Do You Ever Think Your Therapist Might Read Your Posts And Recognise You?

[Hashi]

From a different thread:

I wonder how many therapists lurk on this site trying to figure out if one of us is their patient? Sorry, off topic, but I wish someone would post that thread!

Lol Rumors, I was just thinking something similar to this before I read what you wrote! Not about her lurking, but innocently coming across my posts. So I will start a thread.

I think it's actually quite possible for my therapist to find something I posted because the forum comes up in search results a lot and I know she likes internet forums. With some of my posts, if she saw one I think she'd easily recognise me because I say FAR TOO MUCH.

The question is whether she's actually likely to be googling the stuff that comes up in my therapy sessions. As opposed to looking up something she's already read, asking a colleague, talking to her supervisor, going to an online forum for therapists, searching a therapy database or even... possibly... putting it out of her mind until our next session.

Obviously my own world revolves around me, so I'm quite likely to go home and google "PTSD, Wizard of Oz and therapy issues" or whatever the particular topic of the day is. But is she? Really? I like to think not and I hope not!

Do other people think about this?

 

[macca]

Yes, I worry about this! I told her in an unguarded moment that I use this forum. Ever since then it's worried me, and though I don't really think she would, it's a nagging doubt. I'm sure she has better things to do, than work out which one is me, at least that's what I tell myself!

 

[mytai]

Something that is a concern for me too Hashi. Not that I say anything here that I wouldn't eventually share with her myself, but it's nice to have a place to vent, ask questions, or just write out first before I take it to her.

 

[EverOnly358]

I think she'd easily recognise me because I say FAR TOO MUCH.

I worry about this, too! Every time I write something new in my Trauma Diary, I wonder who in my life might read it. What would my therapist say if she read all these things I've written? Yikes! :confused:

And I was actually worried my husband would read my forum posts, too, but instead of being my usually nutty self and thinking about hacking his computer and checking out his browser history, I decided to just ask him. Radical, I know! :laugh: Turns out he wasn't reading it and he was happy to honor my wishes when I asked him not to do so in the future, either.

The conversation went something like this, my husband answered, "No, I don't go to that forum, I haven't looked at it." And I replied, "Excellent, keep doing that okay? Because I feel more comfortable that way." And he replied, "Yes, I'm excellent at doing nothing." LOL! It totally cracked me up. :roflmao:

Anyways... I bring this up because most people don't think about this stuff. But I think people with PTSD, especially because of hypervigiliance, worry about others reading their posts or watching them or worry that other people are analyzing what they say. I do this A LOT. I'm trying to remind myself all the time that no one is over analyzing everything I'm doing or saying, no one is trying to find out more than I'm sharing with them directly, because really, no one is all that interested. ;) LOL! I remind myself this is just another symptom of PTSD.

or just write out first before I take it to her.

I do this, too! Being able to write about my traumas has been the #1 thing that has helped me to be able to actually open my mouth in therapy.

 

[Abstract]

I have been very paranoid about this in the past. Easier now as I am not in therapy at present. :p I will say that a good therapist with good boundaries would be very mindful of respecting privacy. For example the same therapist that I was paranoid about showed me her good boundaries once when I accidentally left a paper in the treatment room. It had a whole lot of issues I wanted to speak to her about written in it.

She gave it back the next week and very clearly told me that she never looked at it and wouldn't as telling her is my choice. I would hope a therapist would do the same thing here if they came across something that could be linked to client. Immediately stop. I don't think that would be hard to identify either. Unfortunately there are some therapists who have very bad boundaries! :(

lurk on this site

But to Rumours - trolling sites to recognise their clients is absolutely not something that I think a whole of therapists would be doing!!!

Edit. Took out off topic discussion.

 

[Lucycat]

No! Not in the slightest. I have told my T all about this forum. If he were to recognise me he would know how much I love and respect him and that is not a bad thing. LOL!

I have also told him how much I like to share the positives of therapy, and that it is so helpful to have multiple perspectives on problems, solutions and different forms of therapy. He has always been very supportive of it all. If he were to read my posts I would be very proud!!!

 

[RussH]

Hey just because we are paranoid doesn't mean they are not listening:)

 

[bell]

I'm going to throw this out here, not to be a jerk, but because I think it's probably the truth: I'm betting your therapist has much better things to do with their time than to come here and figure out who their clients are.

Why? Because unlike our relationship with our therapists (i.e., they're -usually- our only therapist), they have lots of clients other than you. Maybe this would be more of a concern if you were their only client or related or something, and if that was the case, I would say, dude, leave, just leave.

Could it conceivably happen? Yes, just like anything else. But, like most things we are worried about, the reality is highly, highly doubtful.

 

[Abstract]

Agreed Bell! We are actually not that important! :p

 

[Rumors]

It was meant in a joking manner however,

Hashi, I LOVE that you started a thread! Lol. It was funny as it pertained to the thread we were posting in. My guess is that after listening to 8 or 10 hours of people's problems, the last thing they would want to do is lurk anywhere to find more. Lol.

 

[Candleflames]

You people are cracking me up! I love this thread.

The conversation went something like this, my husband answered, "No, I don't go to that forum, I haven't looked at it." And I replied, "Excellent, keep doing that okay? Because I feel more comfortable that way." And he replied, "Yes, I'm excellent at doing nothing." LOL! It totally cracked me up. :roflmao:

Oh my goodness, that just made me spit out my water! :hilarious::tup:

I seriously doubt my therapist is on here looking to see what I write. He has a full practice and a very busy personal life. However if he did look it would be totally obvious who I am and it really wouldn't matter to me. I talk about this forum and what goes on with me here. I bring in print outs of some of the things I write. I think I even mentioned what picture I use for my avatar. I'm really proud of the fact that I can change it with out getting help from one of the more technologically inclined in my house.

In the beginning of therapy I asked my doc if he had been able to get my records from out of state where I had gotten treatment before. He told me that he doesn't request records from previous therapists. He said he felt that everyone should have a fresh start in his office, that it was important the he learn from me what I felt comfortable sharing when I felt comfortable sharing. Now when I bring in print outs he says that I should be able to read it out loud to him and that if I'm to nervous to then we should hold off till I'm comfortable and ready.

 

[Venusian]

I have told several therapists about this site. They all liked the idea of the forum and like getting recommendations for good ones. They all thought it was good to have the support in between sessions especially since I have no other support system. I never told them my username and I don't know if any of them actually visited but I never say anything I wouldn't want them to know anyway.