Before traveling to a city due to a conference I catch myself feeling anticipation. I look forward to walking around its secret places, to absorbing new knowledge, to interacting with colleagues and to reconnecting with old friends. The 46th EABCT conference in Stockholm seemed very promising.

I applied without second thoughts. I was eager to go back to CBT basics and get more familiar to the new branches. Actually, following the ACBS and applying FAP and ACT brought me very close to these so called new branches. What I wanted more was to “remember” where I was coming from. My first training in CBT gave me a strong basis to start as a therapist. During the last years I had a sense of “betraying” it.

There was a variety of academic stimuli. Keynotes, panels, workshops… My desire got weakened from day one. To my disappointment the pre-conference workshop offered me no new knowledge. I felt that the facilitator re-chewed concepts and basic principles which I had already digested long time ago.

Although there were new data in CBT, I felt that this approach has reached a scientific plateau. Or maybe I have detoured from its philosophy and could not be convinced to go back by current research.

The conference arrived to its end. It was time to go back home. I took my name badge off. It was time to fly without feeling guilty for my new choices. I am a FAP therapist imbued with story writing spirit.