Does anyone else feel like therapy makes things worse sometimes?

Being told you have anxiety just makes me more anxious. Feeling judged and like I'm being evaluated, makes me anxious. I'm sure on some level anyone going into therapy would be anxious. I just wonder sometimes if therapy is only exacerbating my problems.

Perhaps in the beginning stages...

Think of it in the same way as debriding a wound...

...is it difficult to expose something tender, and it may sting while things are being evalutated and cleaned out...

...but in the long run, healing takes place, and it is worth the initial discomfort for the long term gain of wellness.

Try to hang in there and see where things go with your new therapist!

We will be here to encourage you and keep you in support!

S.C.

I feel the same way, especially with grief counseling. I went for one session and basically told my story of all my loved ones that have passed and how I felt that I have never dealt with it properly and my anxiety went thru the roof. I was fine before I told my story, but was not fine for many days after I told it. Needless to say, I never went back to grief counseling, and of course, I am no better at dealing with the passing of my loved ones than I was before letting it out. :(

Hi

Yes therapy at first can seem to make things worse this is because you are talking about the way that you feel and are encouraged to do so by your therapist so they can understand your issues and then work with you to move things forward. As SC mentioned in the long run you will see improvement but this can take time so do stick with your therapy.

When I first did some therapy which was years ago now I found it very difficult to open up about the problems I was having and found that I held a lot back during those first sessions. I found that the therapy made me super aware of my issues and I found that very anxiety provoking but over a number of weeks things started to improve and I found it really useful.

These things can take time and there is not a quick fix but I feel the more you open up with your therapist and talk about how your anxiety the more you will get out of it. I have done Cognitive Analytical Therapy, Cognitive behaviour Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation Therapy over the last number of years and have found them all helpful so still feel that therapy is the best approach to gaining recovery.

I hope that you start to see some improvements soon keep us updated and know that we are here if you need us.

Hibee