Anyone in therapy?

[goldfinch]

So for those of you in therapy, what kinds of things caused you to seek therapy and what goals do you have in therapy? Do you think the fact that you are an INFJ is causing you emotional distress to the point where you need to seek help?

Do you discuss the typology with your therapist, and how does he/she feel about it?

 

[Morgain]

Realy interesting goldfinch, I have the same questions actualy.

I have been playing with the idea of going to a psychologist because I doubted that my emotions and caracter were normal. Now that I know I'm INFJ I'm a lot more at ease with it. But still knowing it doesn't solve my social problems and I'm still thinking of seeing a psychologist but I'm afraid that he will judge who I am and will say that I will have to change myself to fit in. But I don't want to change who I am. I only want some tips to understand the difference between me and others and to make live easier.

 

[goldfinch]

Morgan - my psychologist doesn't judge me. Well, sometimes he says some things that I perceive as judgmental but I call him on it and we talk about it. It's impossible for anyone to be totally non judgmental. He has never told me that I need to change to fit in, but he has tried to give me strategies to deal with situations that I find myself in that are painful. He knows that I am passionate about things, that I have strong values, that I'm very sensitive, and that I think I'm weird and other people think I am too, but he doesn't think I'm weird. He appreciates, or at least he pretends to, my strong convictions. I think he understands a lot of what I feel, not all of it though. Sometimes it's very frustrating because he tries to give me logic when what I need is to have my feelings validated.

We've never talked about the MBTI or my INFJ personality. I'm afraid to bring it up. I think he'll view it as hocus pocus or astrology or something trivial. I wonder what psychologists learn about MBTI in school.

I think if you find the right therapist you'll find what you need, but it could take some searching.

 

[CarrotPoet]

So for those of you in therapy, what kinds of things caused you to seek therapy and what goals do you have in therapy? Do you think the fact that you are an INFJ is causing you emotional distress to the point where you need to seek help?

Do you discuss the typology with your therapist, and how does he/she feel about it?

I started therapy more than 2 years ago. I started therapy because I was having trouble separating fantasy and reality. I was denying my girlfriend at the time access to my thoughts and emotions while I was holed up in my fantasy world. That situation fell apart and I was in denial about what I had done. From what I can tell, this is common INFJ behavior.

We've gone on to do a lot of good work relating to the effects of my childhood on my personality. I don't know where I'd be without therapy; it's really helped me make sense of the world, coming from a very tradional household where my feelings and my unique personality were constantly denied. If my parents had their way, I would have been ESTJ. Yuck....

One of the first things my therapist told me to do was take the test at humanmetrics. I don't know if or how she used that information, but we have discussed it in the context of helping me describe myself, which then helped me accept who I am without preconditions and find a niche for myself in the world.

 

[laurie]

I went to therapy once a while back and it didn't help, mainly because the lady who was counseling me was really bad at it. She seemed really awkward about the whole thing so it made me nervous and I ended up crying (I was about 14) and leaving.
I probably should be in some kind of therapy though. I get stressed way too much.

 

[Gaze]

I've sought therapy in the past. When it was about acceptance and growth, it was pretty good, but when the therapist doesn't really get you, it's not that fulfilling. Some therapists tend to have the habit of trying to normalize so that you fit in. I think I tried too hard to fit myself to what I think he thought I should feel. Not sure if that's what he was going for. He definitely wanted me to "get well soon" so to speak. My concern is with those therapists or psychologists who say that nothing is wrong with the system as is, the problem is the person's ability to fit in or adapt to it, as if everyone is simply putty and can be shaped to fit in with just a bit of tweaking here and there. Not good.

 

[Pristinegirl]

I have been in therapy for about 2 years. And I am/was. I'm not even sure any more.

During summer, they usually pause the therapy for a few weeks. And he made me proimse not to seek help at the child/youth psychiatric hospital because I tend to do that alot. So I had to struggle during these weeks!! But as soon as this break ended I called in for an appointment but then HE was sick, on sick leave. AND that sparked even more anxiety in me because they wouldnt tell me what kind of SICK when I asked.

It just feels like everyone has abandoned me. I'm all alone. I CAN'T go to the hospital. I have no one to talk too. I'm anxious about my therapists health. I'm unhealthily nostalgic (I miss everything associated with High school).

But in reality I'm just neurotic.

 

[goldfinch]

I'm sorry you are feeling abandoned. Is there another therapist you can talk to in the interim? How about a hotline?

 

[Pristinegirl]

I'm sorry you are feeling abandoned. Is there another therapist you can talk to in the interim? How about a hotline?

Thank you goldfinch! I did actually speak to a substitute therapist just when all this started, but she was extremely incompetent and basically just said 'Mmm'.
I remember that it felt like I betrayed my original therapist haha.

I think its hard to simply change, especially when I 'had' one whome I connected with that well already.However, the hardest part about him being away is that they wont tell me what kind of sick he is. If its a brain tumour or a simple cold - I don't know, which is what worries me.