Posted by finelinebob on January 25, 2002, at 0:47:49
In reply to Re: Do I need a shrink? » MaverickZ, posted by Krazy Kat on January 23, 2002, at 11:23:08
If you're average weight for your height -- no, you don't need a shrink of any sort.
Sorry, wrong item. ;^)
The thoughts you're having are oh-so-easy to dismiss or justify or rationalize. I got to be really good at it and lost about 20 years of my life because denial was just too seductive. But it's like wendy b. said -- accepting that you need to do something about them is the first (and most important) step in turning things around.
Take a look around here and see what we're all like. One of the biggest hurdles in actually getting up the gumption to track down a therapist and start working is dispelling all the lies society has filled you (and all of us) with about "people who need a shrink". I've been here for, on and off, too long to remember and I've never seen anyone fit the bill.
There used to be (may still be there, haven't looked recently) this huge "billboard" painted on the side of a building at 72nd and Broadway in NYC, about 10 or 12 floors worth of building, saying something to the effect of "Depression is a flaw in chemistry, not in character." That's not the whole story -- "managed care" likes to medicate us more than pay for therapy -- but the second half of that statement certainly is true.
You may not need meds. You certainly don't need to choose a stereotypical analyst and start talking about how you were in love with your mother when you were five -- there are different approaches to therapy that may be more suited to who you are and what you feel comfortable with.
Keep in mind, tho, that (from what I can tell) you're bringing this up because you love this woman and you want things to go right. Both good reasons for communicating how you feel with her ... maybe not right away if you want to work with a therapist first, but at some time. Also good reasons for bringing her in as part of the "solution".
Getting help about how you feel is not a step backwards ... it's a big leap forwards.
be well,
flb
poster:finelinebob
thread:17028
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020112/msgs/17183.html