RussellSue
Not Active
I'm in my 16th year of therapy. I wish I were joking - it's been one damned long haul.
Last year, I thought I was done with mental health therapy. My therapist thought I was too. However, when I tore the cartilage around both of my hip sockets and landed in physical therapy a few months later, my physical therapist insisted that my anxiety level was severely increasing my pain and repeatedly suggested I get back into therapy. It took me a while to find a therapist but I eventually did restart therapy.
More recently, it seems that my doctor isn't so sure about my fibromyalgia dx and sent me to treatment for myofascial pain syndrome. This woman must be a damned genius. I had never heard of the condition before but am quite certain she is correct. With that, certainly anxiety can increase pain, be it fibromyalgia pain or myofascial pain BUT the treatment I was getting was only increasing my pain: orders to do 30 lunges, squats, wall-sits, 45 minutes in the pool and so on, each day with multiple injuries, arthritis and whatnot. The myofascial therapist appeared shocked to find out that I was actually strength training through all of this last winter rather than recuperating. The daily level 7 pain I experienced during all of this did not improve my anxiety.
Of course, any time I see a doc and say I have anxiety they immediately want to know if I have a therapist, as if this is the cure for anxiety.
So far, I have seen my new therapist 4 times. Each time he has told me that it sounds like I am doing everything I need to be doing -- of course I am -- I am a therapy professional by now!
I don't have a problem with the guy but is my insurance just paying this guy to hang out with me once a week and if so, why?
It honestly doesn't bother me to be in therapy but I can't help but feel like I ought to be done by now. Yes, I still have anxiety and I may always have anxiety - does this mean I need a therapist?
I feel like I don't. I feel like I get what is going on and am dealing with it. I have symptoms - they may never go away - but I do what I can do pretty consistently and I live a pretty damned healthy lifestyle, too.
Just curious if anyone has any thoughts on this.
Last year, I thought I was done with mental health therapy. My therapist thought I was too. However, when I tore the cartilage around both of my hip sockets and landed in physical therapy a few months later, my physical therapist insisted that my anxiety level was severely increasing my pain and repeatedly suggested I get back into therapy. It took me a while to find a therapist but I eventually did restart therapy.
More recently, it seems that my doctor isn't so sure about my fibromyalgia dx and sent me to treatment for myofascial pain syndrome. This woman must be a damned genius. I had never heard of the condition before but am quite certain she is correct. With that, certainly anxiety can increase pain, be it fibromyalgia pain or myofascial pain BUT the treatment I was getting was only increasing my pain: orders to do 30 lunges, squats, wall-sits, 45 minutes in the pool and so on, each day with multiple injuries, arthritis and whatnot. The myofascial therapist appeared shocked to find out that I was actually strength training through all of this last winter rather than recuperating. The daily level 7 pain I experienced during all of this did not improve my anxiety.
Of course, any time I see a doc and say I have anxiety they immediately want to know if I have a therapist, as if this is the cure for anxiety.
So far, I have seen my new therapist 4 times. Each time he has told me that it sounds like I am doing everything I need to be doing -- of course I am -- I am a therapy professional by now!
I don't have a problem with the guy but is my insurance just paying this guy to hang out with me once a week and if so, why?
It honestly doesn't bother me to be in therapy but I can't help but feel like I ought to be done by now. Yes, I still have anxiety and I may always have anxiety - does this mean I need a therapist?
I feel like I don't. I feel like I get what is going on and am dealing with it. I have symptoms - they may never go away - but I do what I can do pretty consistently and I live a pretty damned healthy lifestyle, too.
Just curious if anyone has any thoughts on this.