Posted by Morgen on August 1, 2003, at 2:23:37
In reply to I lied to my therapist today, posted by Dinah on July 31, 2003, at 15:44:10
Hi Dinah...
I can think of one time that I blatantly lied about something material to my therapist... and I felt horrible when I did it, and more horrible because I did it as what I felt was a matter of necessity because, not understanding that past child abuse (which is no longer and unable to continue) is NOT something they break confidences about... I was trying to protect someone.
Fortunately, my therapist knew it was a concern at the time, and had already been on the phone after our session to someone else she could double check with about her ethical obligations, and so when I called and left a vm for her recanting everything, she called me back to tell me that she wasn't obliged to disclose anything and she hoped that cleared up the problem. So, I was caught right out. She knew I was lying, but also cleared up any need to lie. It was a great experience.
But I've lied about a lot of less material things and, like you mentioned, most of them I didn't realize I was lying about at the time. Some of them were reflexive lies, which are I think equally less culpable -- you know, I comment that I'm just rambling on and on and she asks me why and I say I don't know but we both know I'm avoiding something that we were going to bring up in session that day. Stuff like that. Sometimes I feel guilty about those, but not often. I feel like when she knows anyway, no damage is done.
Now omissions... I think they are generally not bad, but some of them can be when they are really important. When I switch the subject of "how I'm feeling" to something else so that I don't have to mention the fact that I don't plan on seeing her again... that's pretty important. Fortunately, she caught that one too, eventually.
I'm glad you're seeing your therapist twice a week... I wish I was sometimes. So much comes up during sessions that I was just refusing to think about -- like someone else was discussing in another thread, I sometimes get pretty upset after my sessions -- last week being one example. Sometimes though, I feel much calmer. There's not really a pattern, it just depends on what we talk about I suppose, and how I was feeling.
ugh, long ramble again. Oh well, reading is always optional, so I guess we can all write away!
Good to be done with work and back enjoying everyone's posts.
Morgenada
poster:Morgen
thread:247102
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030711/msgs/247258.html