sleeping therapist

my therapist is 70 years old and occasionally has seemed to be falling asleep but lately it happens all the time. it seems to happen when i complain and go into my own world and sort of exclude him from the conversation. almost like a complaint monologue.
he seems to doze off for 4-5 seconds at a time. when i confront him on this he says he is not sleeping and just looking at the floor. most recently he said he has deep set eyes and it looks like he is sleeping but he isnt. i swear it seems like he is actually dozing off. to complicate this, i referred a friend to him a while back who fired him because he was sleeping! i really like the therapist and have found him helpful but the sleeping thing has been driving me nuts and its gotten worse and he says it seems worse because im more up against feelings of being alone and disconnected. ive become obsessed with it.
i dont understand how i am imagining this. i told him i am seeking consulation and may find another clinician to which he said go for it, youve tried other therapists before and left them for various reasons im not sure thats the answer he says.

im at a loss and frustrated. ive never accused a therapist of sleeping before. and ive never assumed someone was asleep when they werent.

hi darocka. Welcome to Psych Central. Sorry your T is falling asleep.

With mine, he would do that whenever I started telling him stories so I did not have to deal with hurtful stuff. I finally figured that out years later.

I figured that mine did not have a serious sleep apnea problem, but may be giving me a subtle clue to move on to a subject that will do more for me. When my partner goes on a complaining rant I just want to tune them out.

I guess people feel that way when I complain too.

There are several possibilities. One is that your therapist is, indeed, sleeping on the job. Another is that your therapist (as CANDC suggested) is giving you some 'training', so to speak.

I would definitely continue to talk about how you feel regarding your therapist's behavior, though, before you seek therapy elsewhere.

It has to be a tough job sitting all day and listening. Have you ever changed the time up?

I suggest finding a younger therapist that would be more suitable for youi.

Hello darocka! Welcome to Psych Central! It does sound like my grandmother in her old age. Her brother did that too and wrecked his truck once. It could be he can't help it and doesn't realize he's doing it. Grandma always claimed she was meditating. She eventually started having heart spells and falling, that might have been the beginning of it.

He is probably sleeping i won't give him the benefit of the doubt, he's 70. It probably has nothing to do with you but he's just tired.

I'd move on, especially since he has a history of falling asleep in front of other patients. You are paying for his time. It sounds like he should retire but stubbornly won't for whatever reason.

Being 70 is not a reason for falling asleep during a session. Plenty of 70 year olds are quite vital and alert. Sheesh.

Hello darocka, please look for a different therapist, having a therapist that is not paying attention to you is not good. He or she is getting paid by you, to help you, not to take a quick sleep. Let me know how you get on.

hi i would definitely get a new therapist,i think its really quite insulting to have that happen to you particularly during a therapy session.However i would say its possible that he genuinely doesn't realize he is actually nodding off as my hubby does this when watching TV sometimes he will fall asleep for a few seconds and if i comment he is absolutely adamant that he did not !!!!! Good luck whatever you decide