• The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines
    Bereavement Mindfulness
    Suicide Support Anger Management
  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | Eligiu | deficiT | paranoid android

Mental Health Doubts about therapy

nuttynutskin

nuttynutskin

Bluelighter
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
10,681
After my last session I'm having some doubts on if it's something I want to continue. My new therapist is more proactive as far as pushing for goals and change than just listening, but I'm starting to think that maybe I don't really want to change. I'm a pessimist but I think it's a realistic view. Thoughts?
 
what did/do you expect to get out of therapy? why did you start seeing a therapist in the first place?

alasdair
 
Someone to vent/talk to basically, and I thought it would help with my depression. I'm no where near mentally or physically ready right now to start tackling big goals as I'm experiencing some major PAWS.
 
Last edited:
what benefit do you think venting to a therapist will offer compared to, say, just venting to a friend? or the forum here for that matter?

ime, therapy doesn't hand you answers and solutions. rather, it provides you with structure and tools which enable you to find your own answers. that does require some commitment to and end on your part and a willingness to embrace the means.

finally, it can be hard. you have to be open to answer some personal questions honestly. maybe you're just not ready for that? if not, do you think you ever will be?

alasdair
 
alasdairm said:
what benefit do you think venting to a therapist will offer compared to, say, just venting to a friend? or the forum here for that matter?
Click to expand...

Get things off my chest and not have to burden my friends with my problems all of the time. Get some suggestions on how to deal with things. I didn't have any problems with my last therapist.

alasdairm said:
ime, therapy doesn't hand you answers and solutions. rather, it provides you with structure and tools which enable you to find your own answers. that does require some commitment to and end on your part and a willingness to embrace the means.
Click to expand...

That's fine but I don't like being pushed or put on the spot. My current therapist has kind of a "what are you gonna do about it" attitude, but if I knew what I was going do I wouldn't be in therapy in the first place.

alasdairm said:
finally, it can be hard. you have to be open to answer some personal questions honestly. maybe you're just not ready for that? if not, do you think you ever will be?
Click to expand...

I'll answer all the personal questions in the world, no problem. But maybe I'm just not really ready to change. Who knows. Like I said it doesn't help that I'm going through PAWS and my therapist seems like she's getting impatient with me.
 
Well I've run across that problem before, so you're certainly not alone. That said, maybe they need some more information or something. Or, you could try just telling them what you told us. If they're professional, they won't be offended or anything.
 
I recently quit talk therapy myself for similar reasons. Talking about change that I had no real motivation to implement was both frustrating and depressing.
 
I recently quit talk therapy myself for similar reasons. Talking about change that I had no real motivation to implement was both frustrating and depressing. Plus with my PTSD digging that shit up every week was like tearing a scab off an open wound. Too much pain for not enough gain.
 
Yeah I've felt mentally exhausted after a lot of sessions although that in and of itself wouldn't be a reason I would quit I don't think. Right now I just don't have the energy tho to be pushed into trying to think about solutions to bigger issues. I also don't want to feel like I'm wasting the therapist's time. Either way I'm not quitting yet, but if the next sessions don't go well I probably will or at least take a break.
 
I do recommend you let your therapist know how you feel.
 
I'd like to have somebody to help keep me in check but I don't want to feel pressured into trying to deal with bigger issues when I'm not ready yet.
 
Ya know, I've gone through phases where I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. But after a relatively short period of time, I started improving again. Perhaps changing your approach could help. Is it possible that you can find it in yourself to meet her level of query? Maybe you're ready, but it's difficult. Therapy isn't always positive in the moment, but that doesn't mean it's not helping you heal.

I'd personally give it at least a month, maybe longer. If your therapist is well-regarded in the community, that's a positive sign to hold fast for a bit. If they're a certified clinical psychologist, even more (the difficulty with seeing a psychologist is that they tend to accept only private insurance, and they can charge hundreds per session).

Before choosing alternative care, you'll try telling her what you told us, right?
 
My therapist and I work solely on non-drug related issues because drug addiction is not his specialization. I've been working out these issues through the use of EMDR which has been helpful for me, in a relatively short period of time as well.

I use different support groups for my addiction issues and prefer not to see a therapist about them because most of the time I talk about drugs it's all "on the surface" kind of stuff. I find that this helps categorize things in my head a little better as well.


Hope you can make some more progress. Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top