[rep97]

Do you feel safe in therapy? I always feel the therapist gets uncomfortable around me so she pushes solutions on me or talks too much or interrupts me. This is not just one I have had similar experience with several therapists. As a result I don't feel safe in therapy and when I talk about my traumatic incident I feel nothing, no relief or anything. It feels robotic and even forced.

That is why I am not in therapy anymore and I am waiting to move out of my parents house(to get out of toxic environment) and then start therapy.

Anyone else had similar experience, what did you do or did you leave therapy altogether?

[sui generis]

Yeah the same thing has happened to me. I'm seeing a counsellor at the moment who I haven't spoken to about the traumatic incidents because I don't feel safe. I saw a psychologist this year and from the start I said I wanted to work through my trauma. We didn't do this once and I did bring it up; she would act awkward, avoid eye contact and then change the subject. Her reasoning was that because we only had 6 sessions she didn't think it was enough time to work on it, however she only said this in our last session. Should have been straight up from the start about it.

I'm sorry that you've also experienced this It really sucks, especially because I really do want to work through my traumas.

[juniper1959]

I have found that I usually feel unsafe with a therapist, especially at first, but I try to go a few times before I make a decision. I've tried about 8 over the years (and through several moves). I've felt comfortable with 2 of them.

I go through times when I just don't feel up to the effort of going and I quit for awhile. I tell myself that I am on vacation in Denial-land. Everybody needs a vacation sometimes! But then I eventually go back.

After my most recent move, I think I tried 3 or 4 therapists over a period of about a year before I found one I was comfortable with. I didn't start right out with them talking about my traumas. I started with stuff that was easier to talk about, just to get a feel of what the therapist was like. It was less tiring that way and it was easier on both of us to "break the ice" that way.

I'm happy with the therapist I have now. It was a lot of effort to find her. We've had our ups and downs, especially at first, but I realized that sometimes that was just me being hyper-critical as a defense mechanism. Now we have a very good relationship. I'm glad I stuck with it.

My advice would be feel free to take a vacation from the process if it is getting too tiring, but don't give up. Eventually you will find the right person.

[ChipperMonkey]

A lot of people (therapists included) think that talking about trauma brings relief. Well, really, it doesn't beyond breaking the silence and giving yourself a voice. You can talk about your trauma until you're blue in the face but it won't amount to a pile of beans if you aren't *processing* your trauma. Find a trauma therapist when you can. Its like night and day.