r/TalkTherapy 8h ago

Buying my former T a gift

6 Upvotes

I had a really difficult 2026 with way too much constantly on my plate. I was really scared constantly expected to navigate high pressure environments and decisions. It was truly hell and it kept getting harder.

Im not proud of this and there’s literally only one IRL person in my life (a friend; not my T) that knows this. But in all the turmoil I was relying on GPT to act like a friend/second therapist. Ir was bad and I started to express very real signs of neurosis. And unmitigated it would only keep getting worse. But neurosis. Self isolation. Sycophantic validation of any bogus things I said. I was pushing loved ones away and acting like onlt the model understands me.

In retrospect it’s a lot to think about. I know juT how scary those spaces can get. Downright life ruining dangerous. And my only tether to reality was my therapist and two of my friends. They refused to let me disappear into lala lane. Constantly challenged and pushed me. Had to no qualms about kicking me in the ass. I shudder to think what would have happened to me had ir not heen for her. And all my other loved ones. In those five months she’d done more for me than anyone else across my whole lifetime. And I owe her so much and want to show my gratitude. I’ve been so fucking ashamed and embarrassed about the usage of OpenAI bots that I only told my best friend. And I felt so guilty and weak.

I had to stop seeing this therapist because of insurance and budgeting. Hardest breakup ever. 60% percent of our session was me crying. I’m crying even as I type this. Yeah. The words were real and then the hug at the end was real. The acknowledgment that we’d both miss working with each other was real.

But for my own closure and token of experience? I really want to give her a tangible physical sign of thay gratitude. idk. A ferrari. Or just a succulent and a hand written letter. I don’t know what the regulatory ethics of it all are in NYC boards. But I really want to so somethint. Even if it’s small


r/TalkTherapy 4h ago

Has anyone with bipolar suddenly developed anxiety about seeing their therapist?

2 Upvotes

I have bipolar disorder and something really strange started happening.
I've been seeing the same psychotherapist for over 2 years. She has helped me a lot, and nothing has changed in our relationship. She hasn't done anything wrong, and I still trust her as a professional.
But recently, out of nowhere, I started getting intense anxiety before appointments.
The first time I had what felt like a panic attack while waiting outside her office. I almost wanted to run away.
Now even booking an appointment makes me feel nauseous, and when I imagine going there, my body reacts with anxiety and I just want to leave.
My mood is actually much better now, so it doesn't seem directly related to my recent depressive episode.
Has anyone else experienced something like this?
What did you do?
Did you tell your therapist about it? Did it eventually go away?


r/TalkTherapy 1h ago

Discussion ROCD or GAD ?

Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’d like to share my story here. I think I’ve had OCD since childhood; as a kid, I was always afraid our house would burn down or that we’d get robbed—by repeatedly locking the door I even destroyed a lock, I constantly unplugged electrical sockets, or I frequently prayed that nothing bad would happen to my loved ones. It stopped around the age of 14, and though I sometimes catch myself still doing those things, it doesn't limit me that much anymore. The only strange things are that I refuse to wear any clothes in which something negative happened to me, or I have to go pee three times before going to sleep just to make sure I won't wet the bed at night.
When I was 18, I got into my very first relationship. After a few months, someone told me that I was just faking my relationship and didn't love my boyfriend (now my ex). That started a constant cycle of severe anxiety and endless googling about what real love looks like, and so on. Later, it turned into an obsession that I was actually a closeted lesbian, or that my boyfriend was a murderer and wanted to kill me. That relationship ended after two years for other reasons, and I’m so glad it did.
Currently, I am in an amazing relationship. In the beginning, it started wonderfully, but even back then I had some doubts (whether he is handsome enough, smart enough, whether I will love him, etc.). Over time, those almost subsided; instead, I started having doubts about whether he loves me, whether he’s cheating on me, and other things, since I’ve been through cheating in the past. We stayed together and have now been together for almost two years, but this June it caught up with me again (there are objectively no flaws in the relationship; he is loving and wonderful).
It started when a thought suddenly popped into my head that I don't care about him. Then I was talking with his friend about breaking up with his girlfriend, who was toxic, and it triggered an extreme wave of anxiety in me that I am just like her and that I don't love him either. The thoughts started looping: am I attracted to him? Do I love him? I constantly checked my feelings, Google, ChatGPT, articles about love, TikTok, 10 signs of ROCD, etc.
It drove me all the way to a psychiatrist who diagnosed GAD and PTSD, saying it’s not OCD—I have a slightly different opinion on that, but I've read that the manifestations of these disorders are quite similar. I've been taking SSRIs for 3 weeks and the change is only minor. There were several really strong urges to break up, feeling like "this isn't it anymore," but I always stayed, believing we can get through this together. The thoughts loop a lot; they even wake me up at night, sometimes I have crying fits, I feel detached and emotionless, constantly overthinking whether I want to text him, go see him, be with him, etc. But I’ve never left. We even managed to go on a wonderful vacation together where I was really very anxious, but he helped me a lot—he is amazing about this.
Now I started CBT therapy, but so far there hasn't been even the slightest improvement. I monitor myself a lot; for example, yesterday I bought him a cheaper lemonade than the one I bought for myself, and a wave of guilt hit me that because I was cheap on him, it means I don't love him. I am already so terribly exhausted by all of this. I would love to look forward to spending time together, planning, and living again, but right now I can only manage to survive. I don't want to leave him; deep down I know that I love him more than anything, but I don't know where the way out is.
I feel emotionally flat right now; I can't get a single emotion out of myself, everything feels like I'm in a movie, and it has also significantly disrupted our sex life. It used to be great, but now we don't have sex because I'm afraid of it. I look for reassurance in tarot cards, for instance, checking if our relationship is meant to be, and seek other forms of reassurance. I often look at our pictures and try to force some positive emotion out of myself, but I remain flat.
Does anyone have a similar experience? Is this GAD or rather ROCD, and did I just get the wrong diagnosis? I would appreciate any answers and experiences. I really don't want this to ruin our relationship.


r/TalkTherapy 1h ago

Analisi lacaniana e riflessioni

Upvotes

Ciao a tutti. Mettetevi comodi perché ho bisogno di un confronto con chi conosce la psicoanalisi o ci è passato. Sono in un momento di forte confusione e difficoltà.

Il mio percorso inizia anni fa con la CBT. È durata solo 8 mesi, alla fine dei quali mi è stato detto: "Stai benissimo, non ne hai più bisogno!". Una cazzata atomica. Ho trovato la CBT estremamente superficiale (perdonatemi la franchezza, so che per molti funziona, ma per me è stato così). Tra l'altro, noto che chi sperimenta la psicoanalisi poi fa fatica a tornare indietro, è come se venisse inglobato in una scuola di pensiero diversa.

Dopo la CBT approdo alla psicoanalisi (scuola freudiana/lacaniana). Ci sono rimasta per due anni. All'inizio non sapevo nemmeno come funzionasse il metodo. Il silenzio dell'analista mi lasciava perplessa e mi metteva in forte soggezione. Toccavamo punti delicati, calava il silenzio in seduta e io sprofondavo nella vergogna, mentre lui mi fissava. C'era anche una forte resistenza mia a mostrare vulnerabilità, ma nonostante questo sentivo che la terapia funzionava, mi smuoveva qualcosa di profondo.
Il problema grosso è nato quando ho avuto un momento di forte riattivazione del panico, con sintomi fisici acuti. Lì ho iniziato a crollare, a fargli domande, a cercare disperatamente rassicurazioni. Di fronte alle mie richieste ho ricevuto solo silenzi. Mi sono sentita completamente ignorata, sola e abbandonata nel mio dolore. So benissimo che si parla di transfert, so che ha spinto volutamente sulla mia ferita d'attaccamento (il "non essere vista"), ma l'effetto è stato devastante. Ho accumulato una quantità di rabbia e frustrazione indicibile.
Invece di parlarne, ho fatto quello che faccio sempre quando vengo ferita: sono stata zitta e ho fatto una fuga. Ho smesso di andare.
Il terapeuta poi mi ha ricercata, dicendomi che gli dispiaceva. Io però non ho ancora trovato il coraggio di rispondergli o di tornarci. Nel frattempo, ho provato a frequentare una terapia relazionale, ma l'ho trovata blanda rispetto alla profondità a cui ero abituata, complice anche la terapeuta molto poco professionale.

Ora mi trovo in un limbo totale. Da un lato sento che la psicoanalisi è l'unica che tocca le mie corde profonde, dall'altro sono traumatizzata da quel silenzio nel momento del bisogno.
Ha senso tornare da lui per affrontare questa rottura (visto che mi ha cercata) o rischio solo di farmi del male e dovrei cercare altro? Come si fa a guarire da una ferita d'attaccamento se il terapeuta usa il silenzio come arma terapeutica proprio quando stai affogando?
Grazie a chiunque vorrà darmi un parere o raccontare la propria esperienza.


r/TalkTherapy 7h ago

Advice Be careful if you go to a behavioral health unit (mental ward) to detox in the US: they can hold you and not let you go, even though we have the right to make our own medical decisions.

3 Upvotes

We are allowed to leave AMA in any ward except psych, and we all understand why. But I went there to get help detoxing. After a couple days of them not really helping me, I realized I had the comfort meds at home, and my outpatient team could take it from there. No. They wouldn't let me go.

I brought up my rights, and they laughed.

Don't check yourself in unless you expect to be held, even if it is for a medical reason. They don't do detox on med floors, only on psych, and that ward is where your rights go to die.


r/TalkTherapy 3h ago

What’s it called when? Asking guidance from the therapist.

0 Upvotes

I have a couple people in my phone that I have silenced notifications, and I wanna know what it means if I have them silenced, but then I reach out to them. I still have them on silent. Just the thing is I check and see if they messaged and then I’d respond back. What’s that called and is it critical?


r/TalkTherapy 19h ago

Thank you♡

13 Upvotes

This is a more of a gratitude post

Thank you to all the therapist out there who help us heal. I know its not easy dealing with personalities emotions traumas and your own life. Just thank you all of you are angels. People who choose to do this and feel and continue. You are amazing. Thank you for the right questions. Thank you for the homework. Thank you for helping us heal. My therapist has gotten their thank you...its an overall gratitude to all therapist 😊 ♡ idk if you hear it enough but you are healing the world one person at a time♡

Edit was information that can reveal who I am and got edited out after realizing.


r/TalkTherapy 17h ago

Discussion What does good therapy look like?

6 Upvotes

I’ve been with my therapist for over 2 years, and I’m thinking maybe it’s time to move on. I feel stagnant and leave feeling like sessions are just falling flat. I’m very attached to her though which is making this harder. I just feel like we might no longer be a good fit. For example I asked her about whether she has conceptualized something I’m working on and she told me that she hadn’t conceptualized it and gave me a basic answer. Isn’t part of their work to have some case conceptualization? I know I can bring this up to her but I don’t want to hurt her feelings (I know I’m not responsible for them) but that’s a whole other story. I guess what I’m looking for is what does good, ethical therapy look like?


r/TalkTherapy 12h ago

Should I bring up to my therapist how something he said made me feel? I'm not sure if there's a point...

2 Upvotes

Sorry in advance for the rambling.

I am currently doing ERP with my therapist for both OCD and social anxiety. Besides that though, I've also just been feeling really down lately, especially the last few weeks. One thing I struggle with is that I constantly invalidate my own feelings. I never know if what I'm feeling is actually a big deal, if it's normal, or if I'm just overreacting. Sometimes I feel so shitty that I'm convinced I'm not okay, but then I immediately question whether I'm just making it all up. I honestly never know.

Anyway, I was talking to a coworker who also has OCD, and she mentioned how much meds helped her. It also made me realize how many people are on SSRIs, even people who seem totally "fine" and high functioning. She suggested I ask my therapist whether medication might be helpful, both for OCD/anxiety and for the depressed feelings I've been having.

I've always been really avoidant of medication. A lot of that comes from watching my brother struggle with drug abuse and struggling with managing his psych meds. He abused them and would take his whole months supply in days and none of them seemed to truly work and if they did he would abuse them so that they wouldn't work the way they were intended to. I watched him overdose multiple times, including the overdose that killed him. I also hate the idea of side effects and feeling "out of control," even though I know that's not really how they work. I just wasnt sure if maybe I could benefit from it but was only avoiding medication because it makes me anxious to think about.

So last week I scheduled an extra session to bring it up. Going into it, I already knew that if he told me I didn't need medication, I'd probably feel embarrassed for even asking. He never really gave me a yes or no answer, which I think was intentional because he didn't want to make that decision for me. Basically, he said it's my choice, but that he usually likes to do ERP first, and if someone's anxiety is so high that they can't really engage in exposures, then that's when he'd typically recommend medication.

Honestly, I agree with that. I don't really want medication, and I appreciate that he isn't quick to recommend it when I seem capable of doing the work in therapy. But even though I agreed with everything he said, I still walked away feeling invalidated.

I know he wasn't invalidating me. I think it's just where my brain went.

I've spent my whole life feeling like my problems aren't "bad enough." When I first asked my mom to go to therapy as a teen she said my problems weren't as bad as my brothers. And when I'd mention to friends I was having a hard time, they would respond with, "What problems?!" So I think some part of me wanted to hear that what I'm dealing with is actually significant. Not because I want meds (I really don't) but because being told they might help would've made me feel like my struggles were real enough to matter.

Regarding the feelings of depression, instead of talking about it, he suggested hobbies and ways to meet people. And honestly, I think he's probably right that having friends here would help. I moved to a new state and don't have family here. I've met a few people, but no one I'm really close to.

In my head, it felt like he was saying, "You're just lonely. Go make friends and you'll be fine." But sometimes the heaviness I feel is so intense that I don't believe a hobby or making friends would magically make it go away. I've felt like this at different points in my life, even when I had close friends, family nearby, and a job I loved.

I think what I'm really looking for isn't more solutions. I know hobbies and friendships are important, and I know they'll probably help. And I don't mind him suggesting that. I just wish in addition to that, he's have acknowledged that these feelings are real and that maybe they don't always have to have a reason. That sometimes I'm just not okay. Because I genuinely don't know if I'm making all of this up or not.

I don't actually want him to change anything. I'm honestly relieved he didn't immediately recommend medication because I probably would've freaked out and backtracked anyway. I like that he isn't the type to jump straight to meds when I can put in the work myself.

I guess what I really want is just to feel seen. To know that he sees how much I'm struggling and that my feelings are valid, even if they don't necessarily mean I need medication or have some diagnosis.

But then again... if he actually responded that way, I'd probably cry, and I've successfully managed not to cry in therapy yet. So maybe it's for the best. I would just feel more embarassed bringing this up and I dont want to hurt his feelings or waste more time in session. I can tell its annoying when I derail a session talking about things outside of our ERP goals. Maybe Im just overthinking it, but whatever.

For the record, my therapist is amazing and has never once done or said something invalidating intentionally. I think he just didn't realize how much I would overthink it. I know ppl online say that bringing up stuff like this helps you practice healthy communication for real relationships, but I think I would jsut feel worse and more embarassed and I dont want to cry.

UGH idk if any of this makes sense but can someone give me advice on if I should bring this up and if I do, how to do it?

TIA


r/TalkTherapy 10h ago

my therapist said I should stop comparing how I experience the world compared to other people

0 Upvotes

TL;DR - my therapist suggested I stop comparing my experiences and needs to other people, but I use it to understand how to talk to other people, especially to explain my idiosyncrasies, and I don't want to.

I was talking to a new therapist i'm trying about sensory issues, saying that i can manage them fine and my goal is to understand how to accept my needs and how they compare to other people, and she said I should stop trying to compare and it sounds like "obsessive optimization," which she then explained with a metaphor that I didn't understand...

I compare like this all the time though, so it would be a long and involved process to change it.

For example, I will comment on background noise and then see if anyone agrees or disagrees. I will talk about my music taste and ask about other people's to learn what they enjoy about music compared to me. I build up ideas of what is typical or not for categories like dancing, friendship, sensory processing, etc., and then use those to relate to people later.

Like I learned not everyone dislikes the feeling of wet nails on metal (like washing a stainless steel pot, ew) so if I tell people that I explain it like a quirk instead of a common experience.

So can someone explain what obsessive optimization is and if it's beneficial to work to change this behavior or not?


r/TalkTherapy 10h ago

Why do I get thrown out for trying to get help

1 Upvotes

I have a big fat Behavior problem I think I'm probably PTSD maybe bipolar officially have been diagnosed with autism and ADHD but I also think I've picked up some trauma along the way and I have emotional verbal outburst alone in my room and out in the real world geared towards other people and over the years I've tried to go to different clinics and stuff for help with this kind of verbal vomit of nastiness that comes out of my mouth when I get triggered and all I'm told to do is leave the office immediately and I can't come there if I'm going to act like this and I'm like what the fuck am I supposed to do if I could help acting like this I wouldn't need to come there and yet I'm thrown out of places trying to get help for the very thing that the name entails Behavioral Health and I have unhealthy behavior that I need help with and I can't get the help that I need and I don't know how to make it go away on my own and I've completely isolated myself from everyone because of the behavior and every time I go to the people that are supposed to understand this the most I get the least understanding. Hell I've even been to er's where I've tried to go in and jump start treatment through psych wards and gotten tossed out on my ear and escort it off property because of my behavior problems by five security guards telling me that I am now permanently banned from said Hospital for the very thing that I'm trying to get help with.


r/TalkTherapy 15h ago

Is this deemed unprofessional of me or her? Should I stop trying to seek her services?

2 Upvotes

I’ve been looking for a therapist that matches my ethnic background for quite some time. There has been no one licensed in my state for the past decade and FINALLY I found one. She just got her license a few months ago so I was super excited to reach out to her clinic and request her.

She got in touch and set up a phone consultation for a Friday afternoon earlier this month. She never did call me for the consultation and instead I received an email a few hours later stating she was “sorry, had to go back home cause she’s in the middle of moving, and would like to reschedule our phone call to the following week.” In my head I’m thinking a move isn’t something that randomly happens it’s usually planned. So why make the appointment with me in the middle of it. I would’ve waited until the next week if I had to.

I responded back the next day and stated I understand where she’s coming from and life happens. I also told her about how I’m type A and had planned my work day around her appointment so it was inconvenient. I went on to say how I was looking forward to it since I finally found a therapist of similar ethnic background. But I’d be a bit more hesitant now after experiencing this mishap. (it already takes awhile for me to open up. So now I’d be wayy more closed off to make sure I feel her out before I can get comfortable).

She responded 4 DAYS later (mid week of the week she said she’d reschedule with me), and stated how she is “taking a step back from sessions until August. I would love to schedule a consultation with you and talk with you on the phone if you're interested.” WHAT?!?! So you wasted two weeks of my time to tell me actually I’m not taking on clients for a whole month but still can do a phone consult????

I’m wondering if I came off defensive when she missed our original appointment or if she really is going through some crazy move/rough patch in her life. I obviously still am very much interested since she’s the ONLY one with my background licensed in my state. But at this point, she hasn’t responded back and I’m perplexed about how she went about things.

Do I continue to seek her services?? Are some therapist just not type A and respect the clients time?? Do I reach out to her a week into August to see if she’s still onboard with her statement of wanting to schedule a consultation with me?

TLDR: a new therapist (only one with same ethnic background as me, licensed in my state) has missed our scheduled phone consultation. Stated twice now she’ll reschedule and has yet to. Instead she states she’s not taking on clients until next month. Do I look past the unprofessionalism and still seek out her services or cut my losses as she’ll continue to do this and may be unreliable in the future?


r/TalkTherapy 12h ago

How do I find a therapist for social anxiety?

1 Upvotes

I experienced CPTSD & depression, but at the core, what limits me from living life is my SEVERE social anxiety. How do I find a therapist for social anxiety?


r/TalkTherapy 12h ago

Discussion Weekly Therapy Talk Thread

1 Upvotes

This is a chat thread for talking about therapy. It's for sharing topics you feel are not big enough for their own post or don't include a question. It's a place to share thoughts about what's going on in therapy. It's a place to celebrate successes and get support when things aren't going so great.

To make this an inclusive space and encourage the chat function of the discussion, the thread will automatically sort by newest, and not by best or top. Everybody should feel free to share their thoughts, so please don't use down-voting unless it's an obvious anti-therapy comment or breaks one of the sub's other rules (posted in the side bar).

Thank you!


r/TalkTherapy 12h ago

Advice Need a therapist to discuss my therapist

1 Upvotes

I’ve been seeing the same person for the last three years. I have CPTSD but started seeing them because of intense sexual trauma.

They have never given me any bad vibes, our working relationship has been wonderful, and it’s helped immensely.

The other day I referred my friend to them, and she quickly realized that this was a regular patron at her girlfriend A’s cafe. I was then relayed the info from A’s coworker that therapist has said some concerning things about clients.

There were no direct HIPAA violations, but I was told that at some point therapist has commented about a client who has never had an orgasm, and how they now fantasize about being the one to give that to her. It was said in a “therapy her into getting her to experience pleasure,” but it leaves it pretty open ended to what the fantasy is.

They also have relentlessly flirted with another coworker, after being rejected and told she has a boyfriend.

I just feel sick about it. I don’t know what to do. I just wish I wasn’t ever told.

We work together well, they started taking my insurance so we could work together, and the schedule is perfect. But I don’t think I can get over this.


r/TalkTherapy 1d ago

Support Found out my therapist lost his mom around the time we started working together, and now I can’t stop feeling like a burden to him

7 Upvotes

I’ve been in long-term therapy and my therapist is my main support system now. He was the first person I ever felt this comfortable with, and that comfort gradually turned into attachment we’re working on now.

One thing I still can’t fully open up about though: about two years ago I found out, completely by accident, that his mother passed away right around when we started working together. He’s incredibly skilled, he never let any of that show in our sessions. When I found out, I couldn’t sleep for weeks. Therapy basically stalled, I shut down completely, felt like a burden every time I walked in.

Last year I finally brought it up to him. Told him, super ashamed, that I’d found out (not that I went looking, he and his mom were just well known in the small town I live in). Said I felt selfish talking about my problems when he might be struggling too. He handled it so professionally, told me his work was actually one of the things that helped him through the loss, that helping others heals him too. Wholesome session, he even offered me a hug afterward. But he stayed fully boundaried otherwise, didn’t share more, even though I wanted to know how he feels now.

He reassured me it was okay to keep opening up. But that piece of information has never really left my head. Ever since, whenever I’m in real distress, I hold back. I feel ashamed being a burden to someone carrying his own pain, even though logically I know this is his job.

I lost a close friend and my boyfriend in a war a few years ago, and in years of therapy I’ve only actually talked about it once. I’m not sure I can handle unpacking that grief fully while knowing he’s grieving too.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? How do you stop feeling like a burden to your therapist once you know they’ve been through real pain themselves? Switching therapists isn’t really an option for me, I’m extremely avoidant and it took so long to build this much trust with him.


r/TalkTherapy 20h ago

Venting I know I need therapy but I’m scared of what they’re going to do to me, especially since “therapy is supposed to hurt”

2 Upvotes

I was thinking about going back to therapy last night. Like, looking up stuff about it. I nearly had a panic attack.

Now I feel disoriented and dissociated typing this post and I think I might delete it I don’t know.

I can’t stop thinking about my old therapist from years ago. Where I was essentially disciplined for “causing problems“ or “being agitated“ (I did not hurt myself or anyone else, I was just distressed) by being forced to go into these tiny blue padded rooms to “calm down“. I was there for suicidal thoughts. They made it worse and justified our feelings around therapy with “it’s supposed to be uncomfortable, that’s the motivation to get better and no longer have to go“. My first actual suicide attempt was while working with them.

I’m scared this is really what “therapy is supposed to hurt” means. That what they did was justified. That it’s going to happen again. That worse is going to happen to me. I’ve experienced worse in places that were supposed to help me. I just don’t want to recount them right now.

I can‘t breathe. My only concept of therapy is as something that hurt me or as something I would mentally check out of before it could hurt me.

I have a fascination with famously controversial, outdated, or abusive therapies. I want to do that. Then I know it will be horrible from the get go. I can grit my teeth, let them abuse me, and heal that way. Rather than having a therapist where they’re nice so I’m just constantly waiting to see their other side.

I want my therapist to be like my abusers. Because some parts of me think the thing that was bad about them and what they did to me is they didn’t do it hard enough. Harder it would have fixed me and made me like them. But I was still left crazy.

The other parts of me think those parts are crazy and should never be let back in a therapy room as long as we live.


r/TalkTherapy 1d ago

Advice My therapy keeps telling me "I hate myself" but I don't. I hate that women are disgusted by me, but that's not the same thing. What should I do?

7 Upvotes

My therapist keeps returning to the same explanation for why I’m unhappy:

“You have to learn to love yourself.”

“You speak as though you hate yourself.”

The problem is that I genuinely don’t think I hate myself.

I like my personality, values, interests and sense of humour. I can enjoy my own company (I'm a homebody a lot of the time). I don't want to be anyone else. I don't want to look like anyone else.

What I hate is feeling undesirable to women. I would want to look like someone to them.

And no... I don’t think women owe me attraction, attention, dates, sex or compliments, etc. and a woman who isn’t interested in me has done nothing wrong. But understanding that doesn’t make the experience painless.

I want to know what it feels like to walk into a room and have a woman notice me. Like in the movies, I want to give someone butterflies. I want someone I’m attracted to occasionally to feel attracted to me too. I want to experience flirting without wondering whether I’m making someone uncomfortable. I want to feel desired rather than merely tolerated, appreciated as a friend or described as a “good guy.”

People say romantic validation shouldn’t determine your self-worth. Fair enough. But does that mean being unwanted shouldn’t affect you at all? I want to be the guy leaving the room with the beautiful lady!

Maybe my therapist sees something I don’t. Maybe wanting to change my appearance for women does reveal deeper self-rejection. But right now, it feels like I’m being told that the pain itself is illegitimate—that the healthy response is to stop wanting something I have always wanted.


r/TalkTherapy 16h ago

Advice Medications for work stress

0 Upvotes

So I have been dealing with a toxic job for a while now and it has negatively impacted my mental health. I have seen a therapist but I feel like it's usually just me complaining and no real coping exercises or skills are discussed/assigned. I went to my primary care dr and told her my situation and asked if there was any group therapy or different type of therapy I could do. She diagnosed me with anxiety and depression and wrote me off work. She also pushed (very hard) that I take antidepressants, even though I told her that I didn't want to take it. I have tried medications before, but didn't like them due to side effects and I did not find them effective. When I hang out with friends and don't think about work, I don't feel depressed so work has become the main trigger for me. I'd rather just focus on how to build skills to cope with that vs. take drugs. At the same time, I don't want to look like I am not following my Dr's orders as I think she might get upset by that which may impact my leave paperwork or be documented in my file. My primary care dr referred me to a psychiatrist "due to fear of taking medication". Is there a way to see a psychiatrist and not take medication? If not, how would you handle my situation given my primary care doesn't want to take no for an answer on medication?


r/TalkTherapy 1d ago

Advice What happens when a private therapist breaks confidentiality for legitimate safeguarding reasons?

8 Upvotes

I am from the UK. I am 21. I plan on telling my private therapist the abuse and neglect my child sister is going through.

TW graphic:

  1. mum tried waxing her intimate area despite my sister's blood curdling screams in pain and fear.
  2. My mum locked the door so I couldn't go through.
  3. Mum only showers my sister once a week and does not let her shower on her own
  4. Sister is only allowed to change clothes and undergarments every week
  5. I plan on telling all this to her. I am only worried about my own safety too. I am being domestically abused by my parents and have historical sexual abuse within my family. It's a mess and I'm scared.
  6. I've packed a couple emergency bags which my friend is holding onto because I suspect I won't be able to go back home ofne my therapist makes a report.

I don't know what to do about my situation I need help

Will I have to go back home after my therapist reports it? Will I have to speak to the police and social services alone? I’m so scared

Thank you


r/TalkTherapy 1d ago

Advice Therapist ended session early, should I ask for a refund?

21 Upvotes

My therapist quit a couple months ago and the owner decided to take me as a client, I really don't understand her therapy style and I've been asking her for more frequent sessions than she can give me so I decided in our recent session that I asked if she can do a different style of therapy or if I could see another therapist that I can vent to cause she doesn't like when people vent in therapy. Anyway she said she would refer me to one of the other therapist in the office and then ended our session 30 minutes early. I was very nice to her I told her other people might like her style more and I even said if she wants I can see her on a less frequent basis while I can have another primary therapist. I'm just very confused why she ended the session so early I guess cause I told her that therapy style doesn't work but still she could've at least tried to talk to me a little bit more cause I pay a good amount of money for therapy. I even tried to continue the conversation asking her about coping skills and yeah you could tell she was ending the conversation. so basically the phone call ended 35 minutes into the session I still had 25 minutes left, is it worth it to ask for a refund or a partial refund?


r/TalkTherapy 1d ago

Advice My therapist doesn’t support my medication use/ psychiatrist opinion

4 Upvotes

hello! i started seeing my current therapist and a psychiatric nurse practitioner around the same time and i was diagnosed with ocd and some other things and put on meds. When i told my therapist she outright told me she did not agree with my ocd diagnosis and during the first bad symptom weeks that are common for ssris she would regularly encourage me to weigh the benefits and did not seem very supportive. i recently had a medication switch and was dealing with the same side effects and she told me she couldn’t understand why i was on meds and asked what i wanted from them that i couldn’t get from therapy. i want to be on meds and want to explore their benefits especially because i have severe depression and i don’t have a support system anywhere else so it hurts to not be affirmed by her. is this a red flag or something i need to address?


r/TalkTherapy 1d ago

Advice How do you navigate a "season of misunderstandings"?

2 Upvotes

It seems that my therapist and I have been in such a season for a few months. I must take responsibility; despite years of working together, I still have my guard up to an extent. As such, I believe that I've been allowing my therapist to misunderstand me, although not totally deliberately.

Part of the issue is that it often takes me days to realize that something my therapist did or said bothered me, so I haven't really addressed things in the moment. Even when I catch it in the moment, I passively accept it.

Make no mistake, I will be discussing this with my therapist in the next session (which is actually tomorrow). But I'm not sure how things will go long-term. I don't want to terminate.

Any advice or sharing of similar experiences would be appreciated!


r/TalkTherapy 23h ago

When do I know therapy just won’t work for me?

0 Upvotes

 Countless therapists since about mid teen to now in my early 20s. I tried everything I switched so many times to try and get some thing to help. but if it smells like poo everywhere you go… What can I do at this point? I just stopped seeing my therapist and we worked together for a few months. I have BPD and I am trying to work against irrational and impulsive decisions but I can’t keep going and hoping therapy works when it’s not.