[overwhelmed1980]

Has anyone ever recorded an entire or part of a session? I asked my T and he said it would be fine for me to record an entire session if I wanted. Is this is a bad idea?

[kaliope]

I have never recorded a session but if the session was especially deep I could see where it might be useful to replay it if you wanted to.

[pbutton]

I'd like a recording of T. Not so sure I'd want to hear myself though. Ugh.

[overwhelmed1980]

I have a 1 minute recording of my therapist and I listen to it daily. I also call his voice mail sometimes on the weekend. I have attachment issues.

I think it depends on what your motivation for it is. I guess I'm wondering with your intense romantic transference you are going through right now if you would obsess a bit over the recording and would that cause more problems than good. I'm probably off, but that was my first thought. (Don't mind me; I'm mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted right now and probably am not thinking clearly.)

Originally Posted by overwhelmed1980

I have a 1 minute recording of my therapist and I listen to it daily. I also call his voice mail sometimes on the weekend. I have attachment issues.

Okay. Maybe I wasn't so off as I thought. I just have visions of you listening to it over and over again obsessively. Doesn't seem like that would be helpful.

[overwhelmed1980]

Originally Posted by 1914sierra

Okay. Maybe I wasn't so off as I thought. I just have visions of you listening to it over and over again obsessively. Doesn't seem like that would be helpful.

You're right, it's probably hurting more than it's helping but I don't know how to control it at this point. I have another appointment with my therapist tomorrow and am going to bring up the transference again and will hopefully be able to actually talk about it instead of beating around the bush. My therapist says I am so attached to him because he is the first person to validate my issues. Any suggestions of controlling it would be appreciated? I feel like such a worthless person now and not because of what any one said.

[stopdog]

I think there are different approaches to handling attachment to the therapist. I have read about therapists who think calling just to hear their voice on a message is perfectly usual and helpful. I see one who has encouraged such a thing and who believes the desire will lessen naturally over time (she described it to me - I personally am not comforted by hearing the woman). Do you know why you want the recording? I do record appointments because the one I see cannot remember anything from week to week. I like to have evidence. Some people just want to hear the therapist's voice and find that reassuring or comforting or whatever - I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. If you just want that, perhaps the therapist could record something to you rather than a whole appointment. But I actually do also see benefit in recording whole appointments too.

[overwhelmed1980]

I don't know why I want the recording. I know I am experiencing some very intense romantic transference and I'm trying to figure out a way of not depending on him so much. He's says it's natural and that it has to happen in order for me to move past some of my past experiences.

Originally Posted by stopdog

If you just want that, perhaps the therapist could record something to you rather than a whole appointment.

That sounds like a great idea. That way you could enter into a conversation with your T about what might be helpful to you to hear and the recording would have more of a point to it.

[overwhelmed1980]

The recording I have now says something to the affect of I have a lot going on and deserve a break and that I need to be in therapy due to past experiences and current stress. I'm just wondering if it's a good idea to depend on it like I do or should I just get rid of it?

[stopdog]

Is depending upon it hurting you in some way? If not, it seems a harmless enough security blanket to use for the time being.

[overwhelmed1980]

Originally Posted by stopdog

Is depending upon it hurting you in some way? If not, it seems a harmless enough security blanket to use for the time being.

That's true. I never thought about it like that.

[Leah123]

Most of my sessions are in chat format and I have records of all of those. The records are invaluable. I use them as benchmarks of progress, to cement our conversations, they're reassuring and help me continue to process the work after the session. I love having those records.

[roimata]

A few sessions before my therapist took maternity leave, I had started recording our sessions with an app on my phone. My short-term memory is a certifiable pos so knowing I'd be able to listen back helped insure that I concentrated on what she was saying in the present instead of struggling to memorize everything to process later. I had to get over hearing the sound of my own voice but it was a useful tool for me.

[overwhelmed1980]

I don't know if I can get over the sound of my own voice.

[mixedup_emotions]

This makes me wonder....at what point does a compulsion become a "problem" if it's not really harming you in any way?

[stopdog]

I would think it becomes a problem if it is interfering with my life in a way I do not want, or if something goes on for years and I don't want it to. Otherwise, I would think it not a problem. The therapist I see has said everyone is a little compulsive.

[overwhelmed1980]

I can't help but to listen to it daily, the sound if his voice is comforting. Should I try not to listen to it as much. I see my therapist twice a week plus listening to his message. I guess I'm wondering if its too much and is it making my transference worse?

[stopdog]

I would not think daily is excessive and I really do think it is a reasonable way to be comforted. Is it interfering with your daily life? If not, then just enjoy it without worrying so much about it. It seems to me like trying to make a problem where there is none. I think it may ease up as you progress through.

[overwhelmed1980]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I would not think daily is excessive and I really do think it is a reasonable way to be comforted. Is it interfering with your daily life? If not, then just enjoy it without worrying so much about it. It seems to me like trying to make a problem where there is none. I think it may ease up as you progress through.

It doesn't really interfere with my life. It's just comforting to know if I'm having a bad day that I can hear his voice any time I need to.

[SkinnySoul]

Originally Posted by overwhelmed1980

I can't help but to listen to it daily, the sound if his voice is comforting. Should I try not to listen to it as much. I see my therapist twice a week plus listening to his message. I guess I'm wondering if its too much and is it making my transference worse?

If it comforts you then it's good. But if you can't be ok without it, then it might be a problem...
Try not to listen to it for 3 days. If you can, it's fine, it's just a security blanket, as stopdog said. If not, then it might be kind of an addiction.

[overwhelmed1980]

Originally Posted by SkinnySoul

If it comforts you then it's good. But if you can't be ok without it, then it might be a problem...
Try not to listen to it for 3 days. If you can, it's fine, it's just a security blanket, as stopdog said. If not, then it might be kind of an addiction.

I'm not sure I can go 3 days without listening to it. I think it's habit but its also very comforting. I think the intense transference makes it worse or maybe listening to the recording makes the transference worse.

[Asiablue]

i really feel like the recording is harming no one, the opposite in fact since you feel comforted, how is that bad? Don't take away your source of comfort. It's just a recording and one day you'll start needing it less and less, this transference is just a stage in you therapeutic journey and will pass eventually.

[stopdog]

It sounds like a good thing to be able to derive comfort from listening to it.