[Onward2wards]

There's so much "stuff" I need to share and unburden myself of, I am having a hard time not monopolizing the conversation in talk therapy. At least she now knows pretty much everything about me, I've never been this frank and open before with a T. I'm seeing layers of myself I never even knew existed.

I keep vowing to listen more than I talk, but once T has me "unstuffing" I become this super-expressive, emotionally needy motormouth. >.< I just won't shut up!

She can't help me fully if all she gets is a wall of silence for 5 minutes then a wall of noise for the next 30. That only leaves her 10-15 minutes to actually give me feedback. We are both trying to work on this. I suppose at least she's getting a complete picture, though.
How do I stop babbling so much in therapy?

[pbutton]

I'm interested to see responses. I don't like to talk, but once I say something that is hard to share, I tend to keep talking & not give T any time to respond.

Talk therapy is for you to talk.

[WikidPissah]

I am the flip side of this record. I guess there must be a happy medium some where? Although I think talking is a very good thing.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Just some thoughts...
Maybe you could ask T to gently interrupt you if she has feedback to give you?
Could you set an alert on your phone to sound at a set time during the session, to remind you to check in with T for feedback?
Maybe just give yourself a mental reminder to stop every few sentences and ask T if she has feedback?

Honestly, there are sessions where T doesn't say much to me, and they are just as helpful as the ones where she talks a lot. I have learned, though to watch T's face and ask if she looks like she has something to say to me. Usually, T doesn't give much feedback unless I ask for it.

Originally Posted by Onward2wards

There's so much "stuff" I need to share and unburden myself of, I am having a hard time not monopolizing the conversation in talk therapy. At least she now knows pretty much everything about me, I've never been this frank and open before with a T. I'm seeing layers of myself I never even knew existed.

I keep vowing to listen more than I talk, but once T has me "unstuffing" I become this super-expressive, emotionally needy motormouth. >.< I just won't shut up!

She can't help me fully if all she gets is a wall of silence for 5 minutes then a wall of noise for the next 30. That only leaves her 10-15 minutes to actually give me feedback. We are both trying to work on this. I suppose at least she's getting a complete picture, though.
How do I stop babbling so much in therapy?

I can totally relate! I do the same thing in the beginning of T.

I try to be mindful, though, and stop for feedback/input, but in the beginning, if we are just "overflowing" with stuff, I guess it's just natural to want to get it all out, IDK.

I have nobody to talk to IRL about anything that is personal or meaningful to me, so I fully recognize the fact that I am (quite sadly and ) paying a really great, trained person to listen to me (what my father calls) "bur*****" for hours on end, so I can move to the next stage.

For me, it's better than the alternative, though, when I am so shocked and traumatized, I shut down completely and literally have nothing to say. at all.

I don't like that there are the two extremes like that. But I have hope! I know there IS a middle ground that exists

I also had the opportunity with T1 to do the talking/listening/talking/listening thing right before she declared she was leaving the practice

So, with T4, I am back to the talking thing again.

*sigh*

[mixedup_emotions]

Are you sharing you're feelings and experiences...or a bunch of details/content? We've talked about this in group T - that when people share every little detail of an experience, there's a reason for it...and try to explore what that reason may be. One person said that she used to feel that it was important so that people could fully understand why she felt the way she did - that by knowing every detail, the feelings would be justified. Instead, she now shares less content after feeling more confidence in the idea that we trust her feelings.

[unaluna]

wow if you give T 10-15 minutes at the end, i'd say that's pretty generous! I used to give them time for like one sentence! really not kidding! now it's getting to be more like a regular human conversation, altho I still have my days or my moments where I go running off at the mouth.

[EeyoreSmile]

I do the same thing.. but at the end of a story, i usually just look at her and say... what do i do?! or Help?! or something to prompt her response right then and there.. or even that's crazy right?

I think talking though isnt a bad thing because it informs the T about how you think and how you feel and what is going on in your head so she can help you unpack it all.. it's not all gonna happen in one session or one month (or as my T gently pointed out to ME.. for me not even one year..)

Or I have also come with questions to ask and I'll begin with my questions and let her guide what she wants to know to answer them.