Share review of Wokingham Community Hospital

Wokingham Community Hospital 2024-05-22 Person 2 5 0

The "therapy" actually made me feel worse about myself. Part of my issue was tiredness, insomnia and not able to "turn off" at night, this affected my memory and sometimes I would mis-remember appointment times, and as a consequence of my symptoms making me late for an online meeting, I risked losing the therapy. Sessions WERE cancelled because my job had over-ran and I hadn't realised, because I was fatigued. So, the WORSE your symptoms are, the MORE likely it is you will get treatment denied. How about THAT as reinforced negative feedback? On top of that, I was told that they wouldn't be able to treat my insomnia UNTIL AFTER I had managed to control the behaviour that was directly contributing to... my insomnia. By which time, of course, I wouldn't need treatment. Is this how CBT works? Really? You make people feel inadequate, and don't address their issues until the patient has worked out how to do it for themselves? I'd go so far as to say that this attitude, and methodology is harmful to the mental health of vulnerable people.

A complete reappraisal of methods, and sanctions. A recognition that people suffering from issues affecting self worth, and memory, as well as time perception and priorities are exactly the kind of people who need support, not threats to remove it. I'm quite analytical, and I was also careful NOT to research how CBT works, because I did not want to be one of those patients who has read a bit, thought they knew what to expect, and then was critical of the therapist. I STILL haven't researched CBT, I put myself in your hands, blindly, if you will. So, I can't decide whether what I received WAS CBT (in which case, I can only say that it is NOT suitable for treatment of trauma induced symptoms and habits), OR it was administered in such an awful way, that it, from my personal experience, brought the whole concept of CBT into total disrepute. It lacked any understanding of what patients are going through, how they struggle to balance life, work, health etc, and only focused on the negative aspects, amplifying the daily failings people, even "healthy" people experience. I'm inclined to label CBT as a "Fashionable" treatment, one which might have helped a few, but ultimately appears to blame the patients for any failings. And that, in my opinion, disqualifies it from being a "treatment" at all.