Recently and over the years I have tried therapy. I have never found it to be of any help. Requiring my brain could certainly help. If only it were that easy.
Has therapy worked for you? What made a difference in your mental health?
Most of my problems are situational I am on medication which keeps me afloat But when a situation(s) crop up even the best medicine hasn’t helped.
Therapy didn't work for me if I had the wrong counselor, and I've had some bad ones! Some of these people need more help than we do! But a good one makes you learn about yourself, and you can feel that they care about you. It also takes time to get to know each other. It's really not easy..... Group therapy was even better, with a good group of counselors, and you can make friends there. I agree with you - when bad things happen, you might as well not be taking any meds.
Thank you for those words. It is real and you have said it exactly as it is.
I may look for group therapy. I have been thinking about it.
Great! I hope you have better luck than I'm having - ever since the pandemic, all these counselors still want to do telehealth-type counseling, which I don't want to do. I haven't looked in to group therapy, though. I live in FL, and can't find a counselor who takes Medicare and is near my house.....
Yeah that's too bad about Florida. I really liked the group therapy, it was in the cognitive group that I went to 5 days a week. Some people it doesn't work for but in my case it was ideal. I could interact freely with the others and not feel judged. I could empathize and relate to people similar to me or in similar places psychologically, emotionally, etc. I'd go through it again but I don't think my insurance will cover it again and I'd need to be able to get to it every day which I can't anymore.
Hi, Did you go to group therapy in New York? I did & it was great. Too bad you can't get there any more, but posting on here helps, I think. Maybe you could do the Zoom thing, but I never could do that; it;s in person or nothing. I'm in FL now and did some group counseling, but I really needed more intense help at the time; didn't work out & staff seemed pretty uncaring. I have Medicare, if you have that, it might cover group counseling.
After ten years on medication, I found I had to take the remedy into my own hands.
So I got angry with the voice telling me I was useless, rotten housewife, useless nurse and worse mother, and went on a ginormous hissy fit, cussing out the voice and telling it to go and learn something about Travel and Reproduction, (but not in that order), and it went away for a week! it tried to come back so I gave it the same treatment and it left for longer.
Each time it came back, I cussed it out again, and it eventually gave up! I have been free of it for more than 20 years now, I found that each time I cussed it out, I gained a little more confidence back. (I guess it was an early form of Primal Scream Therapy!)
I too have found that therapists are a very mixed bunch, and if you don't gel, try another, or just try my method. You have to get Really Mad with the inner voice though; no pussyfooting about! If the neighbours might hear, go out in the country somewhere where you can scream as loud as you like!
The only way to know if it would work for you is to try it! It isn't a quick fix, but it worked for me!
Cheers, Midori
Thank you for this - my inner voice is driving me crazy - for years. I'd like to try it , when no one's around. What does learn about travel and reproduction mean? Maybe I can add it to my rant! I remember Primal Scream therapy from the 70's. Never tried it, was too young to have things to scream about!
I don't really want to explain about Travel and Reproduction: But it is two words beginning with 'F*** O**!' It wouldn't be allowed on the forum.😉
Cheers, Midori
Ha Ha! Now I understand ....I just couldn't imagine what that meant; very clever! I really enjoy reading your posts. You seem to be a kind person, and you express yourself well...
Thank you! I enjoy wordplay, especially when I want to cuss! I'm a very old and crazy lady! Totally off the wall! I wear Jeans and tee shirts with inappropriate sayings on them, except when I Have to be formal.
Cheers, Midori
That's so cute.... I think I'll try playing with words, it makes me laugh. Have you ever played Scrabble online? Not with other peope , but I play the computer. It's really fun and takes your mind completely off of anything that might be bothering you. You're not so old..... we mostly seem to be in the same age group.
Wow, well done!! That's incredible. I get pretty steamed too but I can't focus the anger. Can't really focus anything for that matter, but I can see how this really could work if you can mean it. It's a matter of making a decision in your mind, I firmly believe in and following it. You might end up being a great therapist!
At 76? 🤣.
I've done my bit for society in general over the years, quite happy to do things for folks here, but out there in the big world? NOPE! Much too peopley! Been there, done all that. Was a nurse for many years, then an instructor and examiner for First Aid at Work courses, a qualified masseuse, office worker, (even trained as an Image Consultant), makeup artist, and I finished my working life as a Model for Art Classes at a local College (Yes, as Nature intended!)😀
I am now disabled (physically) in many ways, although I still have most of my marbles: I use my experiences and methods to help in general. Too old now for College to train for anything else, (Let alone the costs). I like people, but in small doses, not a party animal in any way. Thank you for the compliment though. 😉
Cheers, Midori
I’ve had different therapists for over 30 years. None of them helped me at all. Medication keeps me afloat too.
I think this profession attracts the people who need it the most. I've had counselors who were competitive, jealous, didn't believe a word I said, and just plain didn;t care, and were in it for the money. I've had some good ones who really helped; problem is, after you're out of it, you eventually go back to your miserable self....... You're lucky meds help. The older I get, the more intolerable these drugs are for me, and just don't work.
In all honesty, I don’t think my meds help. I think I just tell myself they do. I am down more than I am up. I have to reach out to the doctor tomorrow because I think the new ones I’ve been taking for 3 months are making things worse.
I've done that myself - it was just wishful thinking. Hope it's not hard getting off your meds. It took me two years of suffering withdrawal after going off of Zoloft. Tried a few since then, but terrible side effects stopped me. Now I'm on nothing; very moody & sad a lot.
I think mine was wishful thinking too. Two years of withdrawal!? OMG! That’s not encouraging if I decide to stop mine. I got extra sad and moody and irritable on my new meds.
I think for psychological, emotional issues, they can help if you have the right one. I've had quite a few, some I think I've benefited from. Trouble is, though, I need more than 45 minutes a week. They've been cutting back on the time per session at the clinic so I couldn't get an appointment on a regular basis. Had some doozies too so you really have to get the right one for you. It's just finding the right professional, hopefully someone that you can build a rapport with. I also liked the group situation in the cognitive therapy group. Whatever works for you -
Therapy 
Talk therapy 
Therapy 
Post Therapy Hangover
