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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by DaisyM on March 12, 2004, at 23:27:59
Have you ever heard another person through the walls during a therapy session?
I had this experience recently and it was soooo uncomfortable. I didn't say anything about the muffled voices I could hear but I lost my train of thought when the sobbing started. It wasn't REALLY loud, but you certainly could hear it.
My Therapist realized right away what had distracted me, apologized because he forgot to turn on his white noise machine, turned it on, and then you couldn't hear anyone else. However, I was pretty much done from that point on.
He said I should have said something earlier, but since I work around little kids, I'm use to ignoring noise. I didn't get uncomfortable until the sobbing...
Ok, so would you have said something?
Posted by All Done on March 12, 2004, at 23:45:24
In reply to The Walls have Ears, posted by DaisyM on March 12, 2004, at 23:27:59
Daisy,
I just had a session in a different office than we're usually in. I could hear the people talking in the next room and it was quite distracting. I didn't say anything, but a couple of times I lost my train of thought and he could tell I was distracted. Neither of us mentioned it, but I think we both knew there was nothing we could do about it anyway. I guess it either stopped or I tuned it out, because I only felt distracted in the beginning. One time, though, there was some construction work going on in the building. Both of us were getting distracted and he apologized, but again, what could anyone do?
I hate when this stuff happens. It's hard enough to say some things to my T and hearing outside noises just reminds me that we aren't in the "real" world and that makes me really uncomfortable. It's strange, but I start asking myself, "what am I doing here?" It makes the whole experience for me seem a bit contrived and kind of artificial. Ugh, does this make any sense?
All Done
Posted by pegasus on March 13, 2004, at 0:28:51
In reply to The Walls have Ears, posted by DaisyM on March 12, 2004, at 23:27:59
At my old T's office, all the offices on the floor shared a waiting room that was just outside my T's office. One of the other offices was a chiropractor's office, and they treated dogs. So every now and then, I'd hear dogs barking outside the door. And I could hear people too. It didn't bother me at all, but it drove my T crazy. For a while there, it seemed like every week he had some new thing going on to muffle the noise (signs in the waiting room about being quite, noise machines, new fancy noise-reducing door frame, acustic panels, etc.).
When he moved to a new office, I arrived a bit early for my first visit. While I waited, I clearly heard every word being spoken in his room, which was freaky and disturbing. I told him about it, and he was very concerned, and after that there were noise machines and a CD player, etc. and I never heard anything else.
In that same office, once we heard a girl screaming in the parking lot. We both stopped and listened, and he went to check that she was ok.
If I heard sobbing, there would be no way I could continue doing therapy. We'd have to talk about the sobbing, if we talked about anything. I'm with you. Even if noise machines were then turned on, I'd be all discombobulated. Therapy within a silent environment is hard enough.
- p
Posted by Dinah on March 13, 2004, at 1:36:33
In reply to The Walls have Ears, posted by DaisyM on March 12, 2004, at 23:27:59
His new office is clearly not soundproof. The old one, I didn't have complaints in the eight years I was there. I complained about this one a lot at first. Then I just gave up and talk very very softly. Works out just as well. He has to pay close attention and probably hears more.
Posted by Dinah on March 13, 2004, at 1:39:33
In reply to Re: The Walls have Ears » DaisyM, posted by Dinah on March 13, 2004, at 1:36:33
Oh, who am I kidding. It isn't just as well. I still resent the living h*ll out of it.
But his reaction to my suggesting to see him in one of his auxiliary offices was close to a no, though I'm pretty sure he sees other patients there.
So I swallow my aggravation about this as well as about other inconveniences associated with his new office. When I care, I've got no backbone at all. :(
This is the end of the thread.
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