Discussion Do you feel too stubborn for therapy?

[Forever Sleep]

In the past, I did consider therapy. I even went to a couple of sessions with a college therapist.

I've always been stubborn and pretty resistant towards trying things I found incredibly challenging. I think at the time though, I just felt so desperate that I thought anything was worth a shot.

I suppose that's my reasoning for not wanting to give it another try though. Not that I ought to outguess them but I feel like I already know what they would suggest.

Seeing as social anxiety and a crippling lack of confidence working around others is so debilitating for me, it seems logical they would ask me to work on that. But, that means facing what I fear the most. So, basically, at least initially making my life feel a whole lot worse with the flimsy hope it will one day start to feel less awful. Which is also a big 'if'. It's very possible things will never feel all that comfortable socially so it's like- is the 'prize' even worth it?

I think the same goes for other unhelpful thought patterns. Limerence, (which I also believe I tend to suffer from) I managed to recognise as a destructive force on my own and put my mind to putting a stop to it.

That's the thing though- I think you really need to want to change destructive behaviours and thought patterns. Seeing as many of these are also bound up in the way we cope or eacape from life itself, I wonder how many of us truly want to let go of them.

In which case- how effective can therapy be when we don't actually truly want to shed the things that are (probably) bad for us? So basically, I'm asking- do you suppose therapy is all that effective on terribly stubborn people? People very resistant to change or, people who feel like their way of thinking/ behaving is intrinsic to their personality, that removing that would seem very stange?

 

[billie]

i've been doing therapy for years and it doesn't help

 

[Loaf of bread]

I don't feel like stubborness is generally a problem, the main problem with therapy is that its promoted as a miracle cure to every conceivable mental health problem.

Have any mental problem whatsoever? Book therapy and your problem will magically disaapear!

For example: Poor mental health from bad circumstances? Instead of fixing the circumstances, get therapy which is just conversing and doesnt fix the circumstances.

This type of stuff leads to therapy being ineffective as it is an inappropriate treatment for many cases. Yet it is hailed as a miracle cure.

Therapy can be helpful and has genuine uses, but its presented as being way more applicable than in reality, which is really harmful to patients coerced into it incorrectly.

I don't see any issues with "stubbornness", at least in those cases.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

"Therapy" can't solve issues we have. It can provide coping mechanisms, it can solve issues in some case but imo in most cases therapy isn't a solution to the problems we have.

In my case, therapy can't solve my issue that makes me suicidal.

Maybe I'm stubborn, maybe I don't want to cope with the facts - ultimately it's not a solution to "heal" the problem.

 

[blackpillhopeless]

"Therapy" can't solve issues we have. It can provide coping mechanisms, it can solve issues in some case but imo in most cases therapy isn't a solution to the problems we have.

In my case, therapy can't solve my issue that makes me suicidal.

Maybe I'm stubborn, maybe I don't want to cope with the facts - ultimately it's not a solution to "heal" the problem.

I agree with this. Therapy is probably going to be helpful for some people, for some other people it is not going to solve the underlying issue that causes one to not want to live (eg for me it is my unattractive face and autism leading to universal rejection from the women i an attracted to), but instead can cause you to cope with lots of mental gymnastics.