I’ve actually been through it, and I can’t see how any of it could be condescending. Sure, it does sometimes tell you things you might already know–but that’s true when you learn anything new. Plus, even if you knew all of it, the hard part is actually putting it into practice–the “behavioral” part.
The theory it is based on is sound–that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other, and that, if you can’t tackle one (usually feelings), you can tackle the other two.
The therapy is 50-75% effective on the situations it is actually used for. Cults generally are only effective by chance. The reason people believe in it–the reason every psychologist I’ve ever been to believes in it–is because they’ve seen it work.
Sorry if this type of post is annoying, BTW. But the last thing I want is for someone to read your post, and then decide to avoid CBT when it would have been an effective treatment for them. I’m not trying to tell you how you have to feel about it, just that my experience is different, and that it is one of our most effective therapies.