Will see a psychotherapist - focusing on ISTDP. Need advice

Hi everyone,

I've been lucky. I'm not sure everyone knows this in this forum, but in Sweden we have free medical care. After first getting in touch with the concept of ISTDP I started to look around for psychotherapists working within the system, but no luck. In contrast to most other psychotherapists all of these were private. Except for one. A guy who is situated in the same town that I am and is willing to see me for free during this semester. = luck.

I would greatly appreciate advice on how I can get the most out of my total of 20-30 h of sessions. What are often the major things that a therapist can help with ? Etc. Any input that can be of value.

Cheers

 

I think one of the most helpful things a therapist can do is to point out our defense mechanisms--avoidance, rationalization, denial--all big ones for me, and call us out when we're trying to use them. I also find it helpful when my therapist points out the incongruity between my expressions and the content of what I'm saying. For example, laughing and smiling while one is talking about a painful event.

You might find it helpful to listen to the recordings in Alan Gordon's program on this site. They are good examples of a therapist using ISTDP to assist the person in getting in touch with their current feelings.

But I think one of the hardest things for me is learning to trust another person and let them be the one in control--especially because I am a therapist. We make the worst clients.

Wishing you the best. Keep us posted.

 

Before you have your first session it would be a good idea to talk to him on the phone and ask about his method. This should give you a better idea of whether he will be helpful to you and you can ask him if he's deal with conditions like TMS.

 

Years ago when I had an anxiety attack I saw a psychotherapist for an hour once a week for several months
and think he helped me mainly because he put me on Librium. Our sessions usually amounted to him asking me
what it was like to be a reporter on the Chicago Tribune. I don't recall him asking about my personal life,
which I thought psychotherapists did. I found out on my own that my problem was I had been working a
very stressful job and when I quit it I felt lost. I got another job and got better. Paying bills still makes me feel anxious,
when there isn't enough money coming it to pay them.

I think Forest and Luke have good advice. Ask what his or her method is. If he knows about TMS he or she will probably
get you thinking about your repressed emotions, which is a good thing.

 

Thx for the advice. My first session opened my eyes for several issues regarding truly repressed emotions. Anger kicking in just speaking about certain people, bubbling under the surface. So difficult to release. I will keep coming at it though.

 

Joel,
That is excellent new- sounds like a great session.

 

Luke,
My best friend's wife had an incredible recovery from deep mental illness thanks to psychotherapy.
Maybe the stress of rearing three little children triggered mental illness, and she most definitely
had at least one serious repressed emotion, regarding feeling rejected by her mother when she was a
little girl. She felt that her mother loved her sister and didn't even like her, having one day told her,
"I wish you had been a cat. I would have drowned you."

My friend's Tom's wife, Bonnie, had a complete mental breakdown when the three kids were still young,
and was institutionalized in a hospital's psychiatric ward. I don't remember how long that was,
but she received counseling from a psychotherapist and recovered. I believe it had to do with her
forgiving her mother. Her mental health returned and a few years later she even flew to Florida
to be with her mother as she was dying. I don't know if the mother asked Bonnie to forgive her,
or if the mother forgave herself, but Bonnie was 100 percent well again.

I believe psychotherapy can be another great tool in healing, so long as we know our physical or
emotional pain comes from TMS repressed emotions. We may need more help in uncovering the
emotion, although Dr. Sarno says that really isn't necessary in order to heal. Just convincing
our unconscious mind that something we've kept hidden in our minds is causing our pain
is enough to heal.

Good luck in your psychotherapy sessions. It sounds like you're getting good help from them.

 

Hello. Where in sweden do you live? Looking for a psychotherapists in sweden.