Is counseling or therapy any help? Your experiences?

[Luna]

Today my GP started me on anti-depressants and stated that she will be arranging for me to see a therapist sometime soon.

The first and only experience that I had with counselors was back in high school. The counselor made me feel uncomfortable...I recall us sitting so closely, in a tight, small room. He stared relentlessly at me...not taking his eyes off me for a single moment; watching every twitch or movement in my face. I couldn't open up...I felt like a freak-show under observation. Since then, the idea of counseling or any form of therapy has put me off.

What I don't understand though, is that I want to open up, but yet I don't. The most that I could express to my GP was through mumbled speech - and shortly after - breaking out in tears. I have never spoken to anyone...I have no one to speak to. No one to trust...no person that I can feel comfortable and know that I am not being judged.

It feels like for every two steps I take forward, I take three back.

Is it worth it?
What are your experiences?
Group therapy any better?
How to open up?

 

[DakotaDesert]

Today my GP started me on anti-depressants and stated that she will be arranging for me to see a therapist sometime soon.

The first and only experience that I had with counselors was back in high school. The counselor made me feel uncomfortable...I recall us sitting so closely, in a tight, small room. He stared relentlessly at me...not taking his eyes off me for a single moment; watching every twitch or movement in my face. I couldn't open up...I felt like a freak-show under observation. Since then, the idea of counseling or any form of therapy has put me off.

What I don't understand though, is that I want to open up, but yet I don't. The most that I could express to my GP was through mumbled speech - and shortly after - breaking out in tears. I have never spoken to anyone...I have no one to speak to. No one to trust...no person that I can feel comfortable and know that I am not being judged.

It feels like for every two steps I take forward, I take three back.

Is it worth it?
What are your experiences?
Group therapy any better?
How to open up?

Hi Luna, I do not know what causes that loneliness or depression that you have but I am very sorry for you. I am in depression for 2 years now and I know it can be really painfull and hard. I have experienced the therapy with a psychologist and it did change nothing for me. I remember that when we started to talk about the trauma that I have since I was child, I stopped the therapy. I know also, by a relative who is a psychologist, that following a therapy when you take medication does not work. I never tried the group therapy, so I don't know if it works or not. I learned by my relative that a trauma (if it is what causes your depression) can be cured by what it's called EMDR. Look for it on the internet. I might try it. Now, regarding your question about how to open up, I think you can open up only if you feel confortable with the person you are talking with. There is no tip, unfortunatly. I hope my answers will help you.

 

[Alex]

I also haven't really been helped by therapy...I've tried a couple of therapists, for like 6-9 months each. One was one of those therpists who don't say that much and you have aukward silences. The other was more a pushy CBT therapist. Who kept asking me to write down all my negative thoughts, and write more realistic thoughts...It just didn't work though, I would sit down for hours writing out hundreds of thoughts! and supposed realistic thoughts, I wasn't even sure if I was having the thoughts in the end of just inventing them. So yea neither really helped me. A lot depends on how good the therapist is, and how you get one with them. I never felt like I was myself with therapists. Its defitnatly worth trying again I would say, what do you have to lose from trying? Especially if its free.

 

[grundel70]

"Is it worth it?
What are your experiences?
Group therapy any better?
How to open up? "

For me, yes. It helped alot. I have been in and out of therapy for most of my life. After the third or fourth time I just blew it off as frivolous...they did not understand me. I hid things from them. I told them what they wanted to hear, and they told me things that I just did not relate to, or even understood.

However, recently I was sorta thrust back into therapy. The first therapist I saw was a joke. every moment I spent in his presence was a waste of time. But then the second part of my treatment came and then...wow. She really really helped me alot. She was so easy for me to talk to. I could tell her things I was ashamed of and not be judged. She offered help in a way that I could easily relate to, and made me feel so much better about myself and my situation.

Also remember that there are actual physical things...things that can be scanned, diagnosed, treated, etc...that could cause this. I find that most GP's first reaction to anyone that exhibits any sign of depression is to write a script for an SSRI (lexapro, effexor, prozac, paxil, etc...) and send you to some therapist. I know that didn't work for me. It took many tries with several different therapists before I really connected and started getting some serious improvement. If I wasn't sorta pushed into therapy by getting addicted, I probably never would have gotten the help I needed in other areas.

So, yeah. It did work for me. It worked very well. I enjoy my sessions with her. I feel comfortable opening up to her. I told her things that I thought would make her cringe...and she didn't. She understood and we talked about it.

I have also been to group therapy. It can help, as long as the group is in a similar situation as you are. When i was in rehab, I thought that they all were a bunch of street junkies or drunks. But most of them were there for the same thing I was...they were doctors, lawyers, nurses, business owners, etc...all that were struggling with the same thing I was...prescription pain killers after having had a major injury or illness. It really helped me knowing that I was not alone. I felt better about myself knowing that I am not really a bad person that did a bad thing, but I was someone that had a bad thing happen to them...just like all of the other people around me. I felt comfortable opening up in group. Sometimes they would say something about their problem and I would completely relate to it.

As far as opening up is concern...it is hard to do for the first time. However, once I took that chance and made a leap of faith and did it...I felt so much better. Honesty and openess is so therapeutic. But it is also a hard thing to do.

Hope this helps!

 

[Aedammair]

I think I understand a little of what you are going through. In my experience therapists really can help. I am not going to go into depth but when I was about ten or eleven my dad went a little crazy. He was abusive. My mom nearly divorced him but he has gotten better. I guess I felt I needed to protect my family so I grew clingly to my mom. I didn't stray from her. i let her know that she had my support (fat lot of good it would have done ). Soon after a certain incident my mom began going to a therapist She took me too. She thought I was scared but when I explained myself a little to the therapist he relayed it to my mom. She thought I was terrified when in reality I wanted nothing more than the strength to protect her. I think it gave her some strength to know this. Going to this guy really helped her a lot. I don't know if it ever helped me. Maybe my male ego blocks out any weakness. But I know it helped my mom. It mostly depends on the therapist to whether they will act creepy or like just another person. I know the feeling of not knowing who to trust. I hope this helps.

 

[Luna]

Thank you all very much for your insight...
I think I'll just put myself out there and see how therapy works out...
Thank you again for sharing your experiences...

 

[leftykmonahan]

Therapy can be very helpful for problems that can be sorted out through talking. I've made lots of progress during these last 4+ years in therapy. However the problems that can't be talked about are my biggest issues. :/

 

[scottishgirl]

Today my GP started me on anti-depressants and stated that she will be arranging for me to see a therapist sometime soon.

The first and only experience that I had with counselors was back in high school. The counselor made me feel uncomfortable...I recall us sitting so closely, in a tight, small room. He stared relentlessly at me...not taking his eyes off me for a single moment; watching every twitch or movement in my face. I couldn't open up...I felt like a freak-show under observation. Since then, the idea of counseling or any form of therapy has put me off.

What I don't understand though, is that I want to open up, but yet I don't. The most that I could express to my GP was through mumbled speech - and shortly after - breaking out in tears. I have never spoken to anyone...I have no one to speak to. No one to trust...no person that I can feel comfortable and know that I am not being judged.

It feels like for every two steps I take forward, I take three back.

Is it worth it?
What are your experiences?
Group therapy any better?
How to open up?

hiya
ive been seeing my thepist for about 8 months and to be honest it has helped me alot it took me years of destroying myself that i realised that i couldnt live like that anymore.and the worst thing was 2 start talking about things but once you take the 1st step everything comes out and its not scray or upseting as you think!!i was lucky that my thepist is kinda straight talking and i know that i have to be aswel.jus keep trying until you find the right 1 there are ones out there.i hope this helps

 

[heretostay]

What I don't understand though, is that I want to open up, but yet I don't. The most that I could express to my GP was through mumbled speech - and shortly after - breaking out in tears. I have never spoken to anyone...I have no one to speak to. No one to trust...no person that I can feel comfortable and know that I am not being judged.

It feels like for every two steps I take forward, I take three back.

Is it worth it?
What are your experiences?
Group therapy any better?
How to open up?

If you arent comfortable opening up, then dont do it. trust your gut. it takes time to establish the trust with your therapist so you can open up. but dont push it just because you think you should. wait until you establish trust with your counselor and you really feel comfortable opening up.

i have been in counseling for a long time. i usually do not stay with a counselor longer then a couple of months. i have never found one i liked enough to really open up. the counselors have helped, though. they give me little insights and each has helped me in some way. going to counseling is just one piece in the puzzle. you still have to work through the rest on your own.

right now i think i finally found a counselor i trust. i have been going to her for about a year and im just now starting to feel comfortable about opening up to her.

so it just takes time. but trust your gut and dont force anything. remember shrinks are just people with their own problems, too.

 

[wretchedofthepond]

Counseling and therapy can be a help, until you find out your counselor or therapist is a brainwashed child of the Cult of Freud. :club:

I think the best counselors and therapists are the ones that don't think of themselves as demigods, and you as statistical data. I've taken alot of psychology courses, and sadly there are a great many aspiring control freaks within the profession -- people with god-complexes or something. It really takes more than an encyclopediac knowledge of analytical cosmetics to be a good therapist or counselor.

If your therapist acknowledges their own human folly enough to realize that they are a few brain chemicals away from being the exact same "reject" as their patient, they are a keeper. An acceptable counselor-type that comes to mind is Deanna Troi from Star Trek.