[AnxiousGirl]

As some of you may or may not know, I see a therapist weekly and it's been about a year. Sometimes when sessions dont go well or whenever the exposure is too much I get this anger towards the therapist and I dont know why. Ill give a situation that I'm currently in. I have a very bad phobia that involves anything at all related to medicine. So were slowly working towards a goal which involves some exposure. Now I'm watching doctor shows and I only managed like 7 episodes and half the time I had my eyes closed. The content hit so close to home (I lost 2 people I loved to cancer). I just closed the show and to be honest I'm not in the mood to continue watching until I go back to my session next week. But the thing is, I told her I want to do the exposure and get over this fear so like why am I mad at her? She wasn't even the one who made me watch it yet I'm angry at her. Another time when I was doing some trauma work about the person I lost I was mad at her and when she asked me I told her a little bit ( i didn't want to be rude to her) and she said that was normal. So is this normal? Thanks!

[JaneTennison1]

I'm not surprised you are mad. Think of it like a caged animal. Panicking and angry. It's part of the process. To keep going until it feels boring and old hat. Keep up communication with T.

[ManOfConstantSorrow]

i didn't want to be rude to her - you don't have to be rude, but be honest. Like 'As your know, T, I find this immersion stuff very stressful, and I find one of the ways this stress shows itself is resentment against you for making me do it. Well maybe not resentment but real actual burning anger and hatred. I know this is unworthy but I cannot seem to help myself'

I doubt it will be the first time anyone has said this to her, so I am sure she will know what to do.

[precaryous]

"...why am I mad at her?"

Maybe this is a good question to explore with your T. Tell her you are feeling angry with her but you don't know where it's coming from.

Whenever I come across a contradiction like this...I pay attention to it. I ask T about it and we usually figure it out. It's usually attached to something significant or unsettled inside me.

[CantExplain]

Therapy is a good place to be angry. Anger ought to be safe there.

[Rive.]

Yes I think the anger is 'normal' in the sense that (only my impression): therapy, when it gets intense, can stir up some deep-seated emotions whether you are aware of what exactly is triggered or not. And the anger feels like some kind of displacement reaction where you are directing it at the available person ('target'), i.e. T.

Talk it out with T. As I suggested in an earlier post to you, please tell T if she is going too fast or you are overwhelmed. She really ought to take it (baby) step by (baby) step.