Because: (1) the graded exercise/activity component of most popular regimes ignores physiological reality and (2) the false illness belief ideology central to most models of CBT has so deeply embedded the belief in the clinical (and econo-medical) consciousness that most of us are less sick than we 'think' we are, that no amount of Klimases and the like will be able to rehabilitate the concept... leading to continued abuse and neglect of a majority of PWC by their government and private institutions as well as by their doctors and families. For CBT, justly or unjustly, is the major entry point for the psychosomatic school of 'thought' into the redefinition of our illness, and that is a reality and a danger you (and we all) must face.
Yes, Yes, Yes Dr, Yes:
CBT/GET were the first things suggested to me when i became ill 6+ years ago...here in SF...these approaches were suggested to me by Dr's at UCSF, CPMC, Stanford, UC Irvine, UCLA and even lil ol' Alta Bates...yes I went everywhere trying to find out why I no longer had an ounce of energy, couldn't stand for more than 5 mins, had SOB, anxiety, heart palps, all over bady pain...etc...this after 38 years of a highly active, healthy life. Each and everyone of these first 50 or so docs said i must be depressed and need to start moving around some more.
Wow, how did i suddenly become depressed for the first time in my life and it completely disabled me physically...that's the CRAZY part and how could i move around more when I could barely walk to the bathroom unassisted!?!?!? But the more I protested this diagnosis and treatment plan the more they considered me depressed, unwilling to try, combative (weakly but still) and in denial.
This is WHY the CBT/GET treatment proposals are dangerous...I WAS and still am very physically sick and the first line treatment proposed to me over and over again were psychological and excercise.
Please do not defend this approach, it is EXTREMELY insulting and dangerous to those of us whose health has been stripped away.
I will NEVER forget when the infectious disease doc at CPMC, upon release from my 1st of 5 hospitalizations in so many months, told me I needed to go to Hawaii and relax!!!!!!!!!! I had in fact just returned from Hawaii where I had finally burned and crashed from this illness.
I was bewildered by how I was treated by the medical establishment...viewed as a crazy, depressed, skinny, almost 40, white woman w/an unexplainable disease...so we'll just tell her to go to therapy, exercise more and take some anti-depressants. And in my desperation, I did in fact try all of those things...but of course none of them helped...because that is not what is wrong with me....I am physically ill....and need to be treated as such!!!!!!
one last insult to injury...my family and friends (except my super fantastic husband) started beleiving all the things the dr's said....despite knowing me my whole life...why? because those were the options presented to them and they were raised to trust and believe in the mainstream medical system.
it's been a long difficult journey and i now know so much more about my illness, but it would have been nice if the docs i saw at the start of this saga were able to offer my better advice and treatment than cbt/get!!!!!!!:Retro mad: