My laundry list of mishegas is so damned long, and is causing more and more friction in my life. Started therapy by video.
There’s also messaging - which is responded to pretty quickly- and worksheets for me to try and do.
I’m hopeful about the process. Don’t care that it isn’t face to face. I’m still freaked out enough going to Mom’s house and being face to face. Video is just fine by me.
Last time I saw a therapist I was 7.
Anyone finding it useful? Anyone started in the last year, after a year of COVID-19? What works, what doesn’t for you?
@Cartooniverse, it map help you to keep inn mind that you are the manager of your progress. If you’re not satisfied with your progress then you may want to make a change.
I’m 64, started therapy in my 20s. The first 3 times were CBT, so relatively short term. The last 3 years I’ve been doing EMDR, which is used to reprocess trauma. It’s difficult and a lot of work but worth it.
How do you like your therapist so far? I understand that some people stick with a therapist they are uncomfortable with because they think that’s part of the process. Just keep in mind that you can change your therapist if things aren’t working well for you. Good luck!
I’ve had a very successful experience with therapy, especially CBT. My best tip for you is that the thing that you feel most uncomfortable about bringing up with your therapist is the best place to start. If something happens that upsets you, and you think “I’m not sure I really want to talk about that,” that is exactly the thing you should talk about. This is true even if the thing is about your therapist. Spent all week stewing about a comment your therapist made? Start your conversation by telling them about it. I’m always surprised when someone tells me about a problem they have “but I haven’t told my therapist”. If you start with the intention that the worst, most difficult things are the ones that you’re going to share, it will become easier and more natural to share them, and the process will be much more effective.
I also second what everyone else has said - if it’s not working for you, feel free to move on. Different therapists are right for different people.
I had to Google the acronym. I’m glad that this technique is working for you. I suffered a pretty long-lasting bout of BPPV last autumn and doing anything regarding forced eye movement is, oddly triggering for me. The overwhelming fear of bringing back those symptoms would force me away from this technique- I’ll have to find other paths to taming the demons.
mordecaiB, couldn’t agree with you more. I’m working with someone I found through a website called Better Health. I read very carefully through their process and how their therapists are vetted ( and of course I can find NYS licensing on my own to prove that my therapist is who she says she is ). Aside from a few things that have arisen that inform me that this entire site is run by Millennials, I actually find it works well for me. To specifically address your post, I would bail at any moment and not look back if I felt I had to. One of the most ingrained patterns in my life is being a Pleaser and being servile to others. This entire process is about me. That simple. If I need to make a change, I will do so without reservation. And thanks !!
SpoilerVirgin I am guessing that the way that the program is laid out works for me specifically because I do not have to wait a week to reply. The Messaging program built into the platform allows ongoing communication. I’m only a few weeks in and I’ve no reason to think that my therapist will try to get me to slow down. Her replies are thoughtful and complete, not a sentence or two rushed out to fulfill the job requirement. She also made it clear on the first session that the Messaging program is an integral part of the process.
There are worksheets. I completed quite a few before our first session. Instead of feeling short-changed I was grateful for the platform’s layout. I wrote and wrote, detailing sources of problems as an adult. I knew it wasn’t so that the therapist could work it all out neatly in an hour. It was/ is so that all of the yapping that eats up a LOT of hours could be avoided by virtue of having written it all out. I’m proving her with a written framework. I like that.
All by way of saying the most traumatic events that have formed my worst personality traits were all detailed in writing before she and I met by video the first time. We’ve touched upon some of them and she is clear that the hard work will happen. To just dive in would be overwhelming for me and so addressing the less…painful…issues in the early sessions seems very useful. There’s a lot to do.
I would not have done this on my own, I suspect. The loss of normal life rhythms associated with the Pandemic have made me not so much fun to live with. My Dearly Beloved™ has urged me on and off for a year to speak to someone. Instead of resenting that push, I’m very grateful for the encouragement to do this.
I tried therapy three times – not one right after the other, but with gaps between – before I finally found someone, on the fourth try, that I could work with. It was all talk therapy, and I found that worked for me. The ones that didn’t work weren’t bad, they just didn’t seem to connect. I’m glad I persevered because the end result was worth the time and expense, and I have been much happier since. That was almost 30 years ago. Good luck and wishing you the best outcome. Remember, it’s a process…
Oh. I haven’t been asked to do that yet. I DID have to fill out a rather lengthy legal release/ disclaimer absolving her from any responsibility in case I wind up performing horrific acts and then blame her or somesuch…
The worksheets were very useful early on. Now, it’s hit and miss but I am game to try ALL of the ones she throws my way.
It will take a while, I can see. Didn’t expect any different but I am grateful to be working with an outside professional. Just about as much of a stress level as before but I know that there will be techniques and patterns to work on. Just knowing that actually helps !
