The Feeling Safe Program is a new cognitive, behavioral treatment, tried and tested from the University of Oxford, UK, all about helping people feel safer, happier, and getting back to doing the things they want to do. This program is now available at NYC CBTp. We often see people who have been through a lot of things. We want you to get back in control, to get to the everyday things that are meaningful to you, to rediscover trust in the world.
For every four people who have tried the Feeling Safe Program, two people got a large benefit, one person got a small benefit, and one person did not get much benefit. On average, feeling unsafe comes down by almost one half for people.
What does the program look like?
20 weekly sessions
A focus on feeling safer, happier and getting back to doing the things you love
We meet many people who, because of the things they have had to face, now underestimate themselves. Their confidence has been knocked. We believe in everyone's potential and want them to flourish
We want to be as respectful to you as is possible. The Feeling Safe Program will go at a pace that you want. We will only try things that you would like to do. If you have any questions, at any point, are are unsure about anything, then please ask and we will try to give a direct answer
But we do want to try new things. This therapy relies on a spirit of discovery. For us to find out how things are now. to find the things that are good for you and grow them.
We believe that people make gains by trying things out in everyday life. Some strategies will work and we can build on them; some strategies may not work and we can move on from them.
We want to change things for you now and for the future. We don't want to spend so much time going over the past.
We believe that when people have difficult times it is because of a number of different factors coming into play at once. We deal with that by sorting out one ting well, then moving on to the next. In this way, what can seem a mountain of difficulties becomes something much more manageable
The Feeling Safe Program has been shown to work for many people. Our recommendations will be based on the best psychological science. We want to be right alongside you as you make new learning, encouraging you and supporting you all the way
The words of people who have tried the Feeling Safe Program:
At the start, people can be quite unsure whether anything will work
"I was skeptical at first, I didn't think it would help but it really did help. It gave me a toolkit"
"Before I started the feeling safe project I suffered with extremely debilitating paranoia and with voices that controlled my ability to be productive and that also regularly scared me. Though I am on strong medication, the medication alone wasn't giving me enough help to feel safe. My life was a constant battle. I felt far too paranoid to participate in so many events and activities that my friends and family were, which then added to my mood being low. I used to keep all my curtains shut and had all doors locked, this way I felt my safety was slightly better. I shut myself away in my apartment so that nobody would see me as I was massively paranoid that I was being watched and that a plan was in place to attack me when a chance arose. My sleep was affected in a big way due to the paranoia and voices I often didn't fall asleep til the early hours which then meant I wasn't getting up til lunchtime at the earliest. I didn't feel my life was a life worth having really I just felt there was a ticking time bomb til I got attacked or gave up myself. I have to admit I was very dubious as to whether the Feeling Safe Program would be worth the time and effort. If I'm honest I didn't think I would get any real benefit from it. My life has changed massively"
The experience of Feeling Safe sessions
"the therapists are all very approachable and I found them easy to trust, which surprised me as I don't easily trust due to my paranoia. I found that each technique was worked on as much or little as needed and was recapped as and when needed, even if we have moved on to a new topic."
"I found all the techniques quite logical and easy to learn. They take time to master but when you do, you will be amazed at how much time each day suddenly becomes free from the debilitating worry and paranoia."
"I very quickly realized that if I put everything I could into the sessions and worked hard between sessions to practice the techniques and make them part of my daily routine, I could really have a chance to change my life. I found that even down to picking the topics we worked on, my opinion was taken seriously and that the therapists just wanted to guide me in learning better techniques that would allow me to cope. I firmly believe that if you are willing to put the effort in to tackle and be open about subjects you may struggle to discuss, all the hard work will result in your life changing dramatically for the better:"
"Some things worked, some things didn't. But that was the idea of it, aint it? To find which ones worked for you. So I found loads of ideas which worked. Some didn't work. Some things I couldn't get on with. But the things I used were really helpful."
The end results
" My life is so incredibly different now, yes I still hear voices and I still struggle with worry and paranoia that is intense but I am in control of my life now, not my voices, not my paranoia, and not my worry but me. I know myself and can push myself far more than I have ever able to previously. I am aiming to go to a festival soon something I have always wanted to do but never thought I'd be able to. My sleep is so good now. I have much better routines and as long as I stick to them my life flows better than it ever has."
"I honestly can say that this type of therapy has been a massive game changer in my life and I believe it could be for so many patients that struggle with a mixture of paranoia, voices, worry, sleep problems, lack of ability to trust. It really gets into the nitty gritty of the core problems and there are a mass of techniques that therapist and client can try together with the long term aim that the client can go forth in their life and apply the one that they need in any given situation confidently. Although I was skeptical my life has changed massively even though I have been through some extremely hard struggles lately, I have managed to keep the psychotic side of my illness under control."
"I can only say to anyone interested in the therapy give it your all, be honest, give every technique a go even if you think its not going to work and try your best to try and implement the things you are learning. If you do this then you will have a great chance to do more the the things you love but feel unable to do at present"
Acknowledgements: Modules developed for the Feeling Safe clinical trial funded by an NIHR Research Professorship awarded to Daniel Freeman (NIHR-RP-2014-05-003) Written by: Daniel Freeman, PhD DClinPsy, Felicity Waite, DClinPsy & Louise Isham, DClinPsy (University of Oxford & Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust)