"Positive experience with Inclusion Thurrock"

Dear sigmacs69,

I would like to thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am sorry to hear about your acute sciatica, living with something like this is not easy and can certainly impact our mental well-being. I can only imagine that this has been made so much harder through lockdown, especially as you note that attending the hospital alone was more challenging than it usually would be. I am pleased to hear that you reached out for support when you noticed the toll that this had taken on your well-being.

It sounds as though you have really understood the basis of your CBT, which is to change our daily thoughts and behaviours in a way that will improve our moods. You mention that you had been avoiding every day activities, this is very common when we not only experience low mood and anxiety but when we are also living with a long term health condition. Often, the avoidance can be due to low energy and fatigue or perhaps a decrease in our motivation levels. Avoidance can also be a result of wanting to rest and not overdo anything that may trigger our pain levels. However, as I am sure you discussed in therapy, avoiding things for a period of time usually means that it is even harder to start doing these things again, due to them building up and becoming more overwhelming.

I would encourage you to continue practising the techniques that you learnt in your therapy in order to gradually start doing these activities again. I am sorry to hear that you found some of the literature difficult to fully understand, if you still feel unsure of anything after your sessions have finished, please do not hesitate to contact us again and we can support you with anything you may be unsure of. We usually recommend taking about 12 weeks after your therapy sessions to practise the techniques, but as I said, if we can support you further with anything please just let us know.

It sounds as though you have a very realistic outlook in that progress certainly does take time and only comes when we dedicate time and effort into using the therapy techniques regularly. It is also important that you have acknowledged that set backs do happen but please remember, this really is just the beginning of your journey and if set backs occur, just know that you are already one step ahead as you know some things to put into place to help get you back on track. Set backs are by no means a sign of any failure, they provide us with an opportunity to learn and adapt again.

Your concern about not progressing as much now that the sessions have ended is very normal and very common for most clients. The most important thing to remember is that therapy is there just to provide you with the tools that can improve your mood, the real magic happens when you practise those tools outside of your sessions. With CBT, I am sure that your therapist did not do any of the work but instead acted as a guide for you, so do acknowledge all of the work you would have put in yourself. You sound incredibly motivated to keep working towards your goals so I have no doubt that you will continue to progress. However, as I said, if at any point in the future you would like a bit of further support, please contact us again.

I wish you the very best of luck.

Take care,

Jade