What has your experience with therapy been like?

[DMT]

I know I asked something similar awhile back, but I'm still stuck on this. When I've read about others' stories about treatment in the past, I was under the impression that you would work on the CBT and desensitization/exposure therapy in the sessions one on one with your therapist. Maybe they would carry over into the week as "homework", but you would be guided along the way by your therapist, giving you a specific plan and overseeing it. I'm just not getting this with my therapist. The sessions are all talk - which is interesting, but it's not going to change me. And the desensitization is all my homework, with little guidance of what to do and how to do it. If this is how it's going to be, I'm not sure why I'm seeing a therapist at all. My problem is i haven't been able to bring myself to do the desensitization on my own, which is why I sought out therapy in the first place, for some structure and guidance - a plan that's not led by me. This is my second therapist since the summer, and I chose him because he specializes in fears, phobias and anxiety, and he mentioned he has worked with emets in the past. Is my perception of the way therapy is supposed to go incorrect? is it normal that it be all talk, and you do the "hard stuff" as homework?

My other issue is I know it is always said that you don't have to make yourself get sick in order to get better - that it may make it worse (which has been my experience when I've actually been sick in the past). But some days I'm so frustrated and fed up about being trapped by this fear, that I think if I could just make myself v* everyday, then I'd eventually learn to not be scared of it. Maybe that's the one surefire way to not let it control me, and let me be in control of it. when it came down to it, i don't know that i could actually do it. I shared this with my therapist who seemed to initially agree that v*ing isn't necessary to get better, and he seemed to understand why getting sick doesn't make people get over the fear. But when I told him how fed up I am living like this and being controlled by this and how I wondered if this would be the thing that would actually cure me, he said he thinks that it would. That we'd start slow, without food, with just liquids, then with food. working your way up to several times a week. Actually thinking about what he's describing sounds crazy to me. And I know it's nothing he would force me into. But my biggest fears with it are what if it made me worse, spiraled out of control, what if I couldn't stop, what if it unleashed some v* reflex it me where I wouldn't be able to stop or I'd be more susceptible to v* illnesses, when I'd always been able to hold back in the past? He assures me it wouldn't because I'd be in control, and it would be over a span of time and not just once. I'm finding myself not trusting him - how can he KNOW! But then what if he is right? what if I could actually be rid of this?

As of now, I'm not seriously planning this out. But it's one of those things in the back of my mind, as a last resort, that if normal therapy/CBT/desensitization/a MIRACLE does not work, maybe there is a way? I'm not sure it's worth the risk. If I was 100% certain it would work, then maybe MAYBE I'd eventually consider it some day.

For those of you that have been successful in therapy, does it make sense to you that this could work? Or is it a very dangerous and completely unnecessary approach, and maybe I should be wary of my psychologist now?

[mrobinson84]

In my experience with therapists in general...and I have been through a lot of them for various reasons...I've always been up front and honest with them. If something they said in the last session was something that upset me or made me nervous or rethink the treatment, I vocalized it because I wanted to get better and needed to be sure what I was doing was right for me. Sometimes, my therapist said, "ok, lets work through the issue from the last session and we can work out a better way of explanation and execution on both parts." or, "well, this is how I do things and it's ok if it doesn't work for you. Let me give you the number of someone who communicates a little differently so you can continue your road to recovery." Just be honest with your therapist. The worst thing that can happen is they send you to someone else, or you take it upon yourself to find someone else, but it's worth the effort to try and hash it out since you've been seeing this therapist and he/she knows your story so you don't have to start over from square one again. With my personal experience in this phobia, I've found a lot of self doubt and guilt, along with indecisiveness, within myself. It took me a long time to be able to own that fault and recover from it so I could honestly vocalize what I was feeling and not feel bad about it. If you're nervous, don't feel bad for being nervous. You made a giant leap for yourself just deciding to take the hard road to recovery...it's no easy task making yourself own who you are and who you want to become, as well as, making the decision to do what it takes to get you where you want to go.

I've only just begun my therapy for emetophobia, I put a post down in the treatment forum a night or two ago if you care to read it. Maybe we can swap stories and compare things for awhile to ease each other!! As for advice on wether or not it could work, because of my lack of experience in this specific type of therapy, I feel I don't have the knowledge to give an opinion that would be for your greater good. I do, however, wish you the best of luck in your journey! Keep us updated! Id be very interested in hearing your stories as I am just staring out Just keep faith in yourself that you are worth getting better and you are worth more than a psychologist the makes you nervous. Be honest with yourself and all who are truly trying to support your health and you can never go wrong

[DDT]

Ok, so today I started therapy and I feel sooo good about it. I know it might take a while until I get better but my therapist said that she thinks I'm going to be fine sooner than I think.

I feel a bit better now, I'm not sure why, but I do. I want to get over this and I will! ) I'm really happy I started going to see a therpist because I can feel it will really help me, and she's such a nice woman, she looks so calm and paceful.

I can't wait to meet her again next week. <3