Miswimmy, you are on the road towards learning some valuable lessons.

Our pain is ours. No one else's. No one, not even our thereapists, are responsible for how we manage our pain.

They can't force us to take meds. They can't make us master the relaxation techniques they teach us. They cant make us believe all the feel-good stuff they fill our heads with.

So your therapist was right to let your folks have their say, just as she lets you have yours. She was also right when she said the responsibility is yours. And you have recently demonstrated this by making the executive decision to stop taking medication.

These are the hard lessons that eventually all of us learn. It is lonely being responsible, but with responsibility comes power.