# Talking about past experiences in therapy....



## nuncie (May 25, 2009)

i've been through therapy before, and i just recently started going back, its been a while. anyway my new therapist wants me to go back and think about the past expierences and stuff like that. she says it might help me figure out when my SA started and eveything. i really do not see the point of this. i've thought about all that before,and i have not been able to pin point the exact moment or expierence when my anxiety started, and i really do not want to start thinkin about a my past again..its very hard to talk about, its makes me very emotional. id rather just focus on whats goin on in my life right now, rather than thinkin about the past which i can not fix or change. i dont know if im making any sense or what im asking really lol. i guess i just want to know if anyone can relate to this or if anyone has been succesful in therapy...


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## Keith (Aug 30, 2008)

By going back in the past you can get some insights but i think its more important to work on whats going on now.Sometimes my therapist tries to get me to find the beginning of my my problems but i just dont remember when i started to feel the way i do now. In my experience therapist usually like to look at the past first then work on the present.


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

I've had therapy that involved going back over the past (psychodynamic), and therapy that concentrated on the present (CBT). The former was no help to me (largely because my condition was developmental and the therapists very closed-minded and dogmatic); the latter, CBT (which is the recommended treatment for social anxiety), provided some useful tools to manage the anxiety using structured exercises. 

It's best to shop around to find which type of therapy and therapist would be suitable for you.


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## Pam (Feb 14, 2009)

Personally, I have analyzed myself & my past to death!! Yes, you can find the origin(s) of the disorder, place blame, etc. But did that help improve me and my life? NOOOO!!!

I think you are right to want to focus on what you can do NOW to change how you feel and be able to do things you want to do. 

One thing tho is you want to get the right diagnosis so you can get the right treatment. You mention that your past upsets you and it makes me think you've had traumatic events happen which means you could have PTSD. (I do, for sure.) Or sometimes it appears like SA can be caused by being bullied which is a trauma. But still, you can focus on the present and on how to have new experiences, counter to the bad ones in the past, that make you feel good about yourself and more comfortable with people.


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## Social_butterfly00 (Jan 28, 2008)

One thing I learned about therapy is that it is more than the one hour sessions every week. It's on you to really work to do the 'homework' assigned to you. I've recently started doing things like journaling, reading up about god, keeping a diary, as suggested and requested by my therapist. It has helped. Originally I thought it was stupid, but it does help.


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