[BlueJeans00]

Is there such thing as too much therapy?
For example say you went to see individual therapy twoce a week a long with art.thearpy and... Group therapy in a week?

I feel.over sensitive and emotional. Is this normal? Since my therapist increase individual thearpy which I appreciate. I noticed Im more sensitive and emotional and have frequent suicidal thoughts or moments.of depression that comes in waves. Anyone out there experience this or knows what's going on?

[Lemoncake]

I don't think there is. You need as much support as you need especially more if your struggling. I've done twice a week sessions from the start- it is hard because it brings up painful memories, but I would struggle with one session weekly. It's about what works with you.

[Maven]

I think it depends on the therapy, especially if you're getting conflicting advice.

Difficult emotions come up for me in therapy and I tend to feel more emotional, I think there can be too much therapy, I have therapy once a week and I find that after my session I might feel a lot of emotion, but this settles after a day or so, I can imagine that if went a few times a week I would feel unsettled for longer and for me personally I don't think it would suit me.

[wheeler]

At T,'s suggesting I went from 2 times a week to 3. I had been hospitalized for the first time and she felt I needed more support, which I did/do. Sometimes I feel like I'm so crazy for going so often, but it has helped a lot. My T also reminds me that therapy is not an endurance test, which helps me feel less crazy

I definitely think there is such a thing as too much therapy if it makes someone preoccupied and obsessed in a way that it interferes with their well-being and everyday life. I don't think that getting stuck and just increasing it further is a good thing in the long run.

[alpacalicious]

I don't think there is "too much therapy". If you need to go to therapy twice a week or more, then it's totally ok! The important thing is that the therapy is working and that you have benefits from it, that your therapist is good and professional, that they challenge you and help you grow. If for example you go to therapy but the therapist isn't good, or there are red flags in their behaviours, or you don't feel right even after months...then you can go many times to therapy but it won't be that helpful. So it depends on the quality of the therapy.

[Myrto]

Originally Posted by Xynesthesia

I definitely think there is such a thing as too much therapy if it makes someone preoccupied and obsessed in a way that it interferes with their well-being and everyday life. I don't think that getting stuck and just increasing it further is a good thing in the long run.

I completely agree. When therapy prevents you from living your life, when you are so obsessed with therapy that it's all you think about, then increasing the number of sessions is imo a bad idea and in that sense, it's too much therapy.

[kecanoe]

There was a time where I needed 5 sessions per week with 3 different t's. I needed the support and the different approaches. One t said that I had designed my own IOP; I thought that was a good way to think of it.

I am doing better now, but still not done with therapy. I was able to cut back, slowly. I guess it depends on what you need. Due to my location, I didn't have the options of group therapy nor art therapy, but I think those would have been useful. Different approaches, more support. It may not be "normal", but it kept me alive and has gradually allowed me to function better.

[satsuma]

My opinion is that there could be such a thing. BUT I don't think it would be helpful to try to work out some rule about the "right" amount because this is so individual for each person. For example in the above posters, Wheeler went three times a week after hospitalisation, and that was what was needed, and great that it worked for you and helped, Wheeler. For me, if I went three times per week, at this point in my therapy, I think my case would be more like what Xynesthesia suggests, that I would be becoming obsessed with therapy to the detriment of other things in my life. That's because I'm not at a crisis stage and I'm slowly coming towards the end of therapy. So what I'm saying is that each of us just has to figure out where we are at and what our needs are, and whether therapy is helping more or hindering more at a particular point.

[BlueJeans00]

Originally Posted by Brown Owl

Difficult emotions come up for me in therapy and I tend to feel more emotional, I think there can be too much therapy, I have therapy once a week and I find that after my session I might feel a lot of emotion, but this settles after a day or so, I can imagine that if went a few times a week I would feel unsettled for longer and for me personally I don't think it would suit me.

Im relieved about you telling me you feel quite emotional after therapy. I thought it was just me.and the therapy wasn't working. i find myself really sensitive afterwards so anyone says anything to me I set off easily. Its like I have to be left alone for a while.

[BlueJeans00]

Originally Posted by wheeler

At T,'s suggesting I went from 2 times a week to 3. I had been hospitalized for the first time and she felt I needed more support, which I did/do. Sometimes I feel like I'm so crazy for going so often, but it has helped a lot. My T also reminds me that therapy is not an endurance test, which helps me feel less crazy

I don't think your crazy if you going to therapy more than once a week. I think its crazy not dealing to go and deal with it and grow.

[BlueJeans00]

Originally Posted by alpacalicious

I don't think there is "too much therapy". If you need to go to therapy twice a week or more, then it's totally ok! The important thing is that the therapy is working and that you have benefits from it, that your therapist is good and professional, that they challenge you and help you grow. If for example you go to therapy but the therapist isn't good, or there are red flags in their behaviours, or you don't feel right even after months...then you can go many times to therapy but it won't be that helpful. So it depends on the quality of the therapy.

I been going to therapy over a year now once a week and well small things change but not a huge leap. What are the red flags of therapist? I know about not touching you or sexual but what about the other stuff?
What bothers me.the most is when we finish and then he say "oh so time up" and I feel its.not a nice.flow.to end.of therapy its really a cut/short. They told me they try to keep it bang on hour because there next client is waiting. Im thinking well you could just give yourself 15mins break inbetween tben see your next client. Because I feel rushed and it disruptes the flow of things.

[BudFox]

Some say that too much catharisis is harmful. Constantly revisiting bad experiences and bad feelings can strengthen them. Some also say that any catharisis is unhealthy.

[BudFox]

Originally Posted by BlueJeans00

What bothers me.the most is when we finish and then he say "oh so time up" and I feel its.not a nice.flow.to end.of therapy its really a cut/short. They told me they try to keep it bang on hour because there next client is waiting. Im thinking well you could just give yourself 15mins break inbetween tben see your next client. Because I feel rushed and it disruptes the flow of things.

In my opinion this is a horrible way to treat people, especially those who are vulnerable or in crisis or otherwise challenged. It borders on abusive. I think therapy already makes emotional needs into a commodity, but when clients are shuffled through mechanically like this it's even worse.

[Ididitmyway]

Yes, there is certainly such thing as too much therapy. There was too much therapy in my case when I didn't listen to the signals my body was telling me and pushed myself beyond my capacity to process traumatic material. Combined together with the incompetence and not very ethical behavior of some of my therapists this resulted in re-traumatization which offset whatever benefits I gained in therapy. In hindsight, I know that I should've listened to my own intuition and common sense more than to the therapists who ignorantly and dangerously suggested me to push through despite the great emotional distress I was experiencing. I should've taken long breaks, evaluated my therapy progress on my own and made a decision of when to resume therapy with a particular therapist or whether to resume it at all. I also should've considered other healing methods instead of therapy. In other words, what I have learned is that if it feels like it's too much it's too much. Period. No one else knows my process and what's good or not good for me better than I do. Even when I make mistakes I still know myself better than anyone else and I learn from my mistakes.

[loloji132]

A couple of years ago I was seeing my regular T twice a week. DBT group once a week. Once a week with the DBT therapist individually and my P doc weekly or every other week while I was waiting to get into an IOP program. I needed it at the time. It doesn't mean you will be in that situation forever. Now I see my Therapist once a month and P doc every 4-6 months.