I've been seeing mine for 5ish years. I'm doing better, but it's still a struggle. And in some ways I'm only really starting to talk about the big issues now.
I just get so tired of him getting me to a certain point and then simply saying, "Think on that for the next week."
I want to say, "No! I don't want to think on it. I don't have time to think on it. I need to DO something about it. I've spent my LIFE thinking and over-thinking stuff. It's time to find a way to change the thought pattern, so HOW DO I DO THAT??"
You know what I mean?
Thanks for the love, Kat. I send it right back to you. :)
What does she do, if I may ask? Does she give you an assignment, or something?
I think my therapist wants me to get there -- wherever 'there' is -- on my own, break-through by break-through, but it just takes so LONG and I just get tired of feeling like I'm not making enough progress. He thinks I am, but I still see myself as stuck and struggling and I don't know why I can't move from this and figure it out.
Which is why I started therapy in the first place... because I'd come to a point where I just knew I wasn't going to be able to get there on my own. I just couldn't figure out how to fix it on my own, you know?
Not as such. Basically I talk about how I'm doing/coping/where I'm having issues, she throws in analysis/thoughts, tries to get me to think about why I'm reacting certain ways and stop being so hard on myself. I guess it's talk therapy?
I guess I have assignments in that I'm supposed to try getting on public transport by myself, going places by myself. That's not going so well because of the fatigue levels.
Progress is slow and we are hard on ourselves. I can see a definite improvement from when I started, but it's up and down and I feel like I should be 'fixed' by now.
Thank you for the hugs, Susan. I'm just feeling tired and frustrated today.
As I said to Kat above, it gets frustrating sometimes when my therapist wants me to simply 'think on' various things we discuss, when I've spent my life thinking and over-thinking and I just want to learn to move beyond all that thinking and into action or something. Does that make sense?
Some specific new behaviors or attitudes or whatever--positive things you could implement to take yourself in a better direction--seem to be what's called for here. I agree, especially as another INFJ, that we tend to analyze and analyze, and are often paralyzed in the process. You might find some helpful tactics in the book I'm currently reading: "Switch: how to change when change is hard". It's full of fascinating info and behavioral studies. Also applicable to marketing, which will be useful to me. :-)
So scream it at him. Well, maybe not scream, otherwise he's gonna wanna make you do some more ~thinking~ about why you raised your voice... But you should, normally, be able to address what you're looking / hoping to achieve from working with him. Tell him you'd like more practical tools than having you think on key points from one week to the next, otherwise you knot yourself up in a tendency to over-think things.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2011-10-20 04:50 am (UTC)I've been seeing mine for 5ish years. I'm doing better, but it's still a struggle. And in some ways I'm only really starting to talk about the big issues now.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 05:01 am (UTC)I want to say, "No! I don't want to think on it. I don't have time to think on it. I need to DO something about it. I've spent my LIFE thinking and over-thinking stuff. It's time to find a way to change the thought pattern, so HOW DO I DO THAT??"
You know what I mean?
Thanks for the love, Kat. I send it right back to you. :)
no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 05:04 am (UTC)Luckily mine doesn't say that. She's a social worker/psychotherapist, rather than a psychologist, that might be the difference.
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Date: 2011-10-20 05:14 am (UTC)I think my therapist wants me to get there -- wherever 'there' is -- on my own, break-through by break-through, but it just takes so LONG and I just get tired of feeling like I'm not making enough progress. He thinks I am, but I still see myself as stuck and struggling and I don't know why I can't move from this and figure it out.
Which is why I started therapy in the first place... because I'd come to a point where I just knew I wasn't going to be able to get there on my own. I just couldn't figure out how to fix it on my own, you know?
no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 05:27 am (UTC)I guess I have assignments in that I'm supposed to try getting on public transport by myself, going places by myself. That's not going so well because of the fatigue levels.
Progress is slow and we are hard on ourselves. I can see a definite improvement from when I started, but it's up and down and I feel like I should be 'fixed' by now.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 05:02 am (UTC)As I said to Kat above, it gets frustrating sometimes when my therapist wants me to simply 'think on' various things we discuss, when I've spent my life thinking and over-thinking and I just want to learn to move beyond all that thinking and into action or something. Does that make sense?
*heavy sigh*
*HUGS*
no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 05:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 08:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 01:27 pm (UTC)So scream it at him. Well, maybe not scream, otherwise he's gonna wanna make you do some more ~thinking~ about why you raised your voice... But you should, normally, be able to address what you're looking / hoping to achieve from working with him. Tell him you'd like more practical tools than having you think on key points from one week to the next, otherwise you knot yourself up in a tendency to over-think things.
I don't know; it's what I'd do. Did -- sort of.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-21 12:36 pm (UTC)