Couch 210: The Abundant Couch

The one SE recommended was Resolving Impasses In Therapeutic Relationships
by Sue Nathanson Elkind. I have that in my amazon wishlist but seeing as it's £41.99 it's most likely going to stay there.

Come away with me Norah Jones.



Somewhere only we know Keane.



Daughter run.

My chemical Romance.



My Chemical Romance | 2020 UK Tour | Dates | Tickets | Ticketmaster UK

Ah teenage angst.

Does your university have interlibrary loan? Mine would get me whatever I want from anywhere in the world for free. I have used it before for fancy therapy textbooks that I wanted to read but not pay for.

I wonder how SE is doing. I don't think I've seen them around in a while...

Hi Everyone, meeting with Pastor T was weird yesterday. I had told him that I was feeling nothing--devoid of emotions--at the time of the appointment. I think because I had been having so many intense emotions that I was totally drained of having emotions. He seemed to tread very lightly. He kept asking me if I wanted to stop for the night, etc. I know he has a fear of "pushing me over the edge" but it was like, I had barely gotten there, so I sort of felt unwanted. He gave me several positive comments at the end of our time together regarding the strengths that I have that I cannot see yet. He asked me if I felt up to setting some goals for next week, or if I just needed to get through this week. I went ahead and set three goals--hopefully manageable ones. He told me that I need to rely more on other people. I keep too much in my head. I don't reach out enough. It's hard for me to do that. I try but I can't. I don't think I really got across to him how it is when I am in a very heightened emotional state and I want to SH. . He told me that self-destructive wasn't an emotion. (I'm supposed to be working on making an emotions list.) I said yes it is, I can say, I feel self destructive. He says he thinks that is anxiety. I'm not so sure. It's like an all consuming, how to keep myself still standing sort of emotion. He asked me if I had SH-ed. I told him that I hadn't. I had thought about it a lot and sui. He asked me to work on the visualization and to call people, not just text them, when I'm feeling bad. I still don't really get what I'm supposed to say. I mean, it seems like a lot to put on someone--like to say, I'm feeling like cutting. What is someone supposed to say to that? IDK. I told him that for a time when I was at home over the weekend, I put a blanket over my head and I was just trying to block out all the sensory stuff going on and he said that he didn't think that was healthy. Of course, he thinks reaching out to someone else is healthier at that moment. I know it sounds weird, but it's sort of comforting to do that. I'm sad today. And I feel self-destructive. He would say it's anxiety. But this doesn't seem like anxiety to me. HUGS to all who want them, Kit

Ah, was looking for My Chemical Romance ones :-) I have Somewhere Only We Know on my iTunes

Kit, have I recommended DBT to you before? If so, disregard because I don't want to repeat myself. If not, DBT could be really helpful for figuring out when to reach out, when to self-soothe (which is what snuggling under a blanket is), when to distract, etc. It seems like Pastor T is somewhat limited in the number of tools he has for you to use, and DBT has a ton more.

I found a pretty good DBT for anxiety and depression book on Amazon, and it's also really helpful to have a DBT therapist to talk through strategies with. I'm sort of doing DBT lite (some elements of DBT mixed with EMDR, no skills group), and it has still been really helpful.

DBT is tailor-made for helping reduce things like self-harm, and sometimes it's good to have concrete coping skills to reach for when you feel overwhelmed and self-destructive.

Just got back from Dr. T. We spent most of the time talking about stuff with D. This time, I'm certain he wiped away a tear a couple times, like I saw the tear before the wipe. They came when I was talking about how I wonder if D realizes she's different than the other kids. Wanting to fit in but not knowing how. And I wondered how to deal with that, how to talk to her about it. He had some good suggestions on how to frame it, the sorts of questions I could ask to get a sense of what she's feeling without coming out and asking it. He seemed very empathetic to my sadness around the topic. Stuff with D is one of the areas where I feel most connected to him, like he really "gets" it and feels for me. And I feel it's a very important topic for me right now to be...uh..."gotten" ...on? (Yes, I have an English degree!)


I also learned that he doesn't keep client's names in his phone (HIPAA in part, also because he doesn't want a zillion contacts), but that he recognizes my number and knows it's me if a text shows up. Which felt sorta nice, as he said many clients he has to look up (it came up because he was sharing a contact with me--a child psychiatrist--and he had to ask me his number, saying my email was in his phone if he searched, but not my number). He does apparently use my full name in his calendar though.

Thank you @Lemoncake

Ah take two:

Famous Last Words


Thank You for the Venom



Bulletproof Heart



early sunsets over monroeville

Yep. I like all sorts now. Played Halsey's 3am for R. "it's got to be digital because when it's physical I end up alone".

It was them and Linkin park that defined me through ages 14-16.

I listened to the song you talked about previously by the national. That was really good.

The one I have (initially loaned to me by said DBT therapist) is Depressed and Anxious: The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workbook for Overcoming Depression & Anxiety by Thomas Marra.

@WarmFuzzySocks, how is that little grandbaby doing??