Posted by Dinah on February 25, 2013, at 8:09:59
In reply to long road in psychotherapy, posted by deerock on February 22, 2013, at 23:20:59
I'm torn. On the one hand, there are times when it is worthwhile to stick it out. And perhaps moreso if you have a tendency to dismiss people's ability to help you. This could be part of a pattern.
But on the other hand, and to me a very important hand, therapy is a partnership or marriage. The initial period is like courting. A time to find out if there are shared goals, mutual values, and a fair degree of compatibility. Not every therapist will suit every person. Therapists are not like washing machines. You just can't pick any one in a laundromat and expect the results to be the same. I've quit a fair number of therapists with no regret whatsoever. I spent a good year as a teen with a therapist who never did have the ability to be the least use to me. The fact that my current therapist is helpful to me is as much about intangibles as tangibles. He's able to present things in a way I can take them in. He's intelligent, not the teensiest bit mushy, able to use humor without being unkind or abrasive, and very large. I don't know why the last mattered, but I often suspect the large frame and deep voice awakened on a very deep level feelings of trust and safety.
The same is true of medication. Medication may well be useful, but not every medication will be equally useful for every person. How long have you been on the MAOI? Is it addressing your biological issues?
I second baseball's suggestion that you try DBT. Or if not a formal program of DBT, at least a therapist familiar with the concepts. It emphasizes very helpful tools.
poster:Dinah
thread:1038687
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20120922/msgs/1038780.html