Posted by Dinah on December 8, 2004, at 7:31:01
In reply to Re: He fell asleep?!?!? » Aphrodite, posted by Aphrodite on December 7, 2004, at 20:14:20
Back in the earlier days my therapist would come close to falling asleep quite a bit. I was rather unemotional and unengaging, and our appt was after lunch.
I would politely ask him if he was falling asleep and if there was anything I could do to help keep him awake. At first he'd deny it, but later he'd say he'd had a big lunch and that maybe it would help to stand up for a minute. Then he changed it to most clients sat on the couch and sitting on the couch made him sleepy. So I insisted on sitting on the couch from then on. *Then* whenever he started nodding off I'd remind him that he wasn't on the couch.
I don't think I minded it so much. It was on my list of all the ways he was a terrible therapist that I was crazy for wanting to continue to see.
He quit getting sleepy when I quit having my emotions cut off. Now it's very rare indeed. And now I'm more likely to ask in indignation "Are you getting sleepy while I'm talking about ....?" and he'll answer that he's not sleepy, he's thinking, and then stay more alert.
poster:Dinah
thread:425266
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20041203/msgs/426072.html