[unlockingsanity]

Has anyone experienced that feeling of not wanting the session to end or the desire to not leave the therapy room?

I think my issue with it is based in the fact that I am my real self in therapy and I have to pack that up to go back to my real life where I'm not really myself. Also, I feel validated in therapy. In real life, not at all.

It was really bad this past session. I wanted to beg my T not to ask me to leave, but in the end I said nothing.

Have you experienced this or something similar?

[growlycat]

I have had panic attacks and begged T not to make me leave. T is usually good about spending a few minutes helping me calm down and negotiating to call/check in with me later. Ask for what you need/voice your distress- it can feel good to get extra help when you think it won't happen.

[precaryous]

Yesssssssss.

[LonesomeTonight]

Yes. And sometimes I'll just sit in my car in the parking lot for a bit, rather than leaving right away. Sometimes crying.

Sometimes I also realize near the end of the session that it's almost time to end, and I feel either a sadness or a panic, and I want to be like, "No, please, can I stay a little longer?" But I don't. I do put off leaving on occasion, like bringing something up right when it's about time to go or lingering a little longer than I should as I'm walking out.

I can relate very well to what your going through. I hope relief come to you soon.

[hopealwayz]

I always feel that way.

[retro_chic]

Yes. The worst is when you don't realise it is nearing the end of the session and it catches you totally off guard. I always wear a watch so I can keep an eye on the time but I end up getting so involved in what we're talking about that I forget to check and all of a sudden T says "so we've run out of time..." and I'm like seriously???

Yes, most always, bit especially now that things are so rough for me.

I sometimes say, please I don't want to go...
But he really never extends the time. :sad:

[stopdog]

No - I sort of start getting ready to leave with about 5-10 minutes left. I consider it like feat of endurance and am glad when the ordeal ends.

[Cinnamon_Stick]

Yes, I never want to leave. My last session I was in a bad frame of mind and crying and for the first time ever I said "I don't want to leave". I have always thought it but never said it.

I hope it gets better for you. Its normal to feel this way. Therapy can make you feel so good and so cared about. You don't want that good feeling to go away.

[laxer12]

All the time. My least favorite thing ever is when T tells me that we only have about one minute left. Most of the time she gives me 5 minutes or so but if we are having a really good discussion, she sometimes forgets to give me a warning until a minute. However, most of the time I'm her last client so she'll let me go right up to the next hour so I appreciate that a lot. Even if it is time to go and I keep talking, my T usually just sits there and lets me come to an end without saying anything back to me. Last week she told me one more minute and I ended up taking five minutes. Thanks T

[BayBrony]

More or less every session. I often say "please freeze time so I can stay!"
Or if I'm in a more trusting mood I'll just refuse to let go when it's time to hug goodbye. I'll tell her I'm not going, too bad, I'm not letting go. Obviously I DO let go, or else she tickles me and MAKES me let go. Playing sometimes makes the goodbye easier.
The nicest thing she says is she often says "I don't want you to go either. I love seeing you. But that's how it works Bay. We only have so much time. In a different world where things were different I'd let you stay as long as you wanted"
THAT made it easier.
But now we really start the ending part about 10 minutes before its time to leave. We have several rituals we do to ease me back into the world. That helps too.

[BayBrony]

I guess the "its just the way things are" makes sense to me without hurting so much. Lots of things end even though we don't want them to because that is how time works. Weekends, holidays, vacations , parties, trips to the beach, everything has its time and then time moves on....makes sense to me somehow...

[Sarah1985]

YES!! Some sessions, I want to run out of there, and some sessions I want to stay forver

[JustShakey]

Yes! All the time. It's a glorious feeling, I never want to leave it behind. But I think it's like growing up and growing old. You reach a place where the memory of it makes you happy...

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[ejayy78]

Yes, there are times I want to stay. More so when I was still living in an unsafe environment because her office represented the safest place I knew, but even now there are days I wish I could stay and talk to her

[Ellahmae]

Every single session.

[The_little_didgee]

I felt this way a lot when I was a teenager. My misdiagnosis caused the therapist not to listen and make all kinds of assumptions. It was frustrating. Eventually I quit therapy because of it.

[precaryous]

It is so weird. The harder the topic, the more difficult issues I reveal- the closer I feel to her.

I totally get the pain of not wanting to leave, but it isn't something I've experienced in my own therapy. In fact, I'm a clock watcher and I am the one who indicates that it's time to stop--I do this by saying, "Okay, time for me to leave." I stand up and exit. It isn't an angry leaving, but it is abrupt and I know it's me attempting to maintain total control of the entire process. I usually leave anywhere from fifteen to ten minutes before the session is "done". My inability to totally engage in therapy by relaxing and allowing the time to flow to its completion is something that is painful for me--meaning me actually staying and letting my "time be up," whether my therapist indicates time is up or I do. In a sense, I'm racing to leave so I can be in charge of my leaving (dismissive attachment LOL). Even though I recognize this in myself, I can't seem to relax enough to just let things flow naturally. But I'm working on it.

[ChavInAHat]

I can relate a bit.

I'm not bothered about leaving. I am aware that I have only 1 hour.

However, I totally get the being the real you.

I hate that transition feeling of trying to pack myself away and leave myself tucked away until the next session.


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[1stepatatime]

It depends... There are times where we are having a productive session without me being overly uncomfortable, I hate leaving during those times but I know that she has someone waiting so I always take that into consideration. Then there are the times where we are having a different kind of productive session and I'm ready to get out of there, I'll look at the clock and say " time for me to go"

[WanderingBark]

Originally Posted by LonesomeTonight

Yes. And sometimes I'll just sit in my car in the parking lot for a bit, rather than leaving right away. Sometimes crying.

Sometimes I also realize near the end of the session that it's almost time to end, and I feel either a sadness or a panic, and I want to be like, "No, please, can I stay a little longer?" But I don't. I do put off leaving on occasion, like bringing something up right when it's about time to go or lingering a little longer than I should as I'm walking out.

I also do exactly this. It's really nice to know I'm not the only one

As a way to cope, on the seldom occasions T calls me for scheduling or office related stuff, I will let his call go to voicemail that way I have a recording of his voice that I can listen to later...it may not help this particular situation but sometimes it's nice to know I have some small piece of therapy with me/in my pocket when I need it.

[junkDNA]

i used to feel that way but not so much anymore

[baseline]

I usually leave in a daze. Like, where did that all come from? Now what am I going to do with all these emotions?. i usually have his appointment card crushed in my hand and realize It is over. How will I get by till the next one?