Stuck In Therapy

[DharmaGirl]

I agree, ashdawn, that you need breaks and time to process, but therapy is a relationship, and I find that if I go when I have nothing to say, I end up having things to say. Therapy doesn't have to be deep every time, but it might not get deep if you don't have a relationship with the therapist. I go twice a week.

Maybe the times you feel overwhelmed, you can talk to your therapist about those feelings. Not the reason for them, just the feelings. I get overwhelmed too. Therapy is the hardest thing I've ever done...Well, the second hardest. The hardest was living through it in the first place. Good luck.

 

[Jen93]

That happened to me too, when I was blowing off therapy because there was nothing to talk about. It seems that the therapist should be able to gauge when you need a break, but sometimes you're more alert to when you need a break than the therapist is. I stopped seeing mine after I felt I had nothing more to say- and she was mad that I had nothing more to say, so we just stopped. She asked me what I was hiding. I didn't know I was hiding anything from her. Since I've left her- it's been two years, a lot of stuff has come up.

It's like dominoes right? They're standing up, then the therapist tries to push on one. If they successfully make it fall down, the other one next to it will fall down after a break- you can't have all the dominoes falling at once, or our brains would not be able to handle it. Just wait. When that domino wants to fall, it will. You're trying to push it, but maybe it's best to wait until the first domino falls down and pushes the second one itself.

 

[Resilientbibliophile]

Greetings,

Although this always seems my all-purpose solution, seeking out some reading material that would prompt reassessment of territory that seems pretty stale even as it debilitates really could help. There must be something applicable, perhaps a title embraced by those on the sister MSA board accessible below that would let a writer/theorist guide the journey and prompt a habit of engaged reflection. Too heavy reliance on just the experiential lump of cold mashed potatoes within or expectations that the therapist will be super engaging/entertaining can result in a stall of sorts. Boring therapy is no therapy at all, although passage through and the revisitation of Dullsville is sometimes part of the journey even within the space of the best course of therapy.

Just me of course, but I read and then stress test my perceptions off of someone trained and experienced for contrasting my ability to cope and process with others she's seen or is seeing. Get value for being there for taking as much responsibility as you dare assume for knowing the concepts, deconstructing the dynamics, and understanding the vocabulary in use. Make 'em work for it!


M.