Referral T's work about repressed memories is worrying me a bit...am I overreacting?

I don't get why suicidal thoughts and self-injury, especially in someone young are something you need someone highly specialized for. It seems common for people with emotional problems,, especially these days. Have you thought about getting a referral from a hospital or doctor? A referral from a medical person might be more grounded in reality. The ritual abuse stuff was mass hysteria and that would worry me. Plus, how old is this woman and how long will she be around?

I believe she is 68.

Good point. I was concerned why my t was fishing for something that wasn't even there in any way? It took me several sessions to figure out where is she leaning. Until she asked directly. There is nothing in anything I ever said that indicated I was ever sexually abused. It shocked me.

My issues are trivial probably in comparison to being sexually abused. It's not that exciting to listen how I get anxious paying bills and how I wish I could save more money to travel see my daughter more often etc not juicy enough.

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This would bother me for two reasons:

1. How much longer will she be practicing before she decides to retire?

2. This, in combination with her involvement with the satanic ritual cult hysterics decades ago, could possibly indicate that she is not up-to-date with the latest practices in therapy. While I'm sure many older therapists are dedicated to continuing education and reading the latest research, the fact that she made a name for herself in the heyday of a particular kind of quackery makes me wonder.

I briefly saw a pdoc who was in his elder years. He insisted I do talk therapy with him if I wanted prescriptions from him even though I already had a therapist. I soon learned that he was clinging to some outdated ideas about therapy, medication, etc.

I don't want to make it sound like all older therapists are behind the times, but your potential T's age PLUS the other things you've said about her, I think, are concerning.

Sounds like too much guesswork for me..predicting and anticipating what she might do long time down the road while not even having seen her or talked to her once..

Regardless of what might or might not happen, make it clear what you want and what you don't want and see how she responds. In this current situation when very little is scientifically confirmed about what therapy methods are effective or reality based or not, therapists are granted the right to practice according to their beliefs. She has the right to believe whatever she believes and to practice from that philosophy. You have the right not to subscribe to it. Her approach to work has to be discussed very directly upfront. What she says to you and how she discusses it would show you clearly if she is the right therapist for you.

If she is ethical she will respect your needs but she won't give you any promises as to how she will work without getting to know you and without thoroughly understanding your case. That means that it might be possible that she might suggest that you were sexually abused at some point in the future, and if you don't want to take that risk at all, then don't see her.

For honest and ethical work to take place in therapy, there has to me an agreement maintained between T and client about what they are doing and how they want to do it. This agreement has to be completely voluntary, completely overt and fully conscious. It cannot be forced on any party whether explicitly or implicitly and each party can opt out of it any time.

Satanic ritual? That should have nothing to do with therapy ... Government mind control ... well, unless it's some paper about scientifically documented subliminal messages, it sounds like delusion. As for repressed memories, that's very tricky. There are such things as repressed memories but a therapist can often become so influential that s/he can end up suggesting things which weren't true, maybe even without realizing. I think repressed memories tend to come out naturally in good long-term therapy and I would doubt a therapist who explicitly tried to get them out of me ...

I was wondering when these articles were written. If they were written a very long time ago, the therapist could be past that. I know I posted some things online many years ago that I'm now embarrassed about and hope no one finds. Perhaps you could ask directly if it matters to you. Personally I'd just skip this one.