Mental health
fromPsychology Today
1 week agoA New Model for Treating Trauma
Present-focused TEAM CBT can rapidly change emotions and resolve longstanding complex trauma, sometimes completing an entire course of therapy in a single session.
One of my earliest cognitive therapy patients asked if we'd spend time exploring his past. He thought we might find patterns that would explain his depression. I was taken aback. I had just discovered a set of powerful, active techniques that helped people change how they felt in the here-and-now. As a psychiatric resident, I had seen that endless venting without specific techniques for change led to little or no relief.
I used to think it was a con, too. During my psychiatric residency, therapy was defined by patience and silence. I was taught to listen quietly, encourage patients to vent, and maybe prescribe an antidepressant. We didn't set measurable goals, and we certainly didn't expect recovery anytime soon. Progress was supposed to take months, or years. And it did! But now that I've been in practice with TEAM CBT for many decades, my experience is the opposite.