[HealingTimes]

I am just wondering if anyone thinks it is possible? Maybe 'Addicted' is the wrong word to use, but maybe 'over reliant' may be a better phrase.

Also, here is a link if anyone wants to read it: When Therapy Becomes an Addiction | Psychology Today

[Leah123]

Oh sure, I think it's a constant concern on this board and irl.

[melania]

Many people are addicted to their therapist, me too.

[Perna]

I think therapy, for many reasons, can become like any habit and be indulged in too much for too long. Just like some people never seem to finish school and keep going for more and more advanced degrees, never really planning what they are going to work on (or me, doing historical research the last 4 years 24/7 with a vague plan to write a book but never getting to that part :-) people can "enjoy" going to therapy and having therapy or the therapist in their life and just not get around to "going" anywhere else in life with it.

[Cherubbs]

I'm sure it can. In fact that's why I regularly quit for long breaks once I've addressed what I intended to. It often takes some self-discipline to do so. I'm sure it's quite easy for many people to feel dependent on therapy.

Absolutely, I am proof of it I read the link above and it's quite worrying how therapists who aren't trained enough can miss things like mood disorders and opening up old wounds all the time can be detrimental for some.
Therapy does have it's positives but there is also a very negative side that is rarely spoke about and due to confidentiality and sensitivity there are rarely any tests done to prove it's effectiveness.
It can go either way depending on the t and the patient and of course the reasons they are there!

Say if someone is deprived of attention and love their whole life of course once they start therapy and the t gives them their undivided attention week after week, who isn't going to love that?

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[eskielover]

I think the term DEPENDENT is more appropriate because addiction term means that you need more & more of it (until it would be like living there) to get the good feeling that it gives & that you can't live without getting more & more of the good feeling you get from it (that's how they define addiction to drugs)......but dependent is more normal.....it just means that you have had it & it works & it provides a need that is being met....but without it......one goes through a horrible feeling of loss (withdrawal).

I know that the longer I go to see my T.....I am finally getting to the point where it's becoming an important part of my life....especially when I go through difficult times like I am now.....it's wonderful to have that logical support that she provides & doesn't have an emotional tie like friends do......I know that there would be a huge hole in my life without that support especially since I left my H 6 years ago & even though I now have friends.......having the support of my psychologist & the psychologist who leads the DBT Next Step group which is after the 2 years of DBT with her I've been going to......it's all part of my support network that I need at this point in my life even though I am 61 years old.

Do I think that some people can become addicted....you betcha.....there are some people with addictive personalities that can get addicted to almost anything that gives them a good feeling......so I would definitely imagine that some people do become addicted to their T's.....but I don't think it's the norm.

[HealingTimes]

Originally Posted by monalisasmile

Absolutely, I am proof of it I read the link above and it's quite worrying how therapists who aren't trained enough can miss things like mood disorders and opening up old wounds all the time can be detrimental for some.
Therapy does have it's positives but there is also a very negative side that is rarely spoke about and due to confidentiality and sensitivity there are rarely any tests done to prove it's effectiveness.
It can go either way depending on the t and the patient and of course the reasons they are there!

Say if someone is deprived of attention and love their whole life of course once they start therapy and the t gives them their undivided attention week after week, who isn't going to love that?

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I totally agree with this, Mona. I think that everyone would love that attention, I know that I have.

I wonder whose responsibility it is to 'monitor' the therapy addiction/reliance/dependence (sorry, I am unsure what word to use- I think i'll go with eskie's explanation and call it dependence from now on)) ? I am guessing it would be a dual responsibility. But the T would presumably be most aware of the possibility of this dependence developing with clients.

Well the whole therapy progress is monitored by our ts and if they suspect dependancy or over attachment or even lack of progress it is their duty to refer you or offer you alternative options if it can't be worked through within the process of your therapy.
I think this is where a lot of ts fail, their rescuer blinds their professional side and they want to save everyone.
I think some ts encourage dependancy, I know my ex t did, telling me she missed me if she went on holidays and that I was her favourite client and she looked forward to our sessions. I felt special and loved for the first time and ended up spending a fortune to try please her. Ts are also responsible for the ethics side and it not ethical to keep a client longer than necessary and to terminate once you both feel the client has progressed.
I think clients get stuck with this feeling of being treasured and feeling special by their ts and hinders their progress.

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[Elektra_]

hi. i consider that the ultimate goal of therapy is preparing u to be independent, to solve ur issues on ur own so it depends on kind of therapist u have, good or bad one. tc

[blur]

i do think it can happen especially for those who have relationship addiction problems. i think we see it quite frequently on this board.

[rainbow8]

I used to say I was addicted to therapy, but after reading Eskie's post I think "dependent" may be the better word for it. Like Perna wrote about getting advanced degrees, I never seem to get around to quitting therapy because I like it so much! I think therapy IS addictive in the sense that you get used to the good feelings, and want more. Years ago I wrote an essay about being caught in the "tranference web" and wondered why anyone would ever want to give up the caring and compassion you get from your T. I was seeing my first T then, and it was a shock to me when I realized I had a connection to her, and that I liked that connection! That got me hooked!

All of my Ts focused on my real life, but when I got "so much more" from the interactions with my Ts than I was getting in my real life, it was hard to give that up. I don't blame my Ts; they always knew what the goal was, but I fought the reality all of the time. I don't think they dealt with the actual attachment issue enough.

I now think that for me, I need a middle ground with my T. I need to move towards independence but I still need her, or maybe just "want" her in my life. I can become less addicted, or dependent if you want to use that word, and have done so, but still continue with therapy. What matters is a question of degree, I believe. For me, and others too, we may be dependent on our Ts for many years, but if we lead successful, productive lives and are relatively happy, there are worse things to become dependent on. The more I accept my T as always being there for me, the less addicted I feel. I have to work out the attachment issues and then I won't have the need to be as dependent or addicted.

In summary, I think that yes, you can become addicted to therapy and to therapists. If a T can work with you towards independence and getting most of your needs met outside of therapy, that's great. If you still need your T for support, then that's okay too. It's not black and white. It's a question of degree. This is my opinion, anyway.

Ask yourself this - does a baby/child get 'addicted' to its mother?

Just having the thought that one can become addicted to a healthy 'other' exposes earlier attachment failures.

I go to therapy to unravel myself. Of course I'm going to develope an attachment to the T.

I don't see that as a problem. It's life

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by HealingTimes

I am just wondering if anyone thinks it is possible?

I asked myself the same question. I think the answer is yes.

[AmysJourney]

I hope that never happens to me - being addicted to or dependent on therapy. It would seriously screw with my head. But I think it happens to a lot of people, especially those who feel alone and isolated in their life outside therapy. If there is someone who cares for them, gives them attention and love, some don't want to leave that place.

[boredporcupine]

I think being "addicted" to therapy would be like saying someone was "addicted" to yoga because they liked how it made them feel and kept on doing it on a regular basis. If therapy is continuing to help someone, is there anything wrong about them continuing to go?

I think the real problem would be if therapy isn't helping people to improve their lives outside of therapy at all, but instead is causing them to obsess increasingly about the therapy without making any real gains. In which case the problem is unsatisfactory therapy, not therapy *addiction.*