Posted by Dinah on August 22, 2009, at 9:07:47
In reply to Re: You should have a good session, Therapygirl, posted by 10derHeart on August 21, 2009, at 18:34:10
I do treasure up those times of mutual enjoyment and laughter. Even though he sometimes shocks me when he's being himself. And I'd count him as someone I really wouldn't want to see on a social basis, quite apart from our status as therapist and client.
I think that's a big difference between your relationship and mine.
But I do enjoy our discussions on topics we both enjoy. We both like talking about religion, both theology and the personal dynamics at churches. And since he has an interest in the dynamics of groups, he sometimes enjoys my talk of Babble on other than a "how to best help Dinah cope" level.
And as Antigua said, while they aren't strictly therapeutic, something therapeutic often comes from them. In fact, sometimes I think I'm more likely to say something revealing a deeper issue when I'm speaking more casually than I might when I'm speaking in therapy mode. I sometimes find those things revisited from him in a more serious context. Not directly usually, but indirectly.
But in those we're generally both present. So I suppose that my main objection wasn't the superficiality of the session, but the fact that I was as lacking in presence as he is sometimes.
Both of us need to add our focus and energy to the therapy space in order to transform it into the therapy space. If that makes sense.
poster:Dinah
thread:913385
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090730/msgs/913460.html