Posted by Daisym on May 22, 2012, at 20:05:32
My mother said recently, "I thought therapy wasn't supposed to last forever." She was talking about my son who has an anxiety disorder and has been in therapy for 10 years. I patiently explained to her why he keeps going, how important the relationship is, the transitions in his life right now, etc.
I freaked out completely in therapy today for myself. Do I NEED to still be going? or do I WANT to still be going? What would either mean about me? Am I pathetic or brave? Ug, ug, ug.
My therapist said he thought it was a great thing to think about and it would be a great thing to be able to give myself what I wanted...even if I didn't need it, exactly. Big and small things, he felt, were part of building a support system outside of therapy. But if you won't give those things to yourself, you fall apart, again and again. I'm learning, in therapy, how to help myself, outside of therapy. So this might be practice in allowing myself what I want. And then, of course, he just had to add that he saw plenty of need too...still. ug.
So - want or need? And what does that mean for your own therapy journey?
poster:Daisym
thread:1018478
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20120518/msgs/1018478.html