Therapy break - Have you taken one with the intention of returning?

[No More]

I’ve been toying for a while with the idea of having a little break from therapy.

Has anyone ever had a short term break with the full intention of returning? I was thinking maybe 2/3 months or so?

There’s definitely things I still need to work on. Generally I can recognise when an emotion/reaction is not proportional to the situation, even if I don’t recognise that I’ve been triggered. I can put some space between the event and the reaction, even if it’s a couple seconds it’s not such a reflexive ‘wham’. Still a lot to process but when isn’t there There’s just *a lot* left.

I’m also very conscious that I don’t have the financial ability for therapy to drag on for years. I just don’t. So, I need to make sure I build an extra strong system outside of therapy, and I feel a break would give me time to consolidate that. While things are less intense, and I’m not into anniversary season, maybe now is a good time for me to work things through & obviously if I need to go back sooner, I will.


Obviously I don’t expect my therapist to hold my slot, if she’s booked she’s booked and I’ll just have to wait until she has a slot to see me again, or ask for referrals.

But yeah, anyone done similar and found it beneficial or total disaster zone?

 

[Teamwork]

Ask the therapist to book something 2-3 months out. That would give you a target date And put the therapist in the know of what your goal is And secure you a date. I had 2-3 months off because he travelled to be with his mom at her passing. It was a rough time but I managed through it using what resources I did have. It wasn’t quite as planned as you’re doing though so that did make it rough. Sometimes I take a break in between appointments and don’t email him. In my case I can only see him every 4 weeks so he does have email as an option. When I don’t say much in a 4 week period we do kind of lose the thread of where we were. Every therapy situation is unique, so if anniversary times are especially difficult and the other times are about management then build in some work around the anniversary so that long term you can manage them when you decide to be fully out of therapy. I’ve found management tools in mindfulness apps where they give you a small piece of mindfulness strategies to focus on. Say breathe as an anchor, or acceptance without trying to control the outcome. It’s part of my toolbox now even though I didn’t use it much when first offered. I attend a group for anxiety depression once a week. Not totally a great fit but in my area is about the only group running so for sure I go. I don’t journal, but many find that helpful. I tend to use drawing or painting as a journal avenue. It feels safer to me as no one knows what the drawing or painting is about. I just feel like a journal could be read Or found by others.

 

[No More]

Every therapy situation is unique, so if anniversary times are especially difficult and the other times are about management then build in some work around the anniversary so that long term you can manage them when you decide to be fully out of therapy.

Yeah, anniversary times can get real rough still, I think it would be a bad idea to have nothing at all at the minute during those times.

We’re kind of at an inbetween stage, having ‘dealt’ with one trauma, but haven’t really dived into another. So I feel like it’s a good time to have a breath, it’s at a natural break point, I can’t *foresee* me loosing my shit before I do religiously every year at X date. I think any intermediary triggers I have the skills to cope with now.


And if it turns out I don’t? I guess I can just email and say hey I/we made a mistake and actually it’s not happening at the minute.

If ya don’t try you know? Like sometimes you just need to dive in and try it.

 

[arfie]

over half a century and 3 continents of recovery from child sex trafficking, my therapy pot has been well-stirred frequently, both by choice and necessity. the times i have chosen therapy breaks have met with consequences on both extremes of the good/bad pendulum swing. on the psychotic extreme i was motivated by the denial routines of declaring myself **over it**, etc. on the progress extreme, i broadened and diversified my therapy network to include other programs and approaches.

 

[Freddyt]

I’ve been toying for a while with the idea of having a little break from therapy.

I take breaks in therapy......We do EMDR when there's a reason to but if I'm busy with reprossessing we usually do talk therapy. It's been a long time since the original trauma and the time of life it happened at made things difficult to say the least.

So the talk therapy and understanding things is helpful for me and really helps me sort things out, and gives me a break from EMDR work. We also established that I say when for more EMDR so I do try to take a few weeks break between finishing reprocessing tasks and starting more tasks.

But if you don't need that kind of help I couldn't see taking a break would be awful - I would keep my T's number real handy though.........

 

[whiteraven]

Has anyone ever had a short term break with the full intention of returning? I was thinking maybe 2/3 months or so?

Oh yeah. I'm in one of those now.

anyone done similar and found it beneficial or total disaster zone?

Honestly? It feels so much healthier than being in therapy. The first time I took a break on purpose, it was 10 years. I felt better and stronger during that time than at any other.

 

[Friday]

I’ve never taken a therapy break with the intention of returning that I haven’t returned. Sometimes in much less, or much more, time than I originally expected.

I HAVE however, quit therapy, in a few different kinds of ways. Mostly? Honest. Sometimes? Surviving.

I am NOT in therapy to support a friend, or a paycheck, or an ego, or a debt. I’m in it for me. Which means? My choice? Is right. Whatever that choice is, or how I employ it. Even if what I learn from that, is how to do better -more me- next time.

Anything goes.

 

[Survivor3]

I've been seeing my counselor for at least 4 years and I've taken several breaks. The pandemic was 1, out of my control but the breaks that I initiated were for several weeks or 2-3 months at the most. I always intended to return and even though I was still really unwell maybe I shouldn't have bothered taking a break. But it was good for me. It allowed me some "breathing space" to take stock of things for a while. I now see him twice a month and it's my "anchor". It keeps me in check and I save £80 a month.

 

[No More]

I've been seeing my counselor for at least 4 years and I've taken several breaks. The pandemic was 1, out of my control but the breaks that I initiated were for several weeks or 2-3 months at the most. I always intended to return and even though I was still really unwell maybe I shouldn't have bothered taking a break. But it was good for me. It allowed me some "breathing space" to take stock of things for a while. I now see him twice a month and it's my "anchor". It keeps me in check and I save £80 a month.

Thank you this is exactly what I’m hoping will happen! I think it’ll be good for me to have a break. And as you say, saves some money which I really could be using elsewhere, or putting away.

 

[Survivor3]

Thank you this is exactly what I’m hoping will happen! I think it’ll be good for me to have a break. And as you say, saves some money which I really could be using elsewhere, or putting away.

Ah that's great, glad you found it useful. And just to mention..... over here in the UK we have a service called "the samaritans " a telephone service which you can call and speak to someone to help you if your in psychological/emotional trouble. Do they something similar where you live? It can be very useful when your having a therapy break or you choose to cut down your meetings.