Posted by mair on April 8, 2004, at 12:47:41
In reply to Flight into Health ???, posted by DaisyM on April 7, 2004, at 19:46:23
I think the prevailing wisdom is that it's difficult to work on things in any constructive way when a patient is very depressed; that most of the work has to be done when the patient is in reasonably decent shape. I understand this in theory, but my experience has been that for good work to occur - I have to be somewhere in between. Not so depressed that the whole focus of my session is how lousy I feel, but also not so great that I don't feel like being in therapy.
When I'm feeling particularly good, things look so different to me, because the ususal distortions about myself aren't there. In those times I have a hard time identifying with the more depressed me.
I think what it boils down to is that I'm just not sure what to talk about when I'm feeling better. The negative thoughts that interfere with alot of daily functioning aren't there and seem irrelevant. If I stew enough about this, then I get pretty anxious about the fact that I don't have anything to talk about - it's like I don't know how to use therapy in rosier times.
I've thought periodically about taking a leave from therapy when I'm on top of things - I haven't done it for fear that my "slot" will get taken and I won't be able to return when I need to. I think my therapist would argue that those times can be productive; that every session doesn't have to be painful. It's all been pretty academic because I always end up slipping back to the place where therapy starts feeling like more of a necessity.
Does any of this sound like what you're going through?
Mair
poster:mair
thread:333848
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040402/msgs/334121.html