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Officially Starting Therapy
I thought about keeping this private for now, but I also could use a word of advice if you have any. Tomorrow I start cognitive behavioral therapy!
I have a lot of mixed emotions about it. A part of me is super nervous, especially since I don’t enjoy talking about my negative feelings. Then, there’s the skeptic in me feeling hesitant about whether or not this will actually accomplish anything. But, then there’s a part of me that’s hopeful. I’ve been dealing with some personal and pandemic-related things. It took me some time to be okay with asking for help, but I’m so glad I did.
Have you ever done cognitive behavioral therapy? Would you mind sharing your experiences or feedback with me?
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6 Replies
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Good luck! I hope it went well. I don’t have advice, but want to thank you for sharing with us.
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Thanks DeAnn!
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Hi Alyssa,
Thanks for sharing, Alyssa. Therapy can be a helpful tool in navigating life. I started seeing a therapist for something I thought was completely unrelated to my SMA diagnosis (the ending of a 10+ year relationship/calling off an engagement) but we ended up talking quite a bit about how me having SMA has impacted many facets of my life (relationships, work, friendships).
Everyone’s experience with therapy is unique and very personal. The only insights/advice I have is that it isn’t a magic “fix” overnight, and that sometimes after a therapy appointment we feel worse…digging up all of those thoughts and emotions can be draining and tough. However, that is part of the process. Give it some time. Also, the more honest and real you can be with your therapist, the better. Holding something back out of embarrassment isn’t helpful in the long run. That said, it takes awhile to build up trust with someone so try to stick with it for awhile.
Looking back, I am so thankful for my experiences in therapy. It really did help me out of a dark place and gave me new tools for approaching many aspects of my life.
Best to you~
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Thank you for sharing your experiences with me, Amy. The part where you mentioned feeling worse is me right now haha. My initial reaction after my first appointment yesterday was that it was too uncomfortable for me. I didn’t like having to talk about my problems. But, then I wondered if maybe that’s a very normal reaction for first-timers and I should just give it a shot. So, as heavy as I feel right now, I think I’m going to commit to the long haul. I owe it to myself to at least try!
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Congrats on keeping the first appointment! I encourage you to stick with it for awhile. Talking about hard stuff sometimes leads to a post-appointment “emotional hangover” but that is normal and part of the process. The emotions that talking about hard stuff brings up need to get out. Ignoring them or keeping them stuffed down don’t make them go away…they just end of festering inside ourselves and will eventually find their way out somehow.
Thanks for posting about this. You never know else reads your posts and decides to maybe consider talking with someone at some point.
Take care!
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I should be the one thanking you! I really appreciate you sharing your experiences. It definitely brings some reassurance for me. 🙂
Also, an emotional hangover is a PERFECT way of describing how I feel! I like that haha.
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