Posted by Racer on February 15, 2004, at 21:01:57
In reply to Re: cost/benefit analysis of therapy?, posted by octopusprime on February 15, 2004, at 20:40:25
Here's an analogy for you: say you've got a project going, and you start by saying, "OK, I know what I want to do, so I'll just start. I won't bother to make a plan, because it's so simple..." (Any programmers on this board are already laughing: that's what some of us like to call an Octopus project, because it always ends up with more arms than you intended.)
So, rather than starting blithely on your way, you sit down, maybe for big projects have a few blue sky sessions, maybe do some focus groups, whatever. You take the time up front to map out a plan, including all the steps you have to take to get there. In the end, you're more likely to end up with what you wanted, under budget, and ahead of schedule.
I think of therapy as the planning sessions. My therapist doesn't fix my life for me -- even though I wish she would, and she could, too, with her magic wand -- but she does help set my wheels on the track.
Yes, I think therapy is more beneficial than vacations, swimming club memberships, etc. The living situation? That's always harder, which I can say having lived in Oakland, CA -- in an area the cops wouldn't live in. I can't answer that one for you, but I will give you a tip for break-ins: best defensive weapon you can have in the house is a good fire extinguisher. If someone breaks in while you're out, that someone might take a gun, but not a fire extinguisher. You won't hesitate to use a fire extinguisher to douse an intruder as you might with a gun or a baseball bat. And believe me, hit someone in the face with a blast of the oxygen-sucking chemicals in a fire extinguisher? He'll stop -- at least long enough.
Good luck with your decision.
poster:Racer
thread:313810
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040211/msgs/313817.html