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I like this too and, for me, people who believe the same about me - eg that I wouldn’t deliberately do anything to hurt them, so that disagreements or difficulties can be openly spoken about and resolved. So basically, that they come from a good place in their interactions with me and that...

Honestly I’m not sure after 6 sessions her reaction is ok tbh, any time I’ve heard of a T have an emotional reaction in session it’s been in longer term work where there’s a well established relationship - which does change things - and I’m also thinking if you’ve not shared significant parts of...

It is difficult to tell someone how they impact on you - but that’s what therapy is for, to practice being open, honest, authentic in relationships with others and in our relationship with ourself. I agree that having this discussion, and making decisions about therapy without her is...

If you have the opportunity and it’s not going to cost you, I’d go tbh. The timing may not be great, but these things never are and you increase the potential to find meaningful work and to sustain it, to be there for more of your son’s achievements, to be available to those you love by spending...

You’re not going to like this, but it sounds clear that he would like a relationship and marriage but not with you. It’s entirely possible that he feels cultural pressure to be married and really wants that for himself but that doesn’t mean that once he recovers he’ll be able to, or want to...

That sounds like a significant reaction - it’s one thing for a T to be a bit tearful but if a T had that kind of reaction I’d expect them to explain what was causing it and why (eg something in your experience really touched me, I’m feeling how lonely you were etc etc) not just “I feel different...

I’m guessing that might be what she means, while trying not to jump to help you when in your own words there wasn’t an immediate crisis. If I contact mine like that she’ll suggest I write in my journal because she knows it’s how I make sense of things. Her text/email language is very precise...

It sounds like the session has really triggered a reaction in you - I know your usual grounding stuff isn’t working so don’t want to suggest the usual breathing, mindfulness etc type stuff but some of your usual strategies might slow down the reaction enough for you to function? Can you take...

She may need her own therapy, she may need time out of work, she may need to loose her license - in any event if I returned to the group I would be strongly challenging her behaviour, starting with her checking her phone during the group session and going from there. One messed up T doesn’t...

I agree with talking to your own therapist about this - in every way the group T needs to stop practicing and get herself sorted out.

It’s hard going - I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve not gone to something I’ve paid ahead for because I’m having a bad day and just can’t face whatever. I’m also not great at phoning to cancel, which ends up in me feeling shameful and embarrassed. My job means I work to appointments...

It really depends - a couple of months can achieve a lot, therapy doesn’t need to be long term to make a massive difference to your quality of life and trauma therapy doesn’t need to be long term either. If you’re waiting for the nhs it’s likely to be relatively short term therapy they give...

I found it very helpful because physical symptoms of anxiety would send me into a panic attack and I’d not be able to get out of the physical loop. It’s not a psycho-active drug, which means it doesn’t affect your thoughts or emotions but getting some relief from the physical symptoms can give...

Is it that’s it’s IFS - I find myself very resistant to manualised or alphabet soup therapies so would push back on that basis alone. I wonder if thinking of it as an expression of self compassion might help. Think about how you’d comfort anyone who was upset, angry, tearful, tired etc. We...

I think that’s particularly the case because you’re seeing someone in the same practice, which is really hard. It may be worth looking for someone privately who will let you start wherever you like. Btw you can refuse to do the quizzes you know.

Tell her she needs to slow down - and if she won’t work with your boundaries, look fit someone else. Seriously, it’s one thing to be pushed to do the work and quite another to be dragged kicking and screaming. Does she know how anxious you are before your session? If not, tell her - make that...

I’m going to be honest with you, these types of threads tend not to get very positive responses because the fiction you’re writing about is the lived experience of some of the folk here and it can feel voyeuristic to ask people to comment on your fictional account while they struggle with their...

I think asking about education and experience are really important. I would also want to know if they had regular supervision/someone they consult with and wouldn’t be prepared to work with someone who didn’t. In terms of how they would treat, while I’d want them to have some idea of what they...

You don’t need to show them to her but telling her is important. As far as the emails go, I can see why they’d think it’s better for you to receive them because it builds a case against your dad, that’s not really considering your welfare though and there are ways to keep the emails arriving...

To be honest, she needs to know about the emails - not necessarily about what’s in them but that your abuser is still in touch. The fact that he still contacts you really compromises your emotional and psychological safety and safety is the very first thing to establish in trauma therapy. She...

The concept of parts for me is like having different facets to my personality - in a very crude explanation I think about the part of me I show people at work, which is different to the part of me my children see, which is different to the part my husband sees etc etc. Not different identities...

No, my relationship with her is much deeper than friendship - I wouldn’t share with my friends the things I share with her and they wouldn’t respond the way she does (thank goodness sometimes). There’s a purpose in my relationship with her and it’s a very “friendly” relationship but it’s not...

Welcome to the site, I d taken out your trigger warning because we don’t use them here. Repressed memories do happen, yes and often with trauma at an early age we simply don’t have a coherent memory of what actually happened because of the way the brain stores traumatic memory. In saying...

Laughing to the point of tears is a bit too far in my view, even where laughing is part of your pattern of interaction. My T will sometimes laugh with me about something quite hard but at some point will say something like “I know we were laughing about X but....” and go on to start some...

I guess sometimes the truth in and of itself can feel quite brutal when you really don’t want to hear it.