Best Moment In Therapy

[Viosinger]

I saw another therapist before this one... and I essentially got to use that one as a "dry run." I got used to the idea of talking about stuff, over the initial fears about admitting I'd been through some stuff, etc. Luckily, that therapist left and I started with a new one, who I get along with much better and has been much more effective.

Now and then, she's surprising to me... I guess her humanity shows through? Today it was when I was talking about how after a big flood-gates breakthrough of feelings, memories, etc... that as I'm working through the last few weeks, I just don't have extra energy for simple things around the apartment, like dishes, laundry, etc...and my place is a huge mess right now. She got the most entertaining expression and exclaimed, "well OF COURSE you don't!" It wasn't just that she'd validated how I was feeling, or pointed out that it's normal, it was more the look on her face & the surprised/friendly tone.

Anybody else have great moments that just make them (perhaps oddly) happy?

 

[scout86]

Yep! And it always surprises me. :) And, you're right, often it IS "oddly happy".

 

[franciemarnie]

How wonderful!

Yes, I remember once going to the first therapy appointment with yet another T and sitting there slumped in a chair with my total lack of affect, feeling dead inside and hopeless and reciting the monotonous, too familiar litany of my unbearable life experience day to day.

Suddenly I looked over and he had this expression of such great concern and also a visceral upset -ness I could feel and he said, This is not okay! This is not how you should have to go thru life. This is terrible. We have to fix this!!

And I was so happy for a moment. I would not go forward alone anymore. And I thought, Maybe there is hope of change!

Cherish those moments. We deserve them!

 

[Justmehere]

@Viosinger @franciemarnie Aw, just reading about those moments makes me smile lots!

 

[maryel42]

A month or so ago, when I was just really settling in with my current therapist, I was explaining how one of my early shrinks had explained my issues and how they meshed with my physical head trauma. He said, it was as though my personality was an antique silvered glass mirror, and somebody hit that mirror so that the glass was broken, but held together on the back by all that silver so that it wouldn't fall away. And I needed to find that medication that would just lightly glue the top of the glass back together. It would never be unbroken ever again, but the integrity could be maintained with care and gentle handling.

Over the years I tended to see that as a piece of leaded glass instead of a mirror. Every so often a bunch of triggers will come together and just smash one of the pieces into splinters so small they can never be reformed. But the heavy leading around that piece remains and will hold all the rest together in the pattern it should be. And you can get an artist out to match the glass. Color, texture, and make a new piece to fit into place that is better and stronger than the original. The more intricate the picture of my personality, the harder it is to break apart. It will never be possible to erase altogether.

He thought it was a very neat way to view it. That made me happy. What makes me less happy is that I also shared the location of one part of the picture, that's really dark and thin and damaged, and he'd like to very carefully start taking that piece out to let some fresh air and light in.

/happy tone, though chagrined/ the nerve of some people, using my analogies against me for my own good...