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Originally Posted by Lrad123
This is really interesting. Honestly, it would have been really nice to have this info from the beginning. I still need to reread and process. My T can for sure be supportive but as I’ve been in therapy longer he’s leaned away from that and more towards “expressive.” Ultimately I like the goals of that type of therapy, but only if I don’t lose my mind in the interim.
I plan to ask him if he’ll do a second weekly session at 6:00 am. I assume the answer will be no. If the new T that I meet in a week can meet me twice/week and I like her, maybe I should switch to her even though the thought of leaving my current T makes me a bit sad. I will also plan to discuss with him what the benefits might be of just meeting him once/week. I don’t necessarily want to leave, but also don’t want to stick around just to torture myself. But, as you suggest, maybe he can modify the way things work and still accomplish an exploratory type of therapy, although more slowly.
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My therapist has talked about this in terms of an "uncovering" approach and a supportive approach, and has expressed that he feels that both components are necessary, and that uncovering can only happen as fully as possible if support is also given when appropriate. Therapy can't always be comfortable, but it does need to be bearable.
Honestly, I don't think even the most traditional analysts eschew supportive techniques altogether all of the time
My experience is that supporting and uncovering interventions are part of the same continuum, where the key is finding the right balance both in the moment and over time