[CantExplain]

OK, so none of the PC blogs actually says that explicitly, but that's message I get from many of them: The patient is doing it wrong.

Yes, the patient is trapped in unhealthy habits of mind and behaviour. But the patient sincerely feels that he or she has no choice in the matter. That is what neurosis means.

Yes, the therapist has to challenge those thoughts and behaviours. But the therapist must also acknowledge that the patient is in pain. The patient usually feels, at least subconsciously, that she or he is "not good enough". I see a lot of blogs that heavily reinforce that bad message. The therapist finds lots of new inadequacies in the patient.

Made-up example: "You think the problem is X. The real problem is that you are selfish and immature."

Finally, I'm seeing a smug, "holier than thou" attitude in many of these blogs. Of course there is never anything wrong with the therapist. Oh, no, of course not.

[DocJohn]

I guess I would respond by saying that by seeking out help for the concern, you're saying, "Hey, wait a minute, I do have some ability to alter the course of this problem." You're actively engaging with it, and you're working on changing it by changing yourself.

You're not going to get very far in recovery or helping resolve an issue by sticking fast to your guns and saying, "I have no choice in the matter." You do have a choice.

As for the tone, we have nearly 5 dozens blogs here... each author is a unique individual who approaches talking and blogging about their experiences for 5 dozen different perspectives. I don't see what you're talking about across all 5 dozen blogs, but certainly, there may be a few blog entries here and there that could be read that way.

The blogs aren't there primarily to paint blame or point fingers. All therapists aren't perfect, and we don't make that claim anywhere on the website. But the responsibility and focus of change does reside within a person -- not the professional helping them.

DocJohn