Do you like talking to a therapist?

[silent staring void]

So I started seeing a therapist for the first time last month because I'm in an outpatient program right now. Now I have to decide if I want a permanent therapist afterwards and I'm still undecided about it.
Honestly, talking to my therapist makes me feel violated. It's extremely humiliating. I'm just talking to him out of despair, I don't actually want to speak to anyone about my issues. I hate opening up to a stranger that I don't care about personally at all. I feel like my trust and honesty is too valuable to give to him. I feel like I'm throwing something important into the trash can when I'm talking to him tbh. I'd talk to a trusted friend or family member, but I don't have a person like that, which makes the entire situation even more depressing.
Whenever people talk about how therapy sucks, they usually complain about all the terrible things that their therapist has said to them. Mine hasn't treated me badly yet, but he hasn't really helped me either. I kind of just hate therapy no matter the therapist I guess.
I'd like to hear other people's perspectives on this before I make my decision. I'm not even really asking if it has helped you, I know that this is different for everybody. I'm just wondering how other people feel about therapy in general.

Also I'd like to add this Werner Herzog quote for some controversy lol. It's not really my opinion, but still something that I keep in the back of my head tbh.

Spoiler

There's something profoundly wrong—as wrong as the Spanish Inquisition was. The Spanish Inquisition had one goal, to eradicate all traces of Muslim faith on the soil of Spain, and hence you had to confess and proclaim the innermost deepest nature of your faith to the commission. And almost as a parallel event, explaining and scrutinizing the human soul, into all its niches and crooks and abysses and dark corners, is not doing good to humans. We have to have our dark corners and the unexplained. We will become uninhabitable in a way an apartment will become uninhabitable if you illuminate every single dark corner and under the table and wherever—you cannot live in a house like this anymore. And you cannot live with a person anymore—let's say in a marriage or a deep friendship—if everything is illuminated, explained, and put out on the table. There is something profoundly wrong. It's a mistake. It's a fundamentally wrong approach toward human beings.

 

[Nem]

I think it all depends on the therapist, there's crappy ones and not do crappy ones. I currently have a crappy one
Peace/hugs

 

[a_strange_day]

I don't mind talking to my therapist. It hasn't helped me, mainly because I've reached a point where I don't even wanna try to get better. I agreed to see one only in order to keep the wolves away and it works. I think it depends first and foremost on what you want to achieve, and after that you still have to find a therapist that fits you.

 

[RainAndSadness]

I hate it.

 

[1DayItWillBover]

Never went to one but i would hate it. To much pride for me to express my emotions to a strange outside of my mom

 

[Lostnotfound]

I dont mind talking but its not helping. I want someone to have a conversation with, someone to make suggestions not someone who just empathises and makes soothing noises. I end up all upset and in a state with no answers so it feels like I've wasted my time

 

[Egddios]

I used to see a wonderful therapist when I was living in NJ. I haven't met another therapist anywhere near how gifted my old therapist is.

Last therapist I had was awful - I dreaded the appointments, we had no chemistry at all, it was basically sitting in her windowless office, her staring at me and me thinking wow this is awkward.

 

[Grandexit]

I've been to a bunch. Can't remember anything of value from any of it. Maybe a few diagnoses that helped me understand something better, but labeling how I'm messed up didn't fix it. I see a psychiatrist now only because she gives me Xanax and ambien. If she agreed to see me once a year to keep my rx going, I would have no problem skipping the monthly visit.

 

[Lostnotfound]

I've been to a bunch. Can't remember anything of value from any of it. Maybe a few diagnoses that helped me understand something better, but labeling how I'm messed up didn't fix it. I see a psychiatrist now only because she gives me Xanax and ambien. If she agreed to see me once a year to keep my rx going, I would have no problem skipping the monthly visit.

I saw a DV therapist who taught me about the drama triangle. All very interesting and made total sense etc but it makes no bloody difference to the situation or how I feel.

 

[I_love_to_bake]

I like my therapist. She isn't very effective and it's hard to share everything, but her smile makes me happy.

 

[porfin1234]

I really enjoyed my last therapist and psychiatrist. However, I was too stubborn for it to help as much as it could have (and they both gave me kind of different advice which was confusing) and due to financial situation and some choices I've made in my life I've decided to stop seeing them for now at least.
it started to feel like me just paying someone to listen to me whine. I already know what I need to do. So just gotta do it!

 

[JustLosingMyself]

Dunno... I just go to keep my wife off the subject.
Having had my confidentiality broken a number of times by different "mental health professionals" means there's no trust there... making the exercise futile

 

[Eridanos]

Talking to a therapist doesn't do anything per se. The best therapists are the ones who don't throw their judgment at you and just listen, in the end though what makes them different from talking to a wall?

You could say all those things by yourself, the one thing I think a therapist is helpful with is in putting order into your thoughts. Having a conversation requires you to put order to your thoughts in order to talk, that's why I think it's helpful. If you don't talk to anyone you are far more likely to don't really confront yourself because you relegate those thoughts as not important. Meanwhile when you talk, especially to a therapist, every word you say acquires a meaning and you are far more likely to endure a journey on thinking about yourself.

You could do the same thing talking with any other person without spending those sweet money? Absolutely. In that case though you wouldn't be compelled to be honest and you'll not be able to open yourself.

My tip for you is to try having a few sessions more and see what happens. You are always in time for leaving if you really don't feel like it's your thing.

 

[flower]

the one time I've tried therapy I just cried for the whole hour and felt really stupid and vulnerable. I'd like to be the type of person who goes to therapy and benefits from it but it's just not in my nature to spill my guts to someone like that.

 

[ghostspace]

I love my therapist and usually enjoy therapy. It's good to get stuff off my chest and to sort out my life with a nonjudgmental person. I still plan to CTB, but it's nice to have some comfort while I wait at the station.

Also, her office has tea and is very cozy.

 

[Marchioness]

For me it depends on the therapist. Its always hit or miss, never in between. If they use religion in their methods I always peace out. I went to a secular meetup and heard some athiest therapists are forced to pick a religion for their practice to get funding. I thought that was super shitty.

 

[Mr2005]

Hell no but that's as much my problem as it is theirs. I wasted a lot of time in therapy just to please other people. Being treated for things I didn't have. I came out worse than before I went in. Now I need therapy to deal with therapy. Never going to work

 

[RottenDeer]

Depends. I had some therapists who went along the guidelines of counseling they learned and it was noticeable. You noticed that they didn't really know what they were saying.
But there were also good ones who had gone through some challenging stuff themselves.

 

[jecamole]

I used to like talking to my old therapist, who was a wise and very empathetic person, but I had to move countries and lost touch with him. All other younger therapists, especially those that employ CBT, I've found to be impatient and unsympathetic. But I guess it's also my fault, as I've reached a point where I don't want to get better and would just sit and cry for most of the session without saying much. With therapy you absolutely have to work with the therapist for it to work and I'm just tired of it.

 

[NotMeantForHere]

So I started seeing a therapist for the first time last month because I'm in an outpatient program right now. Now I have to decide if I want a permanent therapist afterwards and I'm still undecided about it.
Honestly, talking to my therapist makes me feel violated. It's extremely humiliating. I'm just talking to him out of despair, I don't actually want to speak to anyone about my issues. I hate opening up to a stranger that I don't care about personally at all. I feel like my trust and honesty is too valuable to give to him. I feel like I'm throwing something important into the trash can when I'm talking to him tbh. I'd talk to a trusted friend or family member, but I don't have a person like that, which makes the entire situation even more depressing.
Whenever people talk about how therapy sucks, they usually complain about all the terrible things that their therapist has said to them. Mine hasn't treated me badly yet, but he hasn't really helped me either. I kind of just hate therapy no matter the therapist I guess.
I'd like to hear other people's perspectives on this before I make my decision. I'm not even really asking if it has helped you, I know that this is different for everybody. I'm just wondering how other people feel about therapy in general.

Also I'd like to add this Werner Herzog quote for some controversy lol. It's not really my opinion, but still something that I keep in the back of my head tbh.

Spoiler

There's something profoundly wrong—as wrong as the Spanish Inquisition was. The Spanish Inquisition had one goal, to eradicate all traces of Muslim faith on the soil of Spain, and hence you had to confess and proclaim the innermost deepest nature of your faith to the commission. And almost as a parallel event, explaining and scrutinizing the human soul, into all its niches and crooks and abysses and dark corners, is not doing good to humans. We have to have our dark corners and the unexplained. We will become uninhabitable in a way an apartment will become uninhabitable if you illuminate every single dark corner and under the table and wherever—you cannot live in a house like this anymore. And you cannot live with a person anymore—let's say in a marriage or a deep friendship—if everything is illuminated, explained, and put out on the table. There is something profoundly wrong. It's a mistake. It's a fundamentally wrong approach toward human beings.

I honestly feel like therapy is not helpful. I been in therapy for practically my whole life and it hasn't made things any better..

 

[Merith]

Verbal communication is hellish for me and it's hard to describe my emotions and situations to anyone without sugarcoating or leaving info out.

 

[hershberger]

Therapists are like anything in life; half of them are below average. i have been blessed with an excellent therapist; without her, I don't know if I'd would be still be here.

 

[Moonomyth]

No, because I'm usually a smart ass who argues his way around the therapist. I don't say this as a point of pride, it would be nice if I didn't.

 

[bpdteacher]

The experience is challenging, but really helpful to me. I've been seeing my (private) therapist for over a year now and she's one of the only people I trust with my emotions. I trust her advice and insight and she's someone I really value and respect. It really depends on the relationship you have with the therapist-I've had some before I really didn't gel with and I think it's important not to settle with the first one you get if it's not working.