Posted by Klokka on July 14, 2004, at 21:11:29
In reply to How does therapy help you?, posted by Dinah on July 14, 2004, at 17:00:28
I've only been in therapy for about six months now and I'm currently somewhat ambivalent about the whole deal, so this will be a challenge. Here goes nothing...
I think the most significant help it's provided to date is a place to vent which is my own, which won't be invaded when I need it most. At my high school (I graduated in June,) my teachers and guidance counselor were wonderfully supportive, but I had a good friend with greater problems than mine who was also much better liked by the staff. At times I would try to talk to one of them when things were really bad, and my friend would come by and completely take over the conversation with her problems. (Or the teachers would interrupt to ask about her and tell me to be there for her.) Then there was that time I had a much-needed appointment with the counsellor cancelled because she had later booked my friend in for the same time - she said it was a complete accident and I believe her, but that didn't help matters much! It wasn't a big deal at first, but over time added up to upset me, especially since I felt guilty for being bothered by it at all - my friend really did need the support, too. Therapy helped relieve that because I could be sure that my pdoc wouldn't do the same with me. I definitely needed that at the time. Even now, it helps me to get through difficult times because I can look to a specific time when I'll be able to talk about it.
It's also helped me learn to depend on others when I need to... well, somewhat. I called my pdoc in crisis a few months ago, he forgot my phone number at the clinic and because of the timing only called back the next week - that definitely set things back a lot, but overall I'm learning, however slowly. This one's fuzzy for me, because I'm still not sure that I don't tend to depend too much on others, but once in a while I see it more clearly.
Finally, it's helped to clarify some things and I imagine will continue to do so. My diagnosis of SAD has helped me make sense of the past few years, and now I know what to expect, more or less. It's also helped me to better understand a few aspects of why I act the way I do sometimes around friends and family.
Especially now that it's summer and I'm feeling better, I'm finding it hard to convince myself to keep seeing my pdoc, but those few things (along with attachment) have kept me from quitting, only to need help again in a few months.
poster:Klokka
thread:366203
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040703/msgs/366315.html