Lying down on a couch in therapy

SheHulk07 · Aug 24, 2018, 02:36 AM

Does anyone lie down on your therapist's couch (assuming they have one) during your session? Do you find it helpful? My new therapists has 2 chairs that face each other in the typical fashion plus a couch in his office. I've sat on couches in our marriage therapy office, but I've never lied down during a session to use. My new therapist said it might be helpful to me to try not to worry about his reaction or censoring what I say. I would just like to hear other's thoughts.

ChickenNoodleSoup · Aug 24, 2018, 03:32 AM

The same question was asked a month or so ago, maybe there's already some answers there that you might want to check out.

My T doesn't have a couch, but I lie down anyways. On a chair too small for that, but I don't mind. On the one hand, I find it helpful to open up. I feel more comfortable like that. On the other hand, my T is not a huge fan of it, mostly because it seems that I can't control my feelings as well as sitting up and I dissociate more.

Carmina · Aug 24, 2018, 05:15 AM

Not to do therapy but if I'm upset during or after painting I sometimes curl up on the couch

feileacan · Aug 24, 2018, 05:21 AM

My T is a psychoanalyst and I'm in psychoanalysis and I lie on the couch. I would not want to sit face to face because I have no desire to look at my T's facial expressions. I find it very comfortable to lie down.

SlumberKitty · Aug 24, 2018, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheHulk07

Does anyone lie down on your therapist's couch (assuming they have one) during your session? Do you find it helpful? My new therapists has 2 chairs that face each other in the typical fashion plus a couch in his office. I've sat on couches in our marriage therapy office, but I've never lied down during a session to use. My new therapist said it might be helpful to me to try not to worry about his reaction or censoring what I say. I would just like to hear other's thoughts.

I haven't. My former T had a couch and I sometimes wanted to lay down on it...I just never got the bravery to ask. She probably would have said yes though.

Aug 24, 2018, 10:57 AM

I tried it once with a psychoanalyst out of curiosity, it felt very unnatural. He does not typically conduct therapy with the client lying down but it is an option to do. I did not like it. It is supposed to help the client talk more freely but I had the opposite reaction - felt inhibited and uncomfortable. I was actually constantly thinking it's so weird that he is staring at me lying while I could not see him. I never had any problems talking in therapy sitting up.

MessyD · Aug 24, 2018, 11:17 AM

I don't lay down on it but I put my feet up on it while sitting and talking face to face. Sometimes I curl up on it. It helps me to feel more comfortable but I only started doing that after 2 years. He said I could lay down too but I don't think I like the idea of me laying down and him sitting up looking at me and me not being able to see him. I don't think it would help me open up, it would feel unnatural I think.

Ellahmae · Aug 24, 2018, 12:01 PM

I used to lay down a lot - it was really helpful for discussion and just letting go in a sense. Now I sit up but every once in awhile I'll lay down again if I don't want Duchess to talk and I just want to randomly spew words out.

Aug 24, 2018, 02:07 PM

T has a couch but I've only occasionally laid down. Usually I sit facing her chair... sometimes we sit on the floor. Haven't done that in awhile though.

Raging Quiet · Aug 24, 2018, 03:33 PM

My ex T had a couch, which was more like an elevated table filled with blankets.

Whilst lying on it, I did close my eyes and it was helpful not seeing T’s face so I could share more intimately painful things.

Aug 24, 2018, 03:51 PM

I tried it once and almost fell asleep

MessyD · Aug 24, 2018, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonesoup

I tried it once and almost fell asleep

I could totally take a nap on his couch

PurpleBlur · Aug 27, 2018, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheHulk07

Does anyone lie down on your therapist's couch (assuming they have one) during your session? Do you find it helpful? My new therapists has 2 chairs that face each other in the typical fashion plus a couch in his office. I've sat on couches in our marriage therapy office, but I've never lied down during a session to use. My new therapist said it might be helpful to me to try not to worry about his reaction or censoring what I say. I would just like to hear other's thoughts.

i was just thinking about this today, if lying down would allow me to say what i needed to say wo being so hyper aware of being looked at...

maybe we should try it?

unaluna · Aug 28, 2018, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonesoup

I tried it once and almost fell asleep

I totally would. I fall asleep waiting for my gp.

SlumberKitty · Aug 28, 2018, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unaluna

I totally would. I fall asleep waiting for my gp.

I did that once at urgent care. I was so sick and it was taking so long that I just laid down on the exam table and slept until the doctor came in like 45 minutes later.

starfishing · Aug 28, 2018, 10:27 PM

I started a very similar thread a little while ago, if you want to look for it. I still haven't used the couch, but my therapist and I have talked about it some, and he's brought it up a couple of times. I'm currently thinking I want to try it, but I'm worried it might be too intense for me right now.

SheHulk07 · Aug 29, 2018, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starfishing

I started a very similar thread a little while ago, if you want to look for it. I still haven't used the couch, but my therapist and I have talked about it some, and he's brought it up a couple of times. I'm currently thinking I want to try it, but I'm worried it might be too intense for me right now.

Thank you. I looked up your thread and read everything. I feel like your feelings about the couch and your therapist suggesting it are similar to mine. My T brought it up again on Monday and I'm doing 2x weekly sessions with him as well. I told him once I stick to a routine it's hard for me to break. Ive sat in the same seat for over a year at marriage therapy until we got a new T. I see my T tomorrow and I told him I'd like to try it but don't know when. Like do I just walk in and decide to sit there instead of my usual. Talk about it first in the chair then move to the couch.

My anxiety is wayy too high about something that should be easy to decide.

starfishing · Aug 29, 2018, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheHulk07

Thank you. I looked up your thread and read everything. I feel like your feelings about the couch and your therapist suggesting it are similar to mine. My T brought it up again on Monday and I'm doing 2x weekly sessions with him as well. I told him once I stick to a routine it's hard for me to break. Ive sat in the same seat for over a year at marriage therapy until we got a new T. I see my T tomorrow and I told him I'd like to try it but don't know when. Like do I just walk in and decide to sit there instead of my usual. Talk about it first in the chair then move to the couch.

My anxiety is wayy too high about something that should be easy to decide.

Yes, I've wondered similar things about the logistics of trying it. Like if I said I wanted to, would I just go lie down right away, or would he want me to wait until next time? Would it depend on if it was after a certain point in the session? Would he stay sitting in the same spot if I switched mid-session or would he move over to the chair behind the couch? On the one hand I think the logistical concerns make sense in a straightforward way, on the other hand I suspect mine are mostly really about fear of vulnerability and how using the couch relates to that. Not that I've said it so directly to my therapist yet, of course

In my case we very recently started down a rather new and different road of focusing intensely on some traumatic events that I haven't spoken about before, and that's left me even more conflicted about the couch. I wonder if it might help me open up more, but I also worry that it would lead to more regression than I can handle, or bring up more than I can focus on right now. But we'll see.

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