In my therapy we've been going very deep lately and i think i need a breather. I still want to go to the sessions it's not that i want to stop - i trust him and feel validated around him but man i need a break from just talking about how shit my life has been this far because it's very tiring to dig so deep every week, it takes me time to recover. i'm going because i want to work through trauma, so it's not a shock that it's difficult, but i think i need a week or two where maybe we can just talk about something inconsequential like films, idk. Is that okay to ask for? I don't want that permanently but i just need a break, and i don't want a break from therapy itself because i like having that space for me, but i don't want to ask for that and he feels like i'm being an avoidant time waster.

Had a big crying session in my therapist’s office and I really needed it. I started crying early on and proceeded to cry for the rest of the session. The tears kept coming and I couldn’t stop them. I probably went through half a box of tissues. It was weird but it felt so much better to let it out. I’m grateful for my therapist who sat with me through the tears and helped me to ground at the end.

I (32f) was going to therapy with my therapist (~50m) for 6 months.

We had big sessions (each 2 hours long) and the more I was attached, the more often I went and it was making me getting it hard to keep the both ends meet between my salary checks.

He often commented my intelligence, outfit, internal world. He supported me in everything.

I’m alone (no friends or family support, they were very toxic connections), after ending 7y relationship.

So you can see how much it meant to me being seen. I wasn’t seen and appreciated in my relationship as well, which lead to many internal problems as I’m also carrying a lot of trauma.

So many times he said/did intimate things and it started looking very suspicious to me.

(When doing something on the PC, he touches my hand. Saying stuff that when listening to my recording he’s like 10cm near my mouth (after knowing I already developed intense love and erotic transference towards him))

He wanted me to hold on to those feelings, that it is good for the therapy process.

Anyways I confronted him in a video call about everything and I think he didn’t expect that I’m so aware of everything. He seemed stressed and angry. Then he became colder and harsher towards me after this discussion, even saying that there’s violence, aggression and stuff like this. That I don’t have courage to go to therapy and this is why I act like this.

There’s a lot more to this, but TL;DR:

I felt so seen and didn’t want to admit even to myself his questionable behaviour. I read about a lot of stuff he did that are red flags, but I didn’t want to believe that.

Now I decided to end this and also reconnected with my ex, because I have no one else to talk to, completely alone. I’m crushed.

How to deal with this, it hurts so much. I had huge hopes and was so excited always for therapy, I was spending all my money for it, I love it, but now I feel so weird.

Btw he also confessed love counter-transference, but I think he has the physical aspect even if not admitting it, because I caught him a couple of times looking at my parts. So I started questioning his intentions, if he is somehow manipulating me and stuff.

Sorry it is a very messy situation and I’m not a great story teller. Just need advice how to deal with the desperation that I no longer have someone to truly see and appreciate me.

I've been in psychodynamic therapy a long time and a lot of it has been spent stabilising for various reasons. In the last year we have been able to go a bit deeper, and in the last six months or so have been doing parts work. And I won't say I find that easy, but as someone with a plethora of defense mechanisms and protective parts, who has dissociated and suppressed for thirty years, when I get glimpses of these parts that haven't seen the light of day in most of my lifetime it's eventually proving to be such a good feeling? Very scary and odd at first and at times, of course.

I have switched from suppressing and talking down my ocd to viewing it as my fearful part, for example. And it's revealing itself as a three dimensional character not just the mental health condition I have always sectioned it off to be. That fearful part also houses a strong need for attention and connection, which I never got and therefore vilified and battled with. When I recognise this part of me, I feel from it a palpable sense of excitement and release. I think she feels seen. And hopefully this is all baby steps to feeling and crying and all the things I need to do. But even without that, these are good feelings of integration and connection and I appreciate them.

im a 14 yo girl, ive been trough pretty much, like my mom died when i was nine, and my dad has been drinking since then. also recently i got out from a pretty much toxic relationship with a girl (yes im lesbian) and so ive been visiting a psychologist a couple times a year for a couple years. the psychologist in question is my mothers friend, they studied for this major together.

i recently started realizing that the therapy doesn’t help me like at all, and i do feel kinda uncomfortable with her. when i was in that relationship i wasn’t seeing her like at all (a long story) and when i finally broke up i decided to see the psychologist and tell her about it, so she knows that i like girls. she didn’t tell me much about it, just said that i did a good job with breaking up. I also told her that i suspect myself having adhd or aspergers or something like that, but to all my problems that i listed to her she just said sm like “its fine, all people have it and we all sometimes do this/that”, which felt weird to me

it also happened 2 years ago, when i first thought about me possibly having adhd, she said the same thing. i don’t know if im doing something wrong or not, but all our sessions are just me telling her something about what happens in my life and she just comments on what i said, i feel like it doesn’t help me at all

also something happened recently, which made me totally uncomfortable: she started asking if i like any boy at school, knowing that i like girls, and i already told her before that right now i don’t like anyone and don’t want a relationship at all. she started asking if maybe i like an older boy at my school, because “usually girls like to stalk boys from older grades” and when i said no, i don’t like anyone at all she said to me to not be so categorical / dogmatic . like wtf don’t be so categorical, if im just saying truth? no one appeals to me , especially boys

to wrap it up, i just don’t know what should i do. should continue seeing her or find another therapist for me? if i decide to stop, how do i even tell it to her?? she writes me every couple weeks or every week asking me when i can meet with her

p.s. ive been struggling with suicidal thoughts and self harm since i was like nine or ten, and she didn’t really help with that. the only thing that really helped was when i starting dating that girl i kinda found the reason to live cuz i really loved her. now that we broke up i don’t really struggle with that shit

So I had my session yesterday. We talked specifically on my loneliness and some of the struggles around therapy.

I just sent an email, I promise you I tried to unsend it once it hit me but I couldn’t it was too late, it just was a loneliness email. Like just reaching for a connection and saying a bit.

I feel awful. My therapist hasn’t ever put rules on me sending anything. I’ve always been able to whenever, and she would just get to it when she would.

Now I feel genuinely awful. I feel like I’m a pathetic loser who is so lonely I have to reach out to the person paid to see me. All just to say that I hate my life and I’m lonely. (It was deeper than that. But yk)

Did I do something wrong or is it just my anxiety?

Here’s the link for the entire thing: https://www.instagram.com/p/DenIYf6kkCm/?obrf=Y2VweHVlanp0cTY4

I feel so lucky to be with an amazing therapist who doesn’t abuse my attachment to her but also does not abandon me for seeking more independence in the future.

My T recently moved out of the area and I'm starting with someone new. I realize the first couple sessions with someone new are probably going to be awkward or uncomfortable but Can you tell you your therapist isnt a good fit after 2 sessions?

The new T is someone who you can tell is super sweet but she seems like someone who isn't going to really challenge me much or ask me many questions. I actually asked her if she'd ask me some questions at the beginning of and during the second session and I didn't get much the entire time other than some product ideas that may help me sleep better. I said I felt like I didn't know where to go with starting from scratch and needed for guidance through the session but I mostly just talked to fill up time because there was no guidance. It seemed like I was alone in the room because shed give me one sentence answers every now and then. It was like having bad dates with a nice person.

Is two sessions too soon to feel like you're just not on the same page with someone and how they work? Am I just grieving the loss of my old T? I even asked the new T that. My previous T had two people in mind and I'm wondering if i shoukd try the other one or if i should keep seeing if this gets better?

I've been in therapy for around 3 months for OCD, but lately, sessions have started feeling repetitive. We keep going over the same techniques, and there's usually nothing new to discuss apart from a small part of the session.

I understand that repetition is important, but I'm wondering how long therapy usually lasts and how you know when you're ready to stop. Is this normal, or what , i dont wanna keep spending money on therapy, if i have got everything i needed from it

Would appreciate advice from people who've been through therapy.

Is this scenario as weird as I think it is?

My husband saw a therapist and had a very interesting experience with her. It's honestly too much to get into altogether.

Some main issues:

-She was dismissive of his growth.

-She told him his medication couldn't be helping him within two weeks when he reported positive effects. (All info online would disagree with her.)

-She dismissed his concerns about PTSD. He has since been diagnosed and treated.

-He asked me to attend a session. I couldn't, so I wrote a letter expressing my concerns. (This was after he requested I do so.) She laughed at my letter calling it too emotional and saying I had too many run on sentences. She told him it felt "manipulative."

-She reached conclusions about his childhood and it's affects on her own. When he told her he disagreed, she was dismissive.

My husband continued therapy with her and another therapist for a while longer before discontinuing services with her. He said he would leave therapy with the other therapist feeling calm and reassured. Then he would visit this therapist and feel confused and unsettled. He continued visiting the other therapist and her treatment was very helpful.

After he discontinued therapy, I left her a negative review because he and I both felt her approach was actively harmful to him. I did not say that in the review, just left a rating. At that time, she had only a couple reviews. Within a day or two of mine posting, she received several five star reviews. One said, "Ignore the lone one star review. It is someone posting in retaliation." She clearly solicited these positive reviews. She later had mine removed.

Then I got a friend request from her in the middle of the night. It was quickly deleted. She had been looking at my socials.

All of this was just so creepy and weird. I still find it unsettling years later. I do not know what her intentions were.

I've written a note for my next therapy session because there's something I want to bring up, but I'm really anxious about actually giving it to my T.

Part of the note talks about how I'm scared to be honest because of confidentiality, and asks what would make him break it. I'm worried that just asking about confidentiality around this particular subject will make him guess at what I'm not telling him. Like, he'll suspect something specific just because I'm asking about the limits of confidentiality in relation to it? 

I guess I'm wondering if that is at all likely or something to be concerned about?

Also... If I could just get some reassurance or omeone to tell me to just fucking show him the note that would be great. I know I need to talk about this, I'm just scared to. I'm afraid I will back out.

i had a dream where i became fat and i killed myself, and i know it sound weird but its not that deep like i think it isnt. i AM mentally ill and just 2 weeks ago I got out of the psychiatric hospital

I am in therapy to develop boundaries. I am extremely codependent, constantly taken advantage of, and have a history of growing up in an alcoholic home. However, I am not being abused, self-harming, or anything like that.

Sometimes, it feels like my therapist wants to see me a lot. Sometimes she schedules sessions 2 days in a row, or twice a week. I asked to take a week off and she asked several times if I wanted to meet remotely while I was on a business trip. I really had to insist I didn't want to. And since I am low acuity, and she is a single mom, I do wonder if she just wants to because she know I won't say no, and I am a reliable source of income.

Thoughts?

I was just recommended a therapist by my physician, and I looked him up.

I saw his reviews and they were okay-ish but my main concern is that he is pretty old and I don’t know that he will understand my issues. I know that is me judging a book by its cover.

I just feel very unsure.

Edit: I just looked at more of his yelp reviews and they are all 1 stars. 🫠 So yeah. I won’t be going to him, but thank you all for the helpful comments!!

i love hearing stories like this, so i wanted to share a little moment from one of my sessions

a few weeks ago, i told my therapist about how one of my former lecturers, whom i hadn’t spoken to since graduating in may, randomly sent me a selfie of herself with one of my friends

for context, i had a pretty crappy experience in school, and my therapist knows about it. the whole thing caught me off guard, and i started coming up with all sorts of scenarios about why she had sent it

when i told my therapist about it, she laughed and said, “it is weird, why is this teacher so weird?”

i don’t know why, but her reaction surprised me in the best way. it was such a small moment, but it made me appreciate our therapeutic relationship even more

does anyone else have funny moments with their therapist? i’d love to hear your stories!

I just came out of a session with my psychiatrist (not psychologist). In the past somehow I was able to open up to him even though it's not his job! I know there is a very strong transference going on in my situation. For the same reason I avoided him for a few months though I continued my medication.

Today when I went I wanted to tell him more. I wanted to talk to him for a long period. Tell him how awful I am feeling these days. Tell him that so many times I just want to ring him up and tell him this is going on in my life and him to just be there patiently listening to what I am going through without any judgement.

I know I am expecting a lot more from him. Because of all this I am just not able to tell him openly now as at the back of my mind all this transference theory is going on and I have sort of closed myself again

I don't feel good about this. I don't know what to do about it

I'm not sure if I tell my therapist I "relapsed" and hurt myself after almost 5 years of not having done so. A big thing showed up that I legally can't talk to her about, so idk what to do. Legally, I cannot tell her (she might get called for questions) what happened, but it was bad enough for my "relapse." It was bad. That being said, I'm 22. I'm not a minor, and idk who she would report my sh to, if she would at all. Especially since my emergency contact is my mom, and if she told me mom, everything would get WAY worse, but I also don't know if my "relapse" is just a one-off or something that might grow, but the way the situation is going, it seems it'll be the latter.

What do I do?

Who would she contact/will she contact anyone?

Do I just wait a bit and see before talking to her?

So for context, i used to go to therapy months ago for anxiety issues and low energy/fatigue, i eventually decided to step away from therapy for awhile.

So during our last session, I asked her if she noticed anything else about me because although I had come in for anxiety, she had never given me an actual diagnosis.

She said that she noticed serious signs of major clinical depression but didn't mention it to me during any of our previous sessions because she didn't want me to latch onto the label.

Part of the reason I felt the need to step away from therapy was also because...during our one and only regression therapy session, there was this one instance when I broke down crying saying I wanted to stop the session and open my eyes but she forced me to go back in and sternly told me not to open my eyes and finish the whole visualization excercise.

Although the regression therapy made me feel a bit lighter, in the days after, something about that session (or rather her approach) left me feeling uneasy.

In the follow up session I brought up a few issues as feedback, stating that I find visualization techniques to be a little difficult not because I didn't have a vivid imagination (I do) but I find it difficult to visualise things while simultaneously having to "let my feelings do the talking" because I get caught up in the details of the visuals.

I also told her that her tone sounded accusatory when she kept repeatedly asking me during the regression session "YOU said you felt fear, where is it now?" (she asked that question, in the exact same accusatory tone, 3 times, despite me repeatedly telling her i don't know where it went. For context, the different emotions I felt during the regression session were supposed to represent the different "inner children"). I told her the tone was unnecessary because I genuinely did not know where my inner child, that represented fear, had disappeared

She seemed taken aback by the feedback and sheepishly said that that was really useful feedback (mind you, I was very polite and calm when I gave her this feedback) but she said that regarding the visualization techniques she said she doesn't know how else to approach this because most of the techniques will require me to visualize things or that she would have to find another way if I find visualization techniques difficult.

I reiterated that I don't mind the visualization techniques but I do need her to be patient with me during any session that requires me to "visualize" my feelings.

During this feedback however, she said that the next time when we do a session like this and if she were to give me instructions to close my eyes, i should not open them until she says so because...she didn't want these repressed feelings coming up later, when I'm going about my day.

However, after this feedback, i noticed a very subtle shift in her approach; she seemed almost annoyed with me at times. It was super subtle but definitely noticeable to me.

I also mentioned to her that I would like to talk about my mum and my relationship to her but she dismissed it saying that that would be "too vague"...which i honestly didn't get, considering most of my feelings of anxiety and low energy started after her death.

Another odd instance of her being annoyed; we were discussing my childhood molestation, and she mentioned that she could sense there was some guilt in me that I had done something wrong.

I immediately picked up on that implication and responded to her, "but I haven't done anything wrong...", and at which point she looked really annoyed.

She immediately defended it by saying that IF I was reading a redemption story about a character who constantly complained about having intrusive thoughts that made them feel like they deserved to be violated/assaulted/molested, "what do you think that says about the character?"

I said I don't know. She went "it means the character has an internal conflict"....that "on one hand, you realize this is an injustice and on the other hand, you're trying to normalize it".

But here's the thing; I'm NOT looking for redemption because I HAVEN'T done anything wrong. If a therapist is picking up on the fact that the client is holding themselves accountable for something that ISN'T their fault, isn't it normal for a therapist to remind or at the very least, ask their client, that "hey, I'm sensing that you have this shame/guilt/confusion around your sexual abuse/molestation but I just want you to know, you're not at fault" or "you do realize you're not at fault right??"

She just wanted to highlight that I'm conflicted and she was irritated that I didn't "get it". It almost felt at times like I was a case study to her.

It left me wondering, "well...does MY therapist think/suspect that I've done something wrong? Is that how SHE is interpreting my dark intrusive thoughts about myself? Does she think I'm lying about my molestation or making it up??"

So yeah, all of this left me feeling uncomfortable with our... dynamic...and i decided it was best for me to step away.

What do you all think?

Hi there,

Since a few months, my wife see a therapist every week due to a trauma linked to an event when she was a teenager.
Despite having seen her already about 15 times, my wife reported that her therapist doesn't do more than casual chit chat, and change subject every time she starts to talk about this event. She has the feeling to pay quite a lot to have someone asking her about her daily life, and refusing to talk about more important things.

Is it a secret therapy technic or is that therapist just a bad one ?

Thanks in advance

I've been in therapy for about a year, psychoanalytic therapy, and I haven't acquired almost any kind of more awareness than before. I suffer from practically constant depressive states, even if not diagnosed...

I will try to be as summary as possible, but unfortunately I don't have this gift, plus I will omit some details, such as textual sentences etc.
In therapy, but in general in life, I am an extremely avoidant person when talking about my vulnerabilities or weaknesses, I am very reserved even if extremely sociable, therefore it is very difficult for me to open up, even in therapy, even after a year, so often I try to deviate in other ways, consciously or not.

The "problem" is that from a certain moment on my therapist began to be there I think pleasantly in this deviation of mine; I like to talk about intellectual topics, we have many interests in common, such as literature, art, music, psychology and psychoanalysis, in addition at the moment I am studying because in the future I would like to become in the sector, so let's say, fertile ground for deep conversations.

We began to spend entire sessions talking about books, movies, music, psychology, personal experiences about these interests.

I would like to point out that I was often and willingly the one to ask questions (but not always), ask questions and create fertile ground for a good conversation, but she is practically there and we ended up spending entire meetings like this, every now and then maybe she tried to bring me back to the therapeutic work, but not in a sporadic and flexible way, maybe telling me a sentence like "come on tell me something" and then between one thing and another we ended up going back to chatting again as mentioned before.

She revealed to me her musical, cinema, literary tastes, on which side she is politically and that she is not a believer. And she also told me some small anedotes about her life.

This for about 4/5 months almost continuously. We talked really pleasantly, even about politics and religion sometimes, also making me understand that she was on my same side and I also pointed out to her that maybe she shouldn't have taken sides.

After a lot of time spent in this way she got into obvious difficulty, she also started with me to wonder if she was doing her job and I perceived her uncomfortable during this session, she looked at the floor, spoke little, she tried to put on quite forced "therapeutic" questions and I pointed it out to her, but anyway at the end of the session she didn't seem calm, so I asked her if she was sure that everything was okay.

Once I asked her if she felt guilty, she told me that a little yes, she felt guilty. She herself admitted to having made mistakes and having broken rules. From that moment the oscillation is a constant, sometimes it tries to regulate itself by being more silent and evading the questions, other times instead, as before. She herself admitted that she made mistakes with me and that the dynamic got a little out of her hands and several times she told me that if I wanted I could take advantage of the possibility of leaving. In general, during the sessions I have always noticed a lot of humanity, a lot of laughter, genuine interest, pure spontaneity. I am a lesbian, and I have always had a fascination for figures much older than me, this is also a bit of my scheme.

In recent times I have noticed a small change, it seems more focused on work and more aware, but I still have to understand well, because now it is a period that I do not see her due to holidays.
Recently, instead, I told her that from a certain number of sessions a month I would like to switch to another for an economic issue, but she told me that that number (one less than how many I did) would not be functional to the therapy in her opinion and proposes that I continue as before paying one less. In addition, one of the last times I told her that with her I noticed that I became more uninhibited, more uninhibited and she told me that in part, she too.
within a year, unfortunately, I don't notice any kind of change and/or improvement.

Every time I talk about it with friends or people close to me I am told to change, that all this is not professional and that maybe the therapy with me moves something of their own, Some of them also think that there was a strange involvement.
• What do you think?

I’ve had a very devout Christian religious upbringing and I have no sexual past. I like a guy. He has been in a long term relationship which was sexually vibrant with someone almost culminating to marriage but it didn’t happen as the girl cheered on him and called things off. Do I convince myself that he’s otherwise good and overlook his sexual past or call things off for good as mental images of them being together keeps haunting me? Does it get better? Any tips?

I recently began my first year of college, where I have been having the best, yet also most difficult time. The highs are high, but the lows are also very low. Because of this, I scheduled an appointment with my university mental health department where I will be receiving free therapy. One of my means of coping with these low lows is self-harm, and I would like to tell my therapist to help accentuate my struggles with emotional regulation. I am also terrified because I am in Texas, and don’t want to be sent to a mental hospital. If I tell the school therapist will they send me off?

I did not grow up with my mother, therefore I do not know a lot of things about her and how she was when i was an infant. I got in contact with her a few months ago and she told me that she is on bipolar medication. She also used to do hard drugs way back when, and possibly during pregnancy too.
I wanted to wait until later sessions to let my therapist know this information, because all of this is genuinely still fresh new information for me to process rn. Idk too much about bipolar disorder but so far I have depression, social anxiety and I do smoke. I’m trying to stop but
noticed I get in the habit of saying I’ll stop next time which worries me a bit.
I also feel like growing up I’ve always had a quick mood switch often (happy, to angry, then somber, etc) I kinda chalk it up to adhd though. It’s hard to process emotions and whether or not they’re genuinely how I feel or not (something I’m actively taking to my therapist about now)

Is it worth mentioning to my therapist that my mother has some sort of history with bipolar disorder, and takes medication for it? Will that change some of our conversations that we have? Will that make some type of difference? I’m not sure if addiction will possibly trickle down to me, but idk if going to a therapist about that will even help.

TIA

I'm not sure where it stems from but i have this intense fear that my team (psychiatrists and therapist) think im lying or feigning symptoms?

When talking alone to a member of my team i get convinced someone is listening to us behind the door so i get up and check and it makes me feel so dramatic and i dont know why i do it. i have all these thoughts about being surveilled but every time i articulate them it sounds dramatic and stupid and im worried they think im lying. i feel like theyre going to use that information against me in some way. i think it partly stems from when they were putting thoughts into my head about how no one is going to believe me, they felt like alien electronic thoughts and i still dont know what they actually are.

ive went to ED at least 6 times this year for mental health issues and im afraid that me going that many times means they think im lying.

i just want help for my symptoms but its making me avoid help honestly. what do i do? how can i get over this irrational fear?

Hello everyone,
I’m 35 and I never used or tried any service related to mental health before, neither therapy nor anything else.

I am not sure what exactly the reason is; it is not like I don’t get stressed, because everyone does, but I never thought I needed such help.

I have always seen myself as someone mentally strong. For example, no matter how much I am stressed, it never affected my sleep or eating; I never had any suicidal or depressive thoughts (not that I knew of, at least).

I of course, feel frustration, anger maybe, demotivation sometimes, but that’s about it.

Recently I have been feeling very stressed, mainly personal life stuff and my relationship with my wife; I just feel a strong urge to talk it out. That’s it; I just need to vent about it and get an opinion/validation, maybe, that what I’m feeling is justified. Is that worth going to a therapist?

And if so, what exactly is the expectation here? Are there any red lines I should be aware of when sharing marriage details?

Appreciate your thoughts.