This is my second time being in therapy for the first time ever in my life. But a part of me is scared of how I'll be after and how I intend to use my growth.

I feel like a ball of anxiety right now which is partially why I wanted to post. About three months ago I began seeing a therapist due to issues with religion and growing up with a strict religious household. Within the first 4 or so sessions, he helped me change my perspective and I feel better about religion now but still a little unsure. The last few sessions I went to seemed to focus more on social anxiety and self esteem. I do have issues with these things and he did explain that the feeling of God not loving me might be connected to my family life and such. At that point, I felt like I wasn't making much progress directly correlated with my goal. There hadn't been much to talk about besides rehashing my childhood and awkward silences. So at the beginning of my last session, I told him that I was unsure if I wanted to continue. He said that is fine, we continued on as usual, he left me with some strategies and a book recommendation. He said that I am welcome to come back or choose someone else if I wish. I'm not sure if that was a hint. I just feel bad, maybe that was a little too sudden or maybe that I prematurely ended things when I know that self esteem issues and anxiety may have to do with the problem that I originally went in for. I had only gone for 6 sessions which I know is short for a lot of people.

To make it even worse, about two years ago I met with him for the first time for couples therapy. After about 6 sessions, I abruptly told him that we are doing better now and if we are welcome to reschedule if we have more issues. And that is true, I am doing better in my relationship now because of his help. I do feel bad about terminating at the very end of our last session and not giving him a heads up.

I just worry that this coming and going for short stints could be frustrating for him or if I am even benefitting from therapy in such short time frames or if I just feel the symptoms less. I don't have trauma and I feel that my issues are pretty common for most people. My anxiety is tough to deal with but it's not debilitating and I have been able to improve it on my own. Same for my self esteem.

Another issue is that I just found it extremely hard to share. He would keep asking me how I felt about something and honestly I just couldn't tell him, nothing came to mind. He would also catch me "checking out" during tough topics and when he asked me what I was thinking I had to tell him that exactly nothing was going through my brain. I worry that I was a frustrating client when I was honestly trying my best.

I feel embarrassed about coming back in the future, even though it was so nice to have someone there to listen to me.

I have to say this because I don't want to trauma dump on my wife or my friends. So instead I'm putting it out into the void. My sister is dying. She has struggled with a plethora of autoimmune conditions for over half our lives and they have slowly progressed over time, causing more serious conditions such as: acute heart failure, adrenal insufficiency, and precursor cancer cells in her colon. She takes over 100 prescribed pills every day and sees doctors who either don't know what's wrong with her, don't believe her, or just refuse to try simply because of her complexity. For years this has made me anticipate her death because I know that she will not get better, but I also know that it's likely she will keep getting worse until her body can't take it anymore. Recently, her immunologist has said that she shouldn't have any major surgery because her body couldn't take it. However, the precancer cells in her colon make it very likely that she will need a colectomy. Losing her is something I never would've thought I would have to do. Being a twin is such a core foundation to who I am as a person. We have been best friends since birth, and I can't imagine living without her. I am so scared. I just want time to stop. If anyone has read this, I thank you.

Hi there I have this thing on me that I wish to stop, because is done no good to me. And I wish to be different.

When I like someone a LOT and that person is around me, I loose all confidence, which is not how I am, I’m friendly, open, not shy at all, I have a lot of good things to offer to my love interest. But when I see them around I panic, and I have lost a lot of opportunities for not “daring” to start a move. I’m a 26yr Woman, and I’m into all genders, but I’ve recently leaned more towards other woman, trans included, and non binary people.

Consequences: I end up dating people I do not like that much, or at all. I end up shagging who I don’t like that much, or at all, just to fill in the “necessity“

What kind of actions, exercises, or realizations I must have? to gain self control and show the confidence that I innately have, because I know that they would like it (or not, if I get rejected it’ll hurt, but I’ll survive), I just don’t even get to be known by the other person to at least know if we’d like each other. I want that no more, there’s someone I like a lot and I want to stop being like this

Thanks for the help in advance

Hello, I am really ashamed of what I’m going to share here, but I really need advices to stop acting this way.
When i am in a relationship, I always feel to much, I always feel like I’m loving my partner more than he does. After some time, I pull away because it’s hurting too much, and this is the only way that I can get the love I want. I only feel loved when people are chasing me. I know it’s really selfish and I’m really trying to do better. Please tell me how 🙏

My mom put me on psych meds to control me and my whole family enabled her. I developed severe sleep, fatigue and vision problems for 10+ years. My parents then enroll me in a small town college where I’m heckled by staff and students in lunch rooms, day and night. What I mean by is that counselor would cc my emails to all my teachers all the time. Profs would antagonize me in class to get me to talk. I would always be singled out if I was late for class while other students wouldn’t.

Guys I liked would flirt with girls in front of me and then continue to pursue me this was common at that school. Everybody there was basically cheating on their girlfriend who either was on campus or was out of town. I was constantly dealing with lies about what was going on campus to make me look stupid. I developed some sort of amnesia. I come back from summer and my dad confessed to me he told neighborhood watch to keep eye on me. So that worsened my paranoia and dissociation. They end up pulling the rug from under me when they gave me the silent treatment when it came to enrolling back in to college— even community college. I’m just wondering how do I even approach a therapist about what I’ve been through it all sounds so convoluted. Can I just forget about it and move on?

I feel like I’ve lost my place socially over the last few years and I don’t know how to fix it
I’m 15, and over the last 2–3 years I’ve changed schools three times and slowly drifted away from most of my closest old friends.
Right now I’m in a school where the environment feels very toxic and unhealthy for me. I basically have nobody to spend time with there, and I still have to stay at this school for another two years. I wake up not wanting to go, but I feel like I have no choice.
A big part of my problems started when I shared some sensitive personal information with people I trusted. That information was eventually used against me and became part of the reason I was bullied. Even though I understand that nothing really justified how they treated me, knowing that they had a reason they thought was enough to “justify” it has affected how much I trust people.
One of my closest friends is also getting closer to one of the people involved, because that person is friends with another one of his friends. I don’t know exactly what it means, but it makes me uncomfortable and worried about losing another close friendship.
It feels like everywhere I go, something goes wrong socially. I don’t really understand why. I’ve struggled with my mood and loneliness for the past 2–3 years, and being in this current environment has made it continue.
What makes it worse is comparing myself to other people my age. When I talk to people, it seems like they don’t have these problems. They can stand up for themselves, have close friends, and people naturally seem to want to be around them. Meanwhile, I feel like I’m constantly dealing with social problems and trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong.
I don’t want sympathy or people just telling me that everything will magically get better.
I genuinely want serious advice. What can I actually do to improve my life, deal with this school for the next two years, rebuild my friendships, become more confident socially, and stop constantly feeling like I’m the person who gets left behind?

Aside from thinking cat people are real, do you know how much litter you'd need for hundreds/thousands of students? I have 2 cats and I clean their litter every 2 to 3 days. They weigh a combined 15lbs.

If there were 1000 students weighing 100lbs who had to go to the bathroom at least once a day, that's an insane amount of cat litter.

If you believe this, you're crazy.

I asked to talk to a different therapist.

[May I please start by asking only for serious replies, I would really appreciate it]

A long history of hard drugs, (they have now been on methadone treatment for years, but has recently relapsed into the harder stuff, and knows now that something new needs to be done to try to turn life around somehow). Will not undergo NA because of the "religious aspect to it".

No friends at all - has hit 50 years old, most friends lost to hard drugs, others they either pushed away themselves, or vice versa.

Never able to hold down a steady job - has no motivation to keep going once they get something. Flat out refuses to do a 9-5 as they are completely headstrong when it comes to being told what to do (this might be an issue with the therapy I know), but they claim to be open to something that includes driving (their only slightly discernible skill). The hardest part is their effort to sustainably apply themselves to anything of worth, and they are always coming up with these wildly outlandish and completely unreasonable shortcuts to make a buck, with obviously very little success.

A recently failed marriage - wild and endless arguments with more stable partner, stepsons did not accept them, bad divorce appears imminent.

Terrible physical health - Has COPD, eats very sugary foods, has diabetes, has begun to put on quite a bit of weight, and also has a heart condition.

Knows full well they have lived a life of empty words and false promises, and claims to accept that they have ruined a lot of their own life for themselves and those around them. Thankfully, is completely physically non-violent.

I have suggested some self-employed delivery work, just to see if they are capable of being somewhat financially sustainable for themselves, and also a PT who can encourage some sustainable fitness routines whilst working safely within the glaring health issues. The final suggestion was to help find them some talking therapy to help understand and work through the complexities of their life, but I don't know whether to opt for a CBT approach, a talking therapy approach, or something else I don't know about?

Thank you all x

I’m in therapy for grief. My best friend passed and im very lonely. He is helping me work through it but this is his third week of vacation. I’m scheduled to see him Friday.

So he said if I needed or would like to, I could send him updates on my sport, on the grief or anything else but don’t have hurt feelings if it takes more than a day to get back because he’s in a low service area. ( he is on a camping trip) I was crying Aton and having Aton of anxiety but the thing is I don’t wanna bother him on his trip. I really respect and appreciate him I think he should have full time away from the practice and enjoy and relax. It’s so hard I’ve also tried the tips he sent like the coping stuff I’ve been on it for weeks. Should I text him a short message for help or do you guys believe in me to hold out just a couple more days??

He has texted back before vacation a short CBT tip or help on certain subjects

Im at a loss for where to look. Im looking to be treated for severe depression plus anxiety, and potential trauma. I also have adhd and high chance possibility autism. I really dont know where to go besides psychology today and im not seeming to find anyone that can help with deep rooted issues.

Hi, I'm 23 and basically my dad took his life when I was 16. I just decided to start seeking therapy, and I've already had 2 sessions but I'm begining to have conflicting thoughts about it. At the moment, I'm seeing a trauma therapist, but one thing I am worried about is the fact I tend to ruminate a lot. I find myself going down rabbit holes of endless questions surrounding his death, including whether or not it was actually traumatic, seeking understanding of why and how everything happened, and also trying to pin point and analyze the cause of my own emotional reactions towards it. Going into therapy, I thought my goal was to "process my dads death". But in thinking about it, I really think I've processed it to death. I've spent the last 7 years constantly thinking about all implications and aspects of his death and I feel I've left no stone unturned, those stones being related to the night he died, the life he lived, and more recently I've noticed that I psychoanalyze everything I do and try and understand how or if it goes back to that cause.

I guess I'm realizing that my issue isn't the fact that I haven't "processed" it, but rather I keep on continuing a mental circuit of seeking conclusions about the whole thing. I guess I'm worried that therapy will only reinforce these mental loops and worsen things for me. I already notice that I preemptivly imagine what I would say in therapy and the reaction that my therapist might give, and it has defenitly been playing non stop in my mind. Maybe it's because this is something new to me and my mind finally has a new and exciting way to think about the same old things, but I'm scared I'm digging myself into a deeper hole. But, I really have kept every aspect of my dad's death private, most of my friends still think he's alive so I do want to talk about it with someone. But I'm conflicted because I feel like it's just another way for me to seek some sort of external validation about the whole thing.Will therapy make things worse if you have a habit of rumination?

Been in therapy for a while and I just use a blank sheet of paper to jot notes during and after sessions. Curious how other people handle it. Do you use an app, notebook, something structured, or just wing it. And what’s the most annoying part of remembering what you wanted to bring up, or what your therapist actually said last time.

Hi I'm 25F currently I'm debating between therapists, I would like to start up therapy soon but can't decide which to go with after the consultations. I have a problem with trusting men and being a lot quicker to make assumptions. whit that being said I'm unsure on whether or not it'll be a smarter choice to pick a male therapist to work on those problems with or to go with a therapist the same gender identity same me. I realize if I was to go with a male therapist theirs a chance of being "triggered" more frequently, which could be a great opportunity to explore and work on. But those moments could very likely just cause me to go quite and want to bell, which seem a lot less productive. Also, not really sure how it'll be helpful to go with a female or gender nonconforming therapist on problems regarding men.

Idk maybe I'm overthinking it a lot but it's a decision that is causing a halt in getting help.

Dose any have a similar experience if so, which worked for you or did it matter?

Or is there anyone the that has a view on whether it would or wouldn't be helpful?

I have been dealing with intense anxiety since last 3-4 months. I don't even know how I am keeping myself alive right now. Everyday feels like a different battle with anxiety. No one except for one of my friends knows about this not even my family. I don't even know what's going on with myself. I try to distract myself and be happy but it all just feels fake. The inside of my mind is one big chaos. Every sensation in my body triggers a panic attack because of health anxiety.

The physical symptoms started with mild left leg edema which got better in 2-3 days. Then there is my heart that feels like it's beating in every part of my body. Tingling sensation in my left leg. Random twitching in my body. I don't know why I feel like this but there is a tugging feeling in my left throat/neck/jaw like something is there but isn't really there. It kind of feels like my throat is closing up from the left side. Shortness of breath. Focusing on my breath so much that it becomes difficult to breathe. Tightness in the chest. Muffled feeling or mild tinnitus in left ear. I can't even differentiate between what I am actually feeling and what anxiety is making me feel. I was quite literally just cooking with my friends and I wasn't even feeling anxious but all of a sudden there was this tightness extending from my left jaw to chest. I am running out of words to describe the sensations I feel on a daily basis. I feel overwhelmed all the time. I get anxious over the smallest of things. I have developed terrible health anxiety too which I can't even describe. It has put me through hell. I am constantly googling and reddit-ing symptoms for serious illnesses. Sometimes I get so freaking convinced that I have it and it scares the crap out of me. I feel like going to a doctor who can do my complete body checkup and give me reassurance. My mind is barely at rest. I sleep with anxiety and wake up with even more anxiety. I can't do any chores or work properly. I don't know how to seek help. I am 19F living with my parents. I am just a student. I've got no money to directly seek help without telling my parents about it which feels like a completely different anxiety inducing task altogether. I have OCD which makes everything even worse. I want to be happy and healthy but I can't help but feel that happiness is just a fleeting feeling. I want to be truly happy in the moment and continue to be so without anxiety or anything else stealing it from me.

I would accept any kind of advice, suggestion or moral support right now.

Thanks!

I have been seeing someone since mid May and it feels like pulling teeth to schedule. He has once double booked me and saw the other person. There are multiple times he says he will reach out later in the week to schedule and I end up being the one reaching out. Last week on Thursday he canceled on me same day for a family emergency. He did not respond to my message then and I just sent one today, so far no reply. I feel like I am pulling teeth trying to reach out. I have shared a lot and am dreading having to find someone new and start over. Also do not feel like my anxiety has gotten any better since we started. I feel like I have wasted a lot of money. I know anxiety can take longer to work with, but these confounding factors are adding up for me. My boss who is also a counselor told me to fire him. What should I do?

I know I have insecurities and am very self-aware of it. I have CPTSD, AVPD and severe abandonment issues.

I love my fiance and they are the greatest thing to happen to me, how do I believe what they say to me that they won’t just up and leave me because I am “too much” — what are ways to stop these thoughts? I have difficulty in saying I love you because it feels hollow to say but they make me feel so much more different.

Any advice or help?

I am paying like 25$ for a session in Turkey. I wonder how much does it cost a therapy session in other contries?

Idk why, but after the latest fight in relationship I don't feel sad, feeling happy and saying "everything is fine", maybe it's because I afraid to get this pain, august gave me so much problems and conflicts (not only in relationship), the situationship got even worse in my city, conflicts with my closest peoples as well. What should I do? Sometimes it's difficult to distract myself, any advice? Add: I lost my libido also, it's difficult to return it now

Okay so I've had 3 bfs over the last 5-6 years

One cheated on me

One was nice to me for a long while, we broke up, we got back years later and he was a completely different person, he was also quite rude when we ended things, and I really wanted it to work out

He said things like are u done making me feel guilty or don't blame me if things go South, when I was just trying to raise my concerns

One was amazing he helped me study all that but towards the end he told me he wasn't over his ex although he initiated the whe relationship

And then I kept trying to reach out cause I couldn't move on and need to study for a huge exam, and yeah talking didn't work either, and he said I told you that itll hurt u, can I ghost u now.

Now all of these instances hurt me tm, they were all nice to me and helped me at some point but now it all just hurts.

Also cause I've always had someone while I studied my brain just believes I can't make it on my own and need an emotional support systems, who used to be my bfs, I have 2 more months of intense studying and idk how to get myself to believe that I got this on my own, and how to study 10 hours everyday while dealing w so many feelings.

Please helppp😭

So I’m 21 who is in relationship with my partner and I have noticed my behaviour from the past 1 and a half year and I have realised that I tend to fake my emotions

Like see I love my gf so damn much and I am emotionally and deeply attached to her and we are in LDR rn….and it’s like whenevr she tries to make me feel happy or hórny, I just tend to fake the emotion…..she sometimes dresses up well judt for me and if I’m being genuine I do not feel a thing but I fake my emotion with her saying how happy and surprised I am seeing her dress up for me

Same thing when she tries to turn me on or speak seductively, I do no feel a thing like I can keep a straight face and do nothing abt it but just for her I got used to faking my emotion and telling her tht I’m getting turned on and aroused when in reality I’m not feeling tht emotion

Idk what’s going on I did go for a short therapy session once and the therapist said I’m having emotional burnout but I just can’t understand what shud I exactly do to avoid this

I wanna feel genuine emotions but majority of the time I’m just emotionless and I have to fake my emotions for the ppl I love just to make them feel seen and loved and happy
I never got a chance to genuinely feel emotions since past 1 and a half year this been going on
Due to me faking my emotions I see ppl happy and loved but wht abt me? I genuinely don’t feel a thing

Pls can someone help me out I genuinely feel stuck in this loop and I’m tired faking every damn time

Good Evening, I see a lot of posts about the therapeutic relationship ending abruptly.

Dear Therapists and Clients, how many sessions would you like to have so that they can prepare for Termination? What factors might shorten or lengthen the amount sessions that you want to have to prepare for the final session?