How Do You Stop Your Life Revolving Around Therapy?

[Cool Cat]

Last question for the day I swear! Haha joined today with lots of questions.
My brother had this exact same problem and I wonder is it common.
Basically, you leave therapy for the week and spend half the week thinking about it, reflecting on things and almost thinking in the monologue you'd use during a session. This is great, but how to you keep it at a healthy level? I've not been in therapy very long and I know I'm going to be in it for a while and don't want to get stuck on a one track mind.

 

[Suzetig]

I can only speak for myself but I found it settles down after a while. At first I was utterly obsessed, now I find I can almost put it away each week - think about it for a while, process bits but also focus on other things in my life. While it seems counter intuitive, I did find that times when I needed to space out sessions a bit helped me get to a place where I wasn't constantly thinking about session because I simp,y couldn't keep it up for two/three weeks at a time. I also think as you become more secure in the therapeutic relationship it gets easier not to obsess so much.

 

[Jane.l]

I process things for ages after a session and I find it helpful to write down what comes up and use it for the next session. Once it's written down I can let it go a little but therapy does make you very introspective - I guess it's part of the process but yes it can drive you crazy at times .

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Sometimes you can't. (Not everyone can deal with a weekly upheaval to their lives.) It's the biggest reason I left therapy, aside from my traumas already being processed.

 

[Cool Cat]

Not everyone can deal with a weekly upheaval to their lives.

That's a really good way of putting it. I feel like a bit of a loser to be honest saying how I spend half the week thinking about therapy sometimes, thats why I haven't brought it up yet.
Writing things down sounds like a good idea, maybe everytime I start thinking of therapy just write it down and move on?
I don't mind a little bit of it, but not in the kinda unhealthy way I am thinking about it every time I get a moment to myself.

 

[Deleted member 33880]

Ha, therapy has taken over my life several times for long periods of time This time was the worst as it became my life. I had to stop work the trauma was so bad. I could hardly get up never mind get to therapy. It has been all consuming. I have often despaired. I was just coming to feeling secure at last in the relationship and with a person who was really there for me when he goes and announces he fancies retiring early and is leaving even though ' I know it is too early for you' - gee thanks. I wish therapy wasn't so BIG in my life. I am scrabbling to get a life back. But then I go under again. grrrrr

 

[Eagle3]

Yeah, my life revolves around therapy...its literally the only time I get out of the house right now. I lost my job, moved back in with my parents, lost my truck insurance, so therapy is the only chance for me to get out and talk to someone. If I'm obsessing about something, I can email my T (he never answers back, though) and that keeps me from obsessing even worse. This too shall pass, but I tend to live for therapy. If I didn't have it, I probably wouldn't be alive right now, since this was such a huge shock to my system. I'm ok with living for therapy, whatever gets me out of bed and makes me take a shower, right?

 

[Snowflake]

Yep my life revolves around therapy. It seems when I tttttrrrryyyyy to focus on something else then bam I get triggered and I want to die.

 

[watundah]

It takes up a lot of space, but I am thinking it is what's getting stirred up, not the actual session itself, that is weighing on me, although I do look forward to therapy, probably too much so!

I think we should do more than pop in for an hour, talk then leave. We have to think, feel and process this shit.

It's only an hour a week but the importance it holds can be downright scary.

 

[Brenton]

Last question for the day I swear! Haha joined today with lots of questions.
My brother had this exact...

Good question. I was like that, and it just changed over time, for me, it was someone finally listening to me and it felt good to open up. As I got better I needed to vent less and less. I struggle with seeing my T as a friend, she is not, she is my T and our relationship is professional - not cold, just not buds. Its hard to distance when your T is a really great person and they truly care. its easy to love them; not romantically, but like a friend or even a parent. I have motherly love toward my T, I wish she was my mother.
I'm 10 years older than her, but that doesnt matter.
It would be very hard if she moved or stopped seeing clients.