[Cinnamon_Stick]

Has your therapist ever had an embarrassing moment in front of you in session?

During my last session my therapist was holding her cup of tea and was talking with her hands and her tea bag flew right at me and she spilled tea all over herself and her chair. She was so embarrassed and I felt so bad because I don't want her to feel that way. It scared me because she started talking and the tea bag flew at me.

[Elkino]

Oh my god. I'm sorry that happened. But reading this made it sound quite funny. Too bad your therapist felt embarrassed about it, but in a way I also understand.
At the moment when it happens, I guess we all worry about what we just did (to someone). Hopefully she can see the funny part in it soon too. :-)

I do understand you don't want her to feel bad. Never saw my T being embarrassed, but did see T feeling a bit uneasy. It's not nice when it happens.

Oh goodness! I would have died laughing. T hasn't done anything embarrassing in session. I hope neither of us ever do!!!

[Cinnamon_Stick]

Originally Posted by twistedangel00

Oh goodness! I would have died laughing. T hasn't done anything embarrassing in session. I hope neither of us ever do!!!

I would never laugh at her. I felt so bad that she was so embarrassed.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[doyoutrustme]

I don't think my T gets embarrassed. He takes everything in stride.

He never did anything in front of me, but he should told some doozies on himself along the way. He was always able to laugh at himself, a quality I've come to admire. I find I've learned to get embarrassed much less easily than I used to. It's been rather freeing. I give T a great part of that credit by helping me not default automatically to embarrassment and shame.

[brillskep]

Yes, my therapist was embarrassed about something once, but it wasn't funny and I can't for the world of me understand why he was embarrassed about something small and seemingly neutral like that :-/ I mean, normally I would ask why, but in this situation I chose to respect his role there as an (embarrassed) therapist and not intrude, Instead, the next time I just pointed out I was in the same situation, and he said he was relieved. Why, therapists can be quirky too ;-)

[granite1]

ok im embarrassed for my T just repeating this but you all dont know her so i guess it is ok . one day she came to get me from the waiting room . she was wearing a beautiful flowey skirt i was behind her as she walked up stairs . i noticed she had the back of her skirt stuck in her pantyhose and you could see everything her underwear and all her whole back end was exposed. i didnt know what to say . so at first i said nothing and we got to her office . she sat down but got right up again and walked across the room and it had not fixed itself . i finely said you need to fix your skirt. she said oh and fixed it and said i guess your the one taking care of me today thank you .then we started our session .

[AnaWhitney]

Originally Posted by Cinnamon_Stick

I would never laugh at her. I felt so bad that she was so embarrassed.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

How awful for you both! I would see laughing at something like this the only way to diffuse the tension. But that's just me! I'd have laughed my head off thinking it would make her less embarrassed and also because that would be my natural reaction!

She must have been doing serious hand movements, was she talking about something particularly dramatic?

[LonesomeTonight]

A stinkbug flew right at my T's face once, and she jumped up and kind of freaked out for a second. Then she took care of the bug. She's usually very pulled together, so it was oddly comforting to see her out of sorts for a moment.

She also spilled some coffee on herself one time and acted very embarrassed about that. We were in a different T's office because they were doing something to hers, and that seemed to throw both of us off.

For marriage counselor, his embarrassing stuff has been in things he shared with us, but those were things he chose to share to make us feel comfortable. And he's the first to laugh at himself, too.

[Cinnamon_Stick]

Originally Posted by AnaWhitney

How awful for you both! I would see laughing at something like this the only way to diffuse the tension. But that's just me! I'd have laughed my head off thinking it would make her less embarrassed and also because that would be my natural reaction!

She must have been doing serious hand movements, was she talking about something particularly dramatic?

She always talks with her hands. It kind of makes me feel uncomfortable but I don't want to say anything. I think she made a dramatic hand movement because the tea went everywhere and the tea bag flew its way at me. The whole thing startled me so much that laughing was the furthest thing from my mind.

[junkDNA]

one time my T came out of the bathroom and stopped to talk to me and i said ummm T ur fly is down. and he ran into his office to zip it up. lol

[AllHeart]

Wish I had something to say here but nothing embarrassing has happened to her. I'm glad you didn't ask the question, "what's the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you during therapy?" Heehee.

[wotchermuggle]

Originally Posted by junkDNA

one time my T came out of the bathroom and stopped to talk to me and i said ummm T ur fly is down. and he ran into his office to zip it up. lol

*giggle*

[velcro003]

I'd laugh if that happened to me! It is quite hysterical

I've only been with my T for 6 months, so nothing embarassing has happened, but then again i saw my previous T for 5 years and nothing ever happened in there either.

I would have felt bad for my therapist, but in the past the feeling bad would have never stopped every time I relived that moment. I would start to feel shame for myself for having witnessed a week moment for her. Now, post therapy I would have feel a quick bit of empathy for her, then chuckle when ever it came to mind.

For me, I had to separate the words, Shame and Embarrassment. Shame was long lasting, and I could never get away from feeling bad or sad. It caused a lot of anxiety, and I could actually feel the stress hormones coursing through my body every time I thought about the scenario. Embarrassment allows me to say ouch, smile, and move on.

Not long ago, I stood my ex therapist up for lunch, because I went to the wrong restaurant which was very clear from her email. She has no mobile phone. She had made room in her extremely busy day, because we hadn't been in contact for months. I only felt embarrassed as opposed to the unending shame I would have saddled on myself for a lifetime in the past. I laugh about it now. While I waited for my therapist My thoughts were not of her being in a car accident, and blood and gush. Last month my advisor in turn totally blanked out on a lunch date. And, I was glad she was okay, and have no hurt feelings about it. These are all fairly new ways of thinking my for me thanks to therapy. I terminated 26 months ago.

It might be worth it to discuss your on going feelings about the tea spill with your therapist.

[magno11789]

I probably would have been hold back a laugh and feeling bad for my T at the same time. I probably would then would tell my T something embarrassing that had happened to me. So far I do not think my T has done anything embarrassing in session yet.

[Whiteroses02]

My Therapist had a terrible cold last year and she was pretty remarkable because she never canceled a session. She was just armed with tea, water, and cough drops. During one session she had a full blown coughing fit for a minute or two. I don't know if she was embarrassed but it triggered my own embarrassment. I always have a fear that I will have a coughing fit during an inopportune time plus I was feeling helpless watching her gasping for air and feeling so awkward to be there. Like I should have removed myself to allow her time to regain exposure. She was apologetic that her coughing interrupted my session, but didn't show any real embarrassment. I actually admitted that seeing her brush off what I consider to be such an awkward type of moment was pretty eye opening.

[Out There]

I don't think he's ever done anything embarrassing really. He did stutter a bit once over saying ' feelings ' and I teased him a little bit - a fe fe fe! But he just laughed , he's got a great sense of humour.

[rainbow8]

My former T had an embarrassing time but I thought it was great! I saw her in her home office and she used to leave the door unlatched. This one time she was late and called me several times to say she was stuck in traffic. Usually she was in her office seeing patients before me. This was an exception. She kept apologizing and saying it was unprofessional and she was sorry, etc. I know she was embarrassed.

I, however, was fine because she had such a comfy waiting room which was actually her study, with her things in it. I just rested on her couch. I felt good in a way because this T was kind of a perfectionist, professional type, a stickler for rules. Totally unlike my current T. This experience made her more human to me, to see her flustered. I was sorry she was embarrassed, and told her it was okay. I forgave her.

[stopdog]

I doubt the woman would ever act or admit being embarrassed around me even if she felt it. I would not find the tea thing all that embarrassing. I spill tea all the time while teaching. Students just know to stand back.

[Cinnamon_Stick]

My T did laugh at herself for spilling the tea and the tea bag that flew at me. If I wasn't so startled by it I might have laughed with her but not at her.