boombox
New member
Hey guys, first post. ::
I was wondering about everyone's individual experiences with seeking professional help. What good came of it? Any negatives? What did they do to help you overcome anxiety?
Personally, I started out with a psychologist at around 14/15yrs and continued one-on-one therapy for roughly a year.
The positives:
* She successfully managed to get me into a habit of smiling at strangers, rather than averting everyones gaze
* She made me genuinely believe that I wasn't the centre of the universe, and everyone wasn't watching me (though it is still very hard to shake that feeling, and I definitely succumb to the anxiety on that one quite often)
* She made me realise that i had significant control over the present and future direction of my life
However, coming out of those sessions, I did find lots of gaps in my treatment.
The negatives: My psychologist never actually mentioned the term 'social anxiety', and my specific fears were never discussed, nor was there a plan to begin conquering them. I can safely say she did most of the talking, and I guess in hindsight I would have liked to have discussed more difficult or embarrassing situations that were ingrained in my mind. I've read about group therapy using techniques of slowly confronting fears through roleplay, etc, but looking back I'm amazed that after those sessions I was kind of expected to walk out the door and be cured, I suppose? I remember feeling that I wasn't ready to stop therapy, but at the time I'd already continued my sessions with her for the second time, and felt I'd be too much of a burden on my parents continuing and my psychologist to some extent - I didn't want her to think she'd failed curing me. (Ha, the irony of it all )
So I see my own fault in the process, but I do think my psychologist wasn't familiar enough with the extent of SA. I'm going to try and re-enter therapy with some new perspective and experience, being a few years older now.
Thanks.
I was wondering about everyone's individual experiences with seeking professional help. What good came of it? Any negatives? What did they do to help you overcome anxiety?
Personally, I started out with a psychologist at around 14/15yrs and continued one-on-one therapy for roughly a year.
The positives:
* She successfully managed to get me into a habit of smiling at strangers, rather than averting everyones gaze
* She made me genuinely believe that I wasn't the centre of the universe, and everyone wasn't watching me (though it is still very hard to shake that feeling, and I definitely succumb to the anxiety on that one quite often)
* She made me realise that i had significant control over the present and future direction of my life
However, coming out of those sessions, I did find lots of gaps in my treatment.
The negatives: My psychologist never actually mentioned the term 'social anxiety', and my specific fears were never discussed, nor was there a plan to begin conquering them. I can safely say she did most of the talking, and I guess in hindsight I would have liked to have discussed more difficult or embarrassing situations that were ingrained in my mind. I've read about group therapy using techniques of slowly confronting fears through roleplay, etc, but looking back I'm amazed that after those sessions I was kind of expected to walk out the door and be cured, I suppose? I remember feeling that I wasn't ready to stop therapy, but at the time I'd already continued my sessions with her for the second time, and felt I'd be too much of a burden on my parents continuing and my psychologist to some extent - I didn't want her to think she'd failed curing me. (Ha, the irony of it all )
So I see my own fault in the process, but I do think my psychologist wasn't familiar enough with the extent of SA. I'm going to try and re-enter therapy with some new perspective and experience, being a few years older now.
Thanks.