Hey, at least you're in therapy. You're talking with someone. When you really feel like you need more, I suspect you'll know it and then do whatever it is you need to do. In the meantime, maybe it would help to mention this to her. Like "hey, is there something more I could be doing here? I appreciate hearing that I'm doing great - and - am I just treading water or am I improving in some way?" or whatever your concern is.
With my last therapist, I was constantly asking for more. I really appreciated how affirming he was - and.... that wasn't getting to the root of my issue, so I kept asking what "homework" I needed to be doing during the week... was there a prompt of some sort I should be meditating on, writing about, trying to unpack or watch for in my dreams, anything?
Eventually I did strike gold on my own (had the big AH-HAH epiphany that I was looking for) and ended our relationship. But then I also had others who could give me the weekly "you're doing great" pep talk that didn't require a huge dent in my checkbook.
not sure if you were even looking for feedback on this... if not, apologies and feel free to ignore! :)
The thing about Geraldine is that I suspect she understands more about my psychology than she lets on and is gently steering me someplace. I'll occasionally say something that feels like a profound revelation and she will just nod her head in that way that means, "Ah, yes, you've finally arrived. Welcome!"
As a chronic over-thinker -- who would love to speed through the process and be done with it all -- I'm starting to feel myself let go of the need to bring neatly packaged problems and their proposed solutions to my session. This is partly because Geraldine is always proud of me and so, therefore, I have nothing to prove. It's like she is playing a Jedi mind trick on my feeble little brain.
Eventually, I hope, we will arrive someplace new, me having sloughed off a protective coating that no longer serves a purpose. For now though, I enjoy her profound consistency and trust myself to know when what we are going together is no longer working.
So, the thing is, I've contemplated sharing it with her. I am curious what she would say that it reveals about me and my understanding of our relationship. What if she has a Substack? And then subscribes to this one? And THEN I read hers and see that she has written about her most hopeless patient who always take his sessions in a poorly lit room before he's had a shower. I don't think I could bear it.
Hey, at least you're in therapy. You're talking with someone. When you really feel like you need more, I suspect you'll know it and then do whatever it is you need to do. In the meantime, maybe it would help to mention this to her. Like "hey, is there something more I could be doing here? I appreciate hearing that I'm doing great - and - am I just treading water or am I improving in some way?" or whatever your concern is.
With my last therapist, I was constantly asking for more. I really appreciated how affirming he was - and.... that wasn't getting to the root of my issue, so I kept asking what "homework" I needed to be doing during the week... was there a prompt of some sort I should be meditating on, writing about, trying to unpack or watch for in my dreams, anything?
Eventually I did strike gold on my own (had the big AH-HAH epiphany that I was looking for) and ended our relationship. But then I also had others who could give me the weekly "you're doing great" pep talk that didn't require a huge dent in my checkbook.
not sure if you were even looking for feedback on this... if not, apologies and feel free to ignore! :)
The thing about Geraldine is that I suspect she understands more about my psychology than she lets on and is gently steering me someplace. I'll occasionally say something that feels like a profound revelation and she will just nod her head in that way that means, "Ah, yes, you've finally arrived. Welcome!"
As a chronic over-thinker -- who would love to speed through the process and be done with it all -- I'm starting to feel myself let go of the need to bring neatly packaged problems and their proposed solutions to my session. This is partly because Geraldine is always proud of me and so, therefore, I have nothing to prove. It's like she is playing a Jedi mind trick on my feeble little brain.
Eventually, I hope, we will arrive someplace new, me having sloughed off a protective coating that no longer serves a purpose. For now though, I enjoy her profound consistency and trust myself to know when what we are going together is no longer working.
Sounds like you’re in the right place with the right person!
Now we need Geraldine’s response/reaction to this post!
So, the thing is, I've contemplated sharing it with her. I am curious what she would say that it reveals about me and my understanding of our relationship. What if she has a Substack? And then subscribes to this one? And THEN I read hers and see that she has written about her most hopeless patient who always take his sessions in a poorly lit room before he's had a shower. I don't think I could bear it.