Can therapy help me to find out who am I?
Psychotherapy can help people to better articulate their identities. I practice narrative psychotherapy which is concerned with issues of narrative identity: how someone views herself and integrates life experiences into personal stories. Problems usually arise when these stories are not coherent enough and cannot stand the test of social validation.If we want our stories to work, we have to negotiate with our social environment (other people). Psychotherapy is there to help and facilitate this process. The psychotherapist should locate where the client is ‘stuck’ and work with the client to open new space for change, where one can try to narrate new stories about her life and tell old ones in a new way.Our sense of identity is closely linked to the stories that we tell to ourselves and others every day. Sometimes we are not even aware of the voice in our heads which comments on everything that happens during the day and evaluates our actions. My personal experience is that combination of mindfulness techniques and narrative psychotherapy is great for better articulation of identity and raising awareness about our sense of agency in life—instead of focusing too much on the stories that we tell, we are gradually becoming aware of the one who is telling these stories. This is a wonderful thing which I am grateful for—having an opportunity to see how people change and transform using their own will and power, becoming something and someone new.Vladimir Musicki
Does therapy really help?
Mmm ok i'll try to make this short So basically since i've finished high school a few months ago(i'm 19 now)i haven't really been able to figure out what to do with my life.I'm a person with many issues honestly.I can barely talk to strange a person without getting nervous,i cant stay in crowded places all by myself(actually i can,feels really unconfortable tho)I'm way too introverted,i've never really had a girlfriend,so yeah...i have social issues.On top of that,i still dont know what to do with my life.By that i mean college.I played the guitar for ~5 years and i always wanted to be a musician,but thats all over now. So,recently someone just suggested me therapy.I'm not really happy with that idea to be honest.It seems to me that i'm just wasting alot of money to "talk" with some random person.maybe i'm being silly,but it feels like ppl who go to therapy are kinda weak and cant deal with their own problems.My mom isnt very exited about this aswell,but honestly i do not have anyone to help me with these problems So,should i give it a go?Has anyone actually gotten better from doing this?i'd like to hear personal experiences if possible I hope i made myself clear enough : /
Can I ask my therapist to help me cry?
I always want people to feel their genuine emotions. The tough thing is, I can't force or manipulate people to do this: they have to come to these places on their own.This can take some time and in many cases, a lot of time. If people are defended against such feelings, often they needed to be at some point in their development. This happens at the time of overwhelming trauma. Little kids develop defenses that protect them when they don't have the psychic structure to deal with these feelings on their own.I never want to regress people: they might not be able to recover from the regression. So, I take a non-intrusive approach and let the person come to this material when they are ready.There is one thing you might try when you are feeling in an ok mood and have some support nearby, in another room, for example. Try comfortably sitting on the floor and write out some of your feelings on a piece of paper, using your non-dominant hand. You could even use a crayon. Sometimes your more primary feelings will surface. Talk to your therapist, first, before trying this.Really, be patient with yourself. Lots of people can't cry, for many reasons. Keep showing up for therapy, relax and don't push it.When you are ready to cry, you will.
How will my therapist help me cry in therapy?
They won’t necessarily…they just want you to feel safe enough to be yourself as therapy progresses.I’ve had clients who never cried, and that was fine!As long as we remedy why you came in, we’re usually both pretty happy about it.For example, I’ve had clients who came in with Panic Attacks and 6 months later, no longer had them. No crying needed!Therapists aren’t all like Dr. Phil. (Thank goodness… I really, really dislike that man) who often seems to *want* people to cry on television for ratings and viewers.We don’t want you to feel you have to do anything.Just that you feel safe enough, that if you wanted to cry, that you could. That’s enough.For some, they do…and others never feel they need to in getting to the other side of what they struggle with.No pressure my friend! Just trust the process, and allow whatever happens to happen - that will likely be good enough.
Can a therapist help me get over my obsessions?
I don’t know if therapy ever completely resolves deep core issues, but it can help you grow to be more comfortable with “what is”. Sometimes a person in successful therapy begins to be able to be in relationships that are not repeats of former unhealthy scenarios.Wanting desperately to get over such things and trying to get over such things and insisting that one get over such things, (by such things as I mean scars from pathological family relationships in childhood) is in itself symptomatic of hold the wound has on the person. The patient begins to feel that not only are they wounded, they are responsible for not being completely “well”, and are rather defective. They “MUST” recover and be “whole” to please . . . who? Naughty child! You are not completely mentally healthy! Go to your room and don’t come out until mentally well.So, therapy may help things to be less painful most of the time. Maybe someday you can forgive yourself for not being completely well. (None of us are. Well, perhaps a few are there , the enlightened, but for all intents and purposes all people are struggling with scars.)As for your “obsessions”, I am not quite sure what you mean. Whether you mean an obsession to find the perfect mother somehow or if you are also troubled with unrelated obsessions, non-sensical rituals and so on. Therapy can help manage that type of thing and medicine also sometimes helps.
Can therapy actually help my social anxiety?
so ive struggled with highschool EXTREMELY during my last senior year this year. i was always an A student but i barely passed with C's because of my social anxiety. specifically with being in rooms when its quiet. SPECIFICALLY this is where i have attacks. i know its not true but i CANNOT help but feel like everyone is looking at me or thinking of me or waiting for me to embarrass myself. as a result, i get extremely sweaty, shaky, and have loud stomach churning noises (which is the ultimate thing i absolutely hate about myself the most in this world) and because of those noises, i do eventually get made fun of or laughed at. this was happening almost every class towards my last month and i walked out every single day mid class and even on my math final. i have diarrhea after most of the time because the anxiety really gets to me. i honestly am deperate. i love learning and am now going to a great university to study which i love to do but i dont want to have to drop out because of this. all i see is failure for my future. i am honestly open to discussing this with anyone who will listen and try to help and say everything i am feeling because i dont want this for my future. could therapy potentially help? i feel like my world is already coming to its end.
Can therapy help me to become self-disciplined?
Yes, it can be helpful to work with a therapist on this issue. Often we lack self -discipline for some very basic reasons of habit, other times it runs deeper than that.If it’s related to habits of distracting ourselves or sort of wandering through our day without a plan or any organization, it really takes committing to trying new strategies and holding yourself accountable to these new habits.If it’s deeper than that; you degrade and discourage yourself internally through negative self-talk, this is a bit more complex, but still workable. This demands that you begin to notice that old voice, put in some new truths to combat it, and move forward with your own encouraging voice in your head.Here are some strategies;