[Freewilled]

I know there was a recent thread along the lines of this: "how do you end your sessions?" But I'm wondering how you end the session when it's been particularly difficult with feelings/emotions/dissociation and whatnot. Do you find as soon as time is up you are able to leave as though you are "fine"? Or does the feeling carry over into the hallway and out into your life? Do you leave with tears, anger etc.? Or does it all get packed back up inside and you leave with a smile or as you came in?

[Nightlight]

A lot of the time I feel a lot worse right after my sessions. Sometimes the next day or two is overwhelmingly difficult, and then I manage to shove all of the feelings away until next week. Good times!

[Focus62]

I can feel absolutely terrible after some of my sessions but nobody notices...I'm too good at acting like I'm fine.

[archipelago]

I used to have difficulty with this and still do at times. I have learned the timing of the session so after 45 minutes without looking at a clock I just know that it is time to wrap things up and try to get to a decent spot.

At times this doesn't work. Luckily my shrink doesn't mind out of session contact so sometimes I follow up with a short text exchange that makes it fine until the next session.

I also used techniques like journaling and meditation to confront my own inner workings and deal with them on my own.

[Puglife]

I too feel terrible but fake it because I go right back to work.

[doyoutrustme]

That's why I like night appointments. I can go home, mope, journal, and bake something.

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[feralkittymom]

I often felt bad after sessions. Not dissociated, but stirred up, sometimes crying. There was a time when I saw my T at night and was his only client on that night. He didn't feel it was safe for me to sit in my car, so he'd let me stay in the office for @ 10 minutes while he went in another room to dictate notes. During that time I'd often sit in his chair, and that seemed to help. He'd come in when he was finished and either I'd leave, or if I were still upset, we'd talk for a few more minutes. His private practice offices were always quite private, so I never felt the need to "put on a face" when leaving.

[SheHulk07]

I always put on a face and walk out the same way I came in. Sometimes I end up crying for a few minutes in the car on the way home, or I'm upset at home for a while but that's it.

[trdleblue]

This can verry greatly for me. There are times that I leave after a heavy session, and I instantly push everything away. It's like I know that I can't deal with it any longer. There are other times when the emotions come flooding out as soon as I walk out the door. This happened just this evening during my group. I held it together, but as soon as I was heading for the door tears started falling, and by the time I made it out the building I was sobbing. For some reason there are also times that I leave and I feel that I have to be around others. When that happens I will go to a coffee shop or a restaurant where I know it will be busy.

ETA - I don't have a car. So however I act is a bit more out there in the public. I am not sure how much that effects me though. I'm not saying that it doesn't. I just don't know if and how it does.

[growlycat]

When I used to see main t in person, I would often stop in the building's bathroom just to cry in private, splash water on my face then get it together with a publicly acceptable face.

These days, if CBT T or main T upset me--i wait.. if it doesn't pass or gets worse I'll leave a phone message saying I was upset and why, and whether or not I need them to call me.

usually they do, then I feel better. Rinse and repeat

On occasion I'm pretty upset at the end of my session, and my T always checks in with me to make sure I am okay to drive. If not, he finds an empty office for me to sit in while I regroup and gather myself enough to leave safely. He doesn't want me to try to drive dissociated or upset.

Since he makes sure I am at least that safe, I generally don't leave crying or so upset that I can't gather myself; I've done that before I walk out of the building. Once I get home, I'm usually busy with the kids and dinner, etc., so it may be hours before I have a quiet moment to reflect on the session. In a way I find that to be a good thing. I am able to think about the session more objectively and calmly, and I find I gain more from the session that way.

[unaluna]

I asked my t about this. I also asked him what did he or they - ts in general - expect of us? I said, they probably talked about how THEY switched gears and refreshed between clients, but what about us? So now we make sure and do a cool down before i leave. The cool down puts me in a better frame of mind to do and be what i want after i leave. We work out what is holding me back during the session.

I actually think that the pain of separating from him is the first thing on my mind from the moment time is up (irrespective of what we last discussed).

Maybe that is not completely true ? but instead, it is what I am remembering most since the longing feelings were so overwhelming.

[CantExplain]

Mr T is great. I've always come out feeling better than when I went in. It's much more pleasant than psychodynamics.

This is a good question, which has been on my mind a lot recently. I have to pack up any negative emotion and stove it away - there is nowhere I could go and calm down or cheer up in private, as T has no waiting room or bathroom (for the clients - in his office there is a door which I assume leads to his bathroom) and I have no car either. My sessions are in the mornings, and sometimes I walk straight to work, other days I am able to take the bus back home and work from there. I've made sure to arrange my schedule so I almost never teach on the days I have T. The worst times are when I have to go into the office on those days when my office mate works. Luckily I am very good at putting on a cheerful face, but it makes the session less effective when I have to go into bubbly happy mode straight away afterwards, it makes me forget important things I've talked about in session.

But in general I try to pack everything away, and then I bring it out and process it later, whenever I have some time alone. I have a friend I used to be able to go to for help with processing and discussing T stuff, but that's no longer possible. Last year I journalled a lot but for some reason or another I've discontinued that. It did help with putting the more distressing stuff to rest for a bit.

[Leah123]

I have the uncommon experience of doing therapy from home, which I love, mostly, but I've learned it makes it harder to compartmentalize the sessions and I am often crying, upset, unsettled at the end of our time together. This is blessing and bane, I don't have to turn off the feelings or stop processing the work, but conversely, I can feel overwhelmed and have an almost impossible time focusing on things which need to be done, as I also work from home.

It's a work in progress to transition gracefully, and we've recently begun exploring DBT techniques to help me deal with overwhelming emotion, so I think that will help. I've also started using distraction techniques which seem great, while in past post-session periods, I've just given myself some time to cry, but suffered from the feeling that my therapist is great at opening me up, but not helping me close down. I do believe not having to drive somewhere or pull myself together leaving a physical therapy office makes this harder, so am really looking forward to DBT.

[SkinnySoul]

As soon as our time is up I put on my "I'm okay" face and walk out, I don't want anyone doing me favours and going overtime for me. Even if I'm dying inside. It's just my stupid pride.

Most times I leave feeling like a lame person, like I'm useless for not having recovered yet.
Plus, he's the only sane relationship I ever had and leaving that little room makes me feel so lonely.

Carry on thinking about it.

[ThisWayOut]

it depends on the content of the session and how much I allow her to see. Sometimes we wrap up, other times I'm left sitting in the car in the parking lot wishing I had more time. Days like that I will try to journal on my phone for a bit. I have a 30-45 minute ride home, so I sometimes blast music that speaks to my emotion of the moment. If I really feel out of sorts and don't want to go home right away (I have no alone time at home most of the time), I will grab coffee or lunch or go window shopping first. Sometimes I take the long way home (back roads as opposed to the highway) which doubles my travel time but also gives me a chance to re-group.
Sometimes my wife comes along for the ride and I process with her if I need to/want to. Most of the time though, I make sure to put on a happy face before she opens her office door. There are usually people in the hallways or in the waiting room and I don't like anyone seeing me cry.

[Webgoji]

Originally Posted by Focus62

I can feel absolutely terrible after some of my sessions but nobody notices...I'm too good at acting like I'm fine.

This ...

[Mike_J]

I have had to park my car after driving a few blocks from my therapist's office and just sit there and cry for a while.

That is the rare exception, usually the emotions don't get that close to the surface during a session, or after.

[precious things]

Goodness, you all sound so much more "contained" than I do...maybe it just speaks to how awful things have been for me emotionally lately. Usually I am stirred up to the point where we text back and forth a few times throughout the day post session..a phone call if things are just abysmal......even when it's a "warm fuzzy" appointment we still tend to follow-up our thoughts. I guess my T and I both work our brains in overdrive.

[Ambra]

I used to feel upset and cry out of frustration with the first T, who wasn't a great match for me. I generally leave feeling better with my current T. I still feel horrible sometimes, but only in a constructive way even though things can be overwhelming for a while.

In either cases I'm always silent for the rest of the day. I'm not the best of company at all and I avoid going out with friends because I don't even feel like to, I can't speak, just want to think and write.

[Knitnut]

Like several have said, I leave through the waiting room as though nothing is wrong. But I do usually mull over our chat. Like the thread I just wrote in Depression.

[pbutton]

I have been trying to get back into the habit of going straight to the gym after my session. It does seem to help.