What is "insight"?

[Earthcircle]

Here is a quote from: About Psychotherapy - symptoms, resistance, time frame, process, insight, relationships, hostility, cure ********

"What you want most from a session is the experience of insight. ... Insight is psychotherapy. You will know when it happens. It is not like intellectual learning. You will find yourself suddenly feeling clearer, saner, more hopeful, more decisive, more energetic, and your symptoms will clear up. This is the one magic psychotherapy offers. When you feel the things you’ve been trying not to feel, when you become aware of things you’ve avoided, you feel better and you function better. If this isn’t happening, ask yourself what you are getting from the sessions."

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Did it help your SA?

 

[Earthcircle]

Classically, insight is a huge concept in psychotherapy. I'm struck that people here have almost nothing to say about it. I'm also struck that I never had any in psychotherapy, even though my therapy was "insight oriented" and went on for years.

 

[rosewood]

Isn't it something like...

I grew up with my mother telling me that I should avoid working in groups
Because since I'm good at nothing, I bring them down.
Insight: Oh, WAIT, is it why I avoid people??

... Or am I being too simple?

wow, i am sorry your mom said that, so wrong. is there any way to avoid HER?

 

[Pacific_Loner]

wow, i am sorry your mom said that, so wrong. is there any way to avoid HER?

Aww Thanks for worrying I did leave home very early in order to avoid her (well she sort of kicked me out anyway ). But she is bipolar and has other mental issues, and in the past years she really worked hard on herself, changed her medication, went to personal growth meetings and stuff like that, and actually came to the realization that she did a lot of wrong, and went through a long phase where she tried to fix things by apologizing and aknowledging her problems. Now she is doing a lot better.

 

[redtear]

Hmm, insight for me was realizing that my avoidant PD wasn't a good coping mechanism that was protecting me (although I'm sure that's how it initially developed) it was indeed what was leading me back into deep , pitch black depressive episodes time and again. It took me a very long time to gain this insight and I still have moments of resistance to it.


And, related to this, my therapist asked me, on more than one occasion, what's the worst that could happen if you try and you put yourself out there. Initially I said it was not worth it. I compared it to being in a deep well and if you try to claw up and out then you are likely to just fall back and have nothing but bruises to show for it. But if you just stay where you are then at least you are spared the bruises.
It was several months after I stopped going to therapy with him that the insight came and I realized maybe I could actually climb outta that well. I was a little sad I didn't have him there to share that insight with. And, again, there are days I have major resistance to this and want desperately to just sit at the bottom of this well and just give up.

At the end of the day, insight will be different for everyone, depending upon each persons unique situation. But, it should open you up to some sort of self understanding.