[quieropienso]

I try to ask myself "is it me?" I work as a digital marketing executive, and I've been feeling down for a while. I am pursuing an MBA, and I want to get a doctorate.

It's just in the past, I've had therapists who have questioned my life goals, and said I shouldn't be this way, or I shouldn't have such goals. It's as if they expect somebody with troubles to be low and humble, or not aim for much or just live at some base level. It's not really who I am, but then am I missing the point? I cannot be me in therapy sessions, but then is it something I am doing?

[stopdog]

Have you tried different types of therapy? I don't like it either, but I have found a way to make it useful in some ways. Therapists are just people who chose a line of work - they are not magic or special or wonderful human beings. Many of them are awful and some are okay. If one is lucky, one finds a therapist who is not a complete disaster. I have never found one I thought was super o brilliant or anything. I found two who are reasonably bearable.

[Petra5ed]

Maybe it's just your particular therapist then. I am a professional and my therapist encourages me to aim higher. Maybe your particular therapist questions that you really like what you do? For some reason I expect the average therapy client would actually not be low and humble. Who else can afford thousands a year to talk to someone?

[AncientMelody]

I think the "point" of therapy may be different for different people. But it's not for everyone. I certainly wouldn't see a therapist who limited my aspirations. Best of luck to you.

[guilloche]

Originally Posted by quieropienso

It's just in the past, I've had therapists who have questioned my life goals, and said I shouldn't be this way, or I shouldn't have such goals.

Bah. I'm sorry! Those sound like crappy therapists! Bad therapists DO exist, and anyone that's supposed to be helping you, but is actually *sabatoging* you (that's what it is!) is NOT helping!

I'm sorry you've had to deal with people like this, but please do NOT let them get you down, or let them smoosh your goals and ambitions!

And, if you feel like there's a good reason to not go after these goals... like, say you're thinking of pursuing a PHD but really secretly long to spend your days outside barefoot tagging owls or something - then that might be something worth seeing a career-counselor/coach about, to talk to someone a bit more specialized who can help you understand how your personality is set up and what things you might be better suited for.

But seriously, going for goals is GOOD! Because... I kind of think there's a kind of magic there. If you go towards something you want, even if it's not perfect, it puts you on a path - and you may get halfway down the path and realize, "oh, gee, this isn't really want I want to do" - but just being ON THE PATH means you'll be learning about yourself, what you do well, what you like and need, and you'll have access to completely different experiences than you would if you just stayed at your job and never reached for anything else.

[missbella]

Unfortunately, therapy only took me backward, fixating on my deficiencies and wounds, feeling more enfeebled, feeling accountable and inferior to an Authority Figure pretending to know more about my life than I did. It wasn't until years later I understood it was role play, and detrimental rather than beneficial for me.