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As someone who is been in psychotherapy and an arm-chair psychology enthusiast, not every kind of therapy will be effective for everyone. This also goes for psy

As someone who is been in psychotherapy and an arm-chair psychology enthusiast, not every kind of therapy will be effective for everyone. This also goes for psychiatric medications. CBT is often oversold as a cure for every kind of mental health issues. New meta-research has found that the effectiveness of CBT has been decreasing for quite some time and long-term effectiveness of CBT is arguable. Regarding effectiveness of AA, I think it makes sense. Lot of people with addiction suffer from childhood trauma, emtional neglect, and abandonment. In psychological term it is called attachment injury. A community where you are not shamed, validated, understood, and accepted would give corrective emotional experience, which would in turn heal your attachment trauma. I've heard this phrase somewhere: "what cures people in therapy is love". So it's not surprising that finding a community where you are accepted would help you treat your addiction.

luckylion 7y ago
> not every kind of therapy will be effective for everyone That's pretty problematic though, isn't it? At some point, you're dropping below placebos, not everything works for everyone, but should we still put weight on it? Homeopathy and intense praying works for some as well, but we don't say "I guess it's not effective for everyone". Psychotherapy (not the behavior therapy kind) gets a pass for some reason.
- pozdnyshev 7y ago
  Ultimately it's a matter of finding a provider of an evidence-based practice like CBT. CBT is shown to be effective for some DSM diagnoses, but there's a realistic question of whether they can be provided that care, as many insurance companies won't cover intensive CBT sessions, and you may not have a trained CBT professional in your community. Psychotherapy then may be a better option. Also, psychotherapy would likely be recommended over CBT for someone if their behavior is related to adverse childhood experiences or having trouble with housing/money(poor ppl). Of course its not total black/white as even some CBT practitioners can incorporate elements from psychotherapy.

luckylion 7y ago

> not every kind of therapy will be effective for everyone That's pretty problematic though, isn't it? At some point, you're dropping below placebos, not everything works for everyone, but should we still put weight on it? Homeopathy and intense praying works for some as well, but we don't say "I guess it's not effective for everyone". Psychotherapy (not the behavior therapy kind) gets a pass for some reason.

pozdnyshev 7y ago
Ultimately it's a matter of finding a provider of an evidence-based practice like CBT. CBT is shown to be effective for some DSM diagnoses, but there's a realistic question of whether they can be provided that care, as many insurance companies won't cover intensive CBT sessions, and you may not have a trained CBT professional in your community. Psychotherapy then may be a better option. Also, psychotherapy would likely be recommended over CBT for someone if their behavior is related to adverse childhood experiences or having trouble with housing/money(poor ppl). Of course its not total black/white as even some CBT practitioners can incorporate elements from psychotherapy.