Quote:
Originally Posted by BudFox
When I investigated this, it made me realize how sick the profession is.
I went thru a long list of therapists trying to get help with damaging therapy, and almost all went into client blaming mode unconsciously, or tried to change the subject. Most seemed to have never considered that these weird, hierarchical, personal-clinical relationships could be harmful. There was an almost child-like lack of awareness. Or they were like religious zealots who could only think in terms of the gospel. No doubt of a few of them knew the truth and pretended not to.
I did consult with two therapists on the phone who claim to specialize in therapy ruptures. One was careless and stupid, and the other was guarded and said almost nothing of substance.
The whole experience post-sh*tty therapy was pathetic and pathological in nearly every way, including my own assumptions and expectations. Extreme irony that this mess was supposed to somehow produce healing. Healthiest thing I ever did was to reject it and walk away.
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This is exactly the issue when the therapy is subtly and slowly damaging, instead of there being some egregious heinous act committed.
A few psychodynamic therapists I spoke with in early recovery referred to my trauma as a ‘transference’ problem (as if my pain was related to the past), instead of aknowledging that what was going on in session was independently painful and traumatic. Pathologizing it that way felt like insult to injury. After that I decided to go it alone for a while.
It wasn’t until I explored the world of evidence-based treatments did I hear acknowledgement that what ‘the other guys’ were doing didn’t have proven results and ended in either no improvement or backsliding in many cases. I’m assuming some of the validation might be based on arrogance around their own modalities but as it relates to my recovery ‘an enemy of my enemy is my friend’.
Very frustrating!