251: Ask Matt, Rhonda, and David (with Dr. Rutherford Knows)

#251, Ask Matt, Rhonda, and David
(with the famed Dr. Rutherford Knows)

Today we are again joined by the fantastic Dr. Matthew May for an Ask David. Rhonda and I are thrilled that Matt will be joining us every month. His input will give you a broader range of insights and answers to your many excellent questions!

Today’s questions were submitted by the more than 6,000 people who registered for my free talk on July 8, 2021 on the Rapid Treatment of Anxiety Disorders which was sponsored by PESI. I was very grateful to PESI for organizing this event, since it was open to shrinks as well as the general public, and that is the same audience that Rhonda and I are trying to reach with our Feeling Good Podcast.

By the way, thank you for your ongoing support of the Feeling Good podcasts. Our four millionth download should happen in August! Please keep telling friends about the podcast if you think they might be interested.

The very shy but erudite Dr. Knows may again join us and make an occasional comment. Let us know if you like his input and want to hear more from him in future podcasts. If you don’t like him, we can quietly sweep him to the sidelines.

Here are the questions we’ll answer today:

• Hello Dr Burns, excited to be here at your talk today. Could you tell us more about dependency on anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines like Valium, Librium Ativan, Xanax, and so forth) and how to inform the client about the dangers of addiction?
• If this treatment you describe for anxiety disorders is 'rapid' does it linger?
• Is this rapid response you describe in your treatment of anxiety disorders merely first-aid? Am I right in assuming that the sustained work of psychodynamic therapy, body work, and so forth will still be required?
• Can you discuss any published or ongoing empirical research on the efficacy of TEAM-CBT compared to other therapy techniques?
• How does Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), developed in New York by the late Dr. Albert Ellis in the 1950s, fit into the picture?
• How does the cognitive distortion, Fortune Telling, apply to specific phobias?

Rhonda, Matt, Rutherford, and I thank you for joining us today, and hope you enjoyed the dialogue!

Rhonda, Matt, and David (plus Rutherford)