looking for positivity

I have been reading alnong with arts T journey and her seeing her T for the first time in over a year and how T is coming to a positive yet painful end . I gives me so much hope . she has worked so hard and . it makes me want to hear some more T positivity . I love to hear of how the hard work is paying off for some . I know you are out there . care to share the hope . share your hard painful work and how it is helping . I know T can be a very painful experience. we all have so much pain in our lives. but this does not mean that T isn't a positive experience .

I've been through some real ups and downs in my year and three months with my T, and I am now realising how much I've learnt and how far I've come.

I've got through painful erotic transference, and difficult stuff with my disclosing-then-denial cycle...my t has not always been perfect. Of course. And that would have taught me less if she was.

But she's been amazing, and I'm looking forward to more time with her and hoping I continue to get stronger and more self aware. We've been through a bit of a bust up recently, but she still hangs on in there with her intention 'to be closer, and to be at ease' together.

So yeah, good stuff. Love my T, and love therapy too.

I've been in therapy for 8+yr now and yes mostly I think it has made my life better. There are still days that I cannot see the progress I made but I never feel that therapy has made my life worse. I like my T, but I am looking for a day that I would not need to see him anymore. Hope it's comming

I had not thought things had gotten any better but my T did point out how I am talking way more and that I am getting out of the house getting involved with things . kind of a maybe it is worth all the apin kind of moment

Thanks granite! I'm glad that my therapy journey gives you hope. I've been thinking about something too... the painful part of even a positive ending... there are varying degrees of painful and I probably should not have even used that word... because what I feel is actually closer to a manageable sadness, one that I know will get better with time, for the most part not truly painful. Therapy has been a lot of hard work, some of that was painful yes, but has been oh so worth every bit of it! I have been in therapy for 3.5 years with this t, the last time I saw her was actually 2.5 years ago. One of my favorite things my t said to me, that made me feel SO good about the work I've done, she said that I am "light years away from the closed-off person who first entered therapy" with her. It is so very true.

Thank you for starting this thread, I too love reading about positive experiences! And I wish positive therapy experiences for all of us.

I saw a wonderful therapist last year. He moved away and that was very sad, but it was a good ending. He seemed to truly hear me and was not arrogant and truly tried to help me.

He helped me more in seven months than my other one helped me in seven years. I have really, really cut back on the self injury. It's very rare now because I know he cared about me and didn't want me to do it. So that was helpful.

With old t, i got worse every year.
With new t, i have been learning so many things, i am so much stronger, i take care of myself much better, i am happier.

A while back I made a decision to trust my therapist. I decided that I would quit beating myself up for liking him "too much" and being "too clingy". I also decided that I would quit giving authority to the part of me who loves to shriek that she does not need or want anything from the therapist.

These were (and sometimes still are) hard things to do, but both have really helped me feel more comfortable in the relationship as well as more comfortable and secure in every day life. T was right I didn't turn into the horrible clingy monster I feared that I truly was. Instead I am someone who occasionally says she needs help. Someone who allows herself to go grab T's blanket when she feels like holding it. Someone who can tell her T that she finds him comforting, and is able to watch him handle it in a caring and safe manner. My changes have allowed me to see how skilled my T really is, and how he was not kidding when he told me that I am not going to overwhelm him. It has been a very positive experience, these new skills I have been risking with him are slowly starting to find their way into my relationships outside therapy as well.

what a wonderful post PB. you should be so proud of taking that risk with your T. it seems like one day you just made that decision and went with it . your T sounds likehe has a great handle on things

morning starry thanks for posting I hope your T is doing ok .I know she is till away.i think it is great that the two of you work so hard to keep that connection going . I bet it cant always be easy . I think a great testament to what hard work and commitment can accomplish

Therapy had been a positive experience for me too. It didn't always feel like that, because I had to work through painful and sad things. Also I had to learn new things and step out of my comfort zone so many times. It's been really hard work.

But it's all worth it in the end! I'm so grateful for the things I've learned in therapy. I'm a much stronger person now. I take better care of myself. I've learned to open up, share and reach out. It's been a life changing experience and has made my life so much easier and better. It's the best thing that's happened to me.