[Suratji]

It seems like my life now is punctuated by my therapy appts. It's so weird. It seems like I live a lifetime in between sessions and the time drags so slowly. I can hardly wait for the next meeting.

I don't understand why this is happening. I just started in December and I don't even have difficult problems like most people. I can't imagine how tough it must be for those of you who suffer intensely.

[inbloom]

Originally Posted by Suratji

It seems like my life now is punctuated by my therapy appts.

I love the way that you worded this, because it is so true for me too!!! I don't know why this happens...I wish that I did. I am always wishing that I didn't CONSTANTLY think about therapy and count down the days until my next appointment. I find that it is definitely worse when I am struggling more.... I guess I don't have too much in the way of helpful advice as to how to stop it, but I wanted you to know that you are DEFINITELY not alone. I think that many of us feel the same way. I'd sure be interested to hear if others here have found any good ways to curb this obsessiveness!

[SpiritRunner]

At first, it wasn't really that way for me.....an app't every week and I did my homework, sure, but didn't spend tons of time thinking therapy or thinking about T. But then, I wasn't attached yet ..... and wasn't thinking of becoming attached! I was thinking short-term .... then something happened. The something being that I realized I could trust my T with deeper things, that I wanted to work through things I had never thought of working through, that there really was a lot to do - and then I began to be attached. And with the trust, the attachment, the going into deeper, older wounds ..... I began to think of therapy a lot more, to think about my T a lot more, and the time between sessions, waiting for the next one, began to seem like it dragged on out forever and the feeling of need/longing/fear of session all mixed together became much stronger.
So, the short way of saying what I just said the long way is - it's not uncommon or strange to feel the way you do!

[SpiritRunner]

Originally Posted by inbloom

I love the way that you worded this, because it is so true for me too!!! I don't know why this happens...I wish that I did. I am always wishing that I didn't CONSTANTLY think about therapy and count down the days until my next appointment. I find that it is definitely worse when I am struggling more.... I guess I don't have too much in the way of helpful advice as to how to stop it, but I wanted you to know that you are DEFINITELY not alone. I think that many of us feel the same way. I'd sure be interested to hear if others here have found any good ways to curb this obsessiveness!

I just try to distract myself, throw myself more into whatever else is going on in my life.....4 kids help to distract me a lot! I try to find fun things to do, go out for coffee with a good friend, go to the gym, read a good book, work on scrapbooking.....come to PC! Then suddenly it's time for session....and before I know it, session is over and the waiting begins again.....the anticipation is so long, the fulfillment of the anticipation so short....

[lastyearisblank]

I know it was amazing when this happened! I had no idea it could be that way. I do not even particularly trust my t's but there is something just so compelling about the process. I think of it like therapy was the axe that broke my frozen sea. There is just so much underneath. Everyone deserves to have that passion in some area of your life, and you have to start somewhere, that's how I think of it.

[Suratji]

Originally Posted by poetgirl76

I just try to distract myself, throw myself more into whatever else is going on in my life.....4 kids help to distract me a lot! I try to find fun things to do, go out for coffee with a good friend, go to the gym, read a good book, work on scrapbooking.....come to PC! Then suddenly it's time for session....and before I know it, session is over and the waiting begins again.....the anticipation is so long, the fulfillment of the anticipation so short....

Oh yes, "anticipation so long, fulfillment of anticipation so short". I don't think I'm attached to my T but I guess I'm attached to finally being 'heard' for the first time in my life. I just wish I had a good friend who lived in the same town as me. I think having friends must be a life saver.

[Suratji]

Originally Posted by lastyearisblank

I know it was amazing when this happened! I had no idea it could be that way. I do not even particularly trust my t's but there is something just so compelling about the process. I think of it like therapy was the axe that broke my frozen sea. There is just so much underneath. Everyone deserves to have that passion in some area of your life, and you have to start somewhere, that's how I think of it.

'axe that broke my frozen sea' - what a way to put it. My T has guided me to finding my emotions which, I guess, have been 'frozen' way too long. Very powerful is the meeting with her - I also had no idea that would happen when I first went in for what I believed would be 2 or 3 sessions to discuss what I thought was one simple issue. I'm grateful that I feel very connected with the T and that I've allowed the therapy to morph into something much more meaningful and deep than I had anticipated. Still, 7 days seems like forever.

[lastyearisblank]

I also had no idea that would happen when I first went in for what I believed would be 2 or 3 sessions to discuss what I thought was one simple issue. I'm grateful that I feel very connected with the T and that I've allowed the therapy to morph into something much more meaningful and deep than I had anticipated.

That's so great! It's just amazing isn't it... 2 or 3 hours in real life is the equivalent of meeting a friend once, or going on one date... in the intimacy of the therapy room it's like everything happens so fast...

[Liam Grey]

At first (2 years ago), I used to think enough about therapy in between sessions, but never as much as now... unfortunately this year, for many reasons, is turning out really empty and difficult , without many healthy distractions, and adding the fact that I'm growing somewhat attached to my T, that single hour of therapy is becoming like the highlight of my week... so it's really, really difficult to not think about it all the other days.

[Suratji]

Originally Posted by Liam Grey

At first (2 years ago), I used to think enough about therapy in between sessions, but never as much as now... unfortunately this year, for many reasons, is turning out really empty and difficult , without many healthy distractions, and adding the fact that I'm growing somewhat attached to my T, that single hour of therapy is becoming like the highlight of my week... so it's really, really difficult to not think about it all the other days.

I know about the 'highlight of the week'. Again, I'm not attached to my T but the feeling anticipating each week's session is similar to being in love - that kind of obsession. I have complained to her that I've become way too self absorbed but she's trying to convince me that it's really, finally in my life, 'self-introspection'.

[PTSDlovemycats]

I am the exact same way and I really don't understand it. Why do we feel like this?? What causes this? I would love to know. When I first started seeing my PDoc I only saw her once a month. Now I see her twice a week.

[sailboat]

I don't really trust my T, I haven't been going for a long time and I definitely doubt many things about T and therapy and I still feel like T session is the most important event of the week (can be negative too). So I go to Uni, I am home doing my homework and reading stuff, being on the computer and I STILL think about my appt all the time.
and I am neither attached nor do I look forward to my sessions. I do, but I get so anxious that I want to cancel every single week.

No idea what's going on. I struggle a lot with this. Someone or something having so much power over me and my life.

[Suratji]

Sailboat - I understand what you mean about 'someone having so much power over me and my life." I want independence but I guess I'm learning that all of us humans need each other. So with a T, we have someone to lean on whereas previously in our lives we may not have had a person to confide in. But maybe it's really not about someone else having power - maybe it's about finally ourselves grasping that power and realizing it and claiming it as ours. So we struggle to understand but as you said yourself, even though you don't like it you're compelled to continue. I believe that it's our true selves that are trying to find life.