Posted by emmanuel98 on December 23, 2009, at 21:42:25
In reply to What issue(s) have brought you to therapy?, posted by rnny on December 22, 2009, at 23:00:59
When I started therapy five years ago, I was falling apart, crying all the time, hearing voices, having panic attacks. I hadn't had mental health issues before. I had been addicted to opiates and when I stopped them, I just fell apart.
I left home very young and had these very disturbed and abusive parents. I never processed any of it when I was younger and needed to do that in therapy. I was 49 when I started therapy.
As I said in another post, the simple kindness and compassion I experienced from my T blew me away. I had never allowed myself to experience that before because I never, never, never asked for help from anyone for anything. I had such powerful transference issues and my T kept saying to me -- I am not a miracle worker. All I do is bear witness and facilitate your growth. It took me a long time to understand this, that all good T's do is try to be kind and supportive and understanding. It's us who bring all this baggage to the relationship and just get derailed by the experience of kindness and compassion.
I have seen my T for nearly five years. We have decided to terminate, since I am better now. I have four more appointments with him, then I will see him every couple of months to check in about meds. It's been an amazing experience. But I'm ready for it to end.
poster:emmanuel98
thread:930451
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20091212/msgs/930623.html