[SophiaG]

I was thinking today about how therapy has helped me and I'd like to hear how therapy has helped you.

I used to be very phobic about changing my medical equipment, such as my tracheostomy and g-tube, to the point where I freaked out every time a trache change was done. I thought if it went wrong that I wouldnt be able to breathe and that fear overwhelmed me for many years. My therapist though, when i was 14, helped me to overcome this phobia as well as encouraged me to change my g tube.

This has helped immensely with my independence medical wize.

[shaggy dog]

My therapist has taught me some tricks as far as CBT goes although I did hate the stupid homework that went with it.

[little*rhino]

wow sophia..that is amazing. Good for you for overcoming your fears with T's help!

therapy has changed my life... and is still changing it. Therapy got me out of my marriage to my abusive exhusband.. got me to start trying to see myself as a real person and not trash... has given me hope of making a real life.

thanks for asking this!

[Skully]

It helps me because I have someone to talk to that isn't there to judge me. I can say whatever is on my mind and it is ok.

[slowinmi]

I'm just getting started with therapy, but I have to echo what skully just said. It helps me to have someone to talk to that doesn't judge me, and in fact has said that she is there to help me so that we work as a team for me to get better - and when she says it I believe her. She may say the same thing to many other people, but when she says it to me, I feel like I have an ally.

Good question Sophia!

Therapy has taught me the best ideas ever presented by a therapist are useless unless utilized.

Therapy has helped me to turn my way of thinking around (CBT).

I don't think I would be alive today, were it not for therapy----Like you, little*rhino, I had to get rid of my marriage---the abuse was making me into a non-entity.

----------------------------------------------theo

[splitimage]

Therapy has really helped me a lot of different ways, although I still have a ways to go.

It helped :
*Stop drinking
*Stop Cutting
*Learn to stop all my negative self talk
* it's starting to make dents in all my negative beliefs about myself.
* Be more open and approachable with people,as a result I'm less isolated and I have more friends.
* process some of my trauma, so my PTSD symptoms are less bad, still have a lot of work to do there though.
* Get me through the emotional guilt / shame around losing my job and the stress of job hunting.
* start liking myself a little bit
* start making some baby steps on making healthy lifestyle changes

--splitimage

Kudos for all.

[Lisa Michelle]

I was recently in therapy for around 6 months and for some reason I didn't 'get' it, it just seems to be talking, I can honestly say it didn't help me. It was specifically eating disorder therapy and I'm adamanent that it made me obsess more about food. Basically, it was a bad experience.

I might be starting a new therapy, but more for depression and anxiety, but I'm not sure (having an assessment next week), I'm very wary now though, I feel as though therapy is not really a right match for me... if I need to vent I honestly already have people I can do that too, and with my therapist I felt so uncomfortable, it felt formal and horrible and I fear it would be that way with anyone. But we'll see. It's encouraging to hear that other people have been helped so much with therapy.

edit: I left therapy 2 weeks ago because I hated it, I didn't feel listened to, my therapist basically forced me to fill in a food diary and I tried to explain it was WRONG for ME and I instead was told it helped me and that it was working. I developed a horrible obsession with food because of the diary (moreso than just because of my anorexia) and nobody involved in my treatment would listen to me about it. and my therapy was of such a bad quality it was literally pointless).