Posted by Dinah on March 12, 2004, at 20:01:41
In reply to Therapy and the feelings conundrum, posted by 64Bowtie on March 12, 2004, at 12:29:34
Oddly enough, therapy is sometimes designed to make us feel much worse. Those of us who walled off our feelings to live in the world of intellect and logic will feel very bad indeed when the long dormant feelings are reactivated.
But only by reactivating them, and learning to bear the pain and find out what is causing the pain and learning to move past the pain, can we truly feel joy. And wisdom.
When I lived by logic and reason, I was clever. But I wasn't wise. I could be happy and interested, but I couldn't be truly attached to others, truly alive, truly happy. I could feel misery, but not excrutiating pain.
When someone is living with part of themselves walled off, therapy will cause pain. And using logic and reason isn't the best answer for those people.
By which I'm saying that there are different reasons for therapy and different types of therapy that suit them.
My therapist coaxed and bullied me into feeling again. And bingo, the anxiety attacks were greatly decreased and the painful feelings were greatly increased. And that was therapeutic *for me*. Had I come to therapy with out of control feelings, my therapist would have done what you suggested.
Isn't life grand in its diversity?
poster:Dinah
thread:323619
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040308/msgs/323755.html