Pointless things the therapist says

Oh I love this thread, thank you Stop dog

I laughed when I read this. I'd be tempted to say the word again to see how many times he would repeat it.

Your response seems normal to me.

Eh, alot of people benefit from "validation." I think it's some sort of "technique." Problem is, not all of are looking to be validated. Some of us just want help to become normal. I, for one, don't care about a therapist caring about me. Just tell me how normal people act, and I'll try to do that.

CBT T drives me insane with "Help me understand…. XYZ"

I've been in a corporate environment most of my life and it is not PC to ask a simple "Why". "Help me understand" is horrid corporate speak. And shrink speak I suppose.

Kind of like calling a "problem" an "opportunity". Just call a spade a spade!

My therapist once tried telling me my feelings are normal and I got angry because who the **** cares? I certainly don't.

After reading all this, I realise I have a good T who is on the ball and not a twit.

I think most of what they say is pointless. They seem to be just mimicking what they learned. It's mindless.

I still miss Gary Larsen's cartoons. *sigh*

I see to buy all the cards for birthdays

When they try this and get it so wrong it is teeth-gnashing material. Hmph. No emoticon for that.
It is even more infuriating when they mishear what I say and go off on a tangent that is completely unfounded, and contradict me when I say they are wrong.
However, I have had two occasions where it did help, because the way the T phrased it made me understand something I hadn't.
Does that balance the other times? Maybe.

When my therapist says uninsightful things, I've been known to say things like "duh" or that was a silly thing to say. I feel lucky that he is open to feedback and generally not defensive.

I'm just the opposite. I'm quite comfortable with my abnormality. I just wish other people would accept it.

For me, I am not going to be validated by being told things like I am a half witted moron.
She did try telling me once that she was not the enemy. All I could think is it is not like enemies always admit it.

I would consider her the idiot (for thinking her talking was helpful) except I would rather believe I hire a *****y one than a stupid one.

Did I miss the funny post? I did not see one.

This is a conversation I had with my ex-T once: I told her about a time that I had moved with my H, (due to his job) and two young children (one was a baby) to live in another country.

T- that was hard for you because you are an anxious person
Me- but it's generally acknowledged that moving is one of the most stressful things you can do, let alone move to a different country
T- well when I last moved house it was hard - I couldn't find anything in the kitchen cupboards
Me - rendered speechless at T thinking that not being able to find things in her kitchen after a move is in anyway related to being with two little ones in a strange country where you don't know a soul except your H who is at work.

I like my T and think he is quite smart. But I do find it sort of odd when he basically repeats back to me what I've just told him. Sometimes when he does this he looks like he thinks he's had some big insight or dropped a truth bomb on me and I just feel like, "Yes, and...?"

My therapists produced volumes of stupid, nasty, berating comments, but I give the trophy to how my co-group therapists treated a client who suffered a severe violent crime. They responded by having us all hold hands in a circle and acting like this made everything OK again. At least they didn't make us sing Kumbaya. If this works, they should try this at diplomatic negotiations.

They once brought in some social workers who tried to do some touchy feely sensitive new age crap training at my university where they were trying to get the law faculty to stand in a circle and hold hands. It was a spectacular fail.

My therapist does validate and normalize things.. and its helpful to me. But then again, I feel connected to her. I don't know if its that I 'need approval' or not. To me it's just a matter of me talking about something that is distressing to me, and her way of responding leaves me walking out feeling better.. like I'm not a freak.

I don't think she's trying to do anything to me, or playing games, or tricking me or manipulating me. Probably because she earned my trust. So the emotional intimacy of that process does not feel dangerous to me.. at least with her anyway.

I don't see it like emotional intimacy of the process as feeling dangerous. I don't find there to be any emotional intimacy or reason for there to be any either - at a therapist appointment.

But I find it fascinating that it does seem to be that way for some people and if useful - then great.

Well... ahem... you'd think like I think if there wasn't something wrong with you, Stopdog.

There is not anything wrong with me.
I don't know what you mean.

I agree with you SD, there is nothing wrong. We all have different views on therapy and life and I value these differences.

Yes that and almost everyday tell me a story of someone she knows and there experiences. Yesterday was one about a man whose tyre was flat and he called to a house in the middle of the night and before the man answered the door the individual with the flat tyre had convinced himself that this fella wouldn't help him and told him to shove it.
I sat there confused for a minute and wondered why my t had told me this story as I do quite a lot in session and she just said "nevermind" ........
I still don't get why she tells me these stories