# What happens when you get tharapy?



## life (Nov 25, 2007)

I was wondering just so i know what will happen if i finally get the courage to try and find help.
what exactly happens? you go to the therapist talk for x minutes? they tell you to do or say we should do what?
do i keep going to therapy forever? how often? 

or will they just give me a magical pill to take that makes my SAD go away? and never need to go back?

i hope its the second one :mushy 

just tell me everything please


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## Sierra83 (Sep 24, 2007)

It really depends on the type of therapy you choose. If you can, go for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as that's known to be one of the most effective for SA. I saw a Psychodynamic (aka Freudian) therapist on & off for 5 years, and it didn't really do anything for me. I've not tried CBT yet, but I'm trying out meds first. I've heard taking medication allows therapy to be more effective, so we'll see what happens!


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## Nutnutnut (Jun 2, 2007)

I got a therapist that did both behavioural and cognitive.

First, she asked me about my life, a quick summary, that's the first appointment.

Then I'd talk about my life and stuff. Then she'd give me practical tips or ideas of stuff I could do in certain situations. Ask peer for a pen, say hi to people, talk to the phone, etc. But I was too affraid to do most of the stuff she'd ask me to do. But I still got into a group of friends that people tag as losers, but I didn't like them.

Then I decided to take a break from school because going there hurt so much. At the last appointment I got, she started saying mean things to me. She said I was lazy and that I should get a job. She said I was a baby and that I should be supposed to be "responsible" and act like an adult. She kept saying mean things like that. I broke down and started crying. Then she realised what she'd done and she said "Oh, I didn't know it was _that_ bad." For me that rang a lot like "Oh, I didn't know you were that pathetic."

Then she started saying she was sorry, she didn't know, but she didn't even sounded sorry, she just said it for the principle. I pointed that out to her and she said pompously "You can't know what I think, what you're saying is a fallacy, blah blah blah" Like this was some sort of debate.

Then I got my mother to cancel all my appointments and I never went to see that therapist again. This was fairly recent, like 2 or 3 months ago.

And what's funny is that the therapist was a really good one, best than most. She did conferences, she went to schools, she wrote parts in psychology books, etc.

Therapist can be good if you need to talk and get feelings out. But what they tell you to do isn't really good, you could find it all online. And in the end, you're your best teacher. Other people don't know yourself as good as you do, and they can't judge what's good or not for you. They just read books and tell you to do what's written in them.


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## Bandit6 (Oct 20, 2007)

Actually this is a very effective way to change people mind by destroying someone's spirit to rebuild it from scratch after(like leveling a poorly constructed house before building a solid one on new foundations). Army instructors, rehab clinics and also brainwashing cults do it all the time. But the problem in therapy, the patient can leave whenever they want so unless he wanna take the crap I don't think that's working often in a voluntarily context...


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## MissPhitMSD (Dec 9, 2007)

I think finding a good therapist is just like having a good teacher. You could be failing a class while everyone else is excelling, but that doesn't mean you can't learn. 
It is all about how comfortable you are with that person and their style of therapy. You might have to go to a few different people but when you find the right fit it could really help. Just like meds, therapy is different for everyone (i.e. what type of therapy, how long and how often you go) so don't feel like you have to compare your experience to others to know if you're doing it "right".
I'm sure everybody on this site wishes there was a miracle pill...if you find one, please share the wealth!


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## redkit (Mar 14, 2006)

I hate therapists. I love meds.


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## sab_07 (Oct 15, 2007)

I love going to my therapist. It's what I look forward to.

Just when you go though, be prepared to be challenged. It isn't easy.


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## life (Nov 25, 2007)

meh :con 
not exactly what i hoped for but atleast its the truth! :sigh
now uhh anyone maybe point me in a direction to a good way to find a GOOD therapist? a website search engine or something? 

and anymore information on your encounter with therapist is good to

thanks


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## shy1984 (Sep 5, 2007)

Make sure the therapist is familiar with or better yet specializes in SA. A lot have only heard of it once or twice.

I go to talk therapy and although it doesnt really help with the anxiety, its definitely good to have somebody in real life that understands it. And it's also good to have somebody just to have a conversation with once a week rather than being a complete mute.


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## sab_07 (Oct 15, 2007)

shy1984 said:


> And it's also good to have somebody just to have a conversation with once a week rather than being a complete mute.


Agree with that.


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