Therapists/Psychologists and opening up

[lynsey]

How long does it take for you to open up to your therapist? I have a really dark secret that I have never told a soul and that has tourmented me keeping it inside. My second session with both my Psychologist and psychiatrist is Monday and i really just want to blurt it out and get it over with and carry on with life...how long did it take you to spill your guts?

[Wond'ringAloud]

I wouldn't tell a therapist shit. My daughter's therapist twisted everything she said to fit his own Freudian theories, and had her doubting her own sanity; if she questioned anything he said, she was accused of being 'confrontational'. Upshot was she came off meds, left therapy and hasn't looked back since, although he was sure she would.

Her view of therapy is, that it is a very lucrative business, and patient recovery is not in the therapists interest. I'm pretty sure if this particular therapist knew that view, he'd be reaching for a copy of Freud pretty quickly.
I hope it works out for you, but I'd be very wary. Good luck!

[Peanuts]

I've been to enough therapists. I get right to the point when I'm there. That's what I'm there for.

Last couple years that I have gone it doesn't take long to feel like I'm moving forward. I get stumped and then talk about it and then feel like I can breathe again.

When you go, be honest, don't hold back. :)

[dilligaf]

i wouldnt talk to a therapist n actually pay for it ever again...
as a teen that was my sentence in a molestation case roflmao as well as foster care... would not talk to the first three i had so they gave up ,,, my fourth seemed like a sweet ol lady,, so after a month or so i talked,,,, n so did she to everyone around she could find to speak about it with,,,, never went back n wont.....

outta curiosity more than anything though lindsey,,, why is it that you feel that a therapist is the only one you could tell bout whatever it is you need to spew,,,, ... i dont tend to tell much about my past but on occassion i come across a person i know i probably will never see again and have a wonderful conversation bout the past and call it counseling...

[Wond'ringAloud]

dilligaf, what you say about coming aross a person you can talk to, is the way my daughter felt. She would get into conversation with a perfect stranger, perhaps someone she happened to meet on a bus, and afterwards feel a whole lot better for it. They didn't know each other, so no fear of anything that was said being passed on. Better than anything she got from the 'professionals'.

[dilligaf]

yup,,,n its not a force your life on someone else typeof thing,,, it just is a natural conversation where you can let go and feel better for it,,,

i think back when internet was just starting,,, it helped alot of folks cuz they had a screen to type to although it was a person on other end of it,,, that lack of fear thing, couldnt see the expression and in lots of ways comps became shrinks or therapists,,,, of course that has sorta rotted away n caused its own influx of trash just like phnes n tv but in the beginnin it was kewl

[Sunburst]

Wow, theres a lot of therapist-haters here! Personally, I love mine and she has helped me more than I can say. Guess it depends on the problem, though! Anyway, tell him/her whenever you feel most comfortable with it. If its hurting you this much keeping it inside, I would say go for it! Its not doing any good stifled inside, may as well get it out there if you feel okay with that!

[fulmah]

I've been to enough therapists. I get right to the point when I'm there. That's what I'm there for.

Last couple years that I have gone it doesn't take long to feel like I'm moving forward. I get stumped and then talk about it and then feel like I can breathe again.

When you go, be honest, don't hold back. :)
This is what I do, as well. And the reason I feel I need to go to a therapist is 1) a perfect stranger can't write me a prescription, and 2) regular every day strangers suck at giving tailored advice about my life, and a psychologist can break down what I tell them and explain what's going on to me in a way I can understand, and they can usually do it in about a 20 second sentence.

I talked to anyone who'd listen the last time I had major problems going on, and the response was almost always either disbelief, or they'd displace the blame right where I wanted it to be: not on me. This just reinforced bad traits I'd developed to cope with what I went through. My psychologist immediately understood the entire dynamic of what I was going through, knew the steps I needed to take to get through it, and explained all of it in my first session.

[free2fly]

I attended a mental health clinic last year ... the counselor that was assigned to me lived up to her name, which was, "Angel" ..... I generally dont trust people, but she really helped me. I was able to open up to her because she was so sincere, she wasnt just doing "her job" ...she was genuinely caring, and I -being able to read into people- could tell that she cared, and that made all the difference. She offered supportive advice and opened up options for me.... but she let me be in charge of how I wanted to address my problems and never pushed me. At a time when I had noone to trust and turn to, she was truly an Angel. She also held weekly classes for women to teach them relaxation techniques to address anxiety disorders... what I learned there really benefitted me. Unfortunately she suffered some type of injury that kept her from work, and she left the clinic just as we were beginning to really get into my diagnosis. From that point I slipped away from the clinic as well because my next counselor was just doing "the job", and it wasnt helping me. But I'll always be grateful for the 5 months or so that I was able to work with Angel.

I hope that those of you who seek out help, are as blessed as I was to find such a wonderful counselor. Thankfully I didnt have to pay hardly anything for this service, as it was a sliding-scale-fee clinic. If anyone needs to seek out mental health help and cant otherwise afford it, I would definately suggest trying to find a clinic that has the sliding scale. Even if you have little or no income, they will make it work for you. (for example my sessions were only like $2.00 each!) Peace&Love...

[ihmurria]

really depends on the therapist...

I've called kids help phone (free, 24/7 phone service, totally anonymous) a couple of times in the last month and it's really easy to talk to them. I can't see them, I'm never going to meet them, and I call when I really really fucked up.

Therapists, well... I use the free counselling service that my university supplies. Alas, it's about a two week wait before you actually get you're appointment, so usually I'm not quite so, erm, peaking with my insanity. It gets to be a little harder to talk about that way. But I made an appointment for early April, and I'm gonna try and stick through it this time, go to several consecutive sessions instead of starting and stopping with different folks all the damn time. I really want to know what the hell is going on with me, and how to deal with it... I'm just exhausted from hopping from person to person with this crap

[lynsey]

That' a horrible experience. I am sorry you had to go through that.

Judgement, I fear judgement and I'm not saying I will never tell anyone who is a permanent fixture in my life I just need to know that I am normal or the extent of what happened and how much it deviates from normality. I don't trust one single person in my life completley, never have. I don't want to sound like a sob story hah or anything because I have a great life and am blessed but whenever I have trusted anyone it always resulted in them letting me down big time and doing way more damage to me through their actions. This has happened with multiple people and I'm not just talking about romantic relationships, family members, friends.
Therapists have been the only people who I have been able to trust.
I actually start school for my masters in thearapy in June. I want to be a good one though, work at a non-profit and work with kids who have disabilities in behavior mod...not nutcases like me hah.
Thanks Dilli
i wouldnt talk to a therapist n actually pay for it ever again...
as a teen that was my sentence in a molestation case roflmao as well as foster care... would not talk to the first three i had so they gave up ,,, my fourth seemed like a sweet ol lady,, so after a month or so i talked,,,, n so did she to everyone around she could find to speak about it with,,,, never went back n wont.....

outta curiosity more than anything though lindsey,,, why is it that you feel that a therapist is the only one you could tell bout whatever it is you need to spew,,,, ... i dont tend to tell much about my past but on occassion i come across a person i know i probably will never see again and have a wonderful conversation bout the past and call it counseling...

[lynsey]

some of us aren't halth enough to know what is healthy for us though...some of us are mentally lazy, some of us grew up in enviorments or live in enviorments that do not promote our well being.i just feel like we are our own best therapists...

they could never possible know enough about us.

[barefoot beautiful]

not a big fan of couselors/therapists myself, either....went twice last year, but i both hated it and couldn't see it accomplishing anything so i quit going. i've got a couple of people i talk to when i go off the deep end. for the most part now, i can "talk through" just about anything...all i need is someone to listen to me ramble and process through stuff myself. can usually get away with just calling up someone, but occasionally i need to actually talk to someone in person, to cry, get hugs, etc...but there's almost always someone there for me.

[General Electric]

I've been to various counsellors/psychologists and a psychiatrist over the years and I honestly don't think they helped me in the slightest.

[RELAYER]

My Girlfriend Said That It's Like Paying For Sex. That What She Said To Her Therapist When Her Mom Made Her Go When She Was Younger. I Went When I Was A Little Kid And I Made My Mom Stop Taking Me

[EMMAh]

I keep to myself, and on odd occasions I talk to my friends about things that are bugging me.
My mom sent me to a therapist about half a year ago and it drove me completely nuts. It was just some cracked out old lady telling my mom I wanted to kill myself even though that was totally untrue. I heard her say it too, "Alright, once we put Emma on anti depressants we'll have to watch her because she might start thinking about suicide again" Excuse me? Again? When was the first time?
I took the anti depressants for about 2 1/2 months maybe before telling my mom and Mrs. Crackedouttherapist to shove it up their asses.

[hippie_chick666]

To get the meds that I need, I have to see a therapist first. The mental health system sucks, but I have to play their little games to get what I need...

Peace and Love

[RELAYER]

Damn, Swim Gets 1mg Xanax From A Regular Doctor.

[dilligaf]

Damn, Swim Gets 1mg Xanax From A Regular Doctor.


so does anyone i know that gets them.... i'm sposin one has to be quite speshul to have to go to a shrink to get them..:)

[RELAYER]

Yea, Thats What I Thought. SWIM Cant Get The Percocets Anymore Though, They Dont Like Swim Because Swim Always Ask For More

[Domesticated]

I think the mental health industry is mixed with good and bad. Many people in it do have sincerely good intentions, although many years of experience have led me to have a huge, HUGE distrust of the practices as a whole. Most of the people whom I have worked with just DID NOT GET IT. Plus, I think many aspects of the profession are genuinely flawed, so I am very very reluctant to step into it again.

[hiro]

I saw a social worker a few years back, it helped. I am not saying mental health professionals are for everyone- because they aren't. She was easy to open up to and get along with but you need to find that person, they might not be the first or second person, but anyway. Give it time before you open up if you feel that is what you need or want, no use in rushing it. It takes no time at all to be damaged by something but can takes years to recover, take the time to let go of things and take the time to say what you need to say.

[gaz or jazz]

How long does it take for you to open up to your therapist? I have a really dark secret that I have never told a soul and that has tourmented me keeping it inside. My second session with both my Psychologist and psychiatrist is Monday and i really just want to blurt it out and get it over with and carry on with life...how long did it take you to spill your guts?i suppose it could depend on whether your dark secret is related to what you are seeing the therapist for .If so then the therapist would surely need to know!
But if you are truly wary of the therapist for any reason is there reason to tell them.
have you told your closet most trustworthy friends your dark secret,would you be prepared to tell them or anyone even a stranger like myself?
perhaps we can help.
Therapists and practitioners in the uk have a professional code of ethics they have to adhere to that includes patient confidentiallity.

[Night_Owl49]

I can't truly open up at all yet. And I've been going for a couple months.

[lynsey]

i am going to open up on monday i need a stronger med for a couple times a year just in case. i had the worst post traumatic stress panic attack of my life this morning when iwas sedated.
i am really good at saving face and looking in control so when i had no choice because of the nitrious and iv i just cbout lost it...i kicked my denstist and bawled after my appoitment.

[Sininabin]

i opened up right away because i've been saying the same stuff here (well in true confessions) but i can't tell him about murder fanasty or slight actions towards them because then he has to report that to the police and my other promblem is something you can''t tell a therapist

[queenoftheworld]

I have a hard time talking to people but i wanted to get help and some of the things sorted out in my life but no matter how hard I tried i could never get conferrable with my therapist.

[Rebel_1]

How long does it take for you to open up to your therapist? I have a really dark secret that I have never told a soul and that has tourmented me keeping it inside. My second session with both my Psychologist and psychiatrist is Monday and i really just want to blurt it out and get it over with and carry on with life...how long did it take you to spill your guts?

:) Dont be affraid to talk to them lynsey, it will get whatever you are feeling off your chest, I was never afraid to tell my therapist anything. I always felt better afterwards too. I told them virtually everything starting at day one. I hope your get whatever you are feeling taken care of lynsey. I wish you the best. If you are comfortable with your therapist give them a chance. :sunglasse