my experience has been that yes, it does make me focus on my problems. In some ways therapy has become the focus of my life, I spend so much time thinking and talking and writing about it. That's getting better, though. It's almost like you have to go through that, it HAS to become huge, in order to make big changes in your life and your self. For awhile I just did therapy and group, limping along from Mon to Thurs to Mon to Thurs and on and on. As I've moved forward in recovery, though, it HAS gotten better. Life isn't so scary. Therapy had to become huge in order for the problems to become small.