It’s hard. It’s expensive. It’s uncomfortable.
OK, so obviously I don’t really believe that Therapy Sucks because 1) I’m a therapist and 2) I have witnessed, both personally and in my clients, the times when therapy was significantly helpful, increasing happiness and awareness making it easier to move gracefully through this world. When it happens the right way, it can feel amazing.
So what do I mean then? Well, even with the growth and the understanding – it still sucks. There you are at a low enough point to seek out help AND you have to pay money to do it? Sometimes it’s a lot of money – adding insult to injury and feeling awful. Searching for a therapist can be a painful process, it’s awkward talking about painful things to a stranger and after all of that, it’s possible that it won’t even help. Some people have had bad, mediocre or ineffective therapy in the past and were scared away from ever trying it again. And even when you do find a good person and things are going well, it can still be painful and difficult to have to talk about bad feelings or old trauma.
It’s similar to opening up a painful, infected wound, shining a light on it for examination, cleaning it out with antiseptic, and then wrapping it up again so it can start to heal properly. The process can feel awful at times, but sometimes it is necessary because the pain of the infection has finally made things unbearable. If ignored, it will only cause greater pain in the long run, interfering in relationships, job, family and happiness.
And when the wounds are cleaned out and have healed properly, it’s powerful and life-changing. Taking the time to really examine yourself, your beliefs, your patterns and choices is a good thing. If you can figure out what works and what doesn’t, life can become much more joyful.
So yeah, Therapy Sucks.
But being in pain sucks more.
If you are nervous about trying it out for the first time or are wary of going back after a bad experience, I understand that and respect it. If you aren’t ready right now, file this information away for when you are ready. Otherwise, give me a call and we can set up a free session to meet and you can see what it’s all about. It doesn’t have to be scary, it’s just a conversation.