Posted by philyra on June 5, 2007, at 21:02:25
i know you can't force someone into therapy, but i know someone who is really struggling and puts on a very brave face, someone i'm very worried about and frankly am having a hard time supporting because i think they really need deeper support than i can give right now. if anyone has suggestions, i would really appreciate it. we're not super close friends, but it's getting to the point where i either need to say look, i'm sorry but it's hard for me to hear about this and i need to step back, or i need simply to disengage without saying anything direct about it, which i don't feel good about doing.
i did suggest therapy and it was met with a lot of resistance and fear. terror over being in therapy - i think there are some very negative experiences in the past there. right now i'm thinking i'll just gently remind about my own belief in the power of therapy even when its been difficult.
on a related note, it really *is* becoming harder to hear and be supportive. i get so frustrated that this person doesn't do what i think they should do to improve things...which i know is my own stuff, but i get really frustrated and depressed about it anyway.
thanks all, for any feedback.
take care,
philyra
poster:philyra
thread:761426
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20070525/msgs/761426.html