Therapy, a way to try to understand your problems....yes but can it create some new ones?

[Btsrslyffft]

Ive never had therapy before and plan on calling to schedule an appt. tomorrow. My worries are that opening up will lead to my most horrible life events being documented and later somehow comming back to bite me. Essentially, I give up my secrets and not only will it not lead to help but will actually lead to my health insurance going up or getting thrown into an institution or cops somehow knowing a mental illness diagnosis and automatically subtract from my credibility as a person. Has anyone had anything related to my worries happen? Does anyone have some words to ease my worries? (I know cops arnt supposed to know medical info but they sure blast stuff on the news about criminals mental health histories so dont assume rules are followed.) There is some shady shit that has also happened with doctors giving patients, that dont need to be neccessarily institutionalized, ultimatums of participating in a medication study they are running or be institutionalized and when loved ones see the study is hurting their friend/fam they cant do anything because that person is over 18....

[Btsrslyffft]

Im replying to my own post because i did not call the therapist today. THANKS FOR NOTHING HEALTHUNLOCKED COMMUNITY.

[Agora1 in reply to Btsrslyffft]

Btsrslyffft, I'm so sorry no one got back to you. It doesn't happen very often but when it does it stands out. I am always scrolling through the posts looking for those that haven't been answered. But I noticed that your post was made 19 hours ago which was late evening Chicago time and I was off the forum by then. I'm on every day from morning til evening as many of the others are. I hope you will accept this apology. It was nothing directed towards you. Just nobody available.

I'm am sorry you didn't call the therapist today. Please re-post and let us know how we can help. I know you are upset and angry right now but we would still like to hear from you.

[Hidden]

Hi! I just now saw your post. Please keep the dark stuff to yourself. The therapist is NOT the way to go if you are confessing to anything shady or do not want your mental status documented (They WILL document it and they WILL hand it over if warranted.)

Here is your way out......Find the ACTUAL ISSUES you need help with, you do not need to dive into the horror stories but you CAN FIND ANSWERS to the problems they are causing you. Guilt? look up how to forgive yourself on the internet. Anxiety? Look that up as well. Depression? Find as many articles as you can.

Bringing up the past will do no good and the therapist WILL NOT understand trust me. I have seen quite a few in my lifetime. (I am 32 by the way) Your BEST bet is Self-Help. YOU have the POWER to help yourself! You REALLY do!

This is what I do: I target my SPECIFIC feelings/emotions without ruminating on the situation that caused them. That situation is in the past and it is over but NOW it is time for damage control. Most people seeking this kind of help do not have a lot of money and neither do I. (I am middle class but not rich.) SO what I do is pick an issue, let's say, being too Passive, or Feeling Guilty, or Getting Over the Past. Then I get on Amazon and ebay and search for SPECIFIC books related to those issues. I buy them used for a few bucks. This is a very affordable way to help yourself! There are also many great psychologists on YouTube like Dr Jordan B Peterson. Also, Amazon offers a FREE 30 day TRIAL of Kindle Unlimited, you can get it on your computer and search for self-help books that are FREE with Kindle. Just be sure to cancel BEFORE the 30th day so you won't be charged.

You can ALSO get a FREE TRIAL of Amazon's Audible for 30 days. And then search for a book that is FREE with Audible. It is Audio but very relaxing! I just got The Trauma Toolkit for FREE on it! (I have been through a lot of Trauma)

This world is not a very understanding place and there are not a lot of understanding and open-minded people out there. It can be cruel. So make sure to protect yourself but you CAN get the help you need. Keep your secrets safe but DO deal with the emotions they are causing you now. OK? I hope all this helps you and you can message me anytime.

[Agora1]

Btsrslyffft, I agree with Diviny123. Some of your concerns may be unfounded. If they are hear say in what the news media reports, I wouldn't stress out about it. I've never heard of anyone being institutionalized at the whim of their doctor. Unless you are a threat to yourself or others, most therapy is done outpatient. And even if it is done inpatient for a while (as I did) it's for your benefit. Over the age of 18, you can always sign yourself out. No one can lock the door and throw away the keys. Your post was written coherently, I wouldn't worry.

As Diviny stated, you may want to hold back on some details of your issues until you feel comfortable enough with the therapist as well as yourself in what you want to divulge. The thing is unless the therapist has a full background of what is causing your mental health problems, it may be harder to get to the root of the problem.

This is good Btsrslyffft in giving you something to thing about in helping yourself. After many years of therapy, I am stabilized enough to just turn to YouTube whenever I need some help or reassurance. I also found that Meditation and Deep Breathing keep me in a calm state. Acceptance of what I can change and what I can't has resolved some of my problems w/o a therapist.

This is your life. Do what you feel is best for you. xx

[Btsrslyffft]

Thankyou Agora1 and Diviny123

[Agora1]

You are so welcome Btsrslyffft. I don't know if it solved any of your issues but know that we are here for each other. xx Have a good evening.

[gogogirl]

What????? The information you give is voluntary, and you need to feel comfortable. I think what they are concerned about is if you are about to harm yourself or someone else especially a child or an elder. Therapy with the right person does work.

[Btsrslyffft]

Ultimately, happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becomming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them. -Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

I made my first therapy appt today! (I am proceeding cautiously yet optimistically) Thanks healthunlocked community for your support.