Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the reason why you don’t go to therapy
Toxic Positivity is the new trend in therapy and it sucks.
It’s an irony that when we talk about mental health, we express how important listening skills are, yet in therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) seems to do the exact opposite. Being in therapy with a CBT practitioner can be extremely frustrating and it can make you feel unheard. The reason why is because it focuses on “what you can control and do” instead of hearing you out and helping you process your trauma. It may be effective later on after you’ve figured out your problems, but that’s not the current practice.
I’m sitting in my living room with my assigned therapist staring at me through our zoom call. I can tell she’s frustrated with me because when she asks me, “Well, what can you do about your situation right now?” and I’m just staring back at her blankly.
Therapy isn’t what most people think it is so when they do go to therapy, they’re often disappointed, disenfranchised, and turned off. It’s not the compassionate ear you’re hoping to get. Instead, with this wave of CBT practice, it feels like forced positivity…which is quite toxic when you’re drowning in grief.
