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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 20 of 20. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tabitha on February 20, 2016, at 0:13:29
I was looking at the archives and wow, we had some good conversations here. Lots of long, detailed posts about therapy and life. I felt so understood and supported here, and grateful for the intelligence, empathy, wit, and life experience everyone shared. If any old-timers are reading, I would love it if you'd say Hi.
There doesn't even seem to be anyone posting about therapy any more. Has it gone out of fashion? Or has posting about it on this board just gone out of fashion?
Posted by SLS on February 20, 2016, at 2:30:27
In reply to This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by Tabitha on February 20, 2016, at 0:13:29
> I was looking at the archives and wow, we had some good conversations here. Lots of long, detailed posts about therapy and life. I felt so understood and supported here, and grateful for the intelligence, empathy, wit, and life experience everyone shared. If any old-timers are reading, I would love it if you'd say Hi.
>
> There doesn't even seem to be anyone posting about therapy any more. Has it gone out of fashion? Or has posting about it on this board just gone out of fashion?It does seem that Psychology has taken the biggest hit. The people who were the most active on this board were among the first to leave the forum because of:
1. Style of moderation.
2. Lack of moderation.I think that both situations made it difficult for people to feel safe enough to make themselves vulnerable by sharing what they were experiencing in and out of therapy.
A few of our old favorites do pop in from time to time, but this seems to happen more on the Social board. I hope that people will post here in response to your request.
I wish I had better news. I think Psycho-Babble could be resurrected to a great degree if Dr. Bob were to return to moderate it. I have written him letters - sometimes with a reply. It wouldn't hurt for him to hear from more people.
I hope you find reasons to stick around for awhile.
- Scott
Posted by Tabitha on February 20, 2016, at 12:30:53
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by SLS on February 20, 2016, at 2:30:27
I remember seeing many people leave over disagreements with moderation. It was sad.
I don't even think that Bob has the power to revive this place. The whole internet has changed. It doesn't feel as safe to me anymore, even with pseudonyms, just because so many more people are on the internet, and there have been so many instances of organized harassment instigated on message boards.
As much as I enjoyed reading the old posts, I sort of cringe at how personal we got, and how long the stuff has been public, and how we don't have the ability to edit or delete our posts. So perhaps it is for the best? I was just enjoying some nostalgia over how things were in the heyday, and how much more comfortable I felt with the format here (pseudonyms, ad-free text-only site, boards organized by interest group) as opposed to social media today.
But I would still enjoy doing some catch-up with the old-timers :-)
Posted by SLS on February 21, 2016, at 4:21:15
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » SLS, posted by Tabitha on February 20, 2016, at 12:30:53
Hi, Tabitha.
> I remember seeing many people leave over disagreements with moderation. It was sad.
Yes. After that, it was the lack of moderation that became the driving force behind the continued exodus. It simply was not safe here anymore. I'm sorry that you have been disappointed. I lament the situation, too.
> I don't even think that Bob has the power to revive this place.
Probably not. It sucks that Psychology lost its environment of support and safety. I can't see it ever returning to a functional sharing of the most personal of thoughts and feelings.
New people still arrive on the Medication board, but often disappear quickly. In my mind, the reason for this is obvious.
> The whole internet has changed. It doesn't feel as safe to me anymore, even with pseudonyms, just because so many more people are on the internet, and there have been so many instances of organized harassment instigated on message boards.
I admire your insight and approach. I hadn't thought about things that way.
> As much as I enjoyed reading the old posts, I sort of cringe at how personal we got, and how long the stuff has been public, and how we don't have the ability to edit or delete our posts. So perhaps it is for the best? I was just enjoying some nostalgia over how things were in the heyday, and how much more comfortable I felt with the format here (pseudonyms, ad-free text-only site, boards organized by interest group) as opposed to social media today.
>
> But I would still enjoy doing some catch-up with the old-timers :-)I'm glad you are here, even if only briefly.
- Scott
Posted by Tabitha on February 22, 2016, at 22:44:21
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » Tabitha, posted by SLS on February 21, 2016, at 4:21:15
Posted by Horse on February 23, 2016, at 11:59:02
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » Tabitha, posted by SLS on February 21, 2016, at 4:21:15
I miss the intimacy, the conversations and friends. The support I received set such a high bar that I carried over into rl.
I thought I remembered you, Tabitha, although I didn't post much on the psych board, and your graceful intelligence, so I read some of the archives last night. I imagine the archives will be lost one day, too.
Posted by Tabitha on February 23, 2016, at 15:09:07
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by Horse on February 23, 2016, at 11:59:02
> I miss the intimacy, the conversations and friends. The support I received set such a high bar that I carried over into rl.
That's terrific. I remember when people thought I was a bit nuts for responding to online relationships as if they were "real" relationships.
>
> I thought I remembered you, Tabitha, although I didn't post much on the psych board, and your graceful intelligence, so I read some of the archives last night.Aww, thanks. I think I'm more likable online than in person. :-)
> I imagine the archives will be lost one day, too.
I know, and it makes me sad. I think I will try to capture some of the old threads for my files, but it's not an easy process.
Posted by baseball55 on February 23, 2016, at 19:34:43
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » Horse, posted by Tabitha on February 23, 2016, at 15:09:07
I used to post on this board a lot. In fact, it was a search on transference that brought me to babble in the first place. People seem to post mostly on medication, but on medication, there's no real discussion of the power and importance of therapy. Even in the depths of my depression, it was my therapists who got me help, worried about me, let me sit and cry. As the worst lifted, it was my therapists who taught me skills to cope and talked me through situations which would have derailed me without someone to talk to, including the end of a 37-year relationship.
Posted by Tabitha on February 24, 2016, at 0:47:07
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by baseball55 on February 23, 2016, at 19:34:43
> I used to post on this board a lot. In fact, it was a search on transference that brought me to babble in the first place. People seem to post mostly on medication, but on medication, there's no real discussion of the power and importance of therapy. Even in the depths of my depression, it was my therapists who got me help, worried about me, let me sit and cry. As the worst lifted, it was my therapists who taught me skills to cope and talked me through situations which would have derailed me without someone to talk to, including the end of a 37-year relationship.
Hi. What year did you start posting? I left therapy in '12 and didn't post much here after that. I recognize your name though.
It seemed like a lot of people had transference issues that were causing pain. I know they try to spin whatever happens in therapy as just more fodder for therapy, but it seems like getting a painful attachment to a therapist is an adverse event.
Overall though it sounds like your experience with therapy was positive and you feel grateful. Are you still seeing a therapist? Did you get to a point of comfort with the transference?
Did you know this was originally just one board (Medication board)? Then it split into the topic boards. I didn't post on Medication much at all after that. Now it seems like that's becoming the general "lounge" instead of Social. I just don't have a lot to say about particular medications. I'm more interested in talking to other differently-neuroned people about coping, and just being able to understand each other due to similar brain states. It's nice to have some Normals in your life for stability, but sometimes I feel more kinship among other so-called mental patients.
Posted by baseball55 on February 24, 2016, at 18:54:48
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » baseball55, posted by Tabitha on February 24, 2016, at 0:47:07
I'm not sure when. Maybe 2007? 2008? I don't think of transference as a painful event. It was a necessary experience for me, who never experienced parenting and though it was painful, it did get better, I still see the psychiatrist to whom I felt so attached every 5-6 weeks, just to check in and because he has been so important to my life and helpful to me. I see a DBT therapist once a month to reinforce how to cope when the depression recurs, as it does every so often.
> Hi. What year did you start posting? I left therapy in '12 and didn't post much here after that. I recognize your name though.
>
> It seemed like a lot of people had transference issues that were causing pain. I know they try to spin whatever happens in therapy as just more fodder for therapy, but it seems like getting a painful attachment to a therapist is an adverse event.
>
> Overall though it sounds like your experience with therapy was positive and you feel grateful. Are you still seeing a therapist? Did you get to a point of comfort with the transference?
>
> Did you know this was originally just one board (Medication board)? Then it split into the topic boards. I didn't post on Medication much at all after that. Now it seems like that's becoming the general "lounge" instead of Social. I just don't have a lot to say about particular medications. I'm more interested in talking to other differently-neuroned people about coping, and just being able to understand each other due to similar brain states. It's nice to have some Normals in your life for stability, but sometimes I feel more kinship among other so-called mental patients.
>
>
Posted by SLS on February 25, 2016, at 7:13:44
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » Tabitha, posted by baseball55 on February 24, 2016, at 18:54:48
> I see a DBT therapist once a month to reinforce how to cope when the depression recurs, as it does every so often.
Would you be able to describe a few of the ways in which DBT helps you cope with depression?
Thanks.
- Scott
Posted by baseball55 on February 25, 2016, at 20:08:11
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » baseball55, posted by SLS on February 25, 2016, at 7:13:44
It helps in a couple of ways. First, it has taught me not to exacerbate depressive episodes by thinking, this will never get better, this has to stop, suicide is the only option left to me. Second, it gives me some coping tools, though these are of limited use when I am in a really dark place - things like meditating, forcing myself to do a few simple things in a mindful way - like showering, going outside even for a few minutes.
But my biggest problem with depression is that I become intensely suicidal. I'm not sure how much DBT helps with a prolonged low mood, but it has kept me out of the hospital for nearly 5 years now.
I also use abilify as a prn. I can't use it all the time because it makes me gain a ton of weight very rapidly. But if I take it for a couple of weeks, it can pull me out of a very deep depressive state and, with DBT, I can stay out of it for a while.
> > I see a DBT therapist once a month to reinforce how to cope when the depression recurs, as it does every so often.
>
> Would you be able to describe a few of the ways in which DBT helps you cope with depression?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> - Scott
Posted by Tabitha on February 26, 2016, at 15:49:09
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » Tabitha, posted by baseball55 on February 24, 2016, at 18:54:48
> I'm not sure when. Maybe 2007? 2008?
I'm re-reading the archives from the beginning. I'll watch for you when I get to 2007 :-)
> I don't think of transference as a painful event. [...]Oh, I think I misunderstood your post. When I hear "transference" I think of the situation where people feel in love with their therapist, have a painful termination, move on to a different one, then looking back feel that "transference" was a bad experience. I realize the word is intended to include a whole lot of other experiences.
> It was a necessary experience for me, who never experienced parenting and though it was painful, it did get better, I still see the psychiatrist to whom I felt so attached every 5-6 weeks, just to check in and because he has been so important to my life and helpful to me.
That sounds really sweet. I'm glad things worked out well.> I see a DBT therapist once a month to reinforce how to cope when the depression recurs, as it does every so often.
That's one type of therapy I've never done. It sounds very practical and helpful.
Posted by 10derheart on February 27, 2016, at 15:00:47
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by SLS on February 20, 2016, at 2:30:27
>>I have written him letters - sometimes with a reply. It wouldn't hurt for him to hear from more people.
Hiya, Scott. You are pretty darn devoted to this place. I wish you could pour some of that over Dr. Bob <sigh>. I won't email him...beating a dead horse and/or intermittent reinforcement are not good for my health.
Has he replied since his last post here 10-11 months ago? If you feel okay saying...I could wonder and speculate less that something bad has happened to him. Because despite my cynical view that this final abandonment is a natural progression from his previous behavior for years - particularly toward the deputies when we "existed" - I still care about him. I wish I didn't in a way, since caring makes dealing with these abrupt, unexplained absences more intrusive...or something.
--10
Posted by SLS on February 28, 2016, at 6:28:07
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » SLS, posted by 10derheart on February 27, 2016, at 15:00:47
> Has he replied since his last post here 10-11 months ago?
Yes. I really can't comment more than to say that he still genuinely cares about Psycho-Babble.
- Scott
Posted by Tabitha on February 28, 2016, at 10:42:12
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by SLS on February 28, 2016, at 6:28:07
Posted by Horse on February 28, 2016, at 18:28:44
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by SLS on February 28, 2016, at 6:28:07
> > Has he replied since his last post here 10-11 months ago?
>
> Yes. I really can't comment more than to say that he still genuinely cares about Psycho-Babble.
>
>
> - ScottReally? (I'm not being sarcastic. I just didn't know.)
I'm glad you're in touch with him
Posted by Lamdage22 on March 3, 2016, at 14:28:34
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by Horse on February 28, 2016, at 18:28:44
This place is still helpful to me.
Posted by J Kelly on March 6, 2016, at 13:48:30
In reply to This place was really helpful back in the day, posted by Tabitha on February 20, 2016, at 0:13:29
> I was looking at the archives and wow, we had some good conversations here. Lots of long, detailed posts about therapy and life. I felt so understood and supported here, and grateful for the intelligence, empathy, wit, and life experience everyone shared. If any old-timers are reading, I would love it if you'd say Hi.
>
> There doesn't even seem to be anyone posting about therapy any more. Has it gone out of fashion? Or has posting about it on this board just gone out of fashion?Hi again Tabitha :)
I'm an old timer but I would have remembered you so we must have posted at different times. I mostly posted on the med board.
At any rate, glad some posters are coming back...this truly was a lifeline for me once. Its very therapeutic to feel understood. Hope you see this.
Jade
Posted by sassyfrancesca on July 5, 2016, at 7:45:27
In reply to Re: This place was really helpful back in the day » Tabitha, posted by J Kelly on March 6, 2016, at 13:48:30
I was here over 10 years ago..there was a woman whose name was Jadah and she had cancer and was having an affair with her t. I tried to find her, but could not. I so wonder what happened to her.
This is the end of the thread.
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