I'm getting ready to start on my path for a better life.

[Vomitore]

I've come to the point in my life to start therapy. It's something I've needed to do for quite awhile but never did it. I felt as though If I'm going to do it then do it with full force. After spending time with great friends and especially my "twin" Danielle, she really is the one out of countless hundreds who made me realized I'm ready. I think I'm pretty well adjusted for what I've gone through and many people are shocked I never turned out any where like my sister so I figure let's do this! No more waiting and it can only make me better.

I'm not scared like may people are to face what they hide. I'm pretty open thankfully and I think it'll help me with all of this. I'm going to look into what therapists are in my area and take it day-by-day. Wish me luck!

[joyful girl]

good luck!

sounds like you could benefit a great deal from having someone to talk to

[joepythons]

Good luck

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Good luck. I've tried to start a new path so many times but I just can't follow through. Lets hope you are strong enough to follow through. Sounds like you've got the will power. Where theres a will, theres a way

[Alice]

Good luck! You've taken several major steps already - realizing you need help, talking to friends about it, being "ready". I hope everything turns out the way you want it and your therapist is supportive.

[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.

[wildlifewarrior]

Good luck man!


~Mike

[frankykeno]

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.

[recycling goddess]

i tried out a few therapists before i found "the one". she greatly assisted me to 'find the woman' who i am today.

therapy is a good thing... for pretty much everyone. i don't think there's anyone who couldn't benefit from some therapy at some point in their life.

funny story... i was depressed a few years ago and my doctor made me see a therapist. he knew i'd already done loads of therapy... but he insisted. he sent me to this guy who felt that 'clarity' is wrong and 'sarcasm' is your friend. he recommended that instead of being clear with people (as in his opinion no one likes someone who tells it like it is) that using sarcasm as a tool for communication was much better.

when i completely disagreed with him and spent my sessions telling him all the reasons he was wrong - he wrote me a letter to my doctor saying... 'aleesha has had too much therapy and therefore my methods are not assisting her'. LOL when i told my doctor his 'methods'... my doctor was shocked. he had no idea. none of his patients ever told him this about the guy before... (yes he was a schooled psychiatrist) - and so he stopped referring his patients there.

so don't feel the 'shrink' is always right... you have to find the one who 'specializes' in your needs... and who resonates with you as a person.

i wish you your greatest good!

[Sausage]

Good for you! I went through some rough spots in my early teen years(parents divorce, horrible grades, stress/depression) and went to a therapist for sometime. I switched and went through a bunch of them until I found(as Recycling Goddess said) "the one." She really helped me ut and I think I would've turned out differently if hadn't gone through therapy.

Best of luck with your therapy!