What Is Therapy For?

[Pencil]

Why do you go for therapy? What do you think therapy is for? And do you think should not be brought into therapy?

 

[therapybankrupt]

Pencil Good question!

I go to therapy to get tools, release pain, emdr, inner child work, trauma work. I also share success and celebrate success in my work with all these mentioned.

I think everything is to be brought to the therapist that concerns your mental well being. Everything is a part of you and how you function! Cant just treat the pieces or I believe you can never be whole. This is my opinion at this time. It is only until I brought everything to the table that my therapy has helped. It was hard and took a long time. I had 8 years of mundane therapy before I got a proper diagnosis and correct treatment plan. All by my withholding trauma known! They have heard it all! Things I did that I was not proud of and things others have done to me that were wrong.

 

[DharmaGirl]

I go to therapy to get tools, release pain, emdr, inner child work, trauma work.

Ditto! I work with my therapist to get better. He is my ally in this process.

 

[safenow]

I use therapy as a means of learning new tools to cope with what is going on in my life. When I need to work on something that wasn't been worked on previously, I also call a therapist.

I saw my first therapist when I was about 6-7 years old. I had hysterical blindness, plus I didn't know how to talk out loud. I had the physical capability, but had been taught to never speak. I was like a little animal, and sort of like Humpty Dumpty, all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put me back together again. I did learn bits and pieces over the years, but not enough to help me have a peaceful, meaningful life until I was about 40 years old. By then, I'd figured it out. I had to do the work myself. I could be shown, but until I did it myself, nothing worked for me.

 

[raven123]

Why do you go for therapy?

A nervous breakdown and couldn't cope with life much at all.

What do you think GOOD therapy is for?

Guidance. Instead I found out therapy is expensive and not all shrinks are there to help you just pad their bank account so ask tons of questions, and, if they refuse to answer, go elsewhere. At the second visit, ask what exactly they thing think your problems are. A good will know end of 1st or start of 3rd. At the third visit, ask for a treatment plan and don't take no for an answer and discuss how they'll help you tackle it. Every 3-4 visits after, ask for a progress report from the shrink and spouse or someone close that'll tell you the truth and compare reports. And, never be too afraid to say, you're fired to a shrink. You pay them not the other way around.

And do you think should not be brought into therapy?

The shrinks personal problems, one size fits all therapy and them not treating you with respect.

 

[Pencil]

I think everything is to be brought to the therapist that concerns your mental well being

TB, I guess this is closest to what I'm doing in therapy - perhaps because I generally feel like a basket case nowadays :O_o:

 

[Abstract]

For me it would be to discuss all aspects of my emotional wellbeing (read that as lack thereof!:rolleyes:) and inner world (very scary) with someone in a safe environment. To be heard and have input from them and to process my trauma. Thereby putting the past to rest, healing trust with others and myself, and developing awareness and understanding of myself. Or taking any small step in that direction.

 

[Hashi]

Pencil, I'm wondering about the question about what should not be brought into therapy. Are you willing to share your own thoughts about that?

Regarding what a therapist shouldn't bring, I agree with raven.

I'm not sure I think there's anything that a client shouldn't bring. If something might be an obstacle to therapy, like defensiveness say, I think bring the defensiveness and talk about it.

I suppose I think it isn't about what you bring but how you bring it. If I bring defensiveness in the sense that time after time I sit for 50 minutes in silence with my arms folded, then that's probably not going to be helpful. If I bring the defensiveness as something to try to talk about and work on, then I think that's a good thing to do.

But you might mean something different. I'm not sure I've understood your question right.

 

[Phenioxrising]

I go to therapy to talk about my emotional, and mental well being.
Also any un-resolved conflicts.

 

[DharmaGirl]

I wasn't able to finish my thought since I was going to be late for therapy, lol. I also go to therapy to define my feelings, and to learn how to not be overwhelmed by them. I know my therapist cares about my welfare, and he is there to help me. I have hated him, loved him and wanted him to be my dad, but when it comes down to it, I know he cares. He is there to teach me how to help myself get better, and all those feelings I had for him were part of the past. It was hard for me to engage, but when I finally did, I made great progress. Because of me, and how much I put into it and worked on it during the week. It was, and continues to be, the hardest thing I've ever done.
I have a lot of great tools and most of all, I know when I feel suicidal, it is just a feeling like any other and I don't have to act.

I think therapy is for lots of different things. There is a huge connection between medical problems and emotions/trauma. That's why I originally started.

The therapist's stuff should not be brought in, invalidation, but I feel like I can bring anything up to my therapist.

 

[Hashi]

Thereby putting the past to rest, healing trust with others and myself, and developing awareness and understanding of myself. Or taking any small step in that direction.

I agree. Especially the "any small step in that direction". I think progress is what's important. A lot of progress is great, but any progress is great too.

I think I would add healing trust with life, if that makes sense. I experience a lot of hopelessness and despair, feeling that I have no worthwhile future. My therapist holds a better belief for me. It's really important to me that someone's believing in it during the many times when I can't believe it myself.

my therapist... is my ally in this process

I have hated him, loved him and wanted him to be my dad, but when it comes down to it, I know he cares.

I love what you wrote in both your posts. I see therapy as a partnership. I like the idea of the therapist as an ally.

I often wish my therapist could be a real life friend. Although I think she'd be a great friend, I'd be losing the two most important things - that we're working together (not just spending time together) and that someone who has insight, wisdom and compassion is committed to supporting and guiding me in healing.

 

[DharmaGirl]

l agree, Hashi, I wish I could be his friend, and maybe I will someday. Right now he is doing an awesome job helping me along my path and helping me heal through our relationship. I never would have believed it a year ago, but now I see it.