[stopdog]

Is what you went to see a therapist the thing you addressed during therapy? Did it wander off or delve into other areas? Did the first thing get resolved in a satisfactory manner?

[unaluna]

Still working on the first thing. Being weird is kinda all-encompassing.

[laxer12]

I first went to deal with depression and some childhood family issues. My depression has faded and we barely talk about my family stuff anymore but I still go so I clearly go for other reasons now.

Way back in the dark ages, I originally went to therapy due to severe depression that was the result of sexual abuse. That basically remained the main reason for therapy all along; however, other issues occurred along the way that also were addressed in therapy. I mean, when I started therapy I was about 20 years old, still in college, unmarried, no children, still financially dependent on my parents . . . Yes, life has changed over the last 30 some-odd years, so my therapy (as I came and went) evolved along with life.

Over time, my depression was more clearly diagnosed as bipolar disorder, so there was that. My symptoms also were more clearly recognized as PTSD, so there was that. We branched into marital and parenting issues along the way. I suffered the loss of my sister a few years ago, so there was that. The focus widened and narrowed along the way, but essentially, all paths led back to the pretty horrendous and repeated sexual abuse I went through as a small child.

I ended my therapy almost two years ago now. I'd say pretty much the issues of abuse and the aftermath have been 95% resolved. I think there will always be that residual lingering from time to time, but I can honestly say that era in my life is behind me, delegated to my past where it belongs. With it went most of my problems with PTSD and bipolar depression. I suspect I will have occasional relapses, but I also suspect the severity of symptoms will never be as debilitating as they once were as I have learned a great deal about managing things in healthy ways now that I just wasn't able to do before.

[PinkFlamingo99]

With my old therapist, we spent a few months on those things (never got close to being over them but made some temp changes), and then spent about 5 years discussing our relationship and my fear of losing her.

[atisketatasket]

I went in with three very specific goals. And for the first five months or so, therapy with both of them was all about that. It was starting to be helpful, too.

And then my life went to pieces and crisis after crisis came rolling down the turnpike. So therapy became about that. It still will be about that for a while, I think.

I'm OK with the change - it's not like we poked around in my childhood and came up with issues that I was fine with and suddenly decided to address them. And the original goals have all improved on their own while dealing with crises, though I do want to get back to them soon.

[RedSun]

I went in with a specific issue, - a phobia.
T did try and address it initially, but therapy soon veered off into other murkier, unknown waters.
T sometimes refers to the original issue, and I'm like 'eh, what?'
I guess that's the expected process with phobias though? Cos it would usually be symptomatic of an underlying issue?

[AllHeart]

First thing I went for is still a work in progress. LOTS of other things have unfolded along the way.

[ilikecats]

I first went mainly because of depression, and partly because of anxiety. I feel like we haven't spoken much about the depression, and she focuses on the anxiety a lot more. We've also gotten into other things that I wasn't planning on getting into, but I'm glad we have. I'm sure a lot of other things will come up over time too.

[healed84]

Yes, I just didn't know it at the time. I went in because of horrible anxiety.. Which roots were in childhood trauma.. Which we still with to some extent to this day.

[NowhereUSA]

I'm still in therapy for the same reason I went in. Things have improved but there have been hurdles I've needed to jump (per my own analysis). When I started seeing my T, I was there for severe depression and anxiety. I wasn't functioning. My brain had just finally had enough of me trying to cope on my own and I just... stopped? I don't know. I couldn't make decisions, I struggled to eat. I had all the dark dark thoughts that need trigger warnings and I coped in the ways that need trigger warnings.

We really needed to get my base depression corrected though. My coping skills improved vastly. I started functioning (mostly) until about two years ago and then I stopped doing well - I was functioning, my tolerance being higher, and I was coping in healthier ways.

When my depression got successfully medicated this last summer (after years of trying), now we're trying to work on all the ways that left me in "survival" mode. So it's the same goal but there is notable progress.

[Cinnamon_Stick]

I went into therapy to deal with a serious medical issue I was dealing with, severe depression and childhood issues and family issues. We are still working on everything. I am glad that everything is getting addressed and she is helping me through it.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I'm still working on what I initially went to therapy for...

ETA: Therapy has brought up more issues I need to work on, though.

No, I went because we'd just had two bereavements, one which hit my H very hard and I felt like I needed support coping with my own grief and supporting H. With first T we ended gong down a lot of other avenues (with seemingly no therapeutic plan) and I ended up getting intense transference towards him.
Went to T2 to get help with transference for T1 and found T2 has been able to help with so much more than the issue I went to him for. Since then I have started training as a T and I find therapy now is an important part of my self care and continued self development.

[Myrto]

I first dragged myself to therapy because of severe depression. I should have gone sooner but up to that point I was refusing to admit I was even depressed.

Then it was like every issue came out the minute I sat down on my therapist's couch: massive maternal transference, trust issues, vulnerability issues. Everything sort of imploded inside of me and reached the surface.
So we've been talking about all this ever since, with an emphasis on the relationship between me and my T.

I went into therapy after a breakdown and was suicidal. The core issue is the hardest thing I'll ever have to deal with and I still don't think I can. Therapy has literally saved my life in the short term, and given me many insights and some comfort, but I don't think it can save me longer term. I know only I can and I don't feel that's possible. Bar a miracle.

[Crescent Moon]

I went because I was desperately depressed. My life felt like it was imploding - and the worst part involved a previous toxic therapy. So... all that got addressed, but probably the underlying attachment issues were the most important part. The attachment issues were something she identified and incorporated into the therapy, but I had no idea how big of a role it was playing in the extent of my depression. Thank goodness she had the experience and expertise to know what she was doing.

I went originally to prove to my ex that there was nothing wrong with me, turns out there was So yes it was very different going through the diagnosis stage and comng to terms with the fact that I wasn't as sane as I thought Iwas.

[Suraya]

I went to therapy thinking I just needed a handful of sessions to help me get through some last "imaginary hurdle" that was holding me back in life from finding my joy and passion. I had myself fooled into thinking I had done enough work on my own and knew myself and wanted to try EMDR to get past whatever was still blocking me. That was five years ago! A handful of sessions wasn't even enough to start trusting T and opening up. I had so much buried deep inside I had dissociated from. I think it will be some time yet to work through the CPTSD, depression and anxiety.

[Out There]

Originally Posted by AllHeart

First thing I went for is still a work in progress. LOTS of other things have unfolded along the way.

Yes , same for me.

I had a lot of things in mind when I first started therapy, but went with two major outstanding (yet interconnected) areas/goals that I wanted help with. These were generalized anxiety and issues with motivation/work performance. I found the therapy initially helpful with these, but after a few months I arrived at a state where it was clear that the initial success was just temporary symptom relief and the roots go much deeper. Then for a little while I felt lost about what to do and how but more recently I feel that I am starting to have a really good grip on the source and core problem and decided to try to focus on that in therapy instead of drifting everywhere. The initial wandering was very useful though as it helped define a more distinct path to take. Generally I am a quite goal-oriented person in my life but like to investigate much larger areas at least in the beginning to see how everything fits together and to identify the true focus. Interesting to see that this is also pretty much how I have been doing therapy so far... of course not surprising.

I went for family therapy. She saw some holes in my foundation, so I did both individual and family therapy. Sometimes, family was done by myself, because my child did not want to go. That particular session was mostly used on parenting issues.

[magno11789]

Still working on the eating disorder I went to therapy for. I'm better, but I am still working. Therapy though has has many turns along the way, but think sometimes those deviations help me better understand the reason why an eating disorder started and things that trigger it.