Posted by Miss Honeychurch on January 22, 2004, at 8:32:45
In reply to Re: Feeling oddly insecure about therapy..., posted by naiad on January 21, 2004, at 17:47:35
Aysa,
I feel the same way. I have never had anything horrible happen to me and I have lead a privileged life. In the beginning of therapy, like you, I felt ridiculous for going. And I used to talk about it alot which would frustrate my T. But then he said a few things that made sense. Such as I had just as much right to see a dr. for a sprained ankle than for a broken leg. Either way, you owe it to yourself to take care of yourself because no one else will. Secondly, he quoted a famous line from a famous poem (I can't remember now) about all men leading lives of quiet desperation and how unnecessary that was.
He also mentioned that it was patients like me, who functioned well in the world, and who wanted to mainly work on themselves for personal gratification, that made a lot of his dealings with people who were worse off, more bearable (these are his words, not mine). I guess it breaks up his day and it is easier to see improvement in people with mild problems than those whose problems are more severe. He said he sees many patients where all he can do is patch tem up for the day and help them get through the week. He said it is absolutely necessary to have all levels of patients so he himself doesn't have some sort of nervous breakdown (MY words, not his!)
Does this make sense? You'll get over your "I'm not worthy" feelings as your self-esteem picks up. I started a thread here a couple months ago about "Why do I deserve the best?" I felt guilty about having such a wonderful T when my problems seemed so mild. My T has finally pounded it into me after 7 months now that I am responsible for my emotions, feelings, etc. My parents are no longer responsible for this. Therefore, you have to start thinking about yourself as your own mother and father, and don't you want the best for you, your child? This sounds so corny, but it works for me.
poster:Miss Honeychurch
thread:303826
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040116/msgs/304086.html