Do you tell the truth in therapy?

[LuckiLee]

Like the title says, do you tell the truth in therapy? My guy is trying to get his military pension and also his SSDI. And I don't think he tells his doctors how bad his PTSD affects him. (he says he is truthful with them). But I have my suspicions. Why wouldn't you be truthful? Weakness?? Hope you're all having a good day!

 

[Ronin]

Yes, and it is no bueno.

 

[Justmehere]

Why wouldn't you be truthful? Weakness??

Vulnerability hurts and can be dangerous. During m my non-military trauma, vulnerability is what nearly killed me.

Denial and minimization are common post-trauma mechanisms to cope with tremendous pain. It’s not a sign of being weak. It’s a sign of having been through horrible things.

My guy is trying to get his military pension and also his SSDI. And I don't think he tells his doctors how bad his PTSD affects him. (he says he is truthful with them). But I have my suspicions.

His perspective on his symptoms may be different than yours. That doesn’t mean he is not telling the truth. His life is what he knows.

Many disability processes like SSDI and others allow a family or friend to write a letter with their observations. That might be an option worth considering and might be more useful to you both than continuing to push him to tell the truth when he says he is already doing that.

 

[Invisible Fire]

I have promised myself to be truthful with therapy. But, in saying that I have a hard time being honest with how bad, the bad days are. It is not a weakness. The reason I may not be honest would be the truth hurts to much. Mentally, physically and emotionally painful.

 

[Rumors]

f*ck no... if my therapist knew all the shit that went on in my head she would literally tell me to go away.

 

[scout86]

I promised my T I wouldn't lie to him, but there's a lot I don't talk about. (I kinda think he knows that.) Obviously, he has no way to know what I'm not telling him, but he can ask. If I don't want to talk about it, I'll say that.

Denial and minimization are common post-trauma mechanisms to cope with tremendous pain.

Exactly. A lot of the time, it's hard to know what "bad" is, just like it's hard to know what "normal" is.

 

[somerandomguy]

I did not tell the truth in therapy when my abuser (my ex) and I went to couples' therapy while I was being abused.

That is the last time I wasn't truthful in therapy.

I don't think there's any benefit to therapy if you don't tell the truth or purposefully omit things. But I have had problems in the past with omitting things because I'm really not aware of them or don't have the words for them.

 

[Ronin]

I don't think there's any benefit to therapy if

IMHO that is learning useful things about why be omitting things, and how and whys that whole mechanism, which can be beneficial in the long term. :tup:

And, protecting someone lies are not the same lies as deceitful ones. They are super honest about the situation being quite f*cked up and unsafe, and trying to navigate that with integrity. They are super challenging, and with real things at stake while making them, too.

 

[Abstract]

Lies and reality are two different things especially when one needs ones own brain to tell you what is what. If I could know what was "truth" with stuff like this my life would be way easier, Then of course there is omission... but that isnt simple either.

 

[EveHarrington]

Yes, minimization is huge.

Avoidance is huge.

My therapist didn’t know how devastating my last breakup was....I didn’t let it show for months! She was shocked to learn the truth, and then we spent a number of months undoing the damage that relationship caused me. I say this as yes, it was JUST a breakup (it wasn’t an abusive relationship, but damaging in its own right)....this sort of avoidance behavior for trauma? Much bigger, with many more ways of hiding and avoiding.

 

[Friday]

Truth? Yep. If not, what’s the point?
Whole truth? Pfft. Ain’t enough time, even if I could do.

 

[hithere]

I have with held a lot of information. I have not told my therapist how close I was to "the edge" and put on a somewhat normal face and tried to appear ok when I wasn't. the main reason I did not share what I was really experiencing is I didnt want to go the hospital. I believed I would feel worse and feel trapped and that feeling at that time really whigged me out.