have you been through psychotherapy...and did it help?

[w8liftinglady]

I see myself circling in a spiral of self-destruction after my divorce-and have been considering it.Has it been helpful to you?

[crim son]

1. I believe that your own experience will be entirely different

from anybody else's. I know people who have found therapy to be very helpful - life-changing, really. I'm not one of those people but IMHO it's worth trying.

[zanne]

2. It's helpful see things from a different perspective

Especially when you're faced with a situation that has you in emotional turmoil. A good psychotherapist will help you see the forest for the trees. (You may have to go through a psychotherapist or two; just make sure you feel comfortable and that it's a good fit). I'd say go for it--what can it hurt?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. i always encourage people to get therapy.

if you think you are being self destructive find a therapist and let them help you.

best of luck.

[skygazer]

4. I think it can it be very helpful

Much depends on what you bring into it and much depends on the therapist. I've tried and rejected several because they weren't a good fit for me, though they may have been for others. But a couple gave me a lot of insight into my behavior and helped me figure out why I was acting the way I did. I'm grateful for what I received from them - I think it helped me change things in my life for the better.

Good luck to you.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. My dear w8liftinglady.......

I have been through therapy a couple of times (for different reasons), and have always found it helpful...

By all means, go for it!

It is such a relief to be able to unburden yourself to someone who knows how to listen!

A good therapist will give you feedback, and will be able to suggest courses of action that will help.

Good luck, and never give up!

:hug:

[w8liftinglady]

23. thanks,Peggy-some of my depression may stem from having no friends here

...to speak of.no one to talk to.these people are so uptight.My boyfriend is distant,and into his own thing,which is OK.the women are sheep.

[NightWatcher]

6. In all seriousness

I have had psychotherapy but I found that Rx helped me at that time. After I was better, I then had to dial down from the drugs. I was on Xanax and Clonopin. I finally used lorazepam to step down from the other Benzo's. The benzo withdrawls sucked royally, but I would not have made it out of the funk that I was in. Three years of treatment for the issues and six months of kicking the Rx's.

The only thing in my system now is caffiene and the occassional ibuprofen

[edbermac]

7. Been in individual and group; very helpful.

Individual at first because I was so wound up in my own 'spiral'; then in group, a cross section of people with problems dealing with relationships, substance abuse etc. You get insight from others and might find talking about their issues will give you more insight into your own.

[Shine]

8. Yes to both

plus my dad is a psychotherapist and my sister has her Phd in clinical psych! LOL.

Bottom line, finding the right therapist for you is key b/c there are soo many different types of therapy and personal styles.

If you're serious about it, it's worth taking the time to find the one with whom you connect the best.

I've used psychotherapy in past situations when I was ending a relationship and also a different time when I was having some other internal issues coming up. It was quite useful for me to have a safe place to go emotionally where I could unload with someone who was neutral, yet fully supportive.

I wish you all the best. The truth is, as my dad says, we are our own highest gurus. A really good therapist understands this and points you in the right direction of your inner wisdom.

:hug:

[Rob H.]

9. I'm in counseling right now

and it's helping, even though I still struggle at times. It helps to have someone who is, for lack of a better word, an outsider who can give you advice and make suggestions since they're not as close to the situation as you are.

Some changes have been easy to make while others are still more than a little daunting. If you do decide to seek therapy, I wish you the very best and hope that you find it helpful. :hug:

[Phillycat]

10. I think it can help nearly everyone.

But only if they're willing to be really honest - with the therapist, and more importantly, with themselves.

[graywarrior]

11. I need one after working with the nutcase I've been with for 3 months.

And yes, it helps. In fact, it should be required for everyone.

[brook]

12. Freudian

therapy -admittedly being administered by a moron - was detrimental in my case. It left me more suicidal than I'd been when I arrived. It reeked of 'victimization' which I loathed.

Then I read about Gestalt in "In and Out of the Garbage Pail". I liked the motto Fritz Perls had: "We'll teach you to stand on your own two feet and wipe your own ass." It was not a perfect therapy. The doctor I saw modified it somewhat over time as have other former Perls' associates, but the experience helped me tremendously. I think the key was finding a doctor and a philosophy that resonated with me.

[MichiganVote]

13. Try it. You'll like it.

[AlCzervik]

14. it did help me, i went for a year a few years after my mother died

and i had some major anger issues and some control issues as well and it helped more than i can ever explain. Therapy literally turned my life around.

[BarenakedLady]

15. I'm in it.

Don't know if it's that or the meds or a combination of the two, but I'm certainly out of the deep dark pit of despair I was in several months ago.

[Bucky]

16. If you're asking the answer is probably yes. It worked for me, but buyer beware

I got help with counseling, but it was with a licensed social worker, not a PhD in psychoanalysis. The cost differential is stunning. I highly recommend doing a lot of esoteric alternative crap too, crazy shit I would never believe in real life like past life regression, fortune telling, meditation on the music of the spheres, witch spells, even crystals. I don't buy into whatever people are saying is behind the experiences, but most people's minds are odd machines that, at the root of it all, really want to be well. The more you explore, the more tools you brain has for figuring out what makes you and it happy.

My path to wellness also involved a lot of beer. I don't recommend that, however.

[w8liftinglady]

17. thanks,everyone.your input helps.

[trof]

18. Nope.

[bigwillq]

19. I've never been

but in my experience with friends and family members, therapy usually helps.
I think you should try it out. It's one of the first steps in admitting that you need some kind of help.

Good luck. :hug:

[SocratesInSpirit]

20. I have been seeing a psychotherapist for a little over a year now

for depression. It has helped me immensely. I would definitely recommend seeing a therapist if you think you need to. I put off going to therapy for years and years, and now, looking back, I wish I had done it sooner! :-)

It is key to find a therapist that you can trust, and one who is nonjudgmental. I found my therapist on the second try.

[emad]

21. It's good to talk and be heard. It worked for me for traumatic stress.

Couldn't have unknotted without it.

[CharmCity]

22. Some good advice I got...

was to go to therapy with a clearly defined outcome.
In this case, the therapist was very good. I told her what my problem was, what I expected to get out of therapy, and told her my insurance would last for ten sessions. Sure enough, she cut to the chase. It was really, really helpful.

[Redbear]

24. It has helped me.

Through a lot of difficult stuff.

[Strawman]

25. Yes. Cognitive therapy was helpful for me.

I have a wonderful therapist and it definitely has helped me to grow as a person and to manage and, to some extent, get past some mental and emotional obstacles.

I was somewhat skeptical and apprehensive going in, but I'll never forget how good and how unburdened I felt driving home after my first therapy session. I also think I was lucky to find a therapist that I feel very comfortable with. I've know other people who have had to try a few different therapists before they found one that they had a productive relationship with.

[w8liftinglady]

26. again,thank you-everyone,for your input.It has helped me immensely

[GenDem]

27. On and off my entire life.

I good therapist and some well prescribed chemicals have fixed me right up. Right now, I am doing just fine -- no therapy, no antidepressants.

It can't hurt to give it a try. Make sure that if you need to get a referral that your doctor recommends someone good.

:hug: :hug:

[Moderator]

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