Posted by Dinah on February 24, 2009, at 20:53:43
In reply to Re: What my therapist says, for what it's worth., posted by Dinah on February 24, 2009, at 20:27:34
> Which is my therapist's overarching viewpoint on internet bulletin boards, actually.
By which I mean that my therapist would never say "Babble is bad" or "Psychcentral is bad".
He might say "I don't think this is a good policy because...." and he might urge me to try to change a specific policy. Or he might say that I'm unlikely to change the policy, is there any way I can change my reaction to the policy?
He might laugh when I talk about Dr. Bob and say something like "Well, I know a lot of psychiatrists who would say something just like that." Or "I can see why you're angry". He'd assume that Dr. Bob and I see things differently, not that Dr. Bob was a bad person or meant to be unfair. He'd talk to me about ways that I might express myself so that Dr. Bob would hear what I was trying to say. And discuss what I should do should Dr. Bob hear and understand me perfectly well, but still disagrees with me.
He'd ask me what my perceptions of the situation are, and what I think someone else's perceptions of the situation might be, and he would try to find a way to view the two perceptions together.
My therapist understands that there is pain to be had whenever people gather together. And that most people are just doing the best they can. He understands that something can be less than healthy for me, without being inherently unhealthy or bad.
Even if he told me I should leave, it wouldn't be because he thought Babble was bad. It would be because he didn't think Babble was the right place for me to be at this point of my life, for this or that reason. Or because he thought I was no longer getting from Babble more than I was giving. Or that I was no longer capable of giving what Babble needs at this point of time.
My therapist isn't one for black and white. He's one for shades and shades of grey.
poster:Dinah
thread:881542
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20081228/msgs/882265.html