I think therapy has been just as important as medication in helping me manage my depression and anxiety. I have been in therapy for 17 years, sometimes weekly, sometimes every other week, and I strongly believe that I would not have been able to finish my degree, create a happy marriage, find satisfying work, and weather the storms of my life without learning what I learned in therapy. My childhood was extremely difficult, with a substantial amount of emotinoal neglect and even some instances of abuse, mostly at the hands of a deeply narcissistic parent who demanded I always be perfect. Therapy has taught me how to feel and manage my emotions and repair some of the "attachment injuries" I sustained growing up. I still have work to do and go through difficult times, but therapy teaches me that I can come through those difficulties and gives me concrete coping mechanisms for doing so.