Has anyone had any luck with group therapy, workshops, meetup groups etc?

[Maxxim]

Hi folks, I'm new here and feeling pretty awful.

I am wondering if any of you other folks with APD have found any good, secular, discussion-based real-world meetup/group therapy/workshop groups that have helped? I am in university, struggling a lot, and always saddened at the lack of opportunities to meet people like me who are dealing with the same or similar issues. I don't want to lose the opportunity to go outside and try to interact with people in the same or similar boats as myself.

I have tried an anxiety disorder support group, but that did not work out too well. I found that people there had lives a lot more functioning than mine and were really worried when they heard of my problems. Then again, I was also severely depressed at that point...but when you're trying to become more functional and don't find a support group supportive...

 

[IamThisOne]

I'm too scared to go to group.

 

[Feathers]

I haven't been to a support group, but I found this forum very helpful (and some other online sites). It depends what is available locally too.. And who leads the group and how. If it's just run by volunteers who may not have so much knowledge or someone more knowledgeable... What approach they are using, etc.

I've been to some drama therapy workshops in the past and I've found them helpful.. even just drama workshops were kinda helpful to become more outgoing and talkative and such..
You might also consider talking to people who are sort of going through similar problems/life circumstances as you are.. eg other university students worrying about the same exam etc. for me, it was helpful to talk to flatmates/roommates about exam anxiety and such..

You can search for any threads with similar problems on this forum or start a new one.. I found that even talking to people online sometimes helps a lot.. or just reading about others' similar problems..

Books have helped me a lot anyway, both with depression or such, and anxiety/other things..
You can also combine reading books/interaction online + RL people for going for walks together with them and general social interaction...?

Some people found support groups/meet ups okay, I think (EscapeArtist and maybe some others...) We don't have any where I live..

 

[eternalnewb]

Hi Maxxim,
I havn't been to any support groups myself, but I am interested in hearing if it has helped others. I'm pretty new to these forums and have found that coming here has helped me a great deal. Whenever I feel a little down I come here and there is always someone posting who is going through something similar. Reading the posts of other members lets me know that I am not as alone as I sometimes feel.

 

[sara226]

I started going to a life skills group 2 weeks ago and I hardly said anything (only 8 words the second week) but it was quite a big step and I find less worrying things like going to supermarket easier now.

I think groups in general are really good exposure for AvPD.

 

[Randleplexed]

I've been to a group before and I was surprised at how comfortable the others got with each other, I kind of felt left out and I was probably the least talkative of the bunch. Then again I was also the youngest, so maybe they all had a longer time to deal with it and learned better ways of overcoming it than me. But I just felt some of the people there didn't have social anxiety at all because they were so talkative and opened up alot compared to me ::

 

[Feathers]

Randleplexed, sa can be different for different people... for some, sa situations can be pretty specific, sa may only appear in specific contexts...
Yeah, people can also become more comfortable with each other once they get to know each other...

Maybe a different group with more newcomers or more people like you would be easier for you? Or at least another newbie in this group? Do you have any individual therapy also? Or could you meet any members for tea or such outside the group? For some people one on one is easier, or going to a group with a friend or someone they know...

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Lucy:)]

I went to a group for a session once a week for six weeks. It was a sort of class really with counsellors giving you ways to deal with certain situations and things like that. I did find it pretty helpful mainly because it helped me to realise I wasn't alone in the way I felt.

 

[Nitro]

I don't think I could cope with group therapy. I wouldn't mind trying one to one therapy by I wouldn't know the first thing about doing something like that.

When I was younger my school got me to do these private talks with a teacher who obviously wasn't trained to do that sort of thing and it was a disaster. They clearly didn't understand me at all or help me in any way.

 

[Waybuloo]

I've been to a group before and I was surprised at how comfortable the others got with each other, I kind of felt left out and I was probably the least talkative of the bunch. Then again I was also the youngest, so maybe they all had a longer time to deal with it and learned better ways of overcoming it than me. But I just felt some of the people there didn't have social anxiety at all because they were so talkative and opened up alot compared to me ::

Yeah I felt ostracised by other people in a support group I went to years ago. These two women just hit it off and chatted away and they chatted with the group organiser. It made me feel like I wasn't even good enough for social anxiety sufferers, like I was extra defective. They didn't smile at me or talk to me, and when I talked infront of the group I must've blushed because they all looked away embarassed for me. I don't know, it really shattered my self esteem further. I hoped that people would be more understanding but I think they still go with favouritism no matter what problems they have.

 

[Waybuloo]

^A fear of this happening is what would put me off group sessions, too. I'm sorry it had that effect on you, Waybuloo, I guess the two women were just so surprised that, for two social anxiety sufferers, they had hit it off so well that they just got carried away. I would hope that the group organiser would have noticed and tried to diffuse any divides though.

Ironically the group organiser made me feel more anxious. When we did these work sheets that required dissecting our feelings in a particular situation, she kept pressing me to reveal why I felt self conscious and the details were just too intimate to disclose infront of a bunch of strangers. I mean I had 'secrets' and shame that requires weeks of therapy to coax me into telling. And I also didn't want to be looked at and she just kept looking. Of course I could not expect people to magically modify their behaviours to suit my socially anxious needs, but I had somehow hoped differently.

I had to quit the program early. I often hid in the toilets crying during the break wondering whether to just walk off. I probably over reacted then but I think someone like me required a more sensitive, intimate therapeutic approach. I think group therapies like that should have a more stringent screening process, and maybe try harder to make everyone feel welcome and included, like you've suggested.