Quote:
Originally Posted by precaryous
I’m from the conservative Midwest. I moved to California in the late ‘80’s - 2000.
I’d had therapy in the Midwest which I found pretty unremarkable. Then I met one exploitive therapist after the other in California. I’d heard pretty wild things occurred in California...when new things started happening in ‘therapy’ in California, I figured, ‘this is just how therapy is done here.’ I didn’t know. I believed what they told me and I didn’t know different. I had NO idea it was against the law. I had NO idea it was a felony in California. Had I known, I hope I would have reflected on it more. But they made me feel special. I was needy. I was definitely a mark. And I didn’t even know it.
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I had unethical therapy in the Midwest and then moved to California. I've seen 3 therapists here, the first was a blend of qualities that reminded me of both my parents, so definitely not a good fit, but I saw her to keep my ex-pdoc happy and she was competent and kind. I never really opened up to her though.
The second guy seemed really eager to tell me how he could help me by "reparenting" me and that it would be difficult but he would be willing to do it for me... on the second appointment... I got the creeps and didn't go back.
Third is my current T, and I've been with him for a few months and am starting to feel safe around him. It helps that he's nothing like my unethical ex-T. Though it's still really hard to not ask "do you believe me?" or "you believe me, right?" after telling him about my father's emotional abuse. Unethical ex-T did a lot of gaslighting (among many other things)