Psychodynamic therapy made me worse too. Almost got me kicked out of graduate school. When I started therapy I was shy. I needed cognitive therapy and assertiveness training to start with. I asked for it multiple times. Instead the therapist started telling me that I was sexually abused by my father. I was not. He was an alcoholic, but he never sexually abused me. Then she started telling me that it was partly my mom's fault because she didn't protect me. I had a great relationship with my mom before that, and we do again now, but that really strained it for awhile.


Then I got depressed. My shyness wasn't improving. My relationship with my mom was bad. I ended up seriously considering suicide. I was planning how I would do it. I might have died, but fortunately I went to see a medical doctor who gave me antidepressants which I responded very well to. I got less depressed and less shy too. Since then I have gotten cognitive therapy and assertiveness training. That has helped too. Psychodynamic isn't for everyone.


I guess I'm not sure how to measure "better" or "worse" with mental health other than feelings and behaviors anyway.