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Post by B. on Apr 17, 2022 13:08:01 GMT -5
Does anyone here get regular therapy, that they feel has really, positively and consistently improved their life? And has built up a great relationship with the same therapist?
I've had about 4 separate incidents of therapist/seen 4 separate therapists between the ages of 18 - 23. The most recent one I ended in January, as I just didn't feel I was getting so much out of it. I found it really hard to 'gel' with a therapist, I don't have any problem being honest, but found it hard to stay consistent. Still, I'd like to think I could find something that works for me one day.
I find exercise, journalling, and spending time with friends/family much better for mental health than actual therapy necessarily but idk
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Post by penne on Apr 17, 2022 16:08:00 GMT -5
hey Resemblance that might be a misguided way to think about therapy — i think the point isn’t so much that they’ll “only care because they’re getting paid” but rather that they’ll dedicate a different, deeper kind of attention to you bc it’s their job. it’s also not a conversation, so you have more space to talk stuff out and listen to yourself. & you may find it easier to talk about certain subjects w/ someone who isn’t a part of your life/ doesn’t know all the people you know or have some preconceived idea of who you are. this all beyond their actual expertise in psychology or whatever i have lots of friends who’ve had great experiences with therapy. that being said, like bee, i tried it a couple times & didn’t get much out of it. i think it rlly has to do with whether you vibe w/ your therapist & their specific practice. i do think abt trying again someday idk if therapy is for everyone or not, some may find other things more helpful i guess
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Apr 17, 2022 16:53:05 GMT -5
I had several different therapists when I was younger, and had whildly different experiences with all of them. Some were great and reallx helped me a lot, others wer terrible, and in one case significantly contributed in making my situation worse and leading to me becoming socially isolated for a long while. So It really is a lottery.
Just over two years ago I did get to a stage where I felt like therapy would be benefical and useful for me, but then covid and lockdowns hit and stopped me from being able to seek that in the way I had planned. The lockdowns really helped to give me the time I needed to sort my issues out, so I never pursued it any further, but I don't think my past experinces would put me off trying it again in the future if I feel the need.
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Therapy
Apr 17, 2022 17:34:18 GMT -5
via mobile
bryan likes this
Post by penne on Apr 17, 2022 17:34:18 GMT -5
no offense taken! just thought to give a different perspective
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Therapy
Apr 17, 2022 20:56:18 GMT -5
B. likes this
Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Apr 17, 2022 20:56:18 GMT -5
Honestly, I don't believe in therapy. I find it really hard to trust someone who only worries about my health if they get paid. I know someone who went to therapy, and it did nothing for them. I agree with you, I find those sorts of help much more efficient. I've been contemplating if I should post these sorts of thoughts, but I guess it doesn't matter much. I'd like to try to convince you otherwise. Approach therapy as you would physiotherapy. In the same way that a professional is paid to make you do certain specific movements to help improve the functionality of certain organs or joints, a qualified professional can help you to think about certain matters with a certain frequency to help you improve some aspect of mental health. The type of trust you will develop is a professional doctor-patient relationship trust, and it depends on how good the therapist is. The mental health provided by family and friends is very good, and is usually enough for mentally healthy people, just as going to the gym or going for a walk is enough for physically healthy people to maintain physical health. But if you have a physical injury that requires physical therapy to get better, physical therapy is essential so that the recovery is not partial. Similarly, if you have some types of traumas or piscological diseases that depend on therapies to be treated, not resorting to these can cause these traumas to be partially resolved.
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Therapy
Apr 18, 2022 9:59:27 GMT -5
B. likes this
Post by Isadora Is a Door on Apr 18, 2022 9:59:27 GMT -5
So just to expand a bit on abd experiences with therapy (though this a bit off topic perhaps)
When i was around 10/11 i was reffered to CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental health Services) to seek counselling/therapy/etc for my ongoing issues, and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I went there for several weeks, and nothing was of any help whatsoever. However at the end of about my 5th sessions there, the psych I had been seeing concluded that there was nothing wrong with me, that I was jsut acting up and seeking attention (which, given that I was very shy as a child, is the best misdiagnosis I have ever heard) and that my family should stop making a fuss.
My Nan (who was my main gaurdian) asked what she could do to both help herself and myself cope with my difficult social interactions and huge emotional outburts etc, and his response what that i should be looked in my room until I learn to chang my behaviour, be given only limited amounts of food and water, and not socialise with other people my own age in case I rub off of them. He did not say this to her when I was there, but she told me this after we have left.
Obviously, she didn't do this, and we sought alternative help elsewhere which much more benificial. We tried several times to file complaints abotu both CAHMS and the therapist in particular, but these were rejected at every turn. When I last looked online I saw that this person is still working for the organisation, and there is a facebook group and campaign from people he has 'treated' sharing thier difficult stories and trying to get him removed etc.
Anyway, a few years later I was getting into trouble at school more regularly and we once again reffered to CAMHS. My nan did not want us to attend he appointment, but we were basically forced into it. It was at a different facility. This one was much worse: I don't remember wehre it was, but it was more like a kind of secure ward of some kind of mental health facility. There were bars on the windows, which made me really unsettled, and the entire 'therapy' session I had there was recorded, which again made me feel really uncomfortable.
Even though by this time I had been diagnosed by other means with OCD and Autism, CAHMS said the same as before, that officialy there was nothing wrong with me so I simply needed to stop misbehaving and getting in trouble at school, otherwise I would be moved into a facility like this instead.
My response to this was to not go to school and therefore avoid the trouble, so that was when I stopped going.
Anyway, my point is that CAHMS is a terrible, awful organisation. Maybe its helped some people, but I met and/or spoken to hundreds of people about mental health, and nobody has ever been able to say a single good thing about them.
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Therapy
Apr 18, 2022 10:12:33 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by B. on Apr 18, 2022 10:12:33 GMT -5
I have no experience with CAHMS but I I've never heard anything good about them from anyone. Sorry that stuff happened to you
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Post by HAL 10,000 on Apr 18, 2022 10:34:17 GMT -5
Depends on your therapist. Some suck, but mine is really good and even encourages me to do other things that help me like reading and colouring.
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Apr 18, 2022 10:37:44 GMT -5
Thw best therpist is one who allows you to embrace the best parts of yourself.
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Post by Violent BUN Fortuna on Apr 18, 2022 12:23:28 GMT -5
I'm so sorry you went through that, Isadora Is a Door, that sounds horrific. I have no experience of therapy, and not much of an opinion on it other than I think it is over-prescribed. I know it works very well for some people, which is great, but not everyone is suited to it (I know I would absolutely hate to go through it), and I really dislike it when I see people making statements about how x person 'should' go to therapy to deal with x event. Like, if they want to and they find a therapist who suits them, great. But it's a very personal choice and it won't help everyone, and I think all the things you mentioned, B., are just as worthwhile.
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Apr 18, 2022 16:31:54 GMT -5
I did 5 online sessions with a psychotherapist, and in short, that's why I'm on Dark Avenue today. I recently faced hair loss because of stress at work (and I already have thin hair) and the lack of hair has affected weird areas on my head. I didn't think therapy would be necessary for this, and in fact it wasn't. I just lightened my workload, and said "no way" to some people and talked to my wife and parents about it, and my demartologist also prescribed a topical medication. I'm better off without therapy.
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Therapy
Apr 20, 2022 19:50:32 GMT -5
Post by bryan on Apr 20, 2022 19:50:32 GMT -5
CAHMS sounds damn awful.
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Post by bryan on Apr 20, 2022 19:50:44 GMT -5
I saw a therapist for about a year when i was 22 before the pandemic hit. I really needed it + medication at that time. Both helped for sure, I was def lucky getting my therapist though (due to good insurance as well as luck of the draw). Idk how to explain it but art was a big part of his life/therapy that just happened to mesh with me ideologically. I stopped going because he could only offer video therapy during the pandemic which I wasn't vibing with. Still, I've been thinking about taking it back up because I found it felt very easy.
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Post by Reba on Apr 20, 2022 21:28:24 GMT -5
when i was 15 i was made to go to a sole therapy session (never mind why). the shrink was very somber and didn't laugh at any of my jokes. i talked extensively about my great love of australia, and at the end he made a snide and nonsensical comment about hoping to see me on aussie TV in a few years, or something like that. overall the experience was annoying.
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Post by limeny on Apr 24, 2022 7:09:04 GMT -5
cbt therapy personally hasn't worked for me, nor have ssris, but snris have. everyone has their own (unfortunately lifelong) journey or whatever those optimists say.
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