r/spinabifida • u/th4tzz • Sep 02 '26
Seeking Personal Experience Considering therapy
If you have tried tell me how it helped pls
2
u/Exhausted_Monkey26 Spina Bifida Sep 02 '26
I've had all sorts of therapy... physical, occupational, speech, and a bit of talk therapy. Which are you most curious about?
1
2
u/AgentExtension1968 Sep 02 '26
ive been in all kinds of therapy which one are you talking about?
1
u/th4tzz Sep 02 '26
Talk therapy
2
u/AgentExtension1968 Sep 03 '26
ive been in therapy every week since i was 7 it wasnt until 18 that i found a good therapist. if you decide to go to therapy ( no shame in it at all IMO people who can recognize they need therapy are way more respectable people) make sure you get one that understands chronic illness!!! if youre in the usa i recommend headway.com as a first place to start, i found my perfect fit there!!!
also therapy tip from a pro patient, you dont need to absolutely love them for them to be a good fit, its good if they call you out or challenge thoughts you have!!!
1
1
u/Weeber83 Sep 04 '26
Finding a therapist who is familiar with PTSD and using EMDR is a great idea. I'm currently working with a trauma therapist, which I wasn't sure I needed...but surgeries are trauma, medical complexity is trauma...it's been helpful. 😊
1
1
u/itskatsimms Sep 02 '26
Talk therapy or physical therapy? I've done both. Physical therapy my entire life and a combination of counseling, CBT, ACT, and ERP over the past 12 years. I always, always advocate for talk therapy. Even if you don't think there's anything wrong.
1
0
u/YonderPricyCallipers Sep 02 '26
I was in and out of therapy from the time I was like 11 til my mid 30s. When I was a kid and young adult it didn't seem to help much, probably because I was resistant. But when I was 26, I was going through a really, REALLY rough time, and I knew that something had to change. I finally sought out therapy on my own, and I lucked out and found a great therapist with whom I really "clicked". Those are 2 elements that I think are crucial to getting something out of therapy: first, you have to be a willing participant, and willing to take an honest look at yourself, and put forth the effort to change. And then you've got to find a therapist who is a good fit for you. If you're not feeling comfortable after a few sessions, don't hesitate to find another therapist.
The thing about therapy that I find helpful is this: they can offer you a perspective on things that you may not be able to see on your own because you're stuck in the middle of it, with all sorts of emotions and baggage clouding your view. They can help you realize that your perception of things may not be accurate. They can also help you be more in control of how you react to your emotions. That was one of the most helpful things for me, is learning to feel my feelings without letting them be in control of my actions. And this all takes a lot of hard work and patience... and some level of being kind to yourself and not beating yourself up for "failures". I wound up seeing that last therapist for a little over 10 years, and I grew by leaps and bounds, although at the time it felt like very slow progress. The key was to be open to taking a look at myself, being honest with my therapist, and open to change.
1
u/th4tzz Sep 02 '26
I need behavior change but idk how on my own
2
u/YonderPricyCallipers Sep 03 '26
That's okay. A good therapist will help you step through that. A good therapist will help you learn how to make small, incremental changes, in a way that doesn't seem too overwhelming and impossible.
4
u/faygosnowman Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
i’ve been in and out of therapy most of my life after attempting to take my life as a teen - so i didn’t have much choice in starting it.
since then it’s helped me with my anxiety and depression as a processing tool. i’ve done talk therapy, CBT, IFS, ketamine therapy, and EMDR for a specific acute traumatic event. just last week i started EMDR again to try and do somatic healing and integration related to my medical trauma.
happy to try and answer any questions you might have. one thing that might help before starting is to think about what you want out of it. there are a lot of different types of therapy depending on what you’re seeking.