Just posted Intro, but I'm already needing a little help

Hi All~~I've been in therapy since the end of August and it seems to be going well so far. Today, my T and I got into my romantic relationships and why they ended so soon. I said I thought as soon as my relationships became romantic, I became angry and the relationship ended. About two hours later, I became so angry/frustrated with my T...tears-of-anger type anger. Should I sit on this a week, or call for another appt.?

If you feel like you need it, ask for it!

I don't know, but whatever you decide I think I'd address the whole thing with the T about how you even got angry with them.

Hello and welcome!

I would talk about this with T. when you see him/her. As for scheduling another appointment, totally up to you. I personally have never scheduled an additional appointment even when I wanted to because I felt it was good for the to sit with the discomfort. I usually just 'get over' whatever was upsetting me more quickly than I expected to. That's just me, though.

Good luck!

I have often found second appointments very helpful.

My T doesn't want me sitting with my feelings when they're about her. It's because our relationship is still sort of fragile. So in your situation, I would email her. Don't know if you can email your T though. Maybe you could call and do a quick check-in. I personally save extra session for a crisis. But it's up to you.

Can you write it down as a reminder to talk about it next session? It seems to have something in it that's insightful and worth exploring (intimacy leads to anger). It's one of those things that's got a lot of good in it because seems so directly linked to a core issue (that is, it's not about your therapist, but about what happens when you feel vulnerable). Another option is to send a brief email as a way to get it off of your mind and ensure that it comes up next week. That's not to say there's anything wrong with reaching out when you need to...just weigh which option brings you the most long term benefit and fits your relationship with your therapist.

If it were me, I'd sit with it until next week's appointment as it's not such a long wait nor quite a critical situation. I would then raise the issues/feelings with T in person.

Being in therapy, and touching on particular sensitive topics is bound to stir all sorts of weird/intense/surprising emotions. And I believe part of the therapeutic work is to be able to sit with these feelings, or any discomfort that arises, without automatically reaching outside of ourselves.

I see this as empowering -even helping us process what emerged...without making us overly dependent on another or running away from the discomfort (by reaching another).

Just my two cents.

I think therapy does stir up all kinds of feelings which feel strange or uncomfortable. I have asked for additional appointments when whatever it was I was struggling with felt unbareable and I couldn't sit with the feeling and still function. I think that's happened maybe 4 times in 2 years of therapy. Only you know if that's where you are and if it is, asking for what you need is a good thing. If it's not, it's worth trying to just feel what you're feeling, possibly write about it so you remember to speak about it.

Therapy is a challenging process, hang in there.

Thanks for responding. Though I have his email, one of my biggest issues is feeling like I'm an inconvenience...always a bother to people. So, I struggle with getting in touch when it's not "my time." I sat on it today and it seems to be getting worse...more tears and frustration, so I'm rethinking emailing after all. If I'm still angry tomorrow a.m. and it feels as bad as it does now, I'll email him. I appreciate your thoughts and personal experience...nice to know how Ts see this sort of thing and how other patients deal with the same type of situations.

Thanks for your "two cents"...so much to think about when in therapy, huh? I'm trying to tough it out; today wasn't so good, so if tomorrow is the same, I may email my T just to let him know what's going on with me w/out asking for an additional appt. I appreciate your insight and response.

Think I'm going to have to send him an email so I don't feel like I'm the only one privy to what's going on with me. Thanks, so much, for your response and suggestions.