Can Cognitive Behavioural Therapy be self taught - if so any recommendations?

by Andy
(United Kingdom)

Hi, recently I seen a incident where someone injured themselves. It was a head injury and there was blood and the injured persons breathing was out of sync. This caused me to have my panic attack which wasn't nice. Since then I have made a bit of a recovery in the process. I still go out with my friends and go to work but I still have short moments where I have to calm my nerves but nothing too serious. The thing that is bothering me is I've become very aware of my breathing patterns and have thoughts that I have something wrong with me. I understand that this is the anxiety making me have these thoughts. I am on a waiting list for CBT but I go traveling for a year in January and I will only get one or two sessions in at the most. I am really looking forward to going away but obviously I don't want to bring any fears with me that may hinder my experience. I was wondering if you knew anyways I can self teach myself CBT as I will have a lot of time on my hands and will improve my well being in a positive way, Thank you!

Ben's Answer:

Two important things. First, yes you can learn many CBT skills on your own. One classic CBT book is called Feeling Good. It has lots of useful writing exercises for examining your thoughts and learning to cope.

Secondly, I would highly recommend that you try EFT (Tapping) to resolve this trauma. Witnessing another person's traumatic injury can definitely be traumatic for the observer. EFT is extremely effective for letting go of a traumatic event completely. It works best with an EFT practitioner guiding you, to do it in the most effective way - but you can also learn to use it on your own. The kind of trauma you've described is mostly likely one that could be resolved rather quickly. EFT is a cognitive technique combined with somatic and energetic approaches to neutralize the emotional intensity and diminish the vividness of a traumatic memory. EFT is also very useful for a wide variety of issues, including anxiety.

Best Wishes,
Ben