I agree with this. I got retraumatized in my first round of therapy. I don't think it had to happen - my first therapist was working very hard and was sincerely trying to help but his method just didn't allow for the kind of help I needed. My current therapist's style stresses all sorts of ways of taking care of myself, and it's very much about building up my ability to manage my emotions in the face of post-traumatic responses. It's so much healthier for me, and I wish I had never gone though that destructive first round of therapy.
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Originally Posted by ByStarlight
No...sometimes things actually do get worse. It may be because things feel worse (chicken-egg argument here) - but not only did I end up feeling worse, tangible things in my life got worse because of it.
I agree with a lot of the sentiments here that the adage is an excuse. I went from someone with moderate but constant depression and anxiety to someone with severe depression and anxiety (and constant suicidal thoughts) during therapy. I believe it was because my therapist was not experienced in dealing with trauma and I was being unintentionally retraumatized. I know now that there are "methods" that are not traumatizing and that healing is possible without that level of pain. That's not to say it can be uncomfortable - I'm ok with the discomfort of stretching my beliefs and boundaries - but I think the level of agony some folks (myself included) feel during therapy is not necessary.
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