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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on January 22, 2004, at 20:33:49
In reply to Therapy anyone??, posted by Vera on January 22, 2004, at 10:59:28
originally posted by Vera 1/22/03
> I have only had 3 therapy sessions so far, but already I have the feeling that it's not for me. I have anxiety, depression and I'm a compulsive eater, and my goal is to rid myself of all 3, but it feels hopeless. Rather than find it helpful, I only feel more anxious and stressed just by being there, one on one, with a stranger. If anyone is, or has been, in therapy...are my feelings typical? Does it get easier?? And..does it eventually help?? I'm on Wellbutrin but it doesn't seem to be helping, and now I have to start taking Xanax when overly stressed (not tried yet) Anyone had similar experiences with any/all of this?? Thanx....
Posted by Dinah on January 23, 2004, at 9:01:18
In reply to Re: Therapy anyone?? » Vera, posted by Dinah on January 22, 2004, at 20:33:49
Hi, Vera. Do you know what type of therapy you're in? When I started seeing my therapist, he pretty quickly taught me techniques to physically reduce the anxiety. Breathing techniques, and thought stopping, and analyzing my thoughts. Although it was difficult to deal with the added anxiety of telling my life story to a virtual stranger, the tangible rewards of feeling better offset that.
You might also want to post on the medication board, (plain) Psycho-Babble. Wellbutrin has been known to cause more anxiety in certain patients.
It's only been three sessions, and I must tell you that even after nine years of therapy with my therapist, my two sessions with an extra therapist for EMDR have been overflowing with anxiety and all sorts of unpleasant things. So it might not be uncommon for those of us with anxiety disorders. I think the best thing to do is to be honest with your therapist and tell him exactly what you said in your post. He'll be used to helping people through the uncomfortable stages. And if he hasn't already, ask him to teach you breathing techniques and guided relaxation. I think people need the immediate payoff to keep doing the hard work of therapy sometimes.
Posted by Dinah on January 23, 2004, at 9:01:43
In reply to Re: Therapy anyone?? » Dinah, posted by Dinah on January 23, 2004, at 9:01:18
Posted by Vera on January 23, 2004, at 17:41:43
In reply to Re: Therapy anyone?? » Dinah, posted by Dinah on January 23, 2004, at 9:01:18
Hi Dinah -
Thanks for responding and for helpful info. Oddly, I have no idea the actual type of therapy I'm in, that is to say, if there's a label of some sort. I was referred by my MD because of anxiety, depression and out-of-control eating, so it's a tall order, I guess. So far, no she's offered nothing like what you've mentioned, only to keep a journal, which, truthfully, I can't seem to do. It feels silly & I don't know why, so I just can't seem to get with the program of any of this. I more or less told her of all my discomfort w/therapy, thus far, and while she understands, really has done little to help me thru it. I continue to feel under a microscope, and horribly embarrassed about the entire experience and all of my issues. I think I'm just weird. :-) I absolutely DREAD these sessions - they make me even more stressed!! (BTW, what is EMDR? Pardon my ignorance as I'm still very new at this.)
Nine years of therapy?? I'll be lucky if I can hold out for 9 more sessions! It's possible I also have very unrealistic expectations of what to get out of therapy, and how quickly. I have no basis for comparison, I guess.
Actually, I am also posted on Psycho-Babble, too, as I have had problems with meds. I've been on Wellbutrin SR and was just increased to 300mgs, as it did nothing for anxiety, made it worse, actually. The Pdoc also wrote a scrip for Xanax, the regular kind, to use when stress is really bad. All I know is, I want to feel better and, so far, NOTHING is helping. I think I'm hopeless!! Thanx
Posted by Dinah on January 23, 2004, at 18:39:19
In reply to Re: Therapy anyone?? » Dinah, posted by Vera on January 23, 2004, at 17:41:43
I believe I don't actually know what EMDR stands for!! grin. It's some eye movement therapy that is supposed to help you process traumatic experiences. I really am not sure how it works, or how it works for me. But I'll be happy to tell you Monday evening. :)
I absolutely refused to journal. Every time I wrote something down I shredded it for fear it would be found by my husband or something. It wasn't till much later that I began writing letters to my therapist. And my posts here stand as a sort of journal as well.
Nine years is hard to believe. And to think that my poor therapist thought I was there for very short term cognitive behavior therapy! That was what we did at first, with the visualization and the breathing. I found it very helpful. He used exercises from "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook". You might ask your therapist if she could teach you breathing and relaxation techniques. I think many therapists, regardless of their therapeutic philosophy, are familiar with those. And there's no harm in asking her plan for treating you, although after three sessions she might not know. The EMDR therapist and I have spent two sessions doing nothing but misunderstanding each other.
Posted by jane d on January 26, 2004, at 23:48:24
In reply to Re: Therapy anyone?? » Dinah, posted by Vera on January 23, 2004, at 17:41:43
Vera,
I'm sorry to respond so late. Other people here can tell you far more about kinds of therapy and what to expect. I'd just like to point out that it is quite possible that this is the wrong therapist. My impression is that MD's tend to know "a therapist" that they refer people to without knowing much about either the therapist or their patient. I had a few encounters with therapists widely spaced across the years all but one of them bad or pointless. Years later I've figured out that it wasn't my fault. It might not have been the therapist's fault either but I would have done far better with someone else.
I did absolutely dread going in the first time, and I don't even want to remember how frightened I was when making the first appointment. I find I still get embarassed. I understand that feeling of being under a microscope perfectly and I hate it. But I don't dread going. And the therapist notices when I'm cringing and makes me more comfortable. I leave feeling much better at least as often as I leave feeling mildly worse. I think this is the minimum that you should expect. If you aren't getting this perhaps you should try someone else.
There's a lot on this board and other places about how to interview a therapist. It's not something I can imagine doing. If you can do that its a great idea. If not, you might try asking your original referral source if they know anyone else after telling them what you don't like with this therapist. It's always possible they will know someone more suitable for you. Or ask someone else. Or you might get just get lucky at random.Jane
Posted by Vera on January 28, 2004, at 17:46:41
In reply to Re: Therapy anyone?? » Vera, posted by Dinah on January 23, 2004, at 18:39:19
Dinah, so tell me about what happened Mon.? At this point, I'm ready to try about anything.
Oh, good! someone else who feels the same discomfort as I re: journaling. Honestly, I sit there, pen poised over paper, and it's like "writer's block" or something. Interesting that you said you began writing letters to your T.
I actually had thought about that...but then, at the 2nd session when she asked if I'd journaled, and I said I hadn't..she said something like...that I shouldn't feel uncomfortable because they weren't for her to see! I took that to mean "don't show me", so, I felt, that's the end of that.Don't you find it a bit odd that I should have to ASK my T. for instruction on b & r techniques?? She well knows that 50% of the reason I'm there is for my GAD. I'm beginning to think that my T is from Mars, and yours is from Venus. :-) And speaking of "misunderstanding" - there's a lot of that with me...but it's all one-sided...on my end!
I continue to have the feeling that I have no idea why I'm there...and after 4 sessions now, I'm no closer to having answers, of any kind.
Nor do I really understand what's expected of me, much less, of what to expect from these sessions.
I just feel lost, and like I'm dropping $$ for nothing. Obviously it's MY problem. Thanx
Posted by Vera on January 28, 2004, at 18:14:28
In reply to Re: Therapy anyone?? » Vera, posted by jane d on January 26, 2004, at 23:48:24
See, here's the thing - how do you KNOW if you have the wrong therapist? How does one know if what feels like a lack of "fit" is the fault of the therapist, or of the patient? She may be an excellent T., and doing and saying all the right things. But perhaps because I'm such a novice at this, I don't have a clear understanding of exactly what I'm supposed to get out of it. And, no, I NEVER leave feeling better than I did before the session...in any way. I actually feel worse, or, at best, the same. Again, this could be because of me, and my horrendous stress levels, which obviously aren't going to disappear in a few sessions. Then, there's also the depression, so I spend a good amount of time crying...and I'm one of those people who NEVER feels better after crying. So, considering everything I've mentioned, these are the reasons why I have no idea where I'm at yet with all of this, how effective she is, or how much of it is in MY perception...or lack thereof???
As for finding another T, all things considered, I'm not sure I'm at that point yet. Perhaps I have to have a few more sessions...because if, by then, I'm still where I'm at today, then something is definitely wrong. I do have to say that the thought of starting this whole process over again makes me positively nauseous. I just want to feel better, and I'm still flailing... Thanx
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