CBIT for Tics

Today was my first day meeting with the CBIT therapist I'm going to work with. My neurologist recommended I try CBIT for tics before trying a different medication. I don't know if it's going to help, but i'm sure hoping so! I can tell you one thing, it was so nice to not have to educate the therapist about TS like I usually have to do! She was teaching me new things instead of the other way around. She is very kind and I really like her and her approach. I'm cautiously hopeful! A reduction of my tics would be so nice :) 

To learn more about CBIT, click here: http://www.tsa-usa.org/imaganw/CBIT_TSA_Brochure_English_web_version.pdf 

An Update about CBIT and how it has affected my tics after 8 months of therapy (on and off) (this update is from April, 2015): 

CBIT is not a cure for TS, but is has helped me manage my tics a lot better. I have far fewer days that end in exhaustion and frustration, and I have managed to get rid of a lot of my previous tics completely. Don't get me wrong, I still have plenty of tics, but I now have fewer tics and the tics I do have are less frequent, less severe. One thing that's helped a lot is having a therapist who is so understanding and who is willing to re-work the therapy based on what works for me and what doesn't. We've had to make a lot of adjustments to the original CBIT protocols because #1 paying attention to the premonitory urge for me makes my tics A LOT worse (and paying attention to the urge is supposed to be a big part of awareness training with CBIT). So we have had to get rid of that part competently, and also re-arrange a lot of other things as well. With a lot of tweaking though, we have found what works best for me! All and all CBIT has worked better and has improved my tics more than any medication i've been on and the best part is NO SIDE EFFECTS!

Now that's not to say some of the tics i've worked on with CBIT will never come back or start up again or become more active when I get stressed or am around others with TS, but in my normal everyday life I am living with a lot less tics! I'd say that's pretty darn good! The ones I am most happy i've targeted with therapy of are the ones that were painful such as hitting myself in the chest and stomach. I still have tics that get painful sometimes, but I have a lot less tics that cause me pain and they happen less frequently.

 I still have tics every day and they are still noticeable, but they are much more manageable and much less painful.

I am still continuing to work with my therapist on my tics in order to help them become even better than they are now hopefully. It's still a work in progress, but we have moved our appointments to be less frequent now that my tics are under better control and now that i'm more independent with doing my CBIT homework/ competing responses.