Posted by karen_kay on November 1, 2003, at 17:06:05
In reply to Re: Thought blocking » karen_kay, posted by thistlethorn on November 1, 2003, at 12:30:59
> Thank you for your suggestion, Karen! It's an interesting idea!
>
> May I ask if you always know where you want to "lead" the session to? And does it always go there, or are you sometimes surprised or dismayed at where it ends up?
> Yes, I am always prepared. I bring my journal and have a full set of notes as to what I ( the key word!) want to discuss. Sometimes we end up discussing other topics. One times he brought up a subject that we had not discussed in a while. It was a dissappointment because yet again I was not in control and I did not have much to say at that session. The next session however, I ripped him a new one!! And we discussed that topic in great detail.
> And may I also ask if you ever bring up a topic, but still get stuck in trying to elaborate on it? What does your therapist do in that case?
> Honestly, since I feel that I am now in control I never get stuck. My thoughts seem to come at a great pace. Once we feel that the subject has really been resolved, I move on the the next subject. Soemtimes he brings up new subjects and I really dislike this idea because I dislike being "submissive". I know this is something that I will have to overcome.
> I suspect that the pdoc I see would welcome my taking the lead during our meetings. At this point, I don't think I would be able to do that, but, maybe, there would be some value in my preparing for sessions AS IF I were going to do it. It might help me retain some of the thoughts that pass through my mind between sessions, and make them more accessible when I need them.
>
> I think I'll give your suggestion a try.
>
> Before I end this post, thank you, too, Karen, for letting me and others know that you're finding your therapy helpful. You were given a very unfair start in life, and I admire you HUGELY for overcoming it.
>
> ttOne thing though: I had a major breakthough before we tried this method. I realized that I could talk to him like a person instead of like a shrink. I know this sounds silly but I kept seeing him as some type of mystic being that could tell when I was lying, or uncomfortable. One session though, things just flowed naturally and we talked like "friends" or just "humans" rather than a client and doctor. He noticed that I seemed to lead the conversations and suggested I started doing this. Then, we just started talking aobut smaller things, like problems in my relationships with others and problems relating with my mother, ect. Just things to make me feel more comfortable talking with him, even though we have been speakign with each other for over 6 months. We have purposly been avoiding the indepth details of the relationship with my father. Now, I can't wait to speak with him about my father. Maybe now, I will be more comfortable with him leading the sessions. I'm not sure if that was his goal all along or if that is just what happened. See, I am still mystified with shrinks and their strange ways. They sure are great. This is why I fall in love with them!!! I hope this approach works for you like it is working for me! Good luck hun! Try it and see what happens! Let me know what happens. And thanks so much for your support. I do appreciate it! Karen
poster:karen_kay
thread:260815
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20031030/msgs/275572.html