Posted by onceupon on June 24, 2009, at 22:31:25
In reply to does therapy actually make you worse, posted by blahblahblah on June 24, 2009, at 18:52:46
Hi blahblahblah,
It sounds like the process of therapy is maybe retraumatizing you (assuming your experiences with your family have been traumatic). Are your sessions with your therapist particularly intense? Does she help you to feel more grounded/regulated by the end of the session? Does she know about your distress?
I can also see it being difficult to only see your therapist every other week. I have similar experiences, when I sometimes feel worse after a session, because something particularly intense has been stirred up. It's like being in therapy pulls me out of the everyday fog that I'm usually wandering around in. Then, when I go 2 weeks without seeing my therapist (which sometimes happens due to scheduling stuff - mostly on her part), it's like I forget about everything that happened and have to start all over again in the next session. That's just me, though.
When I talked with my therapist about feeling like I lose track of what we talk about, or feel overwhelmed by the intensity of it, she suggested that I email her once in between sessions to try to maintain more continuity. I actually don't often do this - only when I feel the need - but it does help somewhat to know I have this option. She never gives lengthy responses (if any), but we often discuss what I write during the next session. Do you think your therapist might be open to something like this?
I do want you to know that I think I know how you feel. And it sucks.
poster:onceupon
thread:903001
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090614/msgs/903056.html