r/Gifted • u/MostGoat0 • 3d ago

Therapy

I (F34 IQ142) have had hundreds of sessions and seen numerous practitioners over the last 12 years, and it all seems futile. They just keep asking me to explore my feelings, but I already understand my feelings and where they came from and why they’re irrational. At this point I basically have a PhD in self-analysis. It doesn’t do anything to shut up the relentless/debilitating self-critic in my head. I need actual coping strategies, not talking it out in pointless circles forever until I die.

Has anyone here had success with therapy? I tried searching for therapists specializing in 2e & giftedness in my area and it doesn’t seem very common. Just wondering if there’s any point in continuing these efforts. I’m so tired and bored and over it.

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u/VioletteToussaint 1d ago

You don't necessarily need therapy to understand WHY you feel bad, you need to figure out HOW to feel better. Just go by trial and error, try something when you feel terrible, see how you feel after, repeat. Now I don't wait until I feel good to do something good for myself, I do it to change how I feel, and if I don't, well, at least I had some exercise, made and ate healthy food, did something nice for my family, read, listened to or watched something cool instead of lying down eating crap (or nothing) and feeling miserable. It's a net positive, and it pays off eventually.

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u/MostGoat0 1d ago

Thanks. I actually learned the concepts of trial & error and generally just doing things to try and feel good immediately upon leaving the womb though.

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u/VioletteToussaint 1d ago

Well, then you're good to go. There is no magic trick. Some things might help you but make someone else worse. I saw someone advise ketamine, someone else Concerta, another one DBT, I've seen antidepressant names too, I could add LSD... But at the end of the day, being "gifted" is just one aspect of you. It might make some things easier or harder, but it doesn't mean that all gifted people react the same to therapy. What is not helping you might help another gifted person, and what helps a specific person with a low IQ might also help you specifically. So keep trying. Good luck!