocated a certain number of sessions and if that doesnt work for you they do not offer any further help. There needs to be a better support system in place that needs to continue after the first lot of therapy has finished.
Your doctor should consider whichever therapy he/she thinks will be best for your based on their knowledge of you. However there should be follow-up on its effectiveness and other treatments should also be considered. My GP recommended counselling, which I paid for, and has not asked anything since, as if she had 'got rid of me' and that was the end of it. I don't feel inclined to ask for further help although I know I probably should.
Moderation team
