Going to therapy in a bad state

Does anyone else feel guilty about going to therapy when you're not improving? It must be so frustrating for T to see me not improving or even doing worse each week. I feel so bad about going if nothing has changed during the week.

That's not you fault or the t fault, it's just life sometimes! So don't feel bad about it noodlzzz:-) things will get better soon, there is always sunshine after the rain!

Things don't change in a week. I've been in a state for weeks before and we just continue to trudge through, digging away a grain at a time sometimes

I can relate, very much, noodlzzz. I've told previous Ts that I was doing better just because I had these feelings of guilt for not improving (well, not just because of that, but it was one contributing cause). I mentioned this to somebody IRL, who replied "Well, what if you had a broken leg, and it didn't heal properly, would you feel bad about that and tell your GP that you were feeling better?" ...to which I replied "Yes, probably."

But it's not the most constructive reaction - maybe it is something you could bring up with your T?

noodlzzz - I've been there too. Ts are there to help through all the states of therapy - not just the progress part. I was stuck for what seemed like a very long time and I have a feeling it was very frustrating to t. There were days I felt guilty, but I went anyway. Eventually we worked through it.

Yep, i do feel guilty. Some weeks i go and barely even speak and i think "why am i even here". Often i feel stuck or not working hard enough. Sometimes i worry that she's getting frustrated with me.

Sometimes therapy progresses very very slowly - other times in leaps and bounds. Therapists have dealt with this muliple times. I think they would much rather you be honest with where you are rather then portraying somewhere you aren't. It at least gives them an opportunity to try and help.

One thing to consider is that you really are in therapy to improve and help yourself, not to satisfy or impress your therapist. I know it may be something ingrained in you, to be "good" for others, but it's not the case in therapy.

We are only "good" and beholden to ourselves.

I would try to honor where you are, but have hope for change.

You are in the right place for it to occur.

Don't look at it so short term. I was in therapy 9 years; week-to-week is not where it is at.

Progress in therapy isn't a nice steady upward line. It kind of looks more like a chart of the stock market over a few decades. Lots of ups and downs, with a general trend up. Some of the ups and downs are tiny, some huge. But over the long term, things generally get better.

I think any therapist who's worked in the field form more than a couple of years knows this very well and isn't surprised or disappointed or angry when there are some down times.

I do not feel guilty about that. Sometimes I feel angry or frustrated, but not guilty. Therapists get paid- it is their job- unless a client does not pay them or hunts down their family members, I don't see any reason to worry about what the therapist thinks.

No. I figure when I'm in a bad state that in that office is exactly where I need to be at that moment.