Quote Originally Posted by fishmommy
Best of luck on your endeavor!

It sounds like you are a very strong person to begin with, so therapy should be a good thing for you since you will likely work hard and get the most out of it. It's a lot of work but it sounds like you are up to the task

therapy takes a long time and isn't a magic pill that changes things suddenly...it's a subtle cumulative process. I think it's well worth it but don't get frustrated....stick with it and hopefully you can look back after a year and say 'WOW! look how far I have come!'

also, if you don't 'connect' with a therapist, shop around! Therapy is somewhat of an art form and each individual therapist will bring their own unique formula to the table. Progress is faster if you have the right 'fit' with your therapist.

I have been in and out of therapy my whole life (I have obsessive-compulsive disorder) and that is what I have learned.
Absolutely bang on advice there Mike. It's a process and a very healthy step for you to take so you go into your most productive adult years without all the baggage dragging along behind. I think what I got from my own time with a therapist was understanding what is my responsiblility to shoulder and what properly belongs to someone else (I tend to take on the weight of the world and then, as anyone would, crack under the sort of unrealistic pressure.) You can't ever "forget" your past, just with help learn to deal with what you can do, what needs to be placed on someone else's shoulders, and a lot of coping mechanisms.

As was advised, shop around for the right therapist and if you feel you've gone to the wrong one, give it time but do find the right one. Sometimes it's not a good fit and that is terribly important to a good and healthy therapy experience. Expect it to be tough, sometimes you won't want to face things or even go to an appointment but like anything...what's tough is often what's worth the most. In a way it's like you'll be giving birth to another form of yourself...a healthier one...and any "birth" is full of work, sweat, tears, fears and in the end....joy and satisfaction.