Posted by Dinah on January 21, 2006, at 4:52:08
In reply to T said to keep depression as long as I want it, posted by fairywings on January 21, 2006, at 3:18:59
This isn't like him? I find that when my therapist is going through a rough time, he sometimes does uncharacteristic things.
He sounds frustrated, but if he's going through a rough time it may well not be about you.
I understand wanting to cut a therapist some slack. I think we're not supposed to do it, according to the therapy rules. We're not supposed to try to protect them. But I do it anyway sometimes, and sometimes I draw boundaries or challenge him on what he says.
I got a bit overwhelmed reading your post. Almost like he was going through all his depression interventions and not sticking with any of them long enough for them to stick.
I'm not sure how he said to keep your depression as long as you want it. My therapist has said not quite similar things sometimes, but he said his idea was to get me to think about any secondary gains I might be getting from feeling the way I do. Or to give me permission to do what I was already doing, so that I could feel free to let go of it. Or something like that. He didn't mean it in as negative way as it sounded at any rate.
I'm kind of interested in the comment about going home feeling drained. It's not a really typical comment for therapists to make. Even mine, who's pretty transparent about his feelings probably would have been careful before saying something like that. What was the ocntext, if you don't mind my asking? Was it something clearly related to you?
My reaction would be the same as yours, I think. I would never want to return. But then I'd probably call and tell him how what he said made me feel, and hope like anything that he had something very reassuring to say to that. Which obviously mine must do, or Id have never made it this long in therapy.
poster:Dinah
thread:601410
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060121/msgs/601415.html