Posted by mair on January 17, 2003, at 14:13:14
In reply to Moving on from mental health forums?, posted by OddipusRex on January 17, 2003, at 11:39:41
This is a good thing to discuss; I and my therapist have been around and around this issue for awhile.
When I first came on it was just so wonderful for me to discover people who dealt with many of the same things as me - I found that I didn't have to explain things as well or in as much detail because everyone already knew what I was talking about. And I really do believe that over time, I found it easier to open up to other people about depression because I had alot of experience talking about it here and I had come to realize that my problems were hardly unique.
I also think there are other tangible values - I think it's good for me to help and support others when I'm able. I also think that it reinforces some of the things I discuss in therapy - I'll frequently find myself telling others things I have been told. For instance, if you tell another poster enough times how impermanent suicidal feelings might be, it becomes something I'm better able to say to myself when I'm very down.
Yes, but there are also downsides - there's no question that I sometimes spend far too much time here and get far too involved in Board disputes. I've also discovered that I can be hurt pretty easily by the way someone might react to a post - even if that reaction is just having no one respond to a post. Also, my therapist knows that I tend to synthesize and distill things alot before I'll talk to her about them, and she would prefer that I not do that. That distillation process pretty much happens for me on the Board or through email relationships I've developed with other posters. Also she gets concerned from time to time about how hurt i can get.
While my therapist used to be pretty dismissive about the internet, she has come to accept that it is a place where real relationships develop and relationship issues play out. She's not a person who is very computer saavy and I think she's learned alot from my experiences. So now, she views it as neither all good or all bad, but as something that she and I need to revisit periodically.
I also think that like Dinah, I've learned better how to pull myself away periodically whether that might take the form of not coming here for awhile, or choosing not to join in what I know will be a contentious or upsetting discussion.
Mair
poster:mair
thread:35377
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030111/msgs/35397.html