CBT: Can it make you feel worse?

Hi there

I have recently (2 weeks ago) started high intensity CBT for health anxiety. I have struggled with HA for around 18 years.

I am trying really hard to rationalise my thoughts and work through them. This has initially worked. The primary area I worried about (a boob) I have made peace with and I have realised its normal.

However, over the last week I have become obsessed with the lymph nodes surrounding the area I was worried about. I check hundreds of times a day and sometimes feel things, sometimes I don't. Then I get back into the usual cycle of check, google, panic, repeat. The lymph node area is much easier to check and I don't need to go hiding away to poke and prod like I would when I was fixated on a boob. It's driving me a bit mad.

I guess my question is, can CBT make you feel worse or make you focus your attention elsewhere?

CBT is not for everyone. My thoughts are - it works on the "thinking" part of the brain... if you are a feeling type person, I am guessing, it may not work as well. It's hard to shift a feeling with a thinking is my gut feeling on this as far as I am concerned, this type of therapy never resonated for me. There are other types of therapy which may be more helpful to you, acceptance and commitment therapy sounds like it could be more beneficial - art therapy - homeopathy - chinese traditional medicine or acupuncture or even reiki. It all depends on the type of person you are and what type of support you respond to.

that's a really interesting perspective. from personality tests at work i am a feelings person. perhaps you are right.

Its very helpful to know you are a feeling type. I definitely would try and find other types of support which feel better for you. Another suggestion I have for you which helps calm me are healing frequency sounds. 528 frequency is thought to help with emotional as well as physical upsets:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2S_nbvz1t0

Person centred therapy and humanistic therapies are also suited to feeler types. Best of luck.