In this Podcast, Fabrice and David answer the question: What is therapeutic resistance? You will find out that therapeutic resistance is NOT what you were taught in graduate school or read about in the writings of Sigmund Freud! You will also discover why overcoming therapeutic resistance can be the key to high-speed, dramatic recovery for many depressed and anxious individuals.
Dr. Burns illustrates his new T.E.A.M. Therapy approaches with a dramatic vignette involving a violent, depressed and suicidal drug addict who challenges and attacks Dr. Burns repeatedly during a group therapy session at a hospital in Philadelphia.
Can you please make this available on iTunes.
Will do so in a week or so. We have been waiting until we have six of more in the pipeline, and two are now being prepared, so should be soon! david
Dr Burns, Could you please also make it available on Sportify? (I have a Android Smartphone). Thank you. Fernando from Brazil.
We do publish to spotify already. Thanks! d
Hi Dr Burns. A simple question. I am therapist, How do I get over my desire to help?
Hi Kevin, Thanks, great question! I’d suggest one of the online TEAM Training classes offered at http://www.feelinggoodinstitute.com. Also, individual supervision can be a great help, with a focus on specific interactions with patients that are problematic. Also, I’ve done techniques similar to a Cost-Benefit Analysis with folks in our groups, and that seems to help. In fact, you could simply make a list of at least ten HUGE benefits of helping, along with what this shows about you that’s positive and awesome. Then you can decide if you want to continue or change! All the best, David
Couldn’t help but notice that you were as empathic as Dr. Stirling Morey (whom you had admired) with Benny. You even connected on a spiritual level like Stirling had done when you connected Benny’s outlook to Buddhism. I cried so much when he opened up about his grandfather’s suicide. I truly admire your humility in recognizing qualities in less experienced persons, and you follow through and adopt those qualities. Good for you! Great job!
Thanks, Marlene! Appreciate your thoughtful comments. david
Hi David, thanks for all your work. It has been very helpful.
You mention That doing homework is essential to recovery from anxiety and depression. Any homework you recommend? I am going to buy a few of your books and have the worksheets from the Neil sattin podcast. Anything else that will benefit?
It depends on the type of problem you are working on. I can work up an answer, perhaps, if you want to tell me! david
Hi David,
happy to tell you.
I am struggling with the ostracism I receive/perceive because I dont drink. My father was a drug addict so I dont want to drink to feel accepted.
I feel self conscious and like I am not good enough because of my choice.
I wrote a rationale but thought it would clog your page up as it is pretty long but if it’s ok for me to post it here just let me know.
Thsnks
Seems like you’ve made a great choice! Most people would be beating up on themselves for drinking, but of course social pressures can be pretty intense. Way to go! Warmly, david
Hi David, my name is dale and im 38 from from England. I have had a lifelong struggle with depression and OCD and been in therapy through life. 4 years ago i started to search the net for help and found your podcasts and bought the audiobook version of feeling good which has helped me and inspired me so much that i am doing a foundation degree in CBT at Warwick college. although i love the CBT modality i also can resonate with the power of TEAM CBT especially with the resistance busting, especially when reframing the negative emotions into benefits and not a label of disfunction. and the one thing i feel should be included is team in any session which unfortunately is not taught on the teaching module. I intend to do you workshops when i graduate so i can use these techniques in my own practice.
all the best
Dale Lynch
Thanks, Dale. What is the “teaching module” you’re referring to? All the best to you! david
Hi David, the course follows in line with Traditional CBT elements from beck, and in addition to the course there is other modules such as ethics law and cultural competence, children and young people, personal development, and mental health and well-being. Also with placements through the course. I’m just baffled why addressing resistance is not encouraged and taught. I guess it is because it’s following a school of therapy and it is a Shame traditional CBT teachers won’t embrace this as a must for any client or patient, I’ve used this technique on myself in regards to addressing my own resistance and reframing the emotions which feel so strong or suggest a defect of some kind. I do have one question, if someone is expressing strong suicidal thoughts how would you reframe this as a positive or find any benefits in this? Would you suggest that it says that they have a strong self awareness of the severity of their hopelessness and therefore protects them from more disappointments? Or perhaps a wake up call message from there awareness of some kind?
Thank you again David for replying.
All the best
Dale lynch
Lots, almost everything, in our field is “baffling,” as you say. Our field is not yet science-based, although that is slowly evolving, but cult-based with worship of “gurus” who are, to a significant extent, focused, not on data, but on self-promotion. Over time, science will win, and powerful new, data-driven methods, like TEAM, will emerge and make recovery way more possible and available. I am not a big fan, to be honest, of most of the “gurus,” but I did really like the late Albert Ellis!
Suicide is handled differently, in part due to the legal stipulations that make therapists guilty, and you can use the search function to find and listen to my podcasts on this topic. Thanks!
David
Hi David
I hope so too, CBT is very good but I feel that these missing elements from TEAM kind of do people a miss service. I think another reason why they don’t encourage any new kind of therapy is because CBT is traditionally 50 min to an hour, and therefore perhaps doing team efficiently needs more time. But as you say this is a good thing because the client may have forgotten stuff from last session or have another issue, we’re as if the problem is addressed with a more better quality approach such as team, the extra time is worth it. It’s just a shame that in England there is not as such room for that change in regards to the extra Allowance of time, due to funding I guess. So I guess for me the best plan is to work privately so I can work the way I want, hopefully when I get the chance to do the TEAM accreditation’s I will definitely try to spread the good deed you have created.
Thanks again David
Kind regards
Dale lynch
Yes, I always hope people will reject the two hour session, as it is way cheaper and faster. In contrast, if they insist on traditional 50 minute sessions, they will be in therapy for a long time, and this will help to stabilize and boost my income!
Same in institutional settings. Why use an approach that’s quick, cheap, and effective, when you can use an approach that’s slow and costly? d
Hi David
Yes I can vouch for that with my experience with personal therapy through my life, I and can’t help but think if I had TEAM therapy as an adolescent, my symptoms of depression and OCD would have been suppressed a great deal. I don’t hold any grudges to the system that tried to help me as it was free and I did not have to wait as long as some folks do now days. But I’m now just so inspired by the way TEAM works and how it has worked for me just trying little things like talking back to negative thoughts by utilising the externalisation of voices on my self, it’s strange to do it on yourself at first but it is so effective and as it worked I will continue to use it when I feel I’m slipping.
I will continue to listen to the podcasts which are so valuable and I’m so grateful that there free, god bless you David and take care.
Dale lynch
Thanks, Dale! d
Hello Dr. Burns,
I find the TEAM techniques fascinating. I lost my husband to COVID 19 in December of 2020 and I am dealing with compound grief and maybe depression. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much success with LPC counseling in my area and I would like to consult a doctor that utilizes your techniques. Are you aware of any doctors in the El Paso, TX area that I may contact or online professional?
Best Wishes
Celia
I am so sorry to hear about your tragic loss, Celia. Because i work alone, without assistance, i do not have the resources necessary to develop and evaluate the therapists on a referral list. However, I do have some suggestions for referrals on my website, on the referrals tab, and in addition you can check with http://www.feelinggoodinstitute.com, who do referrals and might be able to help. You can also search for certified cognitive therapists in google, although CBT therapists are a bit different from TEAMsters. Finally, you might want to consider a trip to the bay area for a brief intensive, too, and if so, I might have some suggestions for someone to work with. Thanks! david
Hi David,
Is it necessary to assess the client’s resistance on every session? Is it possible to practice TEAM-CBT on regular 1 hour sessions or do they all have to be 2 to 3 hours long?
Greetings from Argentina.
With depression, you likely will have to do it only once, but if you later get stuck, you may have to address resistance again. With relationship problems, resistance is intense and comes back every ten minutes, it seems! Best, david
And yes, you can do TEAM in hour long weekly sessions. Best, david
Dr. Burns
I truly appreciate your vignettes, they really help with understanding the basics of the lesson. I am not a therapist, and I need to spend considerable time to ponder my different resistances and how to create change. I would say that the first 4 lessons have helped raise my self-esteem. Thank you
Thanks, Roy! Appreciate your thoughtful comment! Best, david
Hi Dr. Burns!
I wanted to ask if you had any handouts pertaining to Therapeutic Resistance? Or if this is covered in detail in any of your books.
Thanks!
Thanks, Addison. Many. To start, you can check the show notes for this episode on the list of podcasts with links on my website home page, feelinggood.com. You can also look in my book, Feeling Great to learn more, or check my psychotherapy eBook for shrinks called Tools, Not Schools, of Therapy. All the best, david